Mandar is a former Shell Game Changer who used to manage Shell's impact investment portfolio on social innovations that create shared value - both social impact and business value. After working at Shell for 17 years, Mandar is a Visiting Scholar at George Mason and manages the Business for Peace Innovation Lab that provides innovation consulting to international brands to find novel ways to make peace profitable.
He also manages a nonprofit peace consultancy 'Cities4Peace' that actively promotes peace in cities across the world. Their flagship work in 2019 was in Los Angeles - working closely with the LAPD and the LA Mayors Office for Gang Reduction in Los Angeles. A short video of his work in LA is here.

For nearly two decades, Mandar has taught leadership programs using meditation practices for the Art of Living Foundation.

He has changed his career from being an award-winning TV Series Producer & Senior Producer/Director with 24 years’ experience in British network television to that of a full-time University Lecturer. He brings a wealth of creative industries experience.

He has produced and directed: long-form documentaries; drama/docs; theme nights; comedy sketches; ob docs; archive and magazine programmes for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, E4, More 4 and Sky. Subjects ranged from; entertainment, music, comedy, film, arts, history, biographies, travel, lifestyle, current affairs and sport.

He teach Employability and Entrepreneurship, Work-Based Learning, Film Studies, Directing & Producing and English for Academic Purposes [EAP] and have given talks in our Education and Psychology Departments.

Other responsibilities: implementation of the University's Employability and Enterprise Strategy in the School of Arts by working with our E&E Champions; Media Industry Advisory Board Co-Ordinator; Enhanced Personal Tutor; PASS Co-ordinator; Education Committee member; Mitigating Circumstances Assessor Committee, HEAR Champion, TIRI Conference Committee, TEDx Mentor and Speaker.

2019: Recipient of the Student's Union President Prize for my support of the SU.

2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 (Winner); shortlisted in Student-led Awards for University-wide 'Employability Enhancement Award'

2018; Recipient of The Bolton Award Certificate for my support of the UoB Careers initiative

2017: nominated by University as 1 of 2 academic staff for HEA 'National Teaching Fellowship' [NTF]. Recipient of inaugural 'Teaching Intensive, Research Informed' [TIRI] Teaching Fellowship. Recipient of inaugural University TIRI Teaching Award. Nominated in Student-led Awards for 'Outstanding Lecturer' and 'Exceptional Personal Tutor'

2016: recipient of 2 'Jenkinson Awards' for Research.
UoB Shortlisted Nominee for HEA 'National Teaching Fellow' [NTF]
Winner of Student-led 'Outstanding Lecturer Award' School Creative Technologies

2015: Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (FHEA)
'Distinction for Teaching Practice' in Postgraduate Diploma in Education PGDE(M)
Nominated for Student-led 'Outstanding Lecturer Award' School of Creative Technologies.

Darshan Shankar is the managing trustee of FRLHT and founder of TDU. His core contributions lie in the field of educational innovation. He started his career in 1973 at the age of 23, at the University of Bombay, where he designed and implemented a post graduate “experiential” learning program that won a Commonwealth Award in 1976, for being the best program in the Commonwealth for linking University education to community needs.
Darshan worked as a young faculty at the University of Bombay from 1973 to 1980. He then lived and worked for twelve years till 1992 in a tribal district in Maharashtra on projects related to S&T applications for tribal development.
In 1993, he moved to Bangalore, where along with Pitroda, he founded the Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), and later the Trans-Disciplinary University (TDU).
He has won several national and international awards viz. Commonwealth Award (1976), Normal Borlaug Award (1998) for contributions to conservation of wild populations of medicinal plants, Columbia University’s International Award (2003) for Complementary Sam and Alternative Medicine, and in 2011, the Govt. of India conferred on him, the Padma Shri.
He has held several honorary positions like:
Advisor (ISM), Planning Commission, Govt. of India
Member, National Biodiversity Authority, Govt. of India
Member, National Wildlife Board, Govt. of India
Member, Executive Board of Global Initiative for Traditional Systems (GIFTS), Oxford, UK
Member, Academic Council, Rajasthan Ayurvedic University, Jodhpur
Member, Independent Commission on Development and Health in India, New Delhi
Convener, Working Group on Traditional Health Sciences of the National Knowledge Commission, Govt. of India
Member, International Expert Group to advise PM’s Office, Govt. of Malaysia, on development of Herbal Sector
Member, Population Commission, Govt. of India
Member, Research council, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka
Member, International Expert Group set up by IUCN and WWF, Germany and WHO on Standards for Sustainable harvest of Medicinal Plants
Member, Board of Directors, Inter University Doctoral Research Program on Endogenous Knowledge, Netherlands
He has written one book, chapters in several books, and peer reviewed articles in national and international publications.

Marc Finaud started his career at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Military Cooperation Division in 1977. From 1977 until 1978, he served as Vice-Consul at the French Consulate-General in Leningrad (USSR). From 1979 until 1982, he worked at the Directorate for Europe (Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE)) in Paris. From 1982 until 1983 he served as Chief of Staff of the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before being appointed First Secretary at the French Embassy in Warsaw. From 1989 until 1993 he was Second Counsellor at the French Delegation to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (dealing with nuclear and outer space issues as well as conventional and biological weapons) and a member of the French Delegation to the First Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

From 1993 until 1996 he was appointed Head of the Information Department (and alternate spokesman) of the Foreign Ministry in Paris. Following this from 1995 until 1996, he was a lecturer on arms control and disarmament for a post-graduate course at the Marne-la-Vallée University. In 1996 he was appointed Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he joined the Team of Negotiators of the EU Special Envoy to the Middle East. In January 2001, he was transferred to Sydney, Australia to serve as Consul-General for France.
Marc Finaud has been a Knight of the French National Order of Merit since 1998. Apart from French, he speaks English, Russian and Polish. He has published aphorisms in English about disarmament in the Geneva International Yearbook and articles on the Middle East peace process.

Rev. Prof. Dr. Vishwanath D. Karad - an eminent educationist having teaching experience of 40 years in College of Engineering as an Undergraduate and Postgraduate teacher, thinker a devoted teacher and a dedicated social worker, is a man of great vision, who is totally committed to the development of technical education and the cause of raising the qualities of life of the Indian masses for the betterment of tomorrow. He was awarded the Degree of Doctorate in Philosophy and Education by the International University of Washington.

He is the founder of various initiatives such as “Maharashtra Institute of Technology, WORLD PEACE CENTER of MAEER's MIT, Pune, UNESCO CHAIR for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace, MIT World Peace University Shree Kshetra Alandi Parisar Vikas Samiti, Saint Shree Dnyaneshwara and Saint Shree Tukaram Endowment Lecture Series Trust. Apart from recognition for his works in education.

He has been honored by the various awards such as National award for the year 1992 for the most outstanding work in Engineering and Technical Education for his commendable rural development work in the field of Environmental and Pollution Control at Shree Kshetra Alandi-Dehu, “Madhav - Mandakini Award” for his commendable work in the field of Rural Development - Environmental and Pollution Control at Shree Kshetra Alandi - Dehu in Pune district for changing the outlook of these holy places. He has been member of various organizations of national international repute.

