Script for TEDx Event at KIIT University 2026

There was a time in my life when everything felt uncertain.I was standing at a crossroad completely lost.My future felt blank.Bleak, even! I didn’t know what direction to take, what path to follow, or even how to move forward. I simply knew that I needed something to believe in but I hadn’t found it yet or maybe I wasn’t looking clearly enough. I had a well-paying job, a stable path, the kind of life that from the outside seemed perfectly in place. Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet shifted. I found myself at one of the lowest points of my life… a single mother, responsible for a child, staring at a future that felt clouded and overwhelming. In moments like that, is when you begin to question everything around you… your choices, your strength, even your sense of direction. I realised I had two choices before me. I could sink into my own misery and wait for someone to come along and rescue me… or I could rise, gather my strength, and become my own hero. I chose the latter. Because when life throws unexpected curveballs, it quietly teaches you something powerful …resilience. It forces you to grow tougher, stronger, and more aware of your own inner strength. And the truth is, in those defining moments, you realise something very important: the person who will save you… is you. You are your own hero. I have come to believe something deeply important here. Even in our darkest moments, life quietly places opportunities in front of us. They rarely arrive with noise or grand announcements. They appear softly… almost unnoticed. And that, I believe, is what this theme — Meridian: Every Rise Begins Quietly — truly means. Before the sunrise that everyone admires… there is a silent shift in the horizon. Before the rise… there is stillness. For me, that quiet turning point came in an unexpected form… the study of cybercrime and cyber law. Now imagine the situation. This was a time when very few people even understood what cybercrime was. There were no mentors, no clear career paths, no one who could confidently say what this field would become. There were no roadmaps. And yet, in that uncertainty, there was also possibility. The truth is, opportunities often arrive disguised as confusion. The difference lies in whether we choose to ignore them… or gather the courage to step toward them. I chose to step forward. What began as learning slowly turned into curiosity… and that in turn chnaged into passion… and that quiet decision eventually led me somewhere I never imagined. To becoming India’s first woman cybercrime investigator. Looking back today, I realise that the rise everyone sees now… actually began in a very quiet moment of uncertainty. Now you might be wondering, who introduced me to this subject, especially at a time when cybercrime was almost unheard of? It was my grandfather.A quiet pillar of strength in my life.A man who changed my destiny forever. He was the one who saw something in me that I could not see in myself at that time , a capability, a courage I had not yet explored or didn’t know it even existed . He trusted my calibre more than I trusted it myself. And sometimes, that kind of belief the kind that comes from someone who truly knows and loves you is enough to change the entire trajectory of your life and career. Must I say it has been a roller coster journey. It was he who first introduced me to the world of cybercrime. In fact, he didn’t just suggest it he insisted that I explore and study it, and consider making it my profession. Mind you, this was at a time when very few people even understood what cybercrime was, let alone its potential. And a woman stepping into this field? That was even more unheard of. At the time, I remember it wasn’t part of my plan at all. I had never imagined becoming a cybercrime investigator. Today, I often think back to that moment and to the man who saw potential in me. This journey wasn’t just about finding a career. It was about finding my purpose, my true call and all thanks to my incredible grandfather. With that let me introduce myself. My name is Patathil Dhanya Menon. I began my journey into cybercrime in the year 2000. My curiosity towards this subject later on turned into deep learning, and by 2003, I stepped into this field as a full-time professional. In 2010, I took another step and started my own organization. Throughout this journey, I have also worked closely with different government bodies as a consultant and retainer, including initiatives with the Ministry of Women and Child Development. By 2018, my work extended to schools across India, where I engaged with nearly 400 institutions and addressed more than 2,800 cyber-related issues involving students. Along the way, I have been fortunate to receive recognition for this work. I was honored with the First Woman Achievers Award by the Honourable President of India, Shri. Ram Nath Kovind.But I have to be honest when the first email about the nomination came in… I thought it was a scam. Because in my line of work, you learn to question everything. Then came a call, supposedly from the ministry asking me to respond with a formal acceptance letter. And I still thought… this could be a scam. It was only when I met someone from the ministry in person, sometime towards