Forum 2015: Onward and Upward!
A full house of 150 leaders met at Virginia’s historic Airlie resort last weekend for Indiaspora Forum 2015: three days of candid conversation, strategic discourse, and cultural experiences.
The forum brought together thought leaders from a plethora of different fields: academia, spirituality, business, film, music, financial services, technology, science, medicine, legal, media, government, politicians and the military. They came from all corners of the United States as well as India.
“The caliber and contribution of attendees was nothing short of world class,” said M.R. Rangaswami, Indiaspora founder and master of ceremonies at the conference. A survey found the majority of participants are high achievers and income earners who hold post-graduate degrees and are influential in their respective fields.
Forum 2015 was the second significant gathering of Indiaspora leadership since the inaugural event in 2012. The forum is a catalyst to transform the success of Indian Americans into meaningful impact in India and on the global stage.
Over the course of the weekend, the agenda featured though-provoking discussions and TED-style talks on a diverse set of topics:
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy inspired the audience with his talk “Of Saints, Scientists and Surgeons General”
The US-India plenary provided comprehensive and insightful perspectives on this strategic partnership
Senator Tim Kaine and Rep. Ami Bera articulated a detailed picture of the political landscape
Rep. Joe Crowley urged the attendees to make Diwali an American national tradition and festival like the Irish did with St. Patrick’s Day
Ninety-seven-year-old spiritual leader and philosopher Dada Vaswani captivated the gathering with his radiant smile and recommendations for leading a more balanced life
Young Indiaspora members brainstormed ways to improve cross-cultural understanding by creating and sharing narratives from young lives in each country.
Attendees were inspired by the forum’s mantra, “Onward and Upward,” and made a commitment to “Stay Connected.”
Watch this blog for more details from Forum 2015 for speaker presentations, new initiatives and big ideas. You can visit the Indiaspora Web site to see more from last weekend’s gathering, including the agenda, attendee profiles and photos.
