Indians in USA | AC Charania | Global Indian

Global IndianstoryAC Charania: NASA’s newly appointed chief technologist  

AC Charania: NASA’s newly appointed chief technologist  

Compiled by: Amrita Priya

(January 21, 2023) “An exciting time to be at NASA as the agency along with industry prepare to return crews to the moon,” tweeted AC Charania, eleven days after he assumed office as NASA’s new chief technologist. He also posted a link to the upcoming Artemis III mission, which has many firsts to its credit – The mission has been designed to mark humanity’s first return to the moon in more than 50 years. It will be the first to attempt to land astronauts near the south pole of the lunar surface, and also the first woman and the first person of colour.

The newly appointed Indian-American chief technologist took charge from another Indian origin space expert, Bhavya Lal on January 3rd.  A renowned engineer, Charania has always been enthusiastic about exploring the lunar surface and sending back people on the moon. Not just as explorers, he said in a keynote address five years ago, but “this time to stay.”

AC Charania

As NASA’s new chief technologist, he will serve as principal advisor to administrator Bill Nelson on technology policy and programmes at the space agency’s headquarters based in Washington DC. Global Indian takes a look at his eclectic journey.

What the moon beholds 

“There are many interesting areas on the lunar surface that we are yet to explore. There are polar regions that we believe might have trapped volatiles, so there’s a lot more exploration that we need to do,” Charania had said back in 2018. He was associated with another organisation during that time. “There are grand solar system questions like how the solar system got formed, which we can answer by going back to the moon.”

Perhaps his arrival as NASA’s chief technologist can boost the scale, scope and frequency of human visits to the moon.

Deep expertise in turning dreams to reality  

Charania brings a vast array of experiences to his role at NASA. He has been part of multiple leadership teams of aerospace companies, and holds solid expertise in advanced concepts ideation, design and analysis, project management, technology evaluation, business development, international trade compliance, government advocacy, and more. 

A.C. Charania has been named as our agency's chief technologist. He will lead technological innovation and investments across our six mission directorates. Learn more about Charania's career and welcome him to our agency: https://t.co/SL2js0h0Yi pic.twitter.com/4av3oMYRX1

— NASA People (@NASApeople) January 9, 2023

A proponent of the belief that ‘big, curiosity-driven science outperforms all expectations regarding their usefulness, beating any other short-sighted strategy hands-down,’ Charania has been in the thick of transformational journeys of the organisations he has been associated with in the past.  

The global innovator  

Turning advanced concepts into reality, the global innovator has been involved in shaping the recent aerospace revolutions within small satellites, launch vehicles, hypersonics, human and robotic exploration, planetary defense, and aviation autonomy.  

 Prior to joining NASA, he served as vice president of product strategy at Reliable Robotics, a firm that works to bring certified autonomous vehicles to commercial aviation. 

 His previous experiences include working at Blue Origin, an organisation founded by the American entrepreneur, media proprietor, investor and commercial astronaut, Jeff Bezos. As Campaign Director of Blue Origin, Charania worked to enhance the lunar permanence strategy, Blue Moon lunar lander programme, and multiple technology initiatives of Blue Origin with NASA. 

 “A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. If such an endeavour is to be successful and practical, we must be able to soft-land large amounts of mass onto the lunar surface, and we must be able to do so cost effectively,” he had remarked in a speech as a representative of Blue Origin. 

Indians in USA | AC Charania | Global Indian

As one of the early employees of Virgin Galactic (now Virgin Orbit), Charania had added his expertise in strategy and business development for the LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle programme. 

Prior to that as one of the first employees of SpaceWorks Enterprises, he served in multiple management and technology roles, including helping to incubate two startups – Generation Orbit and Terminal Velocity Aerospace. 

In his illustrious career, Charania has led the formation of the FastForward industry group focused on high-speed point-to-point transportation, and has also served on the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Commercial Advisory Board. 

Mission to lead space and aviation progress 

Working at NASA’s Office for Technology, Policy, and Strategy, Charania would be aligning its agencywide technology investments with mission needs across six directorates and would oversee technology collaboration with other federal agencies, the private sector, and external stakeholders.  

“The rate of advancement we seek in the 21st century is dependent upon selecting and maturing a portfolio of technologies into systems to execute our missions,” the chief technologist said after his appointment. 

An exciting time to be at @NASA as the agency along with industry prepare to return crews to the Moon, here is a good summary of the upcoming Artemis III mission – the first one to land astronauts in the Moon's South Pole region: https://t.co/GjwJY49i1J pic.twitter.com/1KaMBPhta7

— A.C. Charania (@ac_charania) January 14, 2023

“There are incredible opportunities in partnerships within and outside of NASA. I now look forward to the opportunity to work with the entire community to increase the rate of space and aviation progress,” he said in a press release issued by NASA. 

Illustrious background  

The new NASA chief technologist holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. During his time there, Charania researched the design and performance of hybrid rocket engines. His work earned him several awards, including the National Science Foundation Fellowship. After graduating, Charania pursued a career in the aerospace industry, and has been a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Fellow in the past. 

To merge his understanding of technology with the aspect of business, Charania has topped up his technical expertise with a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University.

 He has led dozens of proposals to NASA, DARPA, USAF, large aerospace primes, and multiple entrepreneurial space ventures; from several million to several billion dollars of value leading to successful capture of more than a billion dollars of government and commercial contracts. 

AC Charania with a NASA official

 The author of dozens of papers and publications, speaker at multiple public conferences and events, Charania has been living in the US with his family. He is a member of multiple professional societies and organizations, including several aerospace-related academic outreach programmes. 

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Published on 21, Jan 2023

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Chef Krishna Chaithanya gives Indian food a contemporary touch and flair at Zila

The depth of Indian cuisine with French finesse are given a modern interpretation by Chef Krishna Chaithanya, the Chef De Cuisine at Zila in Hyderabad. “The food I make represents my entire culinary journey thus far; it is parts of everywhere I have been,” says Krishna Chaithanya, Chef De Cuisine at Zila - the progressive, upmarket restaurant in the Knowledge City area of Hyderabad. And he has been around the block – working at several legendary brands with Michelin starred chefs. Each time, the urge to move has been spurred by wanting to get creative with what he did. And the learning offered with these moves now reflect in the gourmet food with an Indian heart that he makes. An early start On paternity leave at the time of the interview, Chef Krishna’s family friends and cousins are associated with the Vellanki Foods and the Rameshwaram Café brands. Several others owned tiffin centres and messes which served simple, wholesome fare. He recalls, “I was exposed to the restaurant and food business even during school, when I would go to help out in the absence of a staffer. Though my parents wanted me to take up engineering, I chose to go

wanted me to take up engineering, I chose to go to culinary school. I joined the Culinary Academy of Hyderabad and my parents saw the change in me. I was more driven and focussed. For my first internship I chose ITC Park Sheraton, now the Crowne Plaza, in Chennai, as I wