Global IndianstoryKeeping abreast with cancer care: Dr Raghu Ram delivers early diagnosis, saves lives

Keeping abreast with cancer care: Dr Raghu Ram delivers early diagnosis, saves lives

Written by: Namrata Srivastava

(April 27, 2022) A woman gets diagnosed with breast cancer every four minutes in India, and one dies of it every 13 minutes, making it the most prevalent cancer among Indian women. Unfortunately, in India, most women are diagnosed at an advanced stage where prognosis is poor. A Hyderabad-based UK-returned doctor is working hard to change this reality. Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti has dedicated his life to make a significant and meaningful difference to the delivery of breast healthcare in India.

Dr Pillarisetti’s foundation, Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation (named after his mother), is working with a missionary zeal to make significant and meaningful difference to the lives of people affected by breast cancer or with breast-related health concerns. “Breast cancer is a huge concern today. However, the topic is still a closet issue,” explains Dr Pillarisetti, during an interaction with Global Indian, adding, “I am a living bridge between the UK and India, and on an endeavour to replicate the best of British practices into improving breast healthcare in my motherland.”

Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti

The highly-decorated doctor, who is the first surgeon of Indian origin to be conferred the honorary fellowship of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, was recently appointed as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Padma Shri awardee, who believes that everything is part of god’s plan, shares that he was speechless when the British deputy high commissioner to India, Jan Thompson informed him about it. “Self-nominations are not allowed in the British honours system. So, I am not sure how my work got noticed by the British government. It was a surreal moment. I was, in fact, speechless,” laughs the doctor.

Inspired by his parents

Born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh to a doctor couple – Prof PV Chalapathi Rao and Dr Ushalakshmi Kumari – who were working at the Guntur Medical College, soon after their son was born, they shifted to Hyderabad. This was where Dr Pillarisetti was brought up. A happy-go-lucky child, he was very inspired by his parents and their work.

“I studied at the Hyderabad Public School,” shares Dr Pillarisetti, “I wasn’t always at the top of the class; however I wasn’t a backbencher either. Mostly, I used to get first class, but never among the students who got distinction,” admits the doctor adding that he would play various sports for the fun and experience.

Following his parents’ footsteps, Dr Pillarisetti graduated in MBBS from Siddhartha Medical College. “The real turning point in my professional career came when I joined Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore to pursue master’s in surgery (MS), in 1992. After my MBBS, I worked at the Osmania General Hospital in the general surgery department. I had applied for a six-month exemption at the Kasturba Medical College and gave my exams with seniors, and stood first. I was very studious during my master’s,” shares the doctor.

The Great British Isles

In 1997, Dr Pillarisetti went to the United Kingdom for FRCS. During his first visit, he impressed the Brits. “I was able to satisfy about 100 examiners in three out of the four Surgical Royal Colleges in the British Isles – Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ireland, in just two months. That is a record, which is still not broken by anyone else,” avers the doctor, who couldn’t sit for the London FRCS, since the dates clashed with his other exams. However, he was conferred the FRCS London, without sitting for the exam in 2010.

He then worked in the UK for about a decade, subsequently completing higher surgical training, and training in oncoplastic breast surgery at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London, and at the Nottingham Breast Institute.

While all looked peachy, an incident changed the course of his life. In 2002, while Dr Pillarisetti was working at the Cardiff Breast Unit, one of the foremost breast health centres in the UK, his mother, Dr Ushalakshmi was diagnosed with breast cancer in India. “Being an only child, I was profoundly affected by her illness. While she was undergoing treatment in the UK, I started enquiring about the situation of breast cancer treatment in India. I realised that due to the lack of awareness and absence of an organised screening programme, more than 60 per cent patients of breast cancer are diagnosed at the advanced stages,” he explains.

Homecoming

Although he and his wife, Dr Vyjayanthi, had several great opportunities in the UK, they moved back to India. “My wife, Dr Vyjayanthi, obtained her MRCOG on the very first attempt in London in 1997. She then completed structured training in obstetrics and gynaecology in the United Kingdom & subspecialty training in Reproductive Medicine, leading to CCT (certificate of completion of training), which is essential to work as a consultant Fertility Specialist in the UK. She has established one of the largest Fertility Centres in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh at KIMS Hospitals in 2009,” he shares.

Dr Raghu Ram with his wife, Dr Vyjayanthi, after being appointed as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

After returning to India in 2007, their vision was to start a free-standing, purpose-built, comprehensive centre for breast health. “People assume that breast disease is just breast cancer alone. However, nine out of 10 women who present themselves with a lump, do not have cancer. They require reassurance about the process. So, the first step was to establish a breast centre – so that when a lady walks in the entire medical process to check her breast’s health happen under one roof, including mammography, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy, and even counselling,” shares the doctor.

KIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases was established in Hyderabad. Dr Raghu Ram shares that while he envisioned and designed it, Dr B Bhaskar Rao, who is the founder of KIMS Hospitals, played a pivotal role in ensuring that the Breast Centre became a reality.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, conferring the OBE to Dr Raghu Ram, at the Windsor Castle

“I also, however, wanted to establish a not-for-profit organisation under my mother’s name, who is 90 now. So, I established the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, under which I have been able to create the much-needed awareness about breast cancer, through a number of unique activities, over the past 15 years,” he shares. The foundation hosts a pink ribbon walk in Hyderabad during the month of October, which sees a huge participation from people from various walks of life, including breast cancer survivors.

Family first

A tight schedule and numerous patients, that never stops him from spending time with family. “I value my family. I am not in the rat-race of private practice. I never start early and work till late. I spend quality time with them. I have two sons, and would give them both evening baths every day. My older son is studying medicine in the UK, and the younger one in the XII standard, and wants to pursue a career in law,” shares the doctor who spends a hour-and-a-half in the prayer room, meditating, daily.

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Published on 27, Apr 2022

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Vandana Suri is empowering women to ‘drive’ progress through Taxshe

(January 29, 2023) With her initiative Vandana Suri, is making a world of difference to the lives of women. The awardee of Global Sustainable Development Goals and Her (2019) for her entrepreneurial venture, Taxshe, Vandana has been empowering women with an exclusive all-women driver-on-demand cab service in Bengaluru and NCR. “We train women how to drive and set them free. The more women are on road, the safer is the ecosystem. We train them to be independent,” she tells Global Indian. The venture had been doing well until the pandemic hit hard. The transportation industry was worst-hit. Taxshe felt the blow too. Uncertainty loomed large when Vandana paid salaries for eight months without any business. With a debt of ₹70 lakh, the entrepreneur was not the one to give up, she was resolute. [caption id="attachment_34373" align="aligncenter" width="692"] Vandana Suri[/caption] As things started getting back to normal, her resoluteness, patience and faith started bearing fruit. Her business started blooming again. “Lot of things have changed and it brought new perspective to our work. It’s really taking shape very well now,” she says. “In the last one year we have trained 1500 women in driving and have also come with a franchise

atience and faith started bearing fruit. Her business started blooming again. “Lot of things have changed and it brought new perspective to our work. It’s really taking shape very well now,” she says.

“In the last one year we have trained 1500 women in driving and have also come with a franchise model for women who have lost their corporate jobs in the pandemic, and want to do something new,” she adds. Currently 13 franchisee partners have signed up with Taxshe. “Four branches are operational and the rest will be operational in the next two months. They are based in Bengaluru, Pune, Gurgaon, Thane, and Hyderabad,” she reveals.

Empowering women forward

“People don’t have to tell me to fight their battles, I do it for them. Since childhood, I’ve been a fighter," the entrepreneur tells. Narrating an incident she reminisces, "A girl in school who was good at karate, wanted to go to an inter-school competition, and our principal refused as there was a drawing exam on the same day. I spoke up for her. During those days, Doordarshan’s serial Rajni sparked in me a desire to stand up for the rights. My mother would say, ‘You have already become Rajni, now stop watching it!’” she laughs.

Starting Taxshe in 2014, Vandana put out her first post on Facebook, asking people whether they could provide references of lady drivers for an all-women taxi service. “To my utter surprise, the post went viral,” says she, “I was overwhelmed with 3,000 calls of potential clients.”

Indian Entrepreneur | Vandana Suri | Global Indian

But the challenge was no woman with driving skills was willing to become a taxi driver. Women from poorer sections could have, but they did not know how to drive. “I became the first driver of Taxshe. I started a chauffeur model, drove other’s cars, picking and dropping their children. It was amazing that parents were so at peace with the idea of a lady driving their children around,” she smiles.

Taxshe, was incidentally triggered by a cab rape incident where the victim’s statement, “If a woman would have been driving me, this would have not happened,” deeply affected Vandana. Women were unsafe, and Taxshe was the answer. “Another major concern was the lack of toilets making it a non-women-friendly profession. So, I designed a flexible business model around ladies where there was no threat from passengers as they were driving children, and they had the luxury of working in the vicinity of their homes. It was business-friendly too as we got contracts for the whole year, thus a yearly income,” she adds.

