The man who refuses to be just one thing!
Kedar Patankar is a semiconductor engineering executive, award-winning screenwriter, TEDx speaker, and social impact advocate. With two Master’s degrees from a top U.S. university and over twenty years of experience in the high-tech world of Silicon Valley and Minneapolis, he now leads and guides innovative technology startups in India.
Beyond boardrooms and scripts, he is the founder of The Trash Talk — a movement dedicated to cleaning Maharashtra’s historic forts and promoting responsible tourism. Every month, he leads volunteers to remove plastic, protect heritage, and restore pride in our shared history.
Kedar believes life is not a single lane — it’s multiple boxes. You can build companies, write stories, and still serve society. For him, true success lies not in awards on a shelf, but in the impact you leave behind.
Kedar Patankar | TEDxCCOEW
How to serve your future self
In his thought-provoking TEDx talk, Kedar Patankar challenges us to rethink how we experience life and make the most of every opportunity. With a background in semiconductor engineering and screenwriting, Kedar’s journey is a fusion of technology, storytelling, and purpose.
He questions conventional notions of fulfillment and success. He presents a straightforward but effective framework: think about what you want your future to look like, then make equal-sized boxes for everything you want in it. Some of the boxes he recommends are relationships, giving back to society, etc. Each box holds equal importance and necessity. In his talk, he explores the “Fast-Forward Technique” – a mindset that helps embrace life’s unpredictability by focusing on maximizing experiences rather than seeking validation.
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"Border post 99 is a story well narrated. An interesting series of events keeps reader bound to the book till the very end. Looking forward to read many more like this one"
--- Archana Bhide
Border Post 99: No Man's Land!
In the pine forest that marks the No Man’s Land along the volatile India-Pakistan border, leopards roam freely across enemy lines, instigating fear in a pair of rival soldiers who are each guarding an illegal post and trying desperately to follow the strict orders they’ve been given: Don’t shoot.
The many lives of Kedar Patankar: from silicon valley to storytelling, and saving forts in between!
In a world that constantly tells us to “stick to one thing,” Kedar Patankar is proof that a single life can hold multitudes. Semiconductor Engineering Executive. Screenwriter. Social changemaker. Fort cleaner. Educator. TEDx speaker. Kedar doesn’t fit neatly into any one box — and he doesn’t want to.
Kedar spent over two decades working in the high-tech world of semiconductors in Minneapolis and Silicon Valley. From engineering complex chips to managing high-stakes tech teams, he thrived in the corporate world. But deep down, another world was quietly unfolding — a world of characters, dialogue, and stories itching to be told.