I had a lot of fun today at TEDxMumbai. Was great to catch up with old friends, and made some new ones. The speakers were quite interesting and moving especially when they were ‘presenting’ through the narrative of story; some of them really worthy of being on any main TED stage. I tweeted that I really felt more engaged and stimulated by many of these talks than I did at TED India, perhaps because they were targeted at a more culturally homogenous (and yet quite diverse) audience.

Some of my favourite quotes of the day:

Rahul and Mattias from URBZ on Koliwada: “Matias talks about how when friends from Europe visit this so-called slum, they love it, and feel that it is an urban village—“like Florence!” Koliwada, Rahul explains, “is anachronistic to the idea of Mumbai as an urban space. [...] The word slum is too generic.” Then they move on to Dharavi. “Land in Dharavi is used in a very special way,” says Rahul. “Many people who don’t have resources, when they find a spot of land, they use it in complex ways.” He shows a slide with a typical toolhouse, with separate images depicting its component functions: “for sleeping, living, working, storing,” This messy structure of Dharavi, he says,”has an internal logic to it. Rural areas prior to the industrial revolution were sites of production.” [full quote from Amit's blog]

Also from the duo – “the home itself becomes source of wealth. It is common in Indian villages” – they’re referring to tiny urban spaces in slums like Dharavi which breed much entrepreneurship. Anyone who’s ever walked into Dharavi will be hit by how these tiny spaces are converted into economic hubs. This post and image above, from Stuart’s  blog captures it so well!

“We condition a child to be a man or a woman. Children who don’t like it are treated like they’re not normal” . ”People used to accept my art but not me. It changed when I worked on tv films” and ”give ownership to the community & they’ll show they can do it. We proved we were employable thru education” Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi who’s fighting for transgender rights through her organization Astitva. She also says “the Right to Education bill has come to India. But I don’t think our community will get the benefit of it” and “My guru Shabina is doing a PhD in Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She’s probably the first one of our community in India to get a doctorate”

Ganesh Devy – “The peculiar history of language is not from the tower of Babel, but experience, culture, civilization, climate” ”Multilingual cacophony. In india 96% speak 4% of languages & 4% speak 96% of languages. At the time of independence, the figure was 46% and not 4%. India is becoming a graveyard of languages” On why languages die ... “a language doesn’t die – it is killed. …. one reason is conquest. the command of language became the language of command”

And importantly, “Every language is a world view. Let diversity live, only then will democracy survive in a country like India”

Zubin Pastakia of The Cinemas Project: “The problem of nostalgia is that it debilitates you, and limits your way of thinking. I like exploring these cinema halls as cultural experiences of space”

I also loved Dhanashree Pundit Rai’s talk where she used her fantastic vocals to demonstrate that the language of music is a common one, across geographic and cultural boundaries (eastern and western traditions) and across ages (urging youngsters to appreciate the traditional roots in all music today). She live-demoed many forms of ornamentation as well, in Indian Classical Music and made the distinction between Indian musical traditions which relied more on melodies and western classical idioms that relied on harmony. “If the seven notes are common all over the world, then why is that something sounds Japanese, Indian, Western?” “Indian music is a very deep melodic system. Jazz and Pop can improvise a lot on it” Difficult to capture her talk in words – do look for the video on Youtube soon!!

V Raghunathan, who’s written the book Games Indians Play, and describes how Indians are “privately smart, publicly dumb” among other things!

More:

• My livetweets stream.  My twitpic stream (the only cam i had was on the iphone – so apologies for lack of clarity and no zoom!)
• Amit’s live blogging which was just fabulous and a lesson in live-blogging an event!
• Update: just noticed some great liveblogging by Navin Kabra here.
• Tedxmumbai live tweetstream

The food was great, venue cool, very good with a few exceptions, the event efficiently run, and the company just super! A wonderful way to spend a Saturday. Thank you Netra, Ankesh, Ajay, Parmesh, Priyanka, Yashesh, their teams, and the sponsors of the event Cleartrip and the venue Bluefrog.

Lakshmi’s talk was moving and reminded me of Sunitha Krishnan’s talk at TEDIndia which was extremely evocative. Both are on the “fringe” and both are fighting slavery and discrimination. Left me feeling as I had after Sunita’s talk –  that all of us must take responsibility for having relegated them and their communities to the fringes. And must open our own homes and offices to them. The government will then be forced to take notice. Brave words – but are we really ready for this, as a society? I was absolutely horrified to hear that last night, at the TEDxMumbai dinner at the Bombay Gymkhana, a premier club in South Mumbai, Lakshmi was asked to leave as her presence was felt inappropriate by some club members CEO of the club  (correction – based on this report on the front page of The Mumbai Mirror today). The whole tedxmumbai team and their other guests walked out too. This is inhuman and reminds me of the old British signboard – Dogs and Indians not allowed. Shame on you, management and staff of the Bombay Gymkhana for allowing this to happen.

