Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone, the Chief Guest at our Sammelan, has distinguished himself on three continents as an Ace Badminton player, over nearly three decades.
Prakash started his illustrious career by winning the Indian National Junior championship in 1970. He went on to win the top prizes in subsequent years, at the Junior and Senior National Championships in India, the Commonwealth Games in Canada, the English Masters, the All England, as well as the Danish, Dutch and Swedish Open tournaments. Following these, he won titles in Malaysia, Pune, and Hong Kong.
He was India's Senior National Champion for nine consecutive years, from 1971 to 1979, a unique distinction not achieved before or since by anyone else.
He became a licensed player and moved to Denmark for several years, in 1980. He managed the Indian Men's and Women's Badminton teams, and led them to win Silver and Bronze Medals respectively, at the Commonwealth Games, in 1998.
The Government of India recognized his efforts and contributions to the game, and presented Padukone with two prestigious honors :the Arjuna Award in 1972, and the Padma Shree in 1982.
Since 1994, he has been running the National Academy for Badminton in Bangalore. Prakash is the son of Smt. Ahilya Padukone, and the late Shri Ramesh Padukone of Bangalore. He and his wife, Ujjala, have two daughters, Deepika and Anisha.
Mr K. V. Kamath, Managing Director & CEO, ICICI Bank
Mr K. Vaman Kamath is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank Limited, India's largest bank by market capitalisation and the second largest bank by assets. Mr. Kamath has a degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
He started his career in 1971 at ICICI, an Indian financial institution that founded ICICI Bank and merged with it in 2002. In 1988, he moved to the Asian Development Bank and spent several years in South-East Asia before returning to ICICI as its CEO in 1996. Over the next few years, the ICICI Group transformed itself into a diversified, technology-driven financial services group, that has leadership positions across banking, insurance and asset management in India, and a growing international presence. Mr. Kamath was named "Businessman of the Year" by Forbes Asia and The Economic Times' "Business Leader of the Year" in 2007, Business Standard's "Banker of the Year" and CNBC-TV18's "Outstanding Business Leader of the Year" in 2006, Business India's "Businessman of the Year" in 2005 and CNBC's "Asian Business Leader of the Year" in 2001. He has been conferred with an honorary PhD by the Banaras Hindu University. Mr. Kamath is the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry and a member of the boards of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and the Manipal University. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in the year 2008.
Mrs. Jaya Row is the founder of Vedanta Vision and Founder- Managing Trustee of Vedanta Trust. Vedanta Vision is dedicated to the promotion of Vedanta, Indian philosophy - the oldest management school in the world. Vedanta is a science of living that empowers each individual to achieve success, happiness, growth and fulfilment.
Mrs. Jaya Row has spent nearly thirty years in the study and research of Vedanta. She has a first class academic record in Microbiology and has had a distinguished management career which she renounced to devote herself full time to the interpretation and re-presentation of Vedanta for the modern generation. Mrs. Row has helped change people's concept of Indian scriptures. From that of obsolete texts of bygone ages only to be revered, to that of a living, vibrant prescription for success, happiness and personal growth. From being a solace for the aged to an invaluable guide to the youth.
Mrs. Jaya Row uses her background of Science and Management to communicate Vedanta effectively to the educated elite. Her seminars for corporate executives have had a deep impact. She has been rated best speaker at several prestigious Conferences. Her seminars help evolve a management style that is not only successful but uniquely Indian. Creating the most valued of corporate assets - the fulfilled, dynamic human being - a person of impeccable character, integrity and maturity.
Mrs. Row is committed to the tapping of the intangible wealth of India and projecting it to the world to enhance the brand equity of the nation. Travelling to most of the English-speaking world her discourses are widely acclaimed. In the USA, UK, Australia, Middle East, South Africa as well as the cities of India.
Mrs. Row is dedicated to bringing Vedanta to the Youth. She has pioneered residential Camps tailored to the needs of the young. Her weekly classes attract a large student community from premier educational institutions. She has lectured at Business Schools at Purdue University and Washington University in the US and at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research and Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies.
Her lectures telecast by Aastha channel have brought her a dedicated viewership from all over India and overseas as well.
Mrs. Row has been honoured with the Harit Rashi Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation in recognition of her contribution to society. The other awardees were the Dalai Lama, Richard Attenborough, Anna Hazare and other luminaries. She wasa recently conferred the Zee Astitva Award for her stellar contribution in the filed of human development.
Mrs. Jaya Row incorporates a unique blend of scholarly knowledge with real-world pragmatism. She is a skilful orator and challenges people to look beyond the mundane and secular and reach for the permanent and more meaningful aspects of life. She peppers her discourses with apt examples - making for easy understanding, retention and application of Vedanta in everyday life.
Yes, Sumeeth Bhat has achieved the typical Konkani parents' dream by attending medical school and earning an MD. Yes, Sumeeth has won scholarships and awards for his academic excellence. Yes, Sumeeth has credentials and experience that make his résumé seem endless. But these are not the reasons that he has been asked to speak today.
Sumeeth has been elected to be the Konkani Youth Keynote Speaker because he has applied his passion and his knowledge to make a significant impact on the well-being of the communities around him, including the Konkani community in the U.S. and in India.
Sumeeth's passion for working toward global health care is clear. During his medical career, he provided public health care in several international locations including Kenya, Haiti, and Australia. He has also worked with HIV/AIDS-affected children in severely impoverished communities in and around Nairobi. He has also won the Public Health Award from the Medical College of Wisconsin for his research, and has been an invited speaker at various global health events. After graduating from medical school, Sumeeth took it upon himself to spend time in India providing health care to rural populations in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, often times serving as the sole doctor for patients who were elderly, orphans, mentally handicapped, and destitute. Sumeeth's volunteer work in India also included indigent Konkani patients in the village of Vittla, which is just outside Mangalore.
In addition to his contributions to the medical community, Sumeeth has been active in the Konkani community here in the U.S. as well. He helped educate Konkani youth at seminars during the Konkani Youth Convention in 2007, giving a presentation on the history of Konkani culture/language and another on his volunteer experiences. He was also the 2002 Konkani Youth Language Speaking Competition Co-Champion.
Sumeeth has taken an interest in spirituality and martial arts as well. He has been practicing Vipassana meditation for 8 years and Hatha Yoga for 9 years. He is also a practitioner of brazilian Jui-Jitsu and Kung Fu San Soo, and continues to practice Mixed Martial Arts today.