Scott was appointed President of Interpeace in June 2018. Previously, he held the position of Director-General, starting in that role in 2005 after being chosen by the then-Chairman (2000-2009) of the Interpeace Governing Council, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari. As President of Interpeace, he provides strategic direction to the organization.

In recognition of his record of professional accomplishments, his commitment to society and his potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through his leadership, Scott was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2009. Each year the Forum recognizes “the 200 most distinguished young leaders below the age of 40 from around the world.”

Scott believes strongly in education as a means to shape young generations of global citizens and a more peaceful and inclusive world. In his spare time, he works with schools and universities to integrate Peace Education into their teaching practices and curricula.

Scott is a member of the International Gender Champions, an initiative launched by the Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN in Geneva, the Director-General of the UN in Geneva and Women@TheTable.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, Economics and Russian from Georgetown University and Certificates of Executive Education in Leadership from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.

Scott is French and American. He lives in France with his wife and two children.

Management Techniques (MAIMT) at Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Dr. Murty had boarded a Delhi-bound train as part of his ‘Amarnath Yatra’ when the phone call came from the Rajahmundry MP M. Murali Mohan, requesting him to compose the theme song for the ‘Godavari Pushkaram’. Rani Sadasiva Murty, professor of Sahitya at Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, composed lyrics for the ‘Godavari Harathi’ song during the recently-concluded Pushkaram. Dr. Murty is the author of 25 classical dance ballets in Telugu, five in Sanskrit and one in English. Except for a Sanskrit ‘ghazal’, all his other works were devotional, patriotic, philosophical or morally instructive.

Prof Omid Wali is a professor of English at the Nangarhar University in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Prof Wali is intimately aware of the dangers of violence and how curtailed knowledge can adversely affect the growth of a people and a nation.

• Ph.D. Candidate (ELT) Aligarh Muslim University
• Fulbright Alumni, University of Georgia, USA
• Rotary Peace Alumni, Chulalongkorn University
• Regional Coordinator AUSEP Alumni
• M.A. English (ELT Specialization)
• M.A. Policy and Public Administration
• P.G. Dip. Academic English Writing

Inspired by Buddha Teaching, Overcome the furious by friendship.
Overcome the evil one by goodness, Overcome the miser by generosity.
Overcome the liar by truth
Guru U Pandita Ananda, known as Guru Ananda.
His family name is AKS Rtn. Lam Lee Heng.
Born at Malacca, Malaysia on 13/3/1958 in a Chinese family.
He graduated from Let's Learn Electronic Institute Malacca and North Malaysia Electrical
and Electronic College.
A brilliant student in school days and by the age of 21 he became a very successful
businessman in Malaysia.
At the age of 25, he accidentally fell from 300 meters high waterfall in Malaysia during a
vacation and went to coma for 3 nights and went to vegetative state for 3 months.
After recovering and healing he surrendered his life to Buddha and his teaching.
His journey started in Thailand then Myanmar and finally came to Nepal.
He spent his 7 years in Nepal for Deeper Yoga and Buddhism Training, especially in the
Himalayan region of Upper Mustang in Nepal.
After enlightenment in the Himalayas, he has dedicated his life for the teaching of Buddhism
and spreading Buddhism all over the world.
Since the last 30 years, he is teaching Hatha Yoga, Aunapanasati Yoga, Vipassana,
Kundalini and various kind of Traditional yoga and meditation & different Ancient meditation
techniques of Buddha Darshan, also promoting peace through his various social work in the
field of education and health.
He believes in the Transformation of Happy and Healthy life only through Buddha’s Teaching
and Yoga and Meditation.
He started the Great Wisdom Meditation Association in Malaysia and various parts of the
world and has built Monastery and Meditation Center in Marfa, Mustang, where meditators
come for meditation from all over the World.

He believes Love only grows by sharing, you can only have more for yourself by giving it
away to others

Major Achievements and Awards:
• Shri. Rahul Vishwanath Karad is an enterprising young educationist at the forefront of the 72 institutes strong MAEER's MIT Group of Institutions, Pune with over 55,000 students under its fold. He is also the Executive President of MIT-World Peace University, the newly recognized State Private University of MIT Group of Institutions at its flagship Kothrud campus in Pune. A graduate in engineering and a postgraduate in management from Cardiff U.K, Shri. Rahul, is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, U.S.A.
• Shri. Rahul is advancing the inherited vision and mission of his visionary academician father Prof. Dr. Vishwanath Karad, Founder MIT Group of Institutions, with a fearless passion and deep-rooted patriotic intent in his heart. He holds a firm conviction in channelizing the power of youth to augment their active participation in our pluralistic democracy. His true nationalistic consciousness keeps finding expressions through numerous activities that he initiates and infuses a renewed sense of pride and patriotism amongst the young budding minds.
• Addressing his burning desire in contribution to Nation Building prompted him to trudge a new path reflecting in the shape of MIT School of Government. With his energized focus and genuine involvement, the School is honing and nurturing the next generation of Indian Political Leaders and his efforts are appreciated, placed and valued in the national context. The school being the first of its kind in Asia has attained success in the process of activity and has risen manifold in stature and prestige by its concentrated efforts of strengthening the fabric of Indian Democratic Leadership.
• He firmly believes, involvement of youth in a wide variety of social, national and international issues will be a key determinant of our success and excellence. To do so, and for the composite development of youth, it is essential that they be well exposed, informed, enlightened, connected and spirited. To achieve this goal, a purposeful platform like “INDIAN STUDENT PARLIAMENT” (BHARATIYA CHHATRA SANSAD) was founded by him. Potentially and objectively, this platform is also a breeding ground for the youth to assume various leadership roles in order to strengthen the very essence of democracy.
• To further this cause of nation building with a sole aim of Inspiring Teachers and Strengthening Generations he has conceptualized National Teachers' Congress (NTC). This is a platform for teachers of Higher Education (under-graduate and post-graduate colleges) from across the nation. Through extensive deliberations and dialogue of 3 days, he aims to ignite the spirit of thousands of teachers every year so that they continue to look beyond the commercial temptations for creating deeper and wider impact on the society through this noble profession. He firmly believes that as we are fast moving towards the Knowledge Era, we are sure that NTC will benefit all the important stakeholders of Education Process including Students, Teachers, Parents, Industry, Law Makers and Society at large.
• He is also the Founder & Convener of National Women’s Parliament (NWP). This is a common platform for women from diverse background like politics, social sector, education, sports, industry, media, cinema, arts & culture, judiciary and young aspiring girl students to stage their experiences ,share knowledge and research in the area of women’s social economic and political empowerment. Its first annual national conclave was hosted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh on February 10, 11 & 12, 2017. Over 18,000 girl students from colleges of Higher Education were connected to women legislatures, parliamentarians, women corporate leaders, and representatives from social sector for a reciprocal and continuing assignation. The platform will stay faithful to its endeavors till significant progress is made in achieving respectable representation of women in national and world political order.

