Women Who Are Shaping the world

For forty years, Dr. Vijay Bharat saved hearts for a living. Starting as a young doctor in the ICU in 1977, he rose to become Head of the Department of Cardiology — witnessing medicine evolve from basic treatments to world-class interventions, and personally leading the charge to bring the best cardiac care to his hospital. But his most quietly radical act was a different kind of giving. In 2005, he partnered with a local Rotary Club to provide expensive pacemakers free of charge to patients who couldn't afford them. Two decades later, that initiative lives on — and 278 lives have been given a second chance because of it. Then, in 2007, something unexpected happened. A new driver. A back seat. A window full of trees. That chance moment of stillness sparked a passion that would define his retirement — bonding with nature. Walking regularly through Jubilee Park, he began identifying Jamshedpur's trees one by one, native and exotic alike. After 12 years of patient observation, he published his findings in Flowering Trees of Jamshedpur in 2019 — and even uncovered a remarkable Baobab, an African tree quietly rooted in Eastern India, which became the subject of a feature in The Hindu. At TEDxBistupur, Dr. Vijay Bharat will share how slowing down, looking out a window, and simply paying attention to the world around us can become the most powerful antidote to stress — and the beginning of a whole new purpose.

Garima Mishra, former Indian Air Force officer turned business leader is coming to 𝗧𝗘𝗗𝘅𝗕𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. Listed in 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘴 40 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 40, 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 40 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 40, 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘱 100 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 2024, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘪 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯 2020—her journey is built on discipline, impact, and relentless growth. This isn’t a story about changing paths. It’s about carrying discipline, courage, and identity into every room you enter. In a world obsessed with reinvention, she asks what if your real power is staying rooted in who you are? This is not just leadership. This is evolution with integrity. At 𝗧𝗘𝗗𝘅𝗕𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘂𝗿, she brings a perspective shaped by grit, transition, and purpose.

What does a kitchen have to teach us about life? More than you think. Geetika Anand Gupta built her food startup, MOPP Foods, from a small cloud kitchen, and in doing so, discovered that the kitchen is not just a place where food is made. It is a place where life lessons are constantly being cooked. Through the chaos of pans clanging, timers beeping, and orders flying across the counter, she found something surprising, incredible clarity. Every person knows their role. Every dish follows a process. Every mistake teaches you something instantly. As an entrepreneur, she faced heat from every direction, investors asking tough questions, customers leaving harsh reviews, operations breaking down on the busiest days. But she learned what every great chef already knows, pressure is not punishment. Pressure is training. Too little heat, and you never grow. Too much heat, and you burn out. But when you learn to manage the heat, that's when transformation happens. At TEDxBistupurWomen 2026, Geetika will share Four Lessons from the Kitchen, lessons that changed the way she thinks about entrepreneurship, leadership, and life. Her talk is a reminder that some of the most profound wisdom doesn’t come from boardrooms or business schools. It comes from the fire.

She serves within the system, yet her vision extends far beyond it. We are honoured to welcome Parul Singh, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Jharkhand Administrative Service, and finalist of 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 is coming to 𝗧𝗘𝗗𝘅𝗕𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. In rooms where decisions shape lives, she leads with courage, clarity, and an unshakeable sense of purpose. Calm in crisis. Fierce in integrity. This is not just power. This is purpose in motion

Vini Bhagat is a trail runner, endurance athlete, and explorer whose journey is a powerful testament to resilience and inner strength. An alumna of NIT Rourkela and XLRI Jamshedpur, Vini currently works with Tata Steel. However, her story extends far beyond professional achievements. Following the tragic loss of her husband, Lieutenant Commander Rajanikant Yadav, in an avalanche during a mountaineering expedition, Vini chose not to be defined by grief—but to rise through it. Turning pain into purpose, she began her journey into endurance sports. Within just a few months, she took on the challenge of running in extreme high-altitude conditions, completing a 33-kilometer ultra run in Ladakh at over 15,000 feet. Since then, she has pushed her limits across some of the toughest terrains, including setting a Guinness World Record for running a marathon on the frozen Pangong Lake in sub-zero temperatures. Through her journey, Vini has discovered that true endurance is not just physical—it is deeply mental and emotional. Her experiences have shaped her belief that resilience is built step by step, and that strength lies in choosing to move forward even in the face of life’s toughest challenges. At TEDxBistupur Women, Vini brings a message of courage, self-belief, and transformation—inviting each of us to confront our own “mountain within” and take that first step toward rising again.