Actually, my super lazy blogpost post TEDIndia. It was an absolutely fantastic experience and the best part was meeting such a great group of people. I feel incredibly fortunate, and humbled to have been a TEDIndia Fellow.

I’ll be blogging more thoughts and pictures in the next few days, but for now, here’s a compilation of my Tweets (for me, my notes and apologies for typos & grammatical errors) as I was live-tweeting some of the sessions.  Read them, bottom-up!

DAY 3:

well done #tedindia blog and social media team! “TEDTalks will be available starting mid-november” http://is.gd/4PIaR
oddly enuff, many of the BIG names were in the latter group – disappointing. #tedfellows pre-conference truly gr8. will blog later #tedindia
talks i loved – those that came thru w raw honesty. disappointed when projects pitched w’out extracting big pic & some ’same old’ #tedindia
overall thoughts on #tedindia – transformational for some, inspiring to others. for me utterly humbling & I made many super new friends
feels strange being back after #tedindia and having to shift modes so rapidly. working on a research presentation & off to delhi for monday
oieee TED is almost over … a bunch of us are leaving on the 1 pm bus for bangalore. so pack-up time real soon #tedindia
india is a nationalism of an idea that has emerged long ago – consensus in diversity is how we move into 21st C #tedindia @shashitharoor
Tharoor – the story also rests on political will – secular india & how we’ve embraced religions of the world. a (ra-ra moment) #tedindia
the country that tells the better story wins! (i so agree – and our stories are also in our pop culture). #tedindia @shashitharoor
afghanistan – most popular TV serial – Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi – eg. of soft power. lots of popculture egs. @shashitharoor #tedindia
.@shashitharoor tells stories interestingly. empowerment of the poor is the real achievement of communications #tedindia
thanks for all the shout-outs for my tweeting from #tedindia
the cell phone 15 mn/month story – what did we have to do to get there.!! talks of growing up w’out one. #tedindia @shashitharoor
soft power emerges partly because of govt but partly despite it #tedindia @shashitharoor sez
talking of india’s potential in the 21st century – the Future Beckons – soft power #tedindia
lakshmi also sez @shashitharoor singlehandedly made twitter popular in india. ???. #tedindia
Lakshmi apologizes to tweeters following @shashitharoor for late start #tedindia
A. Balasubramanium – artist, sculptor, painter, printmaker on stage – work here – http://is.gd/4PmVM & http://is.gd/4PmZL #tedindia
lol sivamani doesn’t spare a suitcase – he’s making it sing! wonder if brand managers r watching – sponsorship opps galore :):) #tedindia
he’s using everyday items – pans, empty 10 litre water bottle etc. sheer genius – Sivamani #tedindia
sivamani is awesome! hope all u tweeters r watching the livestream. @shashitharoor will be on later. http://ted.indiatimes.com/ #tedindia
the irony is that so many years of denying being a girl has led us here!! eve ensler #tedindia
being a girl is so powerful that we’ve had to train everyone not to be a girl. Eve Ensler #TEDIndia
Eve Ensler – playwright and activist – best known for The Vagina Monologues is on!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_Ensler #tedindia
Matthew Spacie – talking of rugby being an institutionalized safety valve. And Play as a way to learn. Sport teaches u abt life! #TEDIndia
Matthew Spacie – a #TEDFellow – Magic Bus – http://www.magicbusindia.org/
Riverside school url http://www.schoolriverside.com/.
if the city gives to the children, in the future, children will give back to the city #tedindia
in Ahmedabad – how did the city respond to the school? every other month – biggest street closes down & infected by kids playing #tedindia
kid said – teacher told me “i can do it” – but parents said what abt grades?? kids actually did v v well in math eng and science! #tedindia
Kiran Sethi – aware (see the change), enable (being changed), empower (leading change) = “i can” – infect children with this bug #tedindia
Kiran Bir Sethi Riverside School. Contagious is a good word – laughter, passion, inspiration – infected by “i can” bug! #tedindia
Aravind Eye Care – Fastcompany article here – http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/43/drv.html #tedindia
disappointed w session – where’s the new way of learning in all this? eg. ask questions faster, stories, dialogue, real-time etc?. #tedindia
“eye care with the efficiency of macdonalds” – deliver eye care like a burger??? heh! Aravind Eye Clinic – #TEDIndia
CK Prahalad is talking of mobile revolution now!. Didn’t say too much we haven’t seen. Wish he had focussed on stories of change #tedindia
Interview w CK Prahalad on how bottom of the pyramid strategies are paying off. mobile phones as an eg. #tedindia . Link -http://is.gd/4PjBV
CK – 4. multilevel dialogue. 5. Knowledge creation. all thru access to connectivity, information, analytics, dialogue, assessment #tedindia
CK – how to democratize learning? a. eliminate info asymmetries, b. give access to analytics, c. make access affordable & avail, #tedindia
CK – for the first time in history, everyone has access (cell phones eg.) leads to democratized learning. #tedindia
CK – instead of having an institutions view of citizens have a citizens view of institutions – facilitated by tech and internet. #tedindia
CK – how do we change – break down hierarchical power structure becos pple hc access to information and can challenge each other #tedindia
CK – why do gr8 companies lose leadership – becoz cant excape the past or create the future. mistake momentum for leadership #tedindia
multiple discontinuities challenge mental models – learning is abt selectively forgetting the past & refuelling for the future. #tedindia
CK Prahalad – discontinuities egs. eg. suddenly deal w 5 bn pple on less than 2 USD a day OR 400 mn connected by mobile phones #tedindia
CK Prahalad – success has its own learning disabilities built into it . Discontinuities disrupt the process! #TEDIndia
social determinants to learning impt. learning must lead to change. information –>inference (educ + socialization –> Action #TEDIndia
CK Prahalad on!!! #tedindia I want to separate teaching fm learning. learning does not take place in isolation – we’re part of a social grp
Sashwati – “if we can’t reach them, we can’t teach them” – mobile & wireless tech will bridge the gap. with engaging content. #tedindia
looking forward to C.K. Prahalad’s talk. Galli Galli Sim Sim – Shashwati Banerjee of Sesame Street Workshop on now. #TEDIndia #TEDFellows
wow #TEDFellows get a Nokia E71 and a 1500 USD cash card among other things! pays for my new macbook :):) #tedindia