Dr. B. N. Gangadhar assumed the charge as the Director of National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) on 12 January 2016.
Dr. Gangadhar, who is also a Senior Professor of Psychiatry, brings over 30 years of extensive experience in the field of mental health, from both clinical and academic perspectives. He obtained his MBBS degree from the Bangalore Medical College in 1978. He joined NIMHANS as a faculty in 1982 after completing MD Psychiatry from the same Institute in 1981. He was conferred the prestigious Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS) degree in 2006 and D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru for his research work on Yoga and Mental Health in 2012.
Concurrent with his faculty post, he has served the Institute in various capacities such as Medical Superintendent; Head, Department of Psychiatry; Dean (Behavioural Sciences) and Program Director/Head, Advanced Centre for Yoga.
Other key posts held by Dr. Gangadhar include Honorary Dean, Life Sciences at SVYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru (from 2013); Adjunct Faculty on Consciousness at National Institute of Advanced Studies (from 2014); President, Indian Psychiatric Society Karnataka Chapter (2012-13); Visiting Fellow (IBRO), Vienna, Austria (1987-88); Consultant to WHO for inspection of Tsunami relief projects (2008). He is also part of the expert committees of DST and the National AYUSH Committee for Integrative Medicine.
With his primary research interests spanning Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), Schizophrenia, Community Psychiatry, Public Health and Yoga, he has successfully guided about 50 MD students and PhD scholars. He has more than 300 research publications in various national and international indexed journals (H-Index-34, RG Score 44.27) to his credit. He is the co-editor of the Asian Journal of Psychiatry (from 2009) and active member of editorial boards of national and international journals. He has also served as the Associate Editor of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (2002-2013).
Dr. Gangadhar is the recipient of the coveted Sir CV Raman Award and Doctors Day Award from the Government of Karnataka. He has also shared over 25 awards with other primary recipients.
Known for his `hands on’ approach to governance and his student friendly attitude, Dr. Gangadhar believes in team work and quick results.
Associated with RSS, he has held the role of Sanghachalak of Bengaluru Mahanagar in the past
Qualifications: MBBS in 1978 (Bangalore Medical College), MD Psychiatry in 1981 (NIMHANS), DSc (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA University for research work of Yoga and Mental Health 2012, FAMS, Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (2006)
Service in NIMHANS: 1978-81, Trainee; 1982-date, Faculty from 1982, now Director, NIMHANS.
Awards: Recipient of Sir CV Raman Award from Karnataka Government and Padma Shri award
Scientific Publications: National & International- 400 indexed; H-Index-42, RG Score 45.
Teaching: Guide/co-guide to nearly 50 MD and PhD trainees for research
Research Areas: Yoga, Schizophrenia, Public Health, Electroconvulsive therapy

Pratik Gauri is a serial Indian social entrepreneur, investor, public speaker and writer creating 5th Industrial Revolution.

He serves as the India President of 5th Element Group - a global impact management consultancy.

Pratik was named Creative Entrepreneur of the year 2020 by Entrepreneur India magazine for creating 5th Industrial Revolution. He is a Greenbiz Global 30 Under 30, British Petroleum Scholar, WEF Global Shaper, Ambassador at One Young World, Al Gore’s Climate Leader, Fellow at Startup Leadership Program, and Changemaker at Global Action on Poverty. He has been invited to prestigious convenings like World Economic Forum in Davos, Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Oslo, Skoll World Forum in Oxford, BRICS Civil Forum in Moscow, and United Nations in New York.

Pratik is a public TEDx speaker, a social media influencer with more than 200k followers, and his works have been covered by World Economic Forum, Real Leaders magazine, NASDAQ, The Climate Reality Project, Business Today, Times of India, among others.

He holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and a Certificate in Strategic Management from the University of Chicago.

Andrew Russell is a specialist in peacebuilding and organizational change, with close to three decades of experience in the United Nations. He brings in-depth knowledge of UN programme and operations both at Headquarters and in the field. Mr. Russell has worked in Central America, Cyprus and, most recently, in Kosovo, where he served as UN Development Coordinator and UN Development Programme Resident Representative.
He designed and oversaw implementation of programmes dealing with the promotion of social dialogue, civic engagement and civil society participation in national development processes, as well as territorial-based approaches to integrated local development. He holds specialized expertise in crisis prevention and recovery and his field experiences have primarily been within the context of managing programmes in support of the transition from conflict to peace and development and the promotion of multi-stakeholder dialogue in ethnically or politically divided contexts.
He has also served in corporate managerial positions, including as the coordinator of internal management consulting services within the UN Development Programme. Mr. Russell holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and he has taught development and peace building studies at the undergraduate and graduate level as an adjunct lecturer at Haverford College and Columbia University. He was, until April 2019, the Senior Advisor to the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, where his work focused on change management within the context of UN reform.

Professor Ganguli is currently Deputy Director of IIT Delhi and Institute Chair Professor in the Chemistry Department. He is also the founding Director of Institute of Nano Science and Technology in Mohali. Prof Ganguli studied Chemistry from University of Delhi and obtained his PhD from Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (1990). He was visiting scientist in USA and Switzerland. His main research interest is in the area of nanomaterials and high temperature superconductivity. He has more than 300 publications and has filed five patents (two granted). He is a recipient of several awards the and is a fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Sciences, India. Dr. Ganguli is also very passionate with teaching in schools and colleges especially creating excitement in underprivileged children in remote parts of India.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, is widely recognized in India – and around the world – for dedicating his life to build a nationwide sanitation movement spanning over five decades. His contribution has made a critical difference in the lives of millions of severely disadvantaged poor who couldn’t afford toilets, and those who worked as manual scavengers and hence faced severe discrimination in the society owing to their low caste.
Dr. Pathak was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi; subsequently, his work and ethos have intrinsically contributed to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. In the last 50 years, he has worked tirelessly for the human rights of the manual scavengers who clean dry latrines, come from the lowest stratum of India’s caste-based system and are mostly women. His actions aimed at rehabilitating manual scavengers, restoring their dignity by providing alternative employment through skill development presents an inspiring example of promoting peace, tolerance and empowerment by non-violent means.

Dr. Patwardhan is a biomedical scientist who is Fellow of National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medical Sciences India. Currently, he is Chairman (Additional Charge), Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi and member, National Board of Examination. He worked as academic head of Manipal Education Group; Director, Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, Bengaluru; Vice Chancellor, Deemed University in Pune, and visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla. He has worked on Boards of several Universities and is member of important national committees such as- University Grants Commission, Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, Department of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences and Indian Council of Medical Research. He has worked on several policy making committees and Taskforces of National Knowledge Commission, Planning Commission, NITI Ayog and Ministry of AYUSH. He has made original contributions in evidence-based Ayurveda especially in Ayurvedic biology, ethnopharmacology, natural product drug development and integrative approaches to improve public health system. He is recipient of many orations and awards including Sir Ram Nath Chopra Oration, Waldemar Haffkine Oration, Dr C. Dwarkanath Oration, Dr P.K. Devi Oration, and V K Joag Best Teacher Award. The WHO, Geneva awarded him a study on the role of traditional medicine in public health

Dr. Dinesh Katre is presently Senior Director and Head of Department of Human-Centred Design and Computing (HCDC) Group at Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, INDIA. C-DAC is India's premier R & D institution and a scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. Starting with himself as a founder member of HCDC group, he has built a strong team of 60 engineers and designers who focus on developing technology solutions for digital preservation, information and records management and cultural heritage domains. During his professional career spanning 27 years at C-DAC, he has bagged and spearheaded many sponsored R&D projects of national significance. Presently he is heading the "ICT Solutions for India's North East Heritage" project and the R & D Mission Mode project "Trustworthy Digital Repository based Data-drive Knowledge Services". He is the winner of National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) Individual Innovation Award 2019, which was conferred to him during DLF Forum / DigiPres Conference at Tampa, Florida, USA. The projects led by him in past have won the coveted Manthan Award (Asia and Asia Pacific) twice during 2015 and 2012 in e-Heritage Category of the National Expert Committee of UNESCO Memory of the World. He was a member of Alliance for Permanent Access- an EU funded program undertaken by UK.