the end of that year, that they asked me “We sent you the nomination… why haven’t you accepted it?” And that’s when it finally sank in.What I had been doubting… was real. The initial intimation had actually come in as early as August 2017, but I only gathered the confidence to accept it after I saw it officially published and verified it for myself.And when I finally did accept it, I realised something very important.That recognition was not just an award.It was a quiet reaffirmation that all the struggles, the doubts, the resistance, the hard work… it all meant something. Not just to me, but to the world around me. My entrepreneurial journey, which began in 2010, has continued to grow, and in 2021, another milestone came my way, I received the Women Leadership Awardfrom the Global Cyber Peace Institute. And interestingly, that came as another moment of reflection.Because until then, I had always looked at my entrepreneurial journey as something small a modest effort from a small corner in the southern part of the country. I never thought it carried much significance.But that recognition changed something within me. It made me realise that impact is not defined by size or geography. It is defined by purpose. That award became a turning point it reinstated my confidence in the path I had chosen, not just as a professional, but as an entrepreneur. I couldn’t receive the award in person, it was during the COVID period, so everything was virtual. But even through a screen, being among nearly 60 women from across the world… each with their own journey, their own struggles, their own victories… That meant a lot.Because in that moment, I realised something deeply humbling. Sometimes, the work we think is small…is quietly creating ripples far beyond what we can see. In 2022, I remarried . In 2024 with my husband Mr. Ajith Kumar Parakkad, my son Adv Pattathil Pranav Menon and our partner Dr. Abdulla Yasser expanded our operations to Dubia under the name and style AVZ Cyber Security Solutions LLC. Looking back, I realise that recognition is never the destination.It is simply a reminder that when you work with purpose and sincerity, the impact of your work eventually finds its own voice. None of the recognitions I received were ever something I set out to achieve or actively seek. From the very beginning of my journey, my focus was simple to give my hundred percent to whatever work came my way(my mother taught me this ) and to use my knowledge to help society in whatever way I could. That was the only promise I made to myself.And along the way, the recognition followed. I was honoured to be known as India’s first woman cybercrime investigator, and receiving that recognition from the Honourable President of India, was a moment of deep gratitude for me. While these recognitions and milestones are deeply meaningful to me, they represent only one part of the journey.Apart from being a cybercrime investigator I am also a dancer. I know that could come of as a surprise since there is such a contrast among these two fields. At first one may assume these two professions seem completely unrelated. Because, one deals with hackers, evidence, cyber criminals etc… and the other deals with rhythm, grace and poetry. So what is common here one wonders! But the more years I have spent in both worlds, the more I have realized that they do actually have a lot in common. Both require utmost discipline, awareness and anticipation. In cybercrime… if you miss the clues, the criminal gets away. Similarly in dance, timing is everything. One moment too late, the entire sequence changes. And perhaps it was this very mindset this discipline and awareness that helped me navigate the many challenges that came with my journey. Because one of the most defining challenges I faced was not just the work itself. It was being a woman in this space.Almost every forum I walked into, I was the only woman in the room. And very often, the atmosphere made it clear that I was being seen as… different. Not always intentionally hostile, but certainly not always welcoming either. There was hesitation. There was doubt. Sometimes there was even quiet resistance to accepting my presence in that space. But very early in life, my father taught me something that stayed with me forever. He used to say, “Being different is beautiful.” And that lesson became my strength. I realised I did not have to blend in or mould myself to fit someone else’s expectations just to be accepted. I did not have to become like everyone else in the room. You can be different… and still make a difference. In fact, sometimes it is precisely that difference which allows you to create impact. There was also a perception that the more complex or difficult cybercrime cases should be handled by men because the common belief was that women are delicate, emotional, or perhaps not suited to such demanding investigations. Now, I will not deny that the work was challenging. It absolutely was. But I never believed that being a woman made me a misfit for this field. If anything, it strengthened my resolve. Over the years, handling countless cases and navigating complex situations has been one of my greatest teachers. Every case and challenge, pushed me to grow not just as a professional, but as a person. It taught me to look