HH MAHARAJA GAJ SINGH II
HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur is the 39th ruler of his dynasty. He became India’s youngest High Commissioner to Trinidad & Tobago. He was elected unopposed as a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Government of India and was Chairman Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation for two terms. Recipient of the Hadrian Award given by the World Monument Fund, he was also decorated with IATO’s Hall of Fame Award. He heads numerous philanthropic institutions and religious charitable trusts. He is the President of Mayo College, Ajmer, Founder Trustee Chairman of Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, Convenor of the Rajasthan State Chapter INTACH, Managing Trustee at Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Maharaja Mansingh Pustak Prakash. The artisans of Jodhpur, through generations, fostered and flourished under the patronage of his royal ancestors. He continues the legacy as a guardian and torchbearer of a movement aimed at preserving and sustaining the heritage of Jodhpur, its art and architecture.
MANISHA NATRAJAN
Manisha Natarajan is Executive Editor Business and Real Estate at NDTV. She currently hosts the daily prime time real estate programme ‘The Property Show' and a weekend personal finance show ‘Let's Talk Money'. Manisha learnt the ropes of television journalism as a reporter for BBC World's 'Moneywise' and 'India Business Report'. She has anchored over 1000 hours of live business news, including key events such as the Union Budget, Economic Survey, Credit Policy and Tax Roundtables. Manisha is passionate about India’s potential as a global superpower in the field of business and sustainable development.
RINA SUNDER
Rina Sunder is the Managing Director at Innovation Forum Norway. As the former chairperson of the Norway India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI), Reena secured a memorandum of understanding between Norway and the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in 2015. She has also founded Entering INDIA, an organisation dedicated to helping Norwegian business enter the Indian market, and remains dedicated to promoting the exchange of ideas between India and Norway.
DR. SMITA PREMCHANDER
Dr Smita Premchander has 34 years’ experience in international development and microfinance. She is currently on the Advisory Board of the United Nations University’s Institute of Environment and Human Settlements in Bonn. As a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Smita has anchored the Rural University Advisory Board at the IIMA, which works to empower crafts organisations such as the Artisans Alliance Jawaja. Smita is also an active member of the Crafts Council and the Founder-Director of Sampark, an NGO dedicated to empowering models of microfinance and resolving development issues.
TAYEB KHAN
Mohammed Tayeb Khan is a noted craftsman from Rajasthan state in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001 by the Government of India. Tayeb Khan makes the finest leheriyas in the city. The leheriya is a dyeing technique where a piece of chiffon is rope-tied and then dipped in dye, resulting in wave-like lines across the fabric, loved because of its bright colours stand out in arid deserts. He actually invented a technique of ombre dyeing in shaded leheriya, where the chiffon is first shaded in multiple colours and then tied to dye, an innovation for which he is famous the world over. He also cleverly indulges in pearly pastels, making them as glamorous as they are rooted.