Ramdas Lamb is a professor at the University of Hawai’i, where he teaches comparative religion, religious traditions of India, and contemporary American religion. From 1969-1978, he was a Hindu monk and lived in India. He writes from the perspective of an academic scholar as well as a practitioner.

CURRENT AND PAST ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS
• M Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Dharma Studies (2012 to present)
• M South Asian Studies Association (SASA), Board member (2009-2012) Emeritus
member (2012 to present)
• M International Editorial Board Member, Nidan: International Journal for the Study of
• Hinduism (2010 to present)
• M American Academy of Religion (AAR) (1986 to present), Hinduism Steering
• Committee member (2006 to 2012)
• M Dharma Academy of North America (DANAM), Director of Programs (2014 to
• present); Steering Committee member (2004 to present), Chair of Steering
• Committee (2011 to 2014)
• M Association for Asian Studies (AAS)
• M National Association of Scholars (NAS) (1997 to present)
• M Researchers in South Asia (RISA-l, a web group)
• M Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR), 1989-2001
• M Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), 1989-2003
• M Spark Matsunaga Institute for Peace (MIP), 1992-2001

CURRENT RESEARCH AND PROJECTS
• M Research and draft writing for textbook on Hindu monasticism with a focus on the
Ramananda Sampraday.
• Ongoing research on low caste religious traditions in contemporary India.
• The focus is on the relationship between religious tradition, education, and social
integration. A primary sub-focus is what effect secular and religious education
have on the lives of rural females. Aspects of this are done in conjunction with
Sahayog Foundation.

Mr. Prelis has over twenty years’ experience working with youth movements and youth focused organizations in conflict and transition environments in over 35 countries throughout the world. In 2010 he co-founded and has been co-chairing the first UN-CSO-Donor working group (Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security) that helped successfully advocate for the historic UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (in 2015) Res 2419 (in 2018) and Resolution 2535 (July 2020).

Mr. Prelis is also the director of children & youth programs at Search for Common Ground (SFCG), an international conflict transformation organization. Prior to joining SFCG, Mr. Prelis was the founding director of the Peacebuilding & Development Institute at American University in Washington, DC. Over eleven years at the university resulted in him co-developing over 100 training curricula exploring the nexus of peace building with development.

Mr. Prelis received the distinguished Luxembourg Peace Prize for his Outstanding Achievements in Peace Support. Mr. Prelis obtained his Master’s Degree in International Peace & Conflict Resolution with a Concentration in International Law from American University in Washington, DC.

Neha Panchamiya is the Founder and President of RESQ Charitable Trust, a non-governmental animal
rescue organisation based in Pune. Since RESQ’s inception in 2007, Neha has built an organisation that
covers several facets of animal rescue and rehabilitation. Under her leadership, RESQ has been
consistently evolving and steadily growing. From the past 13+ years, RESQ provides free medical care
and rehabilitation to injured, sick and orphaned animals (domestic and wildlife) in need of aid from
Pune city and rural areas along with providing help in several other parts of the district and state. Since
its inception, RESQ has helped over 70,000+ animals.
As the Founder and President of RESQ, Neha takes responsibility that every activity at RESQ is focused
on minimising animal suffering, whilst also ensuring that passion for animal work is infused with an
equal amount of practicality to achieve the level of professionalism that any other sector operates
with. Over the past 13 years, Neha has also spearheaded disaster relief efforts, always remained
directly involved in hands-on work of conducting and streamlining animal rescues, collaborated with
governmental and non-governmental entities alike, and influenced change of attitude in animal
welfare and policy implementation in her efforts to promote peaceful human-animal coexistence.
Besides RESQ’s work of helping animals by direct action, Neha’s efforts are largely dedicated towards
human welfare by committing a considerable portion of RESQ’s efforts towards improving public
health and safety as well as reducing human-animal conflict. Her initiatives involve several
outreach/education programs as well as working with governmental bodies to bridge gaps and assist
in crisis management that surround public and governmental interactions related to animal welfare.
RESQ Activities
1. Wildlife Transit Treatment Unit (Pune Circle)
2. Emergency Rescue Service, Rehabilitation Centre and Veterinary Hospital for small and large
Domestic street animals (Pune City, PCMC and Lonavala)
3. Education and Outreach Initiatives (Pune District)
[Education: Masters of Medical Science (MMedSci, UK)]

Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar M.B.B.S., DCH, M.P.H (born 1958) is an Indian epidemiologist. He served as Head Scientist of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research before retiring on 30 June 2020.He is a recipient of the 2020 Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award in India
In the early 1980s, he began researching HIV/AIDS, at a time when the knowledge of the disease was developing. He worked with the National Institute of Virology and National AIDS Research Institute, Pune. He continued to work in the public sector in HIV/AIDS and was active in developing national policies and patient empowerment. After nearly two decades, he became Director-in-charge of the National AIDS Research Institute. In 2018 he was appointed Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Wing of the Indian Council of Medical Research. He was active in handling the Nipah virus outbreak and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Gandhian thinker, peace-activist, educator and author of over 75 books in English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil on Gandhi, Peace, Education and Harmony, Professor Neelakanta Radhakrishnan is presently Chairman of Gandhi Peace Mission, Professor Emeritus and visiting Faculty to several of the world’s prestigious Universities as Peace Emeritus. As an influential academician and peace worker he has also the reputation of being one of the world’s topmost trainers in non-violence and runs regular training programs in Non-violent Conflict-Management, organizes seminars, workshops on Gandhi-philosophy and Culture of Peace. He is also leading a 250 projected Global Gandhi Assessments/Culture of Peace Lecture Series, out of which 246 have been completed.

