 Early Times Report
Leh, Sept 11: The Naropa Impact Summit 2020 was launched and was hosted virtually from Ladakh, the attendees joined from India, Nepal, Bhutan and England.
At a time when the world is acutely aware that it is the power of the youth that will rebuild a better future, it was fitting to recall the words of the Naropa Fellowship’s co-founder, His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche: “The Naropa Fellowship is based on the simple premise, that education and leadership empower the next generation, to create local solutions for global problems.”
Under the grace of His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, the Naropa Fellowship was co-founded in 2018 by His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Dr Pramath Raj Sinha in 2018 to develop agents of change who will foster entrepreneurial leadership in the Himalayas. After a successful run with the founding class of 52 Fellows, the
Naropa Class of 2020 grew to a size of 82 Fellows from India, Nepal and Bhutan. Over one year, they conceived 22 Live-Action Projects as sustainable entrepreneurial solutions for the Himalayan region, which will be showcased at the Summit, to a total of 25 ecosystem champions and angel investors.
After the official Summit launch by Jesleen Lalmuanawmi (Director, Naropa Fellowship), the panel discussion on ‘Challenges & Opportunities for Entrepreneurs Amidst a Pandemic’ gave way to a meaningful dialogue with eight esteemed panelists. The speaker-cum-moderator was Saurabh Mittal (Co-Founder, QYON), and the speakers were Sushil Ramola (President, Integrated Mountai Initiative), Dr Aoife Brophy Haney (Research Lecturer in Innovation & Enterprise, University of Oxford), Sunil Arora (Textile Industry Champion & Angel Investor), Anshu Bhartia (CEO, UnLtd India), Shalabh Mittal (CEO, School for Social Entrepreneurs India), Kartik Desai (Executive Director, Asha Impact) and Anuj Sharma (Founder & CEO, ALSiSAR Impact). Focusing on the Himalayan region, innovation and sustainable development, the panel exchanged views on capacity building, and social impact and financial sustenance.
The intense discussion on how entrepreneurs can navigate today’s world was followed by the second panel discussion of the day, themed,\ Due to the virtual nature of the Summit, the Naropa Fellowship hosted ecosystem champions from across India and the US for the Venture Mentorship sessions. In the coming two days, the Summit will be conducting Employability Workshops, followed by Venture Pitching on 12th September, crystallising the year-long engagements of the\ Live-Action Projects for a better future of the Himalayas.
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