Spreading the word

Reaching out to slums, talking to women and families, after devoting six months to even a year in proper training, Vandana manages a team of women professional drivers. “When I had sent them for training in driving schools, they were ridiculed. Empowering them, I started training them myself,” says Vandana. Her training sessions are more elaborate and comprehensive than the ones of the driving schools.

[caption id="attachment_34375" align="aligncenter" width="832"] Indian Entrepreneur | Vandana Suri | Global Indian Vandana Suri with members of the Taxshe team[/caption]

Such has been the demand for her service that Vandana likens it to being oxygen masks for children, corporate women and female late-night flight passengers.

Taxshe Breakfree and WOMB – turning drive into movement

Vandana then started a new business vertical – the Taxshe Breakfree that addressed women being stuck at home. “Just like the actor in Titanic who floated across even when the ship sank, we were able to sail across the pandemic. Invariably, we have a very high rating whether it is Taxshe or Breakfree,” she beams.

Getting in touch with educated women who had lost jobs, she roped them in as franchisee partners, and trained them in training others. To great happiness and encouragement ladies like an out-of-work 62-year-old school principal with 35 years driving experience started joining in. “We call her super naani. We have other franchisee partners too who have lost high-paying jobs. They are happy to join Taxshe Breakfree,” adds the social entrepreneur.

Then, another vertical - Women in Mobility Business (WOMB) was started to engage women with a strong network to motivate others to join Taxshe Breakfree. “WOMB women are like backend buddies of franchise partners.”

[caption id="attachment_34376" align="aligncenter" width="843"] Indian Entrepreneur | Vandana Suri | Global Indian Vandana Suri at the SDG award ceremony[/caption]

"We are inviting more and more women to join the mobility business,” tells the entrepreneur who believes that there is a lot that can be done in the mobility industry for ladies. “Mobility should not only be about technology, it should also be about safety. We women are going to talk a different language – that’s the vision,” she says.

The course of life

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Vandana’s family shifted to Bengaluru where she pursued graduation and chartered accountancy. After 25 plus years as an investment banker, she began her first entrepreneurial venture at a real estate consultancy. A year later, she founded Taxshe. “It was like a calling in life,” says Vandana.

“When my mother heard that I was starting a cab business, she fell off her chair,” laughs the entrepreneur. She calls her mother her backend buddy and critic. "Later when my brother Sushil joined in, as co-founder, she was assured that I must be doing well enough for him to join,” Vandana smiles.

Now the entrepreneur's mother is proud of her daughter’s achievements and award - Global Sustainable Development Goals and Her for which she was chosen out of 1,200 applicants. “But she wonders will I ever learn to cook,” grins Vandana, the mother of a teenage son.

[caption id="attachment_34377" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Indian Entrepreneur | Vandana Suri | Global Indian Vandana Suri with her son and mother[/caption]

On rare off days, painting is Vandana’s go to, “I will pursue it after retirement,” she smiles. Of course, music and thumkas aside, she admits to being the first on a dance floor, and the last off it.

Chop Chop Boys and SingleSisterz are her other ventures that she wants to scale up - One trains young lads how to cook and the other helps single women rent together. “We want to work on an alternate family structure so that someone is there to take care of children,” signs off this serial entrepreneur with her pulse on social upliftment.

Follow Vandana Suri on Facebook and LinkedIn
Follow Taxshe on Facebook, Instagram and its website

Reading Time: 5 mins

Creating history: Author Priya Satia’s novels narrate the tale of India under the British Raj

(January 11, 2023) For the past several generations, British historians have deconstructed and reimagined world history to suit the Empire's narrative. Their tales of development in various colonies of the empire across the globe - including India, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean - licensed the brutal suppression of the colonial rebellion by imperial governance. While these narratives still echo in world history, author Priya Satia's latest release, Time's Monster: History, Conscience, and Britain's Empire, examines how the British historians not only twisted the fate of colonial politics but also shaped the futures of generations to come. [caption id="attachment_33728" align="aligncenter" width="526"] Priya Satia, author[/caption] "It shaped my family’s history and so much of the world, and I felt I could contribute – and correct influential myths – from the United States," the author shared during an interview while answering why it was important for her to write this book. The award-winning author of Empire of Guns: The Violent Making of the Industrial Revolution and Spies in Arabia - Priya compels her readers to look into the parts of world history that generally are never discussed. The Raymond A. Spruance Professor of International History and Professor of British History at

could contribute – and correct influential myths – from the United States," the author shared during an interview while answering why it was important for her to write this book. The award-winning author of Empire of Guns: The Violent Making of the Industrial Revolution and Spies in Arabia - Priya compels her readers to look into the parts of world history that generally are never discussed. The Raymond A. Spruance Professor of International History and Professor of British History at Stanford University, the Global Indian regularly writes for various media outlets including Financial Times, The Nation, and Washington Post.