Reem is the Executive Director for the Rotarian Action Group for Peace based in Portland, Oregon. She is a Positive Peace Activator and a Global Peace Index Ambassador for the Institute for Economics and Peace. Reem started as a Rotaractor in Ramallah Palestine then earned a Rotary Peace Fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill – Duke Peace Center where she earned her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning in addition to a certificate in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. She is now a Rotarian at the Portland Rotary Club.
Reem serves on the boards of several international organizations including: the Rotary Club of Portland, one of the largest Rotary Clubs in the world; Hands of Peace, an organization that empowers youth to lead the solutions for peace between Israelis and Palestinians; and Peace Village, an organization that creates access to peace education for children worldwide.
Reem has demonstrated leadership through several international projects and events. In 2018, she served on the organizing committee of the Environmental Sustainability and Peace Conference, one of Rotary International’s six Presidential Peace Conferences and addressed by the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. She led the growth of the RAGFP Peacebuilder Club program from 22 clubs in the Pacific Northwest to over 210 clubs in over 25 nations in less than two years. Reem is currently co-organizing the Geneva Peace Project Incubator, a gathering that aims to produce 20 international sustainable peace projects in 10 focus areas. Reem co-designed the Middle East Peace Education Trip 2020 to establish an experience for an international audience to create a fair understanding of the challenges and opportunities for peace in Israel and Palestine. Reem has distinguished experience as a public speaker and has presented and promoted positive peace. As an Executive Director and Peace Fellow, Reem has led several Peace Tours in the United States, Europe, and Palestine where she spoke to several international audiences on topics addressing the social, political, economic, and cultural factors to peacebuilding.
During the first 3 months of the coronavirus pandemic, she pioneered a webinar series that inspired the wider Rotary community to initiate their online presence. She is the creator and host of the weekly Together for Peace webinar series which was designed to elevate social peace issues, create strategies for sustainable actions, and rebuilt trust in a world in isolation. In this series, Reem interviewed world-class leaders, including social entrepreneurs, inspiring Rotarians, organizational leaders, academics, peace activists, and Nobel Peace Prize nominees.
Reem is a prominent advocate for Human Rights, social entrepreneurship, technological innovation, creative arts, and economic development. Her interests are focused around bridging technology, positive peace, and Human Rights to build sustainable and effective solutions for peace around the world. She recently supported a data-driven study of COVID-19 policies and their impact on vulnerable populations as a machine-learning contributor. She conceptualized and developed the Activate Positive Peace workbook that illustrates the Eight Pillars of Positive Peace through real-life peace projects. This workbook was presented at the 2019 Rotary Convention in Hamburg, Geneva Peace Week 2019 at the United Nations, and posted to the Positive Peace Academy by Institute for Economics and Peace, the leading thinktank on measuring peace in the world. Currently, Reem is leading a Peace Project that builds a social-entrepreneurship hub for Palestinian youth to build innovative technological solutions to peace obstacles in their community.
Early in her career, Reem organized an international dance festival of traditional and contemporary dance to build mutual understanding and also worked to support community-based organizations and NGOs in the Palestinian Territories. Reem worked for the United Nations Crisis Prevention Unit in Fiji where she engaged in projects focused on economic development and peace. Throughout her career, Reem has worked closely with youth, artists, religious leaders, government representatives, entrepreneurs, activists, and organizational leaders to promote peace at the international and grassroots level.
Reem is an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She was an ambassador of the OneVoice Movement where she lead a tour and spoke at prestigious institutions including, Harvard, Brown, and Columbia Universities, to support peaceful resolution in the Middle East.
Reem is inspired by Martin Luther King Junior: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” She realizes that people fear what they do not understand. Her mission is to elevate the voices of the oppressed and dismantle stereotypes by cultivating mutual understanding, promoting positive peace, and protecting Human Rights for all.

Professor, Poet, Editor, Fiction Writer, Translator, Linguist, Diplomat, Organizer par excellence, Hindi's Ambassador - at large, PUSHPITA AWASTHI defies categorization.
She studied at the renowned Kashi Hindu University, Varanasi, India, and later 20 years headed the Department of Hindi at Kashi Hindu University till 2001. In 2001 Pushpita moved Suriname (South America) as First Secretary and Professor of Hindi at the Indian Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy at Paramaribo. Her love for Hindi drove her to bring together a Hindi community of sorts in Suriname. She organized the seventh World Hindi Conference in 2003 at Paramaribo.
In Pushpita's poems the everyday, contemporary experience echoes the mystic poetry of Kabir and the love poetry of sanskrit poet Jaidev.Nature and love, the twin themes of her poetic expression, often seem to be extensions of each other.
Since 2005 Pushpita lives and works in the Netherlands. She is founder-director of Hindi Universe Foundation.

Marios believes that education is the most effective tool in promoting economic development in today’s interconnected global market. He is a scholar and an activist who believes that access to good education contributes to the reduction of poverty, the increase of opportunity for a better quality of life and the strengthening of a civil society that creates democratic and peaceful societies. Most importantly, he adores the beauty of cultural diversity and teaches about the necessity of openness to cultural understanding and the promotion of inter-culturalism. He has previously worked as the Director of Grants and Educational Programs at Teachers2Teachers-International and taught at UNC’s Curriculum in Global Studies.
Marios is currently a research associate at the Open University of Cyprus. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Studying in the School of Education’s Culture, Curriculum and Change program, his research focused on Peace Education and more specifically on how unified education systems in conflict and post-conflict countries can foster and promote social peace among their young citizens. As a recipient of the Rotary Peace Fellowship at UNC, Marios earned a Masters in School Administration and Educational Leadership and a Certificate in International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center. Finally, he holds a BA in Science of Education from the University of Cyprus in his native country. Beyond his academic work, his passion in Peace Education is reflected through his work with several NGOs in Cyprus where he volunteered and worked towards building peace on the island.

Dylan Mathews has been CEO of Peace Direct since January 2015. He was previously director, international programmes at Y Care International and has worked for Oxfam, Landmine Action and the Oxford Research Group.

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a strong track record of working in the non-profit sector. Skilled in Nonprofit Organisation Management and Strategy, Team Building, People Development, and International Relations. Strong business development professional with a MBA focused in Management from The Open University.

Program Advisor at Conducive Space for Peace, an International organization based in Danemark that works on collaborative partnerships as a connecter in facilitating systemic transformation of the global peacebuilding system, Christian Cito Cirhigiri is a Congolese peace journalist, activist and researcher with 10 years’ experience supporting youth participation in peacebuilding processes in eastern Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Colombia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Community Development from Daystar University in Kenya and a master’s degree in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame in the US, and is currently a PhD Research fellow at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Ghent University in Belgium.

Shekhar Mehta, of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, is the President of Rotary International for 2021-22. Mehta acknowledges that current membership trends are a challenge and says that membership development should be Rotary’s highest priority. He believes that focusing on regional plans, successfully transitioning Rotaractors into Rotary clubs, and increasing diversity and female members could yield a 5 percent net growth in membership each year.

“A major brainstorming is needed to find effective solutions suited to different areas of the world,” says Mehta. He adds that regional ethos and culture have to be taken into account to find localized solutions, as “one size does not fit all.” He believes Rotary can extend to new geographical areas and countries.
As a strong proponent of Rotary’s strategic plan, Mehta says he will encourage clubs to use action plans and reinforce the core values of Rotary.

Mehta says Rotary needs to become more contemporary and adaptable by focusing on partnerships with governments and corporations, expanding partnerships with organizations that specialize in Rotary’s areas of focus, and investing in technology.

