The Goa Project Two-Day Arts Conference Set for March 28-29 On March 28th and 29th, thought leaders from various disciplines will convene in Goa for an event that promises to bring confluence among interesting and diverse people. The Goa Project is a two day unconference, made up of six tracks - entrepreneurship, film, society, performing arts and music, fringe, and visual arts.
Each track is a creative hybrid of workshops, teach-ins, and roundtables - tossed together with jam sessions, exhibitions, and show-and-tell. The goal is to create an engaging environment where people from different walks of life can expand their horizons, broaden their perspectives, and share their skills. Preetham VV, one of the organizers of the event, says that India is in dire need of an event like The Goa Project. "In a nation as diverse as ours, with such extensive cultural and thought diversity, the only way to bring about significant and widespread change is through meaningful cross-disciplinary collaboration." Indeed, the event is being attended by reputable members of all communities, from technology to art, social work to physics. It has even attracted diverse speakers, ranging from the founder of Only Much Louder, Vijay Nair, to Sunita Maheshwari, one of the most influential women in healthcare in India. "Bringing motivated, smart people outside the confines of their limited social and professional networks is a critical ingredient towards personal inspiration and national progress," explains Vijay Anand, another one of the brains behind the initiative. "And it is taking place in Goa in order to transplant people from the hustle and bustle of their cities into a setting that promotes open-mindedness." The Goa Project has been compared to other collaborative initiatives, such as Ted Conferences, Telhelka's ThinkFest, and South by Southwest in the U.S. However, the event stands out for its 'unconference' format and people-oriented approach. Attendees submit topics for discussion and debate on The Goa Project Funnel before the event. Everyone who shows up is a potential speaker, and those who don't speak contribute by posting photos, blog entries, podcasts, and video clips of the proceedings. The organizers believe that attendees will learn new skills, challenges their assumptions, and form partnerships for their work. More importantly, however, the long term impact of The Goa project will be a thought movement, where society recognises the value in new and different perspectives, and cross-pollination of ideas becomes a standard of progress. To register for The Goa Project, visit www.thegoaproject.com. http://india.broadwayworld.com/article/The-Goa-Project-Two-Day-Arts-Conference-Set-for-March-28-29-20130312 ~Avelino
