History

With a shared passion in both Indian and American culture, Anu Sethuram and Lakshmi Pratury set out to create a bridge of intellectual exchange between India and the US in the form of a media firm, Ixoraa Media, in 2005.

From the pair’s first project, Lakshmi’s Lounge, the personal journeys of global doers were showcased through interviews, combined with equal parts audience engagement and personal insight. The firm’s next project was the first of many conferences emphasizing culture and personal experience. In 2007 and 2008, the Aamra Grove Conference brought together 50 of the world’s most influential Indian leaders through conversation that explored the Indo-US corridor and re-imagined India’s international presence.

In 2009, Lakshmi, a longtime TEDster, co-hosted TEDIndia, a one-time conference that expanded TED’s reach into Asia. Nearly 1,000 attendees from 46 nations traveled to Mysore, India, to hear from a diverse group of accomplished speakers. This conference brought together accomplished artists, architects, technologists, business people, musicians, dancers, scientists and social entrepreneurs as well as one hundred young TEDIndia Fellows. Riding the momentous energy and demand generated from TEDIndia, the inaugural INK Conference was held in December 2010 in Lavasa Hill City, India, with the theme of Untold Stories. INK is independent of TED, but values a continued warm relationship with the New York based TED organization.

The unique stories that inspire and create today’s leading thinkers take centre stage at INK. Just as ink serves as an essential medium to express thoughts, INK strives to be an essential medium through which individuals voice ideas and exchange them with the world.