Mehta, an accountant, is chair of the Skyline Group, a real estate development company he founded. He is also a director of Operation Eyesight Universal (India), a Canada-based organization.

Mehta has been actively involved in disaster response and is a trustee of ShelterBox, UK. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, he helped build nearly 500 homes for families affected by the disaster.

Mehta pioneered a program that has performed more than 1,500 life-changing heart surgeries in South Asia. He is also the architect of the TEACH Program, which promotes literacy throughout India and has reached thousands of schools.

A Rotary member since 1984, Mehta has served Rotary as director, member or chair of several committees, zone coordinator, training leader, member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers, and district governor. He is also the chair of Rotary Foundation (India).

Mehta has received Rotary’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Awards.

Smt. Roshan Shamim Dalvi, B.Com., LL.M. Was born on
November 6, 1953. She was enrolled as an Advocate on August 25, 1976
And practised in the Bombay High Court for about 13 years in Civil and
Company matters. Specialising in Civil – trial matters, Justice Rashmi Dalvi served as Judge, Bombay City Civil and Sessions Court, Mumbai from September 7,1989. She was promoted as Principal Judge in Family Courts, Mumbai and
served in the role from July 19, 2004 to January 1, 2005. She was appointed
as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 6, 2005 and
appointed as a permanent Judge on June 12, 2007.

A certified public accountant, Larry is SVP/CFO of Bernstein-Rein Advertising, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri. Larry and his wife Jill have two children, Trent and Cara. He enjoys blue and yellow M&Ms, all sports, travel, and collecting sports memorabilia, and waits patiently for the day when the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. Larry’s passion for Rotary and his invitation into the family of Rotary began during his college years when in 1982 he was selected as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar to Australia. Larry joined Rotary in 1991, served as President of the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza, Missouri in 1997-98, served as District Governor of Missouri D6040 in 2001-02, and served as Rotary International Director in 2013-15. He continues to serve in numerous roles, and as a speaker, at the district, zone, and international levels in Rotary. In 2017, he chaired his district’s TRF Centennial Legacy Committee (Million Dollar Dinner Committee) Larry and his wife Jill have been appointed to serve as Aides to RI President Mark Daniel Maloney, and his wife Gay, for the 2019-2020 Rotary year. Larry will also serve for the next three years on the Rotary Peace Centers Committee of the Rotary Foundation. As District Governor, Larry helped lead the “Missouri Rotarians for New York” statewide service project that raised over $100,000 in 2001 for those affected by the events of 9/11. For the past 18 years, Larry has served as the Shoes Cheerleader for his District resulting in efforts which have collected nearly 340,000 pairs of new shoes through the Shoes for Orphan Souls project. The Shoes project has taken him to Russia, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic to deliver new shoes to orphan children in those countries. Larry is a Major Donor, a Benefactor, a Charter Member of the Bequest Society and the D6040 Paul Harris Society, and has been awarded the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service and the RI Service Above Self Award. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in accounting from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and has served his alma mater on its National Alumni Association Board and its Foundation Board. He has served his church as Finance Chair and Capital Campaign Co-Chair and enjoyed time in youth baseball and basketball coaching activities.

Andrew C. Weber was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs, whose areas of responsibility are US nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs. Appointed by President Obama, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 18 May 2009.
Weber graduated from Cornell University and holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) degree from Georgetown University.
He played a key role in the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction which removed weapons grade uranium from Kazakhstan and Georgia, and nuclear capable Mikoyan MiG-29 from Moldova. Weber also oversaw and developed the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and for his work has twice been awarded the Exceptional Civilian Service Medal. He served previously as a United States Foreign Service Officer. From 2002-2008, Weber taught a course on Force and Diplomacy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in Georgetown University.

Meira Kumarji, (born March 31, 1945, Patna [now in Bihar state], India), Indian diplomat, politician, and government official who served as speaker of the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the Indian parliament) from 2009 to 2014, the first woman to hold that position. She served in the union government as minister of defense from 1977 to 1979 and deputy prime minister briefly in 1979. Her mother, Indrani Devi, also was an advocate of independence and was a social worker.
In 1973 Kumarji entered the Indian Foreign Service, where she served for more than a decade. After postings to Madrid and London, she decided in 1985 to enter politics, encouraged by her father and by Rajiv Gandhi, then prime minister of India. She ran in a by-election for a seat in the Lok Sabha from a constituency in Uttar Pradesh state, defeating two other Dalit candidates—one of whom, Kumarjii Mayawati, would later become the first woman Dalit chief minister of an Indian state.
Being close to the politically powerful Gandhi family and representing the lower castes, Kumarji’s political career progressed steadily within the Indian National Congress (Congress Party). In 1991–92 she served as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee. She was again chosen for the post in 1996 and remained in office until 1999. In addition, she twice served (1991–2000 and 2002–04) as a member of the Working Committee of the Congress Party, the organization’s highest decision-making body. Kumarji won reelection to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and 1998 from a New Delhi constituency, but in 1999 she lost to a candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She resigned from the Congress Party in 2000, citing differences with the party leadership, but rejoined it two years later. In 2004 and 2009 she contested and won the Lok Sabha seat from Sasaram in Bihar state, the constituency once represented by her father.
In 2004 she was appointed minister of social justice and empowerment in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and continued in that office until 2009. Following her victory in the 2009 elections—in which the UPA again emerged victorious—she was appointed minister for water resources, and in June of that year she was elected unopposed as the speaker of the Lok Sabha.
As speaker, Kumarji launched several initiatives within the Lok Sabha, including one in 2011 designed to reduce the amount of paper used in the house. Under its provisions, all Lok Sabha members were issued tablet computers. It is thought that this resulted in a 30 percent reduction in paper usage in that chamber. Kumarji also lent her support to the growing nationwide movement opposing violence against women in the country.

Dr. Avinash Bhondwe is a renowned General Physician. He is IMA-Maharashtra President.
He has over 34 years of experience as a General Physician. He is MBBS- Pune University-1982, B.J.Medical College. Practicing Family Physician since 1984 in Shivajinagar, Pune. Dr Avinash is a panel consultant on many hospitals, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Poona Hospital, Sahyadri Hospitals, MMF's Joshi Hospital, Ratna Memorial Hospital, Surya Hospitals, Sanjivan Hospital, MJM Hospital, ACE Hospital. President of General Practitioners' Association Pune(2006-07), President of Rotary Club of Pune Shaniwarwada( 2004-05), Organising Chairman GPCON 2006, Organising Secretary of the First ever Doctors' Sahitya Sammelan(2001).

Guruji Dr. H. R. Nagendra is the Vice Chancellor of VYASA Yoga University. He has been the guiding force behind the VYASA movement. After receiving his doctorate in 1968, he served as faculty of IISc in Department of Mechanical Engineering.
He then went to Canada as Post Doctoral Research Fellow in the University of British Columbia, Canada in 1970. From there, he moved to NASA Marshall Space Flight Centre, USA as Post-Doctoral Research Associate in 1971 and moved to Engineering Science Laboratory, Harvard University, USA as a Consultant in 1972. He served as Visiting Staff at Imperial College of Science and Technology, London later. In 1975, he joined Vivekananda Kendra, a service mission, as a whole-time worker.
From 1986 to the present, he is the Secretary of Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore and the Director of Indian Yoga Institute, Prashanti Kutiram.
From 2000 to the present, he has been serving as President, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bangalore and from 2002 to present, he serves as the Vice Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, the Yoga University in Bangalore. He has published 30 Research Papers in Engineering and more than 60 papers on Yoga. He has authored and coauthored 35 books on Yoga.