beyond the hardships, to not get consumed by what could go wrong, but instead to search for what could still go right. Because every situation, no matter how difficult, carries a possibility… a small window of hope. And in that process, I also learned to pause, reflect, and count my blessings because true growth often comes not from the victories we celebrate, but from the challenges we learn to overcome. The second challenge was something much larger it was awareness. When I began my journey, cybercrime and cybersecurity were subjects that very few people understood. There was a great deal of uncertainty, confusion, and lack of information everywhere. And to be honest, even I did not fully know what I was stepping into. But that lack of awareness became another mission for me. Because I realized something important that awareness is not a one-time achievement. It is a continuous journey. Even today, as technology evolves every single day, awareness must evolve with it. And that journey of educating, guiding, and spreading awareness… it never truly ends. what has kept me going is that singular belief that awareness and education are our strongest tools to create a safe space in our digital world.We do this as Cyber Awareness program (CAP ). I made it a not just a professional but a personal mission to educate our people about cyber cognizance. Let me start by telling you why being aware and vigilant is important in this day and age. Now we all can agree that technology is not something we can avoid anymore. It has become a part of our everyday lives. In fact, I can guarantee that most of us in this room if not all would have checked your phones at least ones or twice in the last 10 minutes this is how hooked we are!! Technology is in the way we communicate, what we learn, work, and even build relationships. So the only effective way to stay safe is to simply understand it. We need to learn the technology, embrace it, understand its possibilities, and also be able to recognize its risks. Because the truth is, the digital world affects our lives in more ways than we often realise. One aspect of this work that truly shocked me when I began my career was the impact cybercrime was having on children. Very quickly, I started noticing a pattern. Many young people were entering the digital space without fully understanding it without guidance, without awareness, and without being taught the consequences of their actions online. Children are naturally curious. They explore, they experiment, they push boundaries. But in the digital world, that curiosity can sometimes place them in situations they never intended to be part of. We have files of kids from the age of 4 to 90. Cases ranginf from child abduction to money laundering , from murder to terrorism . And what disturbed me deeply was this: many of these children were not truly responsible for the situations they found themselves in. They were simply navigating a powerful space without anyone teaching them the rules of that space. As a professional, I felt a strong responsibility to do something about it. So together with my team, we created an initiative called theCyber Awareness Program, or CAP. Since 2010, we have been relentlessly working to build awareness among young people through workshops, seminars, and interactive sessions in schools and communities. We also launched one of the first toll-free helpline numbers dedicated to supporting children facing cyber issues, which operated from 2010 to 2015. And as technology evolved, so did our approach. Since 2015, we have been running a WhatsApp helpline, providing immediate guidance and support to children and families who find themselves caught in difficult digital situations. Because at the end of the day, awareness is not just about preventing crime. It is about protecting innocence in a world that is evolving faster than we sometimes realise. The biggest lesson I have learned from my journey is that the digital world cannot be left unguided, especially for the younger generation. It must be explained, it has to be regulated, and most importantly, taught. Teach the children, the younger generation. Because awareness is key! They are the most gullible and vulnerable lot who often end up on the wrong side. And this responsibility does not belong to one person or one institution alone.Everystakeholder in a child’s life must come together. Parents. Guardians. Teachers. Schools. And society as a whole. United we will be able to safeguard our next generation from digital threats. I believe its not just a professional duty.It is a human responsibility. And if there is one thing my journey has taught me, it is this:Every great change… every meaningful rise… begins quietly. It begins with a single decision. A single moment of awareness. A single step taken with purpose. And perhaps the most powerful thing we can do today is to plant that quiet beginning in the minds of the next generation.Because somewhere among those children we guide today and rise the protectors of the world tomorrow. Some one once told me that if you look to your right – look for opportunities , if you look to your left – look for opportunities , if you look to your front – look for opportunities and if ever you have to look to your back – look for opportunities. Thank you.