DAY 2

Hehe. The bollywood party continues in the bus back. #tedindia rocks. http://twitpic.com/oi3wi
song at #TEDindia Grand Party at Lalit Palace Mysore. Bollywood Nite. Jai Ho! http://twitpic.com/ohvo2
Abhay Deol – thinking woman’s eye candy (paraphrased by Shandana). He’s cute. And seems a lil nervous #tedindia
E3it. Engage entertain educate immerse transform. It’s his mantra. Cost him 250 USD. He’s a dude!!! Rocking #tedindia
RT @tedindia: TED’s June Cohen invites you to join the TED Open Translation Project http://bit.ly/2yFqSF #TEDIndia
E3it. Engage entertain educate immerse transform. It’s his mantra. Cost him 250 USD. He’s a dude!!! Rocking @tedindia
Digital Hampi. Travel to hampi. Ramachandra Budihai takes us there on his augmented reality headset! #tedindia
familiar sight at #tedindia queing up for the vest seats in the house http://twitpic.com/ogrr6
Loved Kavita Ramdas. On feminism – there’s no need to lose yr femininity or yr traditions. SHE (woman) rocks & can be on top. #tedindia
Experienced a real TEDmoment in the last session. Magical. Collective. Worth being here even if just for that. Thanks #tedfellows #tedindia
What can civil society do? Accept and embrace victims of human trafficking in our daily lives. And tell 2 friends. #tedindia
Touched by Sunitha Krishnan of Prajwala. rebuild faith in victims of human trafficking. 1 person changes life of 3200 people. #tedindia
Rapid transformation impt for rapid diffusion. Esp w mess we r in. Often best solutions cone in v lil time. Agility. Banerjee #tedindia
RT @infosys: Banny Banerjee: reframing insights -> concepts – > prototypes – > new paradigms in design that r solutions to probs. #TEDIndia
The simulcast lounge is cool. V v comfy. Here’s a pic. #tedindia #tedfellows http://twitpic.com/og7l7
For me best part of the last session was Bribe Buster idea. Wish the others had moved to the ideas space more than showcase work. #tedindia
Anil Gupta – scalability must not become the enemy of sustainability. Shows egs of innovations fm grassroots to global #tedindia #tedfellows
Anil Gupta knocks maslow’s hierarchy of needs out of the stadium! Don’t have to go thru levels fr self actualisation.
Anil Gupta -honeybee network. To learn fm & support grassroots innovation. Minds on the margin are not marginal minds.
@shaffimather totally loved the bribe busters thought. Let us know how civil society can help. #tedindia #tedfellows
RT @pkgulati: Shafi at @tedindia – we are insane people and an insane person does not know what’s an impossible task !! #tedindia
New idea. How to fight the demand for a bribe!! Call in the Bribe Busters Dial …… Nice :) Shaffi Mather. #tedindia #tedfellows
Shaffi Mather. Ambulance service. Dial 1298. Similar to 911. Furst on scene on 26/11. Was at Jugaad workshop Y’day. #tedindia #tedfellows
Dr Asher Hassan. Main Bhi Pakistani Hoon. (I too am Pakistan). Sharing stories of normal people thru photos. #tedindia #tedfellows
RT @bcampbelljr: Idea from TEDIndia – write your obituary. If you don’t like the way it reads, change your life – now. #tedindia
Quite inspirational!! Q- one key idea to spread ? Shukla Bose A- educate the teachers!!! #tedindia #tedfellows
Content of education is education. Not necessarily things like toilets. Take one child at a time and unleash her potential. #tedindia
98% of fathers r alcoholic. An ex-maid was of 28 kids selected for Duke’s scholarship. These kids r using facebook!
Showed videos of kids of roadside flower seller talking of hardy boys and ducatis. Kids teach their parents. ICSE curriculum. #tedindia
Dream is to prepare kids to live peacefully in this conflict-ridden global world. English medium. #tedindia #tedfellows
What?? Her research found one out of four teachers in slum schools donot go to school all yr!! Educating poor > a numbers game #tedindia
Shukla bose- 3 schools for poor kids. 26 yrs in corporate world. Quit. 2003 started Parikrama fm kitchen table.
Q fm @tedchris.how do u get yr insights working in villages on ground?? A- test it first & refine. Iterative process.
Need to combine psychology marketing art and the scientific method. On the verge of a new social science – Sendhil