Leslie Hubbard has been a student, teacher, and researcher of various contemplative practices, including Zen meditation, yoga, professional dance, and East Asian philosophy, for more than 20 years. She is program director of the University of Virginia (UVA)’s Contemplative Sciences Center, where she teaches courses on the theory and practice of yoga and Buddhist meditation, and manages curricular and co-curricular contemplative projects across all 11 schools at UVA. She holds a master’s of divinity degree from Harvard University, a bachelor’s degree in dance performance from Rotterdam Dance Academy, and a 200-hour yoga teacher certification from Kripalu. Leslie spent eight years as a Zen Buddhist nun with Thich Nhat Hanh in Plum Village.

Josh has over 15 years’ experience in the fields of public health, education, and community development. He has a master’s in public health and has served on the faculty at UIC School of Public Health. In 2017 he received the Silver Circle Award for excellence in teaching at the University of Illinois.

Josh has worked for many years in the field of youth development as Chief Program Officer at Mikva Challenge. For the past 2 years he has been living in Mumbai, India, where he was Program Director of a ground-breaking Primary Education Program at 321 Education Foundation. The teacher centered approach impacted over 1050000 primary students across 3 cities, resulting in a 50% increase in student learning outcomes, 3 times the national average.


Josh currently serves as the Chief Impact Officer at the Praxis Institute. He continues to use his experience across geographies and initiatives to achieve well-being & equity utilizing data driven approaches tied together and global best practices.

Steve Killelea is an accomplished entrepreneur in high technology business development and at the forefront of philanthropic activities focused on sustainable development and peace. After successfully building two international software companies, Steve decided to dedicate most of his time and fortune to sustainable development and peace.
Steve founded Integrated Research LTD. (IR), an Australian publicly-listed company with a heritage of providing performance management and payments software for business-critical computing and Unified Communications environments. Through Steve’s direction as CEO and now as Chairman, IR has built an impressive, world-class customer base to make it one of Australia’s leading software companies. Steve was recognized as AIIA Australian Exporter of the Year in 1998 and 2003, amongst numerous other business awards.
Steve has always had a strong passion for sustainable development, and in 2000 established The Charitable Foundation (TCF), which specializes in working with the poorest communities of the world. TCF is one of the largest private overseas aid organizations in Australia. It aims to provide life-changing interventions reaching as many people as possible with special emphasis on targeting the poorest of the poor. TCF is active in East and Central Africa and parts of Asia and has substantially impacted the lives of over 2.3 million people.
In 2007 Steve founded the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an international think tank dedicated to building a greater understanding of the interconnection between business, peace and economics with particular emphasis on the economic benefits of peace. IEP’s ground-breaking research includes the Global Peace Index, the world’s leading measure of peacefulness. Steve’s founding of IEP was recognized as one of the 50 most impactful philanthropic gifts in Australia’s history.
Steve currently serves on a number of influential Company Boards, Advisory Boards and President Councils. In 2010, he was honored as Member of the Order of Australia for his service to the global peace movement and the provision of humanitarian aid to the developing world. In 2013 Steve was nominated one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Armed Violence Reduction” by the UK group Action on Armed Violence. He has been twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Rajiv Mehrotra is Secretary & Trustee of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH The Dalai Lama established with the Nobel Peace Prize and Managing Trustee of The Public Service Broadcasting Trust. On public television (Doordarshan) he hosts the countries most watched English television talk show. As a Producer/Director pf documentary films he has won several international and eight nationals awards from the President of India. He has published The Mind of The Guru, Understanding the Dalai Lama soon to be published is a biography of Sri Ramakrishna – Thakur

As a documentary film maker, producer, and commissioning editor his 650 films have won 50 national awards from the president of India and more than 285 national and international awards. They have had more than 1500 film festival screenings around the world from Berlin, Chicago, and Rotterdam to Mumbai, Qatar, and Yamagata. Three of his documentary films have been archived by the Motion Picture Academy of America, well known for presenting the Oscars. He has authored nine books that have been published in 50 editions and languages. They are primarily on spirituality, most notably Conversations with The Dalai Lama, Thakur – a biography of Sri Ramakrishna and Mind of The Guru. He was a student of the late Swami Ranganathananda, president of The Ramakrishna Mission and of the iconic Yoga teacher BKS Iyengar. He serves as the founder and managing trustee of The Public Service Broadcasting Trust (www.psbt.org) and till recently chairman of The Media Foundation (www.thehoot.org)

Rajiv Mehrotra has twice addressed plenary sessions of the World Economic Forum who elected him a Global Leader for Tomorrow. He was a judge of the Templeton Prize, typically presented by Prince Philip in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The monetary value of the prize is adjusted so that it exceeds that of the Nobel Prizes, as Templeton felt "spirituality was ignored" in the Nobel Prizes. He was educated at La Martiniere, Calcutta; St Stephen's College, Delhi and the Universities of Oxford & Columbia.

Dr. Manohar Shinde, M.D., Ph.D. Psychiatry, was on the teaching clinical faculty of UCLA & USA schools of Medicine and at the “Institute for contemporary psychoanalysis” (ICP). He has also served as a Medical director in many institutions and has retired from 29 years of private practice in Glendale, Los Angeles. Dr. Shinde is a community leader with an extensive track record of philanthropy and service and has impacted thousands of people. He serves on the board of several non-profit organizations serving the Indian community in North America.

Swami Atmapriyananda is the Vice Chancellor (Executive Head) of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, a multi-campus University trying to actualize Swami Vivekananda’s educational vision. Swami Atmapriyananda received his Ph.D. from the University of Madras, India, in Theoretical Physics for his work in elementary particle theory and has a number of research publications in reputed international journals. Inspired by the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology, he joined the Ramakrishna Order of monks in 1978. As a monk and an educationist, his present interests are: (i) Swami Vivekananda’s educational vision for character building in the youth (ii) Yoga-Vedanta vis-à-vis modern science, (iii) Ramakrishna-Vivekananda thought in the context of present day challenges, (iv) Consciousness Studies as taught in the Upanishads, (v) Synthesis of the four yogas as taught by Swami Vivekananda and Bhagavad-Gita, and (vi) Harmony of religions as lived and taught by Sri Ramakrishna.
He is also involved as a Council member or invited participant of a large number of global organizations working for peace and harmony, interfaith dialogue and interreligious understanding, comparative mysticism and spirituality, and holistic welfare of children across the globe.

