Sunday 18th – Saturday 26th February 2012
SPICE, the Indian Society| at the London School of Economics in collaboration with the LSE India Observatory| is organising India Week 2012 from Sunday 18th – Saturday 26th February 2012.
India Week 2012 seeks to engage the student population in the UK through a series of lectures, panel discussions and cultural activities.
19th February: Sparks@LSE 2012 ‘Where in the world are the business opportunities today?’
Chair: Jonathan Liebenau (Reader in Technology Management, Department of Management, LSE)
Panellists: Kris Gopalakrishnan (Co-founder & Chairman, Infosys) and Ravi Rajagopal (Global Head of Business Development, Diageo)
Sparks@LSE, hosted by the LSESU Entrepreneurs Society, is an interactive weekend entrepreneurship conference for 250 of the most ambitious students from around the world. Led by high-profile entrepreneurs, the conference will feature lectures, networking sessions, skills-based workshops and a business planning competition.
This panel of world class business leaders will inspire students and young professionals to fulfil their business ambitions by sharing their expert knowledge on new and emerging business opportunities.
For further information visit the Sparks@LSE website|.
20th February: India Week Inauguration Ceremony
The official inauguration ceremony will host actors from the Indian film community and specialists providing a commentary on the economics of film making and the rise of Bollywood.
This will be followed by cultural events and an opportunity to interact and network with the panellists.
News stories from this event International Reporter| The New Nation|
21st February: Student debate titled ‘Jan Lokpal Bill - An efficient way to tackle corruption in India?’
Judges: Ruth Kattumuri (Co-Director, India Observatory) and Sunil Kumar (Department of Social Policy)
Corruption in India continues to be a major concern. Recent mass civil society movements and developments such as presenting of the Jan Lokpal bill in parliament echo the importance being attributed to this issue.
Through this debate, students at the LSE have an opportunity to present their views. Students are allowed to participate in teams of two where one member speaks for the motion and the other speaks against the motion. The speaking time will be 2.5 minutes per speaker after which the house is open to ask a maximum of two interjections to the team.
21st February: Philanthropy in India: A quality model of giving?
Chair: Ruth Kattumuri (Co-Director, India Observatory, LSE)
Panellists: Dweep I. Chanana (Director of Philanthropy & Values-based Investing, UBS AG), Anwar Hasan (Managing Director, Tata Limited) and Shiv Nadar (Chairman, HCL Technologies)
Organised with the India Observatory|, this esteemed panel of senior speakers will discuss developments in the Indian labour market with a particular focus on 'Philanthropy in India'.
For further information visit the event webpage|.
21st February: ‘Focus on India 2012’ Careers networking event
Organised by the LSE Careers Service| and India Observatory|, this is an opportunity to engage and network with a host of multinational companies and recruiters with an interest in the Indian market.
For further information visit the event webpage|.
22nd February: Microfinance Panel Discussion
Panellists: Dr Maitreesh Ghatak (Professor, Department of Economics, LSE) and Ms Emilie Goodall (Project Manager, United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment)
This panel discussion shall discuss the various models of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and the role of microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) as well as difference in approaches to pursuing financial and social outcomes. Also to be discussed are the current crisis issues regarding microfinance.
Those interested in the topic are welcome to attend, and those who have no idea whatsoever of the issue in question are also strongly advised to attend. The panel discussion is aimed at providing everyone attending a broad working knowledge of what microfinance really is, the concepts which it operates on and why it is relevant that people be aware about it.
23rd February: Role of the Indian Economy in a Changing World
Chair: Ruth Kattumuri (Co-Director, India Observatory)
Panellists: Karan Bilimoria (Founder and Chairman, Cobra Beer), Madhur Jha (Global Economist, HSBC London), Virad Kaul (Territory Head, ZEE TV Network UK and Europe), Danny Quah (Professor of Economics and Kuwait Professor, LSE), Tirthankar Roy (Reader, Department of Economic History, LSE) and Rahul Sharma (Co-Founder and Executive Director, Micromax Informatics India)
This panel discussion will give the audience a broad understanding of the Indian economy in the current global economic climate. An increasingly common view is that now, when ‘traditional’ giants of the world economy seem to be underperforming, the emerging market economies of the likes of India and China are taking the lead in calming the uncertain economic climate. However in the recent past a multitude of problems seem to be surfacing within the Indian economy such as rampant inflation-leading to a fall in growth and the widely criticised policy paralysis. This throws up the question of whether the Indian growth story is still intact and if the economy is strong enough to weather the gloomy global scenario.
The panellists will discuss their businesses in the context of the Indian economy and the growth prospects that they see in these sectors. Furthermore they will share their thoughts on how they are dealing with the internal problems in the Indian economy and their suggestions.
For further information visit the event webpage|.
For further information about India Week 2012 please visit the LSESU Spice India Week 2012 webpage|.