Intentions don’t always translate into actions. Last mile problem shd be talked of as last mile opportunity. #tedindia #tedfellows
Sharing puzzles w us. We hv intuitive ways of dealing w the world. For Last mile problems our mental models may not always work. #tedindia
Sendhil mullainathan on stage. How people make choices and decisions. #tedindia #tedfellows http://twitpic.com/ofray
At the TED x Fellows breakfast. Spreading ideas. #tedindia #tedfellows http://twitpic.com/ofndt
(ed) RT @rmack & @AndreMartin: “A trip into d secret, online ‘cloud’”: where & how yr files r stored online -plain English http://ow.ly/zuwf
Does anyone in the simulcast lounge at #tedindia have an iPhone charger?? It’s a real trek to my room!!He got 3 sets of standing ovations. @tedchris says he’s one of the most outstanding innovators he has ever seen. #TEDindia #tedfellows
Integrating computing with everday objects. How powerful is that!!! Pranav mistry is sheer genius. Wow. #TEDindia #tedfellows
Wow!!!! Took paper. Removed mic from camera. Clipped cam to paper. now plays games using paper as the computer. With info too. #TEDindia
Explored 3D pen and stickynotes. Then reversed this thinking Why not paint real life with digital info??? And WOW!!!! #TEDindia #tedfellows
Pranav Mistry – SixthSense we use objects and gestures as part of everyday life.wHy not mimic in tech?? #tedfellows #tedindia
Modified camera to record his acuity. Dylan is the system being used. Now testing Dylan for autism. Awesome!!! #tedindia #tedfellows
Motion or dynamic info processing the bedrock in recovery. Using Darius his baby as a baby cam!!! #tedindia #tedfellows
Really enjoying being here. Get a bit of “india shining” feel tho. 1st session was v entertaining. 2nd session a bit of same old. #tedindia
Pavan sinha fm MIT tells us that recovery is possible and has treated 200 kids despite extended congenital blindness. #tedindia #tedfellows
Project prakash. Neuroscience. Outreach +treatment + study. Showing kids from blind school on video. #tedindia #tedfellows
For all those who asked. Was in the main auditorium so no tweeting. Only allowed in simulcast lounge and last row. #tedindia #tedfellows
And another pic of the mainstage. #tedindia #tedfellows No video allowed at all. http://twitpic.com/obxvm
The TED stage. Event begins in 10. Nice sarees as a backdrop. Mobiles off soon. http://twitpic.com/obx04
Crazy rush for the best seats for the opening session of the main event. #tedindia #tedfelliws. http://twitpic.com/obvqe
Jugaad flourishes where government fails to provide solutions. Bottom up social arrangement. Scale makes it viable. #tedindia # tedfellow
What??? RT @vishalgondal RT @ppeach: Credit card companies know whether couples will divorce 6 months before they do. #TEDIndia
Calls chit funds stripped down capitalism! Regd industry 3-4k billion dollars. Unregistered 10 to 100 tines that amt. #tedindia #tedfellows
Modit on Chit funds in context of jugaad. Much like the kitty party concept. Lending/saving/ insurance device. #tedindia. #tedfellows
Reuben sez new term for ambulance = death taxi ! #tedindia #tedfellows
Charges approx. 2.5 times normal taxi rates Bigger barrier is cultural, located in association with dead body. Jugaad #tedindia #tedfellows
Context for his business idea. 90% usage of ambulance in india was for dead bodies. #tedindia #tedfellows jugaad panel
Shaffi fm 1298 dial for ambulance. Jugaad. Differential pricing paid &free. depends on type of hospital. Pvt or public #tedindia #tedfellows
For working poor. Rentals play a key role in pricing. Selling impressive homes fr USD 6k to 10 k. Jugaad #tedindia
Housing market in inda. 25 million units of unfulfilled demand. USD 150 billion opportunity in sales. Jugaad
Dhaval fm ashray housing. His company treats land as working capital rather than rely on appreciation. Jugaad.
David Kyle on jugaad panel sez jugaad is inherent in education sector in india. He’s a financer.
Jugaad is a work around the system sez Reuben. Affordability is at the heart of jugaad
Workshhop on jugaad with reuben abraham and others just starting.