The Arabian conquest

A Ph.D. scholar from the University of California, Berkeley, Priya grew up in Los Gatos, amidst a lot of books. An avid reader, she was always curious to know about the past of the nation to which she belongs - India. And it was this passion which led her to write several books on the British Raj in the country. In 2008, Priya released her first book, Spies in Arabia: The Great War and the Cultural Foundations of Britain's Covert Empire in the Middle East, which was well-received not just by the audience, but also by the critics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG_JMxQ9eI

In a recent interview, the author discussed why she chose to write about events in the Middle East. "I had an interest in South Asia before I had an interest in the Middle East. I was looking into the Indian Army, which did most of the fighting in Iraq during World War I, and became distracted by the Indian Army’s British officers. They arrived thinking that they were in the land of the Arabian Nights, that this place was mysterious and unknowable. But they were there to perform very practical tasks. I became curious how their cultural outlook shaped what they did and how they did it."

Uncovering several conspiracy theories, the author shares how off-base the British were and how outlandishly exaggerated their theories. "When I wrote Spies in Arabia, I was so sure that the British were so wrong in what they assumed about native inhabitants that I didn’t pay enough attention to their actual interactions. This dimension comes out more in my current work on global anticolonial networks than it did in Spies. I’m now looking at the conspiracy theory chapter from the other side, in a sense," she said.

The bloody history of India

While it is not talked about or portrayed in world history, that the British were barbaric towards Indians is a truth that needs no further proof. And yet, everyone seems to have turned a blind eye toward the actual events of the time. Priya, however, shares that it was very important for her to uncover this part of history and present it to the world. “In public memory, redemptive myths about colonial upliftment persistently mask the empire’s abysmal history of looting and pillage, policy-driven famines, brutal crushing of the rebellion, torture, concentration camps, aerial policing, and everyday racism and humiliation,” the author explained in the book Empire of Guns, adding, "To be sure, there is a story about the ‘banality of evil’ to be told— about the automatic, conformist ways in which ordinary people become complicit in inhumanity. But in the case of the British Empire, the bigger story is perhaps that of inhumanity perpetrated by individuals deeply concerned with their consciences, indeed actively interrogating their consciences."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHldSyL8ouo

The book earned Priya the 2019 Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies Book Prize, the Wadsworth Prize in Business History, and the AHA's Jerry Bentley Prize in world history. "Empire of Guns told the story of a very important eighteenth-century gunmaker named Samuel Galton. As a Quaker, he was forced to defend his gun-making to fellow Quakers who felt it violated the sect’s pacifist commitments," shared the author, who was also the finalist for the LA Times Book Prize in History and shortlisted for the Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize.

The author, who is also the curator of several tailored history seminars, wants young people to read and understand history from an unbiased point of view. "To those hoping to enter the world of history, I would suggest coming in with a strong, uncompromising sense of the purpose of that entry, else the academy will instill its own values of personal professional advancement, which are designed to perpetuate institutions as they exist now," the author shared during a class.

Follow Prof Priya Satia on Twitter

Reading Time: 6 mins

Dr Tony Dhillon: The British-Indian doctor leading the pioneering trial of bowel cancer vaccine

(February 20, 2024) When his grandfather arrived in the UK in the 1950s from a small village in Jalandhar district, little did he know that his grandson would be leading the first international trial of a landmark vaccine to fight bowel cancer. Dr Tony Dhillon, a consultant medical oncologist at Royal Surrey NHS Hospital Trust, made headlines recently as the head of a global trial of a pre-surgery vaccine aimed at treating early-stage bowel cancer. The man behind the trial concept, Dr Dhillon has collaborated with Professor Tim Price in Australia over the past four years to formulate and refine the vaccine. [caption id="attachment_49246" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Dr Tony Dhillon[/caption] "This is the first treatment vaccine in any gastrointestinal cancer and we have high hopes that it will be very successful. We think that for a lot of patients, the cancer will have gone completely after this treatment," Dr Dhillon said in a statement, adding, "This is the first treatment vaccine in any gastrointestinal cancer and we have high hopes that it will be very successful. We think that for a lot of patients, the cancer will have gone completely after this treatment." The recently announced trial will be conducted by

inal cancer and we have high hopes that it will be very successful. We think that for a lot of patients, the cancer will have gone completely after this treatment."