Ritu Mathur is a seasoned governance and technology leader with 35 years of experience spanning corporate governance, public policy, regulatory strategy, gender diversity, and leadership transformation. As Former Director of the Confederation of Indian Industry and Head of the National Foundation for Corporate Governance, she has designed the standards by which Indian industries lead and govern themselves. Her influence reaches well beyond national borders. Through her contributions to the B20 ESG Action Council and the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, she has championed integrity, sustainability, and ethical leadership on some of the world's most consequential platforms. Her senior leadership tenure as Chief Regulatory at Tata Teleservices Limited further shaped her as a leader who bridges strategic vision with techno-regulatory expertise. Equally committed to India's cultural identity, Ritu is the author of a pioneering coffee table book on Ancient Indian Wisdom through Calligraphy, a work UNESCO recognized as a significant contribution to documenting India's written heritage. She was also celebrated in Sheroes Amongst Us for her inspiring journey of resilience, purpose, and leadership grace. Through her initiative Chrysalis Sutra, she now focuses on developing emotionally intelligent, purpose-driven women leaders who are equipped not just to navigate systems, but to transform them. At TEDxBistupur 2026, Ritu will invite the audience to ask why our oldest wisdom traditions still hold the most honest answers to our newest leadership challenges and why the women leading tomorrow must be rooted in identity and inner clarity, not just capability.

Shikha Jain is a woman who has lived many lives within one. Born and raised in Faridabad, she went on to pursue engineering from REC Kurukshetra before beginning her professional journey in software in Chennai. But it was not in lines of code that she found her truest calling. It was in the hands of rural women waiting for a chance to be seen, supported, and set free. In 2007, she founded Neev Herbal Handmade Soaps as a khadi village industry with a purpose far larger than commerce. She built it as a dignified livelihood platform for rural women, rooted in the belief that honest work done with intention can change the course of a woman's life. Over the years, as Neev grew, so did she. Her personal journey and the journey of Neev have moved together, each one shaping and strengthening the other in ways she could not have planned but could always feel. For Shikha, entrepreneurship has never been only about building a business. It has been about finding freedom. Freedom for herself as a woman navigating life on her own terms, and freedom for every woman who has walked through the doors of Neev. She has pursued that freedom through entrepreneurship, through social welfare, and through spiritual and religious conviction, treating all three not as separate paths but as one. At TEDxBistupur 2026, she takes the stage to share what that journey has truly meant. Her talk, "Not Just a Commodity, But Our Freedom", is a deeply personal and deeply urgent call to see women not as resources to be utilised but as individuals deserving of dignity, agency, and liberation through the work they choose to do.

Dr. Samita Bhattacharjee is a transformational leadership coach, scientist, and the founder of Conscious Leadership Lab—a unique platform that integrates management, neuroscience, quantum physics, and spiritual wisdom to redefine modern leadership. She holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics from IIT Kanpur and has conducted advanced research at the prestigious Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. With over 25 years of global experience, she began her professional journey at Tata Steel and later worked across Europe in diverse technical and leadership roles, gaining deep cross-cultural insights. During her tenure at Tata Steel Europe, she led a significant transformation within the Business Excellence function, shifting organizational dynamics from a “push” model to a more aligned and ownership-driven “pull” approach. This experience became the foundation for her deeper exploration into leadership transformation. A pivotal phase in her journey came during her research sabbatical at the University of Nottingham, where she delved into the neuroscience of human behavior and inner transformation. Over the past decade, she has translated these insights into impactful leadership interventions, including her Whole Brain Leadership Framework, designed for both emerging and senior leaders. Dr. Samita’s work focuses on helping leaders move beyond unconscious patterns and reactive behavior, enabling them to lead with awareness, clarity, and intention. She believes that the future of leadership lies not in external control, but in internal transformation. At TEDxBistupur Women, she brings a powerful message— 👉 true leadership begins from within.