DAY 1:

5 Mins into Microsoft surface demo here’s what we see. @amitvarma spilt coke on it. Hehe. #tedindia http://twitpic.com/o8ezk
Watching a demo of Microsoft Surface. 10000 usd. #tedindia #tedfellows http://twitpic.com/o8enq
over and out for now – party time !!!
announcements on now – party at brindavan gardens tonight – gr8 becoz infosys campus does not allow booze!!!!!!!
he’s a great speaker!! whatever brilliant ideas you hear – the opposite also may be true – essence
he should study indian addresses too!!!
final lecture of the day beginning – confounding systems of japanese streets = derek sivers
new opps for collab, multimedia integration, imaginative ways to tell their story – grade 4 using it too!!!
Rob Newberry – students using prezi. http://prezi.com/. So what does web2.0 in classroom mean for the future?
kids r thinking vieually – engaged and tech minded – when u ask for proof of learning – non-linear ways!
Rob Newberry – emerging tech are changing classrooms & students. give it to them, rather than teach, u see learning!
she’s holding a brain in her hand! talking of info processing. starts left goes right forward & backwards
strange twist – cowdung trade led to increasing cattle & degrading forests & elephants (which were in my coffee!!)
growth of trade in cowdung – YES cow dung – it is being sold as get far higher price than chemical fertilizers
Prof. Madhusudan Nature Conversation – nice first slide – “waiter, there’s an elephant in my coffee!”
Bacterial Consortium formed to solve these probs. Cultured at diff salinity levels. Nitrifying BioReactors
Prof Mohan Kandaswamy – traditional systems of aquaculture lots of waste & harmful ammonia – pollution – hi mortality.
eve blossom’s company is lulan artisans http://www.lulan.com/blog/ -
artisans vulnerable to trafficking – at risk. formed social venture to prevent human trafficking & generate eco opps.
talks of human trafficking as a marketplace – and she felt the call to do something after a horrifying experience
Prof Eve Blossom – moved to vietnam as an architect of buildings and left vietnam as an architect for change
Raqs – photo, installations, video – invite viewer to analyse a crime. subodh gupta – celebrates everyday artifacts
interesting set doing art and installations – loved the skeleton of a rickshaw by jitin kallat
Ravin Agarwal 10 indian artists- bharti kher, – bindis, balasubramanium, chitra ganesh – amar chitra katha,
.@thecomicproject tons of references to Jugaad this morning at the Fellows sessions!
the infosys campus is fantastic in a weird sense – architectural kitsch! not sure i love it tho – ot inviting me to explore more!
Ramachandran – Gandhi neurons – there is no independent self that is outside of others – bridging the science-humanities gap!
similarly – with touch – these neurons are based in empathy. but you don’t feel the touch. empathy but not experience
MIRROR neurons – transmitted eg. tool use, fire, shelter, language – this is the basis of culture and civilization.
neurons fire when person performs a specific action. a subset will also fire when u look at someone else performing that action
VS Ramachandran – representation of self and others on the human brain #tedindia @tedfellows . puts electrodes in nerve cells & eavesdrops
Suneeta Reddy – Apollo Hospitals talked of telemedicine – a bit like a pitch – didn’t learn v much
Richard Alderson of Unltd India – DNA of social entrepreneurship made up of Economic, social, political, Spiritual.
First interesting TEDUniv talk – PalletRacks Structures by Freeman Murray
this morning was cool; got to hear what 25 Fellows are doing! will be posting pics I took later.
TED University consists of 4 minute talks – 3 sessions with 6-7 people each. Before the main event tomorrow
Bruno Guissani introduces the first session at TED Unilversity #tedfellows #tedindia Kiran Khalap talking. Are Ideas Good or Bad?
In the bus to #tedindia with #tedfellows. Much bonding happening. @amitvarma is in form! http://twitpic.com/o3l2e