The recently announced trial will be conducted by the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trial Units at the University of Southampton, in partnership with the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, Australia. Designed by Imugene, the second phase of trials will see 44 patients enrolling in an 18-month-long study across 10 sites - six in Australia and four in the UK. "This vaccine is not for all patients with bowel cancer, rather 15% of the total population of patients. There is a sub-type of cancer that this vaccine will only work on," explained Dr Dhillon.

It was a few years ago that Dr Dhillon received £500,000 to bring his clinical trial to patients in Australia as immunotherapy is seen as a new way to treat cancer. It works by teaching the body's immune system to find and fight tumours on its own. "Harnessing the immune system to tackle cancer is one of the most exciting areas in cancer research at the moment. Ultimately the findings of this research should help cancer patients and potentially change the way that bowel cancer is treated in this particular sub-group of patients," he said in a 2020 interview.

Three doses of vaccine will be given to patients two weeks apart before the surgery to help their immune system fight the cancer. This might mean that the surgery they need is not as severe. "We reckon when patients go to operation there won't be much cancer left, and with some people, it might go completely. We need to do the trials to prove that, and that is what we are about to start," he added.

Dr Tony Dhillon | Global Indian

Born in Maidenhead, Dr Dhillon grew up in a Punjabi family that migrated to the UK in the early 50s. It was his paternal grandfather who moved to the UK then to work in the Brylcreem factory. He was joined by his son in the 60s. It was in 1967 that Dr Dhillon's mother moved to the UK from Bigla in Jalandhar to marry his father, and the two of them worked in factories. "My parents were not formally educated and probably don't know what I do for a job," he added. But they wanted their son to study and make a name for himself. After going to UCL for medical school, he did his Ph.D. at Imperial College London which was followed by post-graduate work at Oxford.

He later started working as a medical oncologist, where he specialised in rare cancers such as GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumour) and NET (neuroendocrine tumour) as the drugs are expensive and underlying biology is not understood. Now he is the chief investigator in a vaccine trial which could be a big step forward in treating bowel cancer.

"I feel proud to do international level research which could impact hundreds of thousands of people. It shows how much of a meritocracy the UK is - for someone who is a second-generation Punjabi from a working-class family to reach this level is fantastic," he said.

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On the world stage: Super host Nadia Hakani was the energy booster at FIFA

(December 26, 2022) When Nadia Hakani is on the stage, she leaves the world behind. The chaos backstage does not matter to her nor do the technical glitches which may end up snapping the sound, abruptly. Come what may, she remains upbeat. There is no other way to do it. The ace host and anchor have faced stage blackout many times but her experiences — loads of it — ensure she engages with the crowds anyway. Nadia has a knack like no other and she proved it for the umpteenth time at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup. [caption id="attachment_33190" align="aligncenter" width="551"] Nadia Hakani[/caption] “Every moment at FIFA was exhilarating. I was the only anchor hosting the blockbuster event for 30 days non-stop,” smiles Nadia Hakani, the ace host and anchor, in an exclusive conversation with Global Indian, hours after her return from Qatar. She hosted the Al Khor fan zone which caters to fans north of Qatar. “Whatever the event, I can keep the crowds engaged. It is important to read the crowd’s mood before starting any energising activity,” says Nadia, who has hosted 1800 plus shows so far, which include over 100 international shows in nine countries. FIFA

d the Al Khor fan zone which caters to fans north of Qatar. “Whatever the event, I can keep the crowds engaged. It is important to read the crowd’s mood before starting any energising activity,” says Nadia, who has hosted 1800 plus shows so far, which include over 100 international shows in nine countries.

FIFA fever

She has been an anchor, emcee, corporate team-building coach, presenter, and conference crowd motivator for the last 12 years. So how did FIFA happen? “Well, there was no way I would have refused the offer (to host a FIFA fan zone) which came my way. The entire staff did a great job and made the mega event a huge success,” says the host, who has a natural ability to keep the crowd engaged for durations of up to two hours, without a moment of break.

Host | Nadia Hakani | Global Indian

Back from FIFA, she headed straight to host a Corporate Team building Drums Interactive show. Just like she does for all events, Nadia did thorough homework before stepping on the stage at FIFA as well. “I go into a lot of details about the crowd that is attending, their age groups, and the general mood. I mold my events accordingly,” says the host, who did all it takes to keep the crowd, comprising three lakh people, engaged. “Sharing the stage with stars like Jimmy Felix, Abhinanda Sarkar, Tajinder Singh, and Awez Darbar at FIFA was an amazing experience.”

