CHENNAI : The city that is home to some of India’s greatest minds, and sports cultural ethos that constantly questions and expands our mind, Chennai is no stranger to summits and conclaves. But it was in 2013, when The New Indian Express’ ThinkEdu Conclave was inaugurated by the late former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, did the debate shift to education and academics.

The two-day symposium that will be held on February 13 and 14 at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai, will feature Bharat Ratna recipient Pranab Mukherjee along with 46 other speakers. The theme for the conclave is  ‘Ideas for a New India’. Other noteworthy speakers include Subramanian Swamy, Smriti Irani, Shashi Tharoor, and Farooq Abdullah.

Bestselling authors Amish Tripathi and Ashwin Sanghi will also be speaking at the event, on the topic ‘Lessons from the Epics: Should we have them in our textbooks?’ and ‘Modern lessons from ancient India: Have we learnt the right ones?’ respectively.The event will be inaugurated by governor of Tamil Nadu, Banwarilal Purohit, on February 13. The governor will also give an address that will be chaired by Prabhu Chawla, editorial director, The New Indian Express.

The conclave, which is in its seventh year, will cover a range of issues affecting the educational sector, including infrastructure, access, finance and policy. Experts in these fields have been invited to share their thoughts and experiences in an enriching debate.There will also be talks on cinema and technology, hosting speakers such as actor and politician Prakash Raj. A lec-dem by musician and educator Anil Srinivasan on the topic ‘Education and the music within’ will also be held.

Do not miss
● Pranab Mukherjee will speak on ‘View From The Hill: Education and Beyond’ on February 13 at noon.
● Subramanian Swamy will speak on ‘Are we producing hyper-nationalists or pseudo-secularists?’ on February 13 at 12:45 pm.
● Shashi Tharoor will speak on ‘Is India’s education ecosystem stifling the 
underprivileged and rural masses?’ 
on February 14 at 4 pm.
● Smriti Irani and Farooq Abdullah will speak  on ‘Is India’s education system divisive?’ on February 14 at 5 pm.