At a time of economic uncertainty, one thing remains clear. There's an unmistakable shift of influence to the east. It's not just about IT outsourcing. Increasingly India, China and the rest of Asia are making their presence felt globally in new technologies, design brilliance, cultural and economic innovation. And so, our conference theme: "The Future Beckons."

Even the site of our conference is a powerful metaphor for the reshaped world of the 21st century. It's being held at the incredible high-tech campus built by Infosys to train its thousands of engineering graduates, representing the heart of the Asian outsourcing industry. We can think of no more appropriate place to gather to think about tomorrow.

Details of the speaker program will be revealed approximately 2 months prior to the conference (as is always the case with TED events), but it’s already shaping up to be an extraordinary line-up. Speakers will include India’s most promising innovators, from entrepreneurs to artists, storytellers to scientists. And about one third of the program will come from outside India. We’ll hear from celebrated global icons as well as undiscovered talent that’s due broader recognition.

Some of the questions we’re planning to tackle:

• Which local innovations are destined for global impact?
• Who are the young thinkers and doers capable of shaping the future?
• Can there be economic advancement without environmental destruction?
• Can a pluralistic democracy survive in the face of rising fundamentalism?
• Can we make money and be good? Really?
• What should we learn – or fear? -- from China’s investment in Africa?
• Do we have enough water for everyone?
• How do we keep our youth challenged and our aged healthy?
• How can anti-poverty solutions be brought to scale?
• Is there wisdom to be found in traditional medicine??
• Which other ancient traditions can illuminate modern life?

TEDIndia speakers will include:
Anand Mahindra, managing director, Mahindra and Mahindra
Anil Gupta, from IIM Ahmedabad, the founder of the Honeybee Network
Anupam Mishra, expert on water harvesting
A. Balasubramaniam, artist
Banny Banerjee, architect
C.K. Prahalad, management and innovation guru
Charles Anderson, marine biologist
Devdutt Pattanaik, mythologist
Erin McKean, editor of the new online dictionary Wordnik
Eve Ensler, playwright and activist
Hans Rosling, medical researcher and data wizard
Harsha Bogle, cricket commentator
Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients
Jib Ellison, sustainability expert
Kamal Haasan, film actor and director
Kavita Ramdas, president and CEO of Global Fund for Women
Mallika Sarabhai, social entrepreneur and performer 
Matthew Spacie, founder, Magic Bus
Pawan Sinha, MIT vision researcher and head of Project Prakash
Pranav Mistry, MIT grad student and inventor of SixthSense
R.A. Mashelkar, business and innovation guru
Robert Thurman, Buddhist scholar
Romulus Whitaker, herpetologist
Ryan Lobo, photographer and documentary filmmaker
Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, yogi and founder of Isha Foundation
Sashwati Banerjee of "Sesame Street"
Sendhil Mullainathan, economist
Shamsul Wares, architect
Shashi Tharoor, India's Minister of State for External Affairs
Shekhar Kapur, film director and producer
Shukla Bose, founder, Parikrama Humanity Foundation
Sunitha Krishnan, activist against human trafficking
Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com

Performers:
Ananda Shankar Jayant, dancer 
Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil GuruCharan, classical musicians
Dan Nainan, comedian
Mukul Deora, rapper and producer
Sidi Goma, African Sufi dance troupe
Usha Uthup, legendary singer