Born to shine

The Hyderabad-born host comes from a big joint family of 13 members. When Nadia was eight, her elder brother, Saleem made a makeshift radio for her from an old compass box and a curling brush. “Both would start hosting fake talk shows for fun. It eventually led to a successful career,” says the host, who did her schooling at Diamond Jubilee High School and completed her MBA from Shadan college, Hyderabad.

She grew up in a conservative family and it took a lot of convincing to allow her to anchor shows. “Now, things are different and my entire family comes to my events and enjoys them,” informs the host, who even used to sneak out of her house to do shows earlier.” While she has made Mumbai her home, the Hakani family resides in Hyderabad.

[caption id="attachment_33192" align="aligncenter" width="658"] Host | Nadia Hakani | Global Indian Nadia with actress Dia Mirza[/caption]

In her growing-up years, public speaking was a farfetched idea until a sangeet event of an event manager friend changed everything. “I was given the entire stage to get the crowd together and I received a lot of accolades for the job,” says Nadia of how that particular instance triggered a passion for hosting and anchoring events.

Over the years, the ace host has worked with people of all age groups, ethnicity, and gender and makes sure that all her crowd engagement activities are inclusive. “A show is not a single artist’s work it is a teamwork of many components. Once on stage, an anchor is representing the entire team,” says the host, who has perfected the art of being a crowd and game energiser. “I have successfully handled massive crowds. Anchoring runs in my blood now,” smiles Nadia.

She is so much into her job that once when she dozed off on a long flight, she started dreaming about the show she was going to anchor. “I started emceeing the show while asleep and it is only when fellow passengers started giggling, I woke up,” she recalls.

Owning the stage

Over the last 10 years, she has single-handedly conducted on-site and off-site team-building events at Google, TCS, Deloitte, Accenture, Cognizant, Amazon, and Oracle among others. “I love the travelling that comes with each event and the people I meet. It’s a highly rewarding career, which teaches something new every time,” says the Hyderabadi host, who attended Clown workshops by actor-director Rupesh Tillu.

Host | Nadia Hakani | Global Indian

She has hosted movie launches, product introductions, and team-building events. From the dance reality show ‘Dancing Star’ to Afro T 20 cricket league to hosting IPL “Ek India Happy Wala live” — the host has done it all, including red carpet events. Along her journey, she met several Bollywood A-listers including Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Shahid Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh among others. “I have done 1800 shows so far and looking forward to hitting 2,000 soon,” says the super host, who played a role as a reporter in the film Collar Bomb which was released on Hotstar, an experience she describes as amazing.

She has also participated in life planning courses by Mind valley and All Ulfat (National School of Drama fame). “I am awaiting a World tour with actors which is also in pipeline. My theatre guru has offered the main role in a series to me which will soon be revealed,” the host says. Presently, she is learning Boomwhackers and Drums jamming by Dr. Sham Rock.

[caption id="attachment_33194" align="aligncenter" width="632"] Host | Nadia Hakani | Global Indian Hadia with actor Ranveer Singh, during an event[/caption]

Anchoring, she says, lets her wear many hats. “I have performed music jams, been a games jockey, worked on theatre concept, and even danced with the participants and I loved it all,” says Nadia, who has completed certification in World Leadership Training by World Human Development centre and Land Mark Forum Level 1. The host was also honoured with the title of World Peace Ambassador in 2021.

Doing some of the biggest events around the globe, she says there are two things that anchor dreads the most — a stage blackout (when the mic is working but everything else abruptly stops) and a ghost (when even the mic stops). “For one boomwhackers event in Dubai, a ghost happened. I then used my trademark vocals to keep up the crowd's energy,” she recalls. Among the most memorable events of her career is hosting 50 consecutive shows in Dubai, which went on for close to two months. But she is desperate to host more. “My Dream is to work with Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan in an event and be a guest on the Kapil Sharma show,” the host says.

Host | Nadia Hakani | Global Indian

Nadia is looking to do more sports events including Olympics, F1 Racing, and Red carpet events such as IIFA, Filmfare, and Femina. “I am currently in talks with Femina India for a Boomwackers Show,” informs Nadia who is looking forward to continuing with her acting forte. “Stepping up on stage is like entering an unknown territory each time,” Nadia says when asked about the challenges she faced during her journey.