I’ve enjoyed Stuart’s perspectives and reflections on Why Presenters are Failing the Social Media Communications Test, on how presenters and conference organizers can encourage, share better and benefit from the content created through social media (twitter, blogging, flickr etc), are invaluable. What’s interesting too, are the comments there. This post from Dave Snowden seems to suggest that there’s much to learn even for a well-known and experienced speaker like him, when he actually got to experience how liveblogging works first-hand at the KMWorld conference, and is intrigued enough by its value, to participate in the conversation and try it out himself.

Stuart’s post also triggered this thought in me .. what does it all mean from the blogger’s perspective? And before I could ask the question, he has another blogpost up, addressing just this! I’ve live-blogged several conferences – both where I have been a speaker and when just a participant – the motivations are both personal and social, and they differ by conference type. Makes me want to explore and reflect on why I live-blog – motivations and desired rewards and reinforcements, both extrinsic and intrinsic, around the different forms and contexts in which I have blogged conferences.

Personal Motivations (Intrinsic) – as Stuart and many of the commenters at his post say, it helps me listen and assimilate better. It is an archive that makes it so easy to dip into history when required. It can be a great excuse to retreat into some quiet time, away from all the ‘networking’. What I have also found is that I remember the sessions I have blogged far better than those that I haven’t – writing it down or taking a photo anchors it into my memory. And often, I find it’s a great way to explore more – while blogging, you’re looking at so many links too, and you find lots of serendipity in discovering more about the speakers, audience, or topics being discussed. It is my personal learning journey. Some might ask then, how is this better or different than writing notes down – that infact brings in the morphing of the personal into the social…..

Social Motivations (Extrinsic and Intrinsic) – … where I believe … if I am taking notes for me, why not share them! The technologies make it so easy. Often, you find that there are others you know who are really keen on attending but cannot, and it’s a great way to include them. There are some conferences we go to and live-blog because we want to be noticed and acknowledged, and to socialize and network while there. It helps us in our business. There are other conferences though, that are more conducive to fulfilling intrinsic needs to have fun and enjoy ourselves in a warm, safe, social space. And there are those that do both!

Blogging a talk or even your observations, emotions and opinions is often a great conversation starter – people wonder what you’re typing away so furiously at, and it’s nice to explain you’re blogging the event. At conferences where I know a lot of folk and really just want to hangout with them and have fun, I find I do little live-blogging, and more reflections about how I felt being with them. At other events where I don’t really know much of the audience and am a little shy of starting conversations, I find myself blogging live much more. It also informs participants and speakers of your presence and your perspectives while at the conference – and makes you more approachable as a result. That’s assuming the participants do check what’s being written about the conference while there .

While all that’s great, I’ve also found, though not often, that it can work against you while at the conference; people unfamiliar with blogging tend to look at you strangely, and almost feel they are under some form of observation; hence behave in a more guarded fashion with you. Moreover, seeing a face stuck into a computer for long periods of time, isn’t really welcoming especially to those unfamiliar with what we are doing – the classic tug between Approach and Avoidance resulting in conflict!

Another tussle I have with myself is when I have been invited as a speaker (which means at least my airfare and expenses are paid for – and that’s a lot since I travel from India), how critical can I be of the organizers or other speakers in my blogposts. I feel I would sound ungrateful really if I shot them down harshly, which I could were I a paying participant. And still, I know I must be honest, and yet not brutal. It’s easier to be critical when you set the tone for it by saying these are reflections and not just knee-jerk responses. Would love to know how others cope with this.

Some thoughts on how the nature of a conference affects my motivations to blog it, by tapping into different needs:

I was at the Digital Summit in Mumbai a few years ago, and almost felt simultaneously like a fool being the only one there with an open laptop, and a celebrity as others discover what you’re doing. I was one of the few there with a laptop open, typing away furiously – no wifi, no modem working – ironic for a summit that calls itself the Digital Summit. Couldn’t really liveblog it either – because there was no signal for my phone modem in the conference room, so had to do this in breaks. Hard work, and ate into networking time. So am wondering now, why did I blog it … apart from some of the reasons I’ve mentioned above, I found that once I started blogging it, I felt compelled to take on the responsibility of continuing blogging it. I was the self-appointed blogger for the conference! And often, blogging it live seemed to be a great window to say to the speaker …. I’m interested in what you’re saying, and I’d like to talk to you more about it. It’s also a way of finding other bloggers at such events, who you automatically feel are part of a community you can hang out with.

