Theme: UN-QUINTESSENTIAL

The archetypal, clichéd world of today has become a garden of remembrance for many a fallen martyr overwhelmed by the enduring idea of perfectionism. The strong alliance to the sense of being perfect has been so deeply incorporated into civilization, that striking equilibrium is now considered old-school. Quitting this dangerously inherent cult of being a ‘Quintessential example’ of everything is a radical change that our present society is in desperate need of. The truth is, we are all human, we err and we are all flawed, but we cannot, and should not deplore over every flaw. Our line of thoughts, here at CUSAT are not aligned with considering that striving for perfection is generic. We do not advocate mediocrity but believe strongly in setting soaring goals for what we love and passionately following them. By doing this we can always make sure to have something to work towards since there always is room for improvement. At the same time, it is just as important to learn to be less harsh on ourselves in the face of failure when we fall short of the unrealistic ideal, we have in mind. We have to relearn how to be kind to ourselves, to grow- it is not always easy, often it takes some gruelingly hard work, immense amounts of effort, and tremendous courage to get outside our comfort zone and grow—but growth is a critical part of life. If we’re not growing, we’re dying. We believe in celebrating how "imperfectly perfect" life is, doing away with the age-old passé definition of perfect and inculcating this notion into our everyday lives. Because we are but human and as someone clearly remarked-"Screw Perfect"!

Seminar Complex, CUSAT
Seminar Complex, CUSAT
KOCHI, Kerala, 682022
India

Anto Philip

Co-Founder, Under 25

Co-founder of the Under 25 Summit, a community for all U-25 Entrepreneurs around the world, and founder of The Big Band Theory, India's biggest customised wristbands house. TBBT has sold 150000 bands within the country and is now working on having an international presence. The U-25 Startup Summit, a community for doers, entrepreneurs, innovators and more under the age of 25 gives a platform to mind-blowing and un-quintessential concepts. Anto started building the U-25 empire while he was still in college, after getting tired of his ideas not being taken seriously because he was "too young". On the path to build the biggest youth culture in the country today, he is the youngest Un-Quintessential speaker at TEDxCUSAT!

Binoay B

Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Aditya Birla Group

Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Aditya Birla Group and an accomplished Expat Business Leader, Binoay has held Senior Leadership Roles at Global conglomerates in APAC Region. An affable Digital savvy Management Professional, he played a pivotal role in concept to execution of prestigious International/ local events -Axiata Cup, Idea Rocks India & Idea Star Singer to name a few. As Circle Marketing Head, he was the driving force in Idea Cellular achieving Market & Brand Leadership in Kerala. KMA recognized him with "Manager of the Year Award" in '08. His care for the society keeps him engaged with "Heart Care Foundation" Kerala.

M R Rajagopal

Physician, Founder Chairman of Pallium India

An Indian palliative care physician and founder chairman of Pallium India , a palliative care non-governmental organisation based in Kerala, he was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2018 by the Indian Government for his work for the welfare of the common masses. His tireless efforts to defend the right of patients to live and die with dignity was recognised and honoured by Human Rights Watch with Alison Des Forges Award for extraordinary activism.

Nitin Vasanth

CEO and Co-founder, NeuroTech Labs Pvt. limited

A passionate innovator and a start-up enthusiast, he made his alma mater, CUSAT, proud when he was presented the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for his project- Neuro Buds conceptualised on a brainwave mapping smart earphone, which detects brain signals. He was one of the top 10 Indians chosen for the Rajeev Circle Fellowship and was also invited to the Facebook F8 Developer Conference. An extremely popular name among techies in Cochin, he is the founder of NeuroTech Labs and the Chapter lead of Facebook Developer Circles, Cochin. This talented alumnus of CUSAT has made it big for himself at a very young age with his sheer brilliance.

Sudev Nair

Indian Film Actor, Winner of Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor

An Indian film actor who rose to prominence with the Malayalam movie My Life Partner, that won him the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2015. His other notable Malayalam films include Anarkali, Ezra, Abhrahaminte Santhathikal and Athiran. Apart from acting, he’s also known for his web series Not Fit, which captures the hilarious adventures of a struggling actor. This very talented actor, with his sheer hardwork has managed to earn a spot for himself in both the Malayalam and the Hindi industries.

Teeka Ram Meena

Chief Electoral Officer for Kerala

Chief Electoral Officer for Kerala. He changed the face of voting in Kerala when massive number of voters gathered to excercise their democratic rights. He has spearheaded a number of programs to increase the voter turnout in Kerala including flagging off the Kerala Express and releasing a song to attract voters. The proactive steps taken by him has certainly made impact on the public and has greatly popularised the position. Hailing from a tribal family in Rajasthan, his story of rising to become an inspiration for the youth is what sets him apart.

Vineeth Paleri

Professor, CSE department at NITC, he is a renowned academician who has contributed largely to the software development in our country. A well-known face on campus, he enjoys a student fan-following of his own that also has a social-media page dedicated to it. He has been associated with Purdue University as a visiting professor there. With a very strong academic background with an undergrad degree from NITC, masters and post-grad from IITK and IISC-B respectively, he has been actively pursued his research interests with contributions like GVN and Code optimization, and has had his articles published in some of the leading scientific journals.