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Reading Time: 5 mins

From family kitchen to culinary empire: Food entrepreneur Chitra Agrawal’s flavourful journey

(August 13, 2023) Chitra Agrawal grew up in the US, with a mother who came from the South of India and a father who came from the North. Even with ample exposure to cooking styles and dishes from both sides of the family, the food entrepreneur did not plan to make cooking a career. [caption id="attachment_43597" align="aligncenter" width="601"] Chitra Agrawal founder of the brand Brooklyn Delhi[/caption] But, as a first-generation Indian American, Chitra asserts that she tried to find her own identity through food. She says in an exclusive interview with Global Indian, “I think a lot of first-generation kids have a hard time making sense of the two worlds they occupy, and for me, food was a way to connect with the older generation in my family because culturally, there was always a divide for me. Each time I asked to learn a recipe, it would unlock a story I would never have heard had we not been in the kitchen together cooking. I would then build on those recipes by putting my own twist on dishes like my recipe for a spicy tomato soup that I made using my tomato achaar or lettuce wraps with dosa potatoes and

me. Each time I asked to learn a recipe, it would unlock a story I would never have heard had we not been in the kitchen together cooking. I would then build on those recipes by putting my own twist on dishes like my recipe for a spicy tomato soup that I made using my tomato achaar or lettuce wraps with dosa potatoes and coconut chutney that I included in my cookbook,” the food entrepreneur says. In the book, which showcases recipes from South India, she summarises this journey of finding her identity, “Food was probably the first facet of my heritage that gave me great pride and even confidence in my identity, and that stayed with me.”

From achaars to gravies like tikka masala and cashew korma, author of the cookbook Vibrant India, the food entrepreneur’s brand Brooklyn Delhi is all about cooking Indian food with joy.

Finding her identity through food

Even while working, Chitra retained a strong interest in food. Speaking about her early days, the food entrepreneur says, “I started spending vacations at home following my parents around in the kitchen, observing, trying my hand at preparations, and taking copious notes. Trips to India became field studies, a way for me to gather as much knowledge as I could from elder family members. I spent nights poring over esoteric cookbooks I had brought back from India, cross-referencing recipes in old emails my mother had sent me when I was at college, and logging hours on the phone with my parents, as I tried to figure out the precise texture for a soup I was recreating from an old family recipe.”

[caption id="attachment_43598" align="aligncenter" width="667"] Food entrepreneur | Chitra Agrawal | Global Indian Brooklyn Delhi's pickle and simmer sauce line[/caption]

Chitra put in the due diligence that laid the foundation for Brooklyn Delhi. “I began to codify ingredients: the sweetness of grated coconut and jaggery; the sourness of lemon juice, tamarind, and cooling yogurt; the bitterness of ginger, curry leaves, and black mustard seeds; the heat of black pepper and chilli peppers; and just enough salt to hit the savoury note. In the process of learning these recipes, I was also learning more about my family’s history, something I always felt distant from growing up in America,” shares the food entrepreneur.

Building brand Brooklyn Delhi

Her journey into cooking quite literally started with her home experiments and hosting pop-ups with local farmers. The food entrepreneur recalls, “I hosted a great many pop-up dinners before I began Brooklyn Delhi, and partnered with NY farmers and collaborated with local chefs. I hosted an Indian Mexican supper club called Masala Loca with a Mexican chef and an Indian-Chinese supper club called Tangra with Diana Kuan, a Chinese-American cookbook author. For a Tangra dinner, I brought back vegetable seeds from India and my friend and farmer, Jason Gaspar planted them at the Wyckoff Farmhouse where we hosted a dinner featuring these vegetables - white cucumbers and bottled gourds and served the meal with beer brewed with curry leaves from Big Alice Brewing in Long Island City. These dinners were a great way to share my culinary perspective with an audience and the people that attended were my first customers at Brooklyn Delhi.”

[caption id="attachment_43600" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Food entrepreneur | Chitra Agrawal | Global Indian Brooklyn Delhi's roasted garlic achaar was born out of Chitra's love for Italian cuisine[/caption]

As her confidence grew with these pop-ups, Chitra experimented with her versions of dishes, using seasonal produce and drawing from the different culinary influences she had been exposed to. Living in different cities like San Francisco, LA and now New York was also a big influence on her and shaped the way she cooked. The food entrepreneur says, “Every place I have lived has taught me something, whether it was a new ingredient or cuisine which I have incorporated into my recipes. For instance, I grew up in Jersey and loved having Italian dishes with roasted garlic which was the inspiration for my roasted garlic achaar at Brooklyn Delhi.”

