Event Overview
Charcha 2026, curated by thespark forum, will take place on 15‑16 September 2026 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The two‑day convening is described as India’s largest collaborative platform on livelihoods, aiming to bring together samaaj (society), sarkar (government) and bazaar* (business) to address problems that no single sector can solve alone. The programme spans eight fronts of collective action—Philanthropy & CSR, Tech4good, Inclusive Livelihoods, Policy & Governance, Entrepreneurship & Informal Livelihoods, Rural & Agri Livelihoods, Education and Skilling, and Climate & Green Jobs—delivering over 50 hours of programming.
Co‑hosts and Partnerships
A total of 40 co‑hosts from government, markets and civil society will co‑curate the event. Government and public‑institution participants include Atal Innovation Mission – NITI Aayog and eGov Foundation. Market representatives feature Meta, Meesho, Eternal, Mahindra Rise and WhatsApp. Philanthropic partners comprise the Gates Foundation, DBS Foundation, Atlassian Foundation, AIF, Central Square Foundation and The Bridgespan Group. Civil‑society, research and implementation organisations such as BAIF, ek kutumb, EkStep, Generation India, GAME, IDEA, Jan AI, J‑PAL, Janaagraha, Kaabil, KhushiBaby, Lend A Hand India, Magic Bus, MITTI Café, NuSocia, PCI India, Pradan, Pratham, RestoringVision, Samagra, Sattva, SEWA Bharat, Sol’s ARC and YuWaah (UNICEF) are also listed among the co‑hosts.
Speakers and Leadership
The convening will feature more than 200 speakers. Government and policy voices include Hon’ble Tejasvi Surya (MP, Lok Sabha), Hon’ble Thamizhachi Thangapandian (MP, Lok Sabha), Hon’ble S. Niranjan Reddy (MP, Rajya Sabha), Hon’ble K.T. Rama Rao (MLA, Telangana), Rohit Kansal, IAS (Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development), Dr. R Balasubramaniam (Member, NITI Aayog) and Sri Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey, IAS (Principal Secretary, Dept. of Health & Family Welfare, Karnataka). Business leaders include Vidit Aatrey (Co‑founder & CEO, Meesho), Anjalli Ravi Kumar (Chief Sustainability Officer, Eternal), Prabhakar L (Exec VP & Head – Social Investments, ITC Limited), Mohit Bhatnagar (MD, Peak XV) and Divya Khemani (Strategic Programs & Partnerships Lead, Meta). Civil‑society and research speakers feature Padma Shri Renana Jhabvala (SEWA), Mekin Maheshwari (Founder & CEO, Udhyam Learning Foundation), Manu Chopra (Co‑Founder & CEO, Karya), Shobhini Mukerji (Executive Director, J‑PAL), Jayant Rastogi (Global CEO, Magic Bus India Foundation), Alina Alam (Founder & CEO, MITTI Café), Gaurav Goel (Founder & CEO, Samagra), Srikanth Viswanathan (CEO, Janaagraha), Azeez Gupta (Co‑Founder, Rocket Learning), Madan Padaki (Managing Trustee, Jan AI) and Rathish Balakrishnan (Co‑Founder & Partner, Sattva Consulting), among many others.
Key Quotations
Jerold Pereira, Managing Director of thespark forum, stated: “India's hardest problems don't sit inside samaaj, sarkar or bazaar. They sit in the gaps between them… Only when the people who can actually act on a problem are in the same room, at the same time and are willing to do something collaboratively and differently, can those gaps close.”*
Rohit Kansal, IAS, added: “Charcha 2026 comes at a moment when technology, markets and society are being reshaped at unprecedented speed. Its strength lies in bringing policy, practice and business onto one platform.”
Renana Jhabvala, Chairperson of SEWA Bharat, emphasized the need for joint ecosystem change to uplift poor women, while Vidit Aatrey, Chairman & CEO of Meesho, highlighted technology as an equaliser that can expand digital‑economy participation.
Bharat AI Experiential Centre
A distinctive feature of the 2026 edition is the Bharat AI Experiential Centre, co‑created with Jan AI. The centre allows participants to experience a rural household’s day—from crop advisory at dawn to evening symptom checks—using AI solutions built specifically for the Indian context. The experiential hub comprises thematic huts covering health, market linkages, financial access, education, employability, entrepreneurship, agri and rural livelihoods, and a village square. It showcases collaborations among Wadhwani AI, Piramal Foundation, ITC MAARS, Meesho, Leap 300, Noora Health, Rocket Learning, Karya, Haqdarshak | DBS Foundation, EkStep Foundation, Jan AI, and the Department of Rural Development across 15+ solution exhibitions and six AI‑specific sessions.
Networking and Cultural Elements
Networking is curated by MASH, complemented by performances, film screenings and sidebar gatherings that foster informal dialogue.
Historical Context
Since its inception in 2020, Charcha has convened over 15,000 attendees and more than 1,000 speakers across six editions. The 2026 edition expands the table to 40 co‑hosts and eight thematic fronts, aligning with the period when India’s demographic dividend is projected to peak in 2040 and decisions made now are expected to influence growth through 2047.
Media and Production
ThePrint serves as the official media partner, and Teamwork Arts is the line producer. Registration and further information are available at charcha26.thespark.org.in.
About the*spark forum
The*spark forum describes itself as India’s leading platform for dialogue and collaboration on livelihoods, curating cross‑sector convenings that build alignment infrastructure across government, markets and civil society toward a poverty‑free India.
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