Chennai to host Tamil Nadu’s second TEDxWomen event in December

Next month, Chennai will host Tamil Nadu’s only TEDxWomen event at Anna University, hosted by TEDx Napier Bridge. The gender-inclusive event will feature six speakers from different walks of life, with an onus on helping women connect in an environment that brings out their unique points of view, as well as open dialogue to change minds.

The speakers will deliver TED’s famous under-18-minute talks live, and are experts in fields such as journalism, art, culture, technology, psychology and gender rights.

“We had our first TEDxWomen event last year, and given the overwhelming response, felt it was time to have the second edition. This year’s theme is ‘Showing Up’ and speaks to the ways in which women around the world are taking matters into their own hands and are no longer accepting the status quo,” said Shyam Sundar, the curator of TEDx Napier Bridge.

“With the impact of the recent #MeToo movement, such a discussion is more relevant than ever with so many women rising up to meet challenges and push boundaries. We will have over 250 attendees in the audience, and we hope plenty of connections will be facilitated,” he added.

The speakers are varied and accomplished: Writer and editor Poulumi Das who was at the forefront of the #MeToo movement, solo-traveller Lalitha Mahaadevan who quit her job to explore her love for wanderlust, entrepreneur Akhila Krishnamurthy who is the founder of performing arts platform Aalaap, one of TN’s leading corporate lawyers Dorothy Thomas, established psychiatrist Dr Shalini and L. Preethisha from Chennai, who is an actor, LGBTQI+ activist and India’s first transgender food delivery person.

Akhila said, “A woman can be many things – a mother, daughter, wife, professional, and so on... how she can juggle such multiple roles and if a balance is possible – that is the focus of my talk. Bring an entrepreneur and the mother of a four-year-old at the same time is what I’ll be discussing.”

Preethisha, who has been working for UberEats for around six months, was born male. After expressing her desire to be a woman in her teens, she underwent surgery, years later. Her talk will not just shed light on how the transgender community is shockingly exploited, but also how she fought the odds to make it in her career. “The lack of opportunities given to us by the government is also another topic I want to touch upon, as well as my personal experience. Every day has its share of highs and lows, and women everywhere have to unite to fight these battles,” said Preethisha.