[caption id="attachment_43602" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Food entrepreneur | Chitra Agrawal | Global Indian Brooklyn Delhi at Holiday Bazaar[/caption]

She adds, “I was drawing from Italian flavours and even the greasy-spoon diners of my youth in New Jersey, Asian and Mexican flavours from my time in California, and my discoveries in my new home of New York. I was blogging regularly and realised that my readership had grown beyond my initial audience of my mom and a handful of friends. I was hired to teach my first private cooking class. Next, a chef friend of mine asked if I’d collaborate with her on a menu for an Indian-and-Mexican-themed supper club. From that point on, I was hooked!”

The pop-ups led to Chitra selling her prepared food at local markets in Brooklyn, teaching cooking classes with a focus on healthy and easy recipes. The food entrepreneur says, “A project that began with a goal to preserve my family’s culinary traditions had become a way for me to connect and engage with communities around me.”

[caption id="attachment_43604" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Food entrepreneur | Chitra Agrawal | Global Indian The brand's Mango Chutney is a hot favourite[/caption]

Sometime around 2013-14, she decided to launch her company and named it Brooklyn Delhi. It is an Indian condiments company she co-owns with her husband Ben, a food packaging designer and artist. It was, however, a challenging time. The food entrepreneur recalls, “At the same time we decided to launch Brooklyn Delhi, I also got a new job offer and landed the deal to write this cookbook. That was in 2013, and I was at a crossroads. There was no way I was going to be able to work at my day job, run a condiments business, and write a book. I couldn’t ignore the fact that my interest in food had grown past a hobby. After much agonising, I decided to leave my decade-long career in marketing to pursue food full-time. My parents were concerned, but I believed this was my chance. It was terrifying to give up my professional identity and the promise of a substantial weekly paycheck and benefits. To top it off, I was planning my wedding, in a town hundreds of miles from where I lived.”

Still, she went ahead and launched in 2014, with Ben designing the packaging, and her first product being achaars, which Chitra loves. The food entrepreneur says, “We launched with achaar and I also work with New York farmers to source thousands of pounds of produce to make achaars at Brooklyn Delhi. On our website, our bestsellers are our tomato achaar and roasted garlic achaar.”

Authentic all the way

Another challenge was the products themselves. Marketing pickles as achaars and not the local gherkins-dunked-in-saline versions was not easy. The food entrepreneur agrees, “I'd say the most difficult product to commercialise was my roasted garlic achaar. It is a lengthy process but the results are unparalleled and I'm very proud of it. I developed my tomato and garlic achaar with 75 percent less sodium than other brands in the stores, so the education goes both ways. With the South Asian community, I want to let them know that you can use these achaars more like sauces since they have less sodium, and with the non-South-Asian audience, I educate them via social media, emails, and in-person on what it is and how to use it. I update our blog with recipes too using the achaars weekly to inspire our customers.”

A recent addition to her oeuvre has been the cashew butter masala simmer sauce -- the first vegan product in her range. Chitra’s innovation is aimed at the growing trend of going vegan. She reiterates, “All of our sauces at Brooklyn Delhi are vegan but our cashew butter masala is the first vegan version of the butter masala available in grocery stores. I replace all of the dairy and butter in popular Indian sauces with cashew butter and coconut cream so that everyone can enjoy them whether you eat meat or not.”

[caption id="attachment_43594" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Food entrepreneur | Chitra Agrawal | Global Indian Slow cooked chicken tikka masala served with rice at Brooklyn Delhi[/caption]

She sources ingredients with integrity as well. Says the food entrepreneur, “We maintain a strong commitment to ethical sourcing and creating flavours that honour our Indian food traditions. Our products contain no preservatives, no artificial flavours, no high-fructose corn syrup. We reject fillers, emulsifiers, and additives commonly used in mass-market products. Instead, we meticulously source wholesome ingredients, often sampling over ten suppliers for a single ingredient to choose one that gives optimal flavour to our recipes.”

Looking back, the food entrepreneur believes that though she has never worked harder, she has never felt as fulfilled as she does now. And it is all thanks to a multicultural upbringing and a jar of pickles.

Places you would go to for:

Authentic Italian: Al Di La in Park Slope
Fine dine authentic Indian: I'm not really a fine dining type of girl, but one restaurant that I do adore is Jalsa located in Little Pakistan on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn. Standouts on the menu are their spinach chaat, cauliflower keema, paneer nizami
Street food: NYC Dosas in Washington Square Park
Pan Asian: I had the most delicious meal at Bonnie's in Williamsburg and highly recommend it.
Your favourite Indian dish that you love to cook/serve and eat: I'm a sucker for saag paneer and I actually made a recipe hack for it using my coconut cashew korma.

Follow Chitra Agrawal on Instagram and LinkedIn
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