Major Achievements and Awards:
• Dr. Vijay Bhatkar is one of the most acclaimed scientist and IT leader of India. He is best known as the architect of India's first supercomputer and as the founder Executive Director of C-DAC, India's national initiative in supercomputing. He is credited with the creation of several national institutions, notably amongst them being C-DAC, ER&DC, IIITM-K, I2IT, ETH Research Lab, MKCL and India International Multiversity.
• He has been a Member of Scientific Advisory Committee to Cabinet of Govt. of India, Governing Council Member of CSIR, India and eGovernance Committee, Chairman of Governments of Maharashtra and Goa.
• A Fellow of IEEE, ACM, CSI, INAE and leading scientific, engineering and professional societies of India, he has been honored with Padmashri, Padma Bhushan and Maharashtra Bhushan awards. Other recognitions include Saint Dnyaneshwar World Peace Prize, Lokmanya Tilak Award, HK Firodia and Dataquest Lifetime Achievement Awards, and many others. He was a nominee for Petersburg Prize and is a Distinguished Alumni of IIT, Delhi.
• Dr. Bhatkar has authored and edited 12 books and 80 research & technical papers. His current research interests include Exascale Supercomputing, AI, Brain-Mind-Consciousness, and Synthesis of Science & Spirituality.
• He is presently appointed as the Chancellor of Nalanda University, Chancellor of India International Multiversity, Chief Mentor of I2IT.
• He has been the Chairman of ETH Research Lab, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Delhi and National President of Vijnan Bharati.

Father Varghese Alengaden is the Founder of the Universal Solidarity Movement of Value Education for Peace (USM).
The Universal Solidarity Movement is an NGO centered on developing enlightened leadership, responsible citizenship, and promoting harmony among religions and ethnic groups. Alengaden was the Youth Director of Madhya Pradesh Regional Bishops’ Conference. It was his work with youth that led him to build the USM and promote a culture of interreligious harmony and cooperation in India and abroad.
Varghese Alengaden is the Founder and National Co-ordinator of Universal Solidarity Movement of Value Education for Peace. He is also the Founder President of the National Peace Movement and has authored 30 books.

Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre (born 26 February 1959) is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra and currently Minister of State in the Government of India and a member of the 17th Lok Sabha of India. He represents the Akola constituency of Maharashtra and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political party. He was also a member of the 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha between 2004-2019 from Akola.
In May 2019, Dhotre became Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology.
Positions held in Lok Sabha
5 Aug. 2004 and 5 Aug. 2007 - Aug. 2008 - Member, Committee on Information Technology
31 Aug. 2009 - Member, Committee on Rural Development
14 Aug. 2014 onwards - Member, Committee on Estimates
1 Sep. 2014 onwards - Member, Standing Committee on Railways
1 Sep. 2014 onwards - Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Agriculture
3 July 2015 onwards - Convenor, Sub Committee-III, Committee on Estimates

Legislative
Member, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly - 1999 to 2004
Elected for 14th Lok Sabha (First Term)
Re-elected for 15th Lok Sabha (Second Term)
Re-elected for 16th Lok Sabha (Third Term)
Re-elected for 17th Lok Sabha (Fourth Term)

As the first & only peace-psychologist from Kashmir & South-Asia, I work at the intersection of psychology and peacebuilding where my vision of peace is very much foundational in holistic wellbeing, mental health, self-transformation, changemaking and inner peace first - for more empowered, more empathetic, more peaceful and more cohesive, just and resilient world.
Along with being a UWC scholar and having my double degree from USA-UK, I have formal training & certifications in facilitation, conflict management, dialogue, mediation, change management, conflict sensitivity, nonviolent conflict reconciliation, psychological-emotional first aid and self-transformation skills. I’ve worked in Kashmir, different parts of India, South-Asia & USA, with people of all age groups & backgrounds in the past decade.
Currently, I also work in Myanmar in the global peacebuilding context. In the past, I’ve worked with Piramal Foundation, on education transforming projects, Gandhi fellowship, Woman transformation program-fellowship. Previously, I’ve also worked with Meta-Culture – South Asia’s first conflict-management center & critical-thinking studio.
I’ve presented my analysis on the Kashmir conflict, facilitated workshops on my pioneering Peace-psychology work & received recognition from international forums including the World Economic Forum's Global Shaper Hub (Shape South-Asia Summit, India), Nobel Peace Prize forums (USA), the Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative (USA), the Swedish Institute (Sweden), Center for Nonviolence & Peace-studies (Uni of Rhode Island, USA), Women's Regional Network (India, Afghanistan, Pakistan), Women in Security, Conflict Management & Peace Foundation (Delhi-Kashmir, India), TEDx talks, The Rotary Foundation and the International Network for Peace-psychologists. I’ve also been recognized as one of the top 10 Kashmiri women achievers for my contribution to wellbeing, healing and peacebuilding in Kashmir.

Julia Roig, President, Partners Global. Ms. Roig represents the next generation of leadership in the international development field as the CEO of one of the most preeminent global organizations dedicated to innovative governance solutions for development. Partners Global (Partners) believes that good governance and change management are the underpinning of all development challenges and has a successful track record of building civil society and broad partnerships to effect democratic change. Partners is a leader in the field of Sustainable Impact Investment and has successfully invested in local Centers for Change Management throughout the world with a focus on social entrepreneurship for civic engagement. Together with these affiliate Centers, Partners supports local leaders to collaboratively address a myriad of issues such as citizen security, natural resource management, education reform, health care and anti-corruption. As President, Julia Roig has solidified private sector partnerships to reach development goals, a long-standing global relationship with General Electric in over 10 countries. In addition, Ms. Roig has spearheaded linkages with entertainment and advertising industry leaders to support peacebuilding efforts, most recently pro bono campaigns to support the peace talks in Colombia and to combat religious intolerance in Europe.

Ms. Roig provides technical and strategic leadership within the global network of affiliate Centers, together with an office in Brussels, and represents the organization within the foreign assistance community with a personal commitment to multi-lateralism and global cooperation. During her tenure, she conceived of and oversaw a three-year global evaluation of the Partners’ investment model in local Centers. The final report released in 2014 has made a substantial contribution to learning in the international development field, including: authentic international and local partnerships, sustainable investment in local capacity, and long-term impact on democratic governance.

Ms. Roig is an attorney licensed in the state of Maryland with many years of diverse international management experience and practical field work. She is a substantive expert in Good Governance, Rule of Law, and Conflict Resolution, and has provided systems design, strategic planning, cooperative advocacy, program management, community outreach and training throughout the world. Prior to joining Partners, Julia served for two years as the Country Director for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative in Belgrade Serbia. She is also a recognized expert on community justice and dispute resolution in Colombia having spent five years living and working from Bogota, promoting a national expansion of the Equity Conciliation and Justice Houses programs. Julia is a specialist in the evaluation of international assistance programs and impact assessments, and has served as team leader for complex, multi-country evaluations in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru and Senegal.

Prior to her international work, Julia served as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for both the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, and the D.C. Courts, acting as the main architect and promoter of new workplace dispute resolution services in both institutions. She previously served as the Chair of the International Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution and as a member of the Editorial Board of Conflict Resolution Quarterly. She is currently on the board of directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Ms. Roig received her J.D. from the George Washington School of Law and is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French.