Step into the Mahabharata like never before. More than an ancient epic, it becomes a mirror of our present, relationships, and choices, brought to life through a dynamic two-way dialogue that blends lived philosophy with contemporary visual storytelling.

Shri Vivek offers a philosophical lens, translating timeless teachings into the context of our everyday lives, while Sanjay Patel reimagines the epic through a bold, modern illustrative language, revealing how these stories can be seen, felt, and experienced anew.

Through this exchange, Sanjay will highlight key moments from the Mahabharata through his lens as a storyteller and illustrator. Vivekji will reflect on how those same moments mirror our own lives, shaping our relationships, decisions, and personal growth. The conversation then shifts, with Vivekji turning the lens back to Sanjay’s creative process and exploring how he translates vast themes like dharma and inner conflict into visual form.

Together, they explore how the Mahabharata guides us from conflict to clarity, inviting us to discover who we are and what we are meant to do. Because the real battlefield is not out there; it is within.

  PANEL & SIGNING FEATURES

• April 26th / 2 PM PT - 6 PM PT
• $5 Admission, ticket available below
• 2 item limit per guest, outside items are allowed.
• No drawings, no blank pieces of paper, no shikishi boards.
• Shri Vivek & Sanjay Patel will speak, answer questions from the audience, and sign following the end of the panel

  SCHEDULE

• 1:00 PM -  General admission check in
• 1:30 PM - Seating begins (first come first serve)
• 2:00 - 3:00 PM - Fireside Chat with Shri Vivek & Sanjay Patel
• 3:30 - 3:350 PM - Audience Q&A
• 3:50 - 4:00 PM - Traditions book by Sheelaji
• 5:00 - 6:00 PM Signing for ticketed guests only

  FEATURED ARTIST/S PANELISTS

Shri Vivek 

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, and educated at the Ivey Business School at Western University, Vivek Gupta left a successful corporate career to study as a monk in Mumbai, India. For the last 18 years, he has been dedicated to sharing his passion for Independent Joy with audiences from all walks of life. Through daily briefs, weekly courses, interactive workshops, and international retreats, Vivek’s insight-driven, inspiring style makes philosophy relevant, relatable, and accessible to audiences across cultures and generations.

He has spoken at events and facilitated workshops at global organizations, including Amazon, Intel, Grainger, KPMG, HCSC, Advocate Health, CVS Health, and Cognizant. He has also trained as a Hindu chaplain and spoken at universities across North America, including Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, the University of Connecticut, and Des Moines University.

Vivek’s aim is to bring practical ancient teachings to the modern world, and his dynamic self-development education reaches diverse audiences through an innovative use of multimedia platforms. His Live Vedanta podcast has had over 250,000 downloads since its launch and has reached 87,000 individual seekers across 162 countries.

Building on the universal vision of Oneness, Vivek has raised over USD 1,100,000 in charitable contributions since April 2020 for environmental and humanitarian causes worldwide, including No Kid Hungry, March for Our Lives, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Sanjay Patel

Sanjay Patel is a British-born American animator, illustrator and author who has worked in the animation department of various projects, most of them animated films released by Pixar.

He is best known for directing the short animated film Sanjay's Super Team (2015) inspired by Patel's own childhood. The film received a nomination in the category of Best Animated Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards[4] and for Best Animated Short Subject at the 43rd Annie Awards.

Since 1996, Patel has worked as an animator on numerous Pixar films such as Monsters, Inc. (2001), Ratatouille (2007), Cars (2006), Monsters University (2013), Toy Story 2 (1999) and The Incredibles (2004) and served as a character developer on the latter two films.

He also authored Ramayana: Divine Loophole, lending a whimsical illustration style and lighthearted voice to the Hindu epic Ramayana.