Much the same at EPIC – there were a few bloggers – Nancy White (another live-blogger I admire, and had fun jazz-blogging with) and Steve Portigal and even an official epicblog which I discovered only long after the conference!

(damn – I just discovered that technorati has killed all the tags from previous years for EPIC and Digital Summit etc)

In contrast, at conferences like Pop!Tech, where you have such super live-bloggers doing a fab job, I found my notes were mere placeholders for me, to learn more. Many of the presentations there are really stimulating, and I’ve enjoyed the feeling of being a part of a community of bloggers. Why did I blog it, when folks like Ethan and Bruno were doing a far better job … hmmm… I really do believe it helped me concentrate better on what was being said – most of which was very stimulating and new territory for me. Makes me think of school and the habit of taking notes – where teachers who refused to let us take notes while they were talking, were unpopular.

And at conferences like Reboot, Global Voices Online Summits, BlogHer, I find my blogging there is not just about taking live notes of sessions, but more my opinions about them. The sessions are also arranged to encourage participation rather than listening to presenters, and that makes a difference too. So I find myself live-blogging in fits and starts, often supported by reflections once the conference is done. Perhaps I found much greater connection with the topics and the participants and somehow didn’t feel compelled to blog it. Also, knowing that many others would be blogging it, and it would be shared with the world outside anyway.

Session Blurb:

Rebuilding trust: an agenda for governance
With the growing public skepticism and even cynicism regarding politicians and the way our institutions function, the issue of trust has now become a major issue in most countries around the world. The impact of globalization and the tremendous pressures that accelerated economic and technological change are putting on our societies are eroding social cohesion and the very notion of trust as a key element to ensure social cohesion and political legitimacy. What can be done to reverse this very dangerous trend? What should be the guidelines for effective and trust-building governance in an era of fast changes in every single domain?

Speakers:
Laura Liswood, Senior Advisor, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Secretary General, Council of Women World Leaders, USA
Anne Lauvergeon, Chief Executive Officer, Areva, France
Ayo Obe, Chair of the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Goree Institute, Nigeria
Moderator: Maria Livanos Cattaui, Member of the Board of Directors, Petroplus Holdings; Vice-
Chairman, International Crisis Group, Switzerland

Anne Lauvergeon – spoke in french and I couldn’t catch much of her opening statements – which were around rebuilding of confidence – esp with customers – constituents. Is it more difficult to rebuild trust with customers or constituents?

Ayo — more countries in Africa – it’s a danger…we have changed from dictatorship to democracy .. and democracy is not working …. People blame the govt, human rights groups, ngos etc. Trivialization of democracies – citizens allow it to happen … citizens need to take it into their hands … in Nigeria – do stuff around citizen empowerment and public life.
Wants more people to be actively involved in politics. The people must realise they have the right to make discerning choices – this doesn’t mean simply standing for office, but getting more involved.

Laura — diffce bt popularity and confidence? Are women gaining this more today? Many credible surveys do suggest decline of trust in many institutions. Who gets trusted and who doesn’t – problem is there is so much complex information – how do you know what’s really happening or not — it is so complex and you hear so many conflicting facts … so people start getting into trivializations. One of the unintended consequences of education — is that people feel they know lots about lots of things. Politics today is very combative – politicians are not nec. likeable – say Hillary Clinton – do I like her, do I trust her, is she competent, is she like me?

The more you become democratic, you need to have trust .. but cant keep it in a safe … saying I have that trust capital – but we have to use it.

Maria – not in the midst of a crisis – but in the midst of change and differing approaches — crumbling cliff theory for women – folks say – lets try a woman now. Women are more trustworthy in certain areas – is there real data or is this wishful thinking?

Women trust institutions more because they believe they need them more – men feel they can be more self-reliant — women need these safety nets.

Maria then asks the audience – do you have confidence in the institutions of governance … many hands up …. How many cynical – quite a few. Still – there is more optimism in this room.

Trust and confidence … is that the right question to ask?

Ayo — we transmit to our rulers – we trust them .. but in our personal lives … we may not. We have to first learn to trust ourselves. We have to use our trust in ourselves to demand respect.

Anne – taking risks and trust … we must also look at ourselves from the outside .. some self-doubt is good too. Today – you can’t develop a business without the trust of your people. The yin and yang we have in asia – we perhaps need that. Listen to each other, have a dialogue, this is the collective challenge —— a lot of the confidence we have built up can be destroyed overnight.

Laura — a combination perhaps – trust ourselves yes – we equally with men – should have the confidence to lead – entitled to speak for humanity. A sense of ourselves – we as human beings are institutions.

Self doubt and Self confidence – the balance between the two is important. The difference between openness, leadership, the few and the many. We’re facing a world of greater complexity … and of greater demand to understand that complexity .. we have to learn to embrace it … one of the reasons we say we have a question of trust and confidence. Because we have not learnt to love and embrace the complexity. So we look for simple solutions.

Maria was a great moderator for this session! And my key takeout was that it’s not a simple question about trust and confidence anymore – and about whether women can help rebuild it – its more about being able to embrace the complexities and beginning to listen better, and dialogue more – and this would bring about greater trust eventually.

Have put in pictures at Flickr – tags are womensforum07 and wf07

Inside the hallways:

Some fine portraits by painter Titouan Lamazou in the main hall

The entrance

Audience seating – odd to be at a conference where there are just a handful of laptops being used, in an audience of 1200 or so! And no wifi freely available (Bruno kindly gave me a key!) and no charging facilities at the tables – only a few plug points at the corners which are inconvenient to use, as you get in the way of the audience. Orange had set up kiosks tho for those who wished to connect – but that was outside of the conference rooms.

Please tag all your pictures from the forum! There are some great pictures at the conference blog too.

Started off with a great violin recital by Vera Tsu from China.  Followed by the opening speech by Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Womens Forum for  the Economy and Society  who thanked us for being here – 1200 participants — 70 countries – 150 speakers in 60 sessions. More than 100 journalists.  Guest country for this forum is China with 50 invitees.  Also 15% are men! She spoke of the need for complementarities between men and women as vital for the world but 30% men is just fine (much laughter) she said.   She then went on to speak of the partners  and programs for this year – Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards … Rising Talents… Women for Education … Deauville Declaration – SciTech Girls.

Some of her appeals to the audience: 3 days to build Trust in our societies – we want to create debate in order to change the world.  Trust is the very backbone of our society. The world cannot progress without trust … and without women.  One of the keys is transmission and change – to move forward.  Say to the young generation — have confidence in yourselves.  Our role is to help you by giving you a strong message to business .. business culture must change to understand and adapt to the younger cultures.

She talked of three reports that show that women matter in business and economy.  Reports – 1. Women Matter – companies  where women have more top management women – perform best.  Report 2 – women’s contribution to world GDP in countries like China and India are rising.  Report 3 – if there are more women in top management, there will be less corruption.

She ended by saying that there are 50 Chinese women here – focus on Asia, and invited Long Jiang Wen, General Director of International Department, All-China Women’s Federation, China to talk to us.  Her talk centred around Chinese women into the New Century – avg GDP 9.6%.  Rapid devt of economy – not without women’s contributions as 45% of labour force is women.  While I missed a lot of the other stats – one anecdote struck me — one of the key indicators of change in China today is that men are participating in housework!

Was welcomed by a lovely young girl from the organizers (I couldn’t quite get her name) and by Pascale Duvignau the pretty petite lady in the picture, from the Rallye des Gazelles on my arrival in Paris. Pascale drove Rena Golden, head of CNN International and me to Deauville, and although I nodded off during the two hours, and I speak no French and understand un petit peu, I learned that she’s quite the feminist, and is also working with women who are facing domestic violence – according to her, a lot of them, and many just keep silent from shame about it. No different in the Western world as in ours!

Had a good conversation with Rena too, about CNN’s online efforts, about their tie-up with Joost, and some of her plans to bring in more user-generated content into their web efforts. In an interview with indiantelevision earlier this year, she shares more on their plans. Met some of her colleagues when we got to the hotel, and they were talking of strategies for YouTube and mobile interventions too. It was nice talking to a bunch of journalists who seemed to acknowledge new media, and the need to go where the readers/viewers are. I shared with them some of what we are doing at Mosoci too.

They also told me that they had a booth at the Womens-Forum, where you could get the handbook and updates on the forum and CNN news, weather etc. via bluetooth on your mobile phone.

Reached Deauville and we realised our hotel wasn’t the Royal Barriere but Normandy Barriere – which is much nicer really. Its quite a plush hotel, and I feel really spoiled here – champagne and chocolate treats to welcome me, and today when I got back to the room, I got hampers of pink champagne and Helena Rubinstein products – sent to the womens-forum delegates! This is a big mainstream sort of conference – haven’t attended one of those for ages

Deauville is a lovely town, quite touristy and full of expensive boutiques – am told its the Parisians weekend getaway – it is nice to stand by the sea during our breaks although you wouldn’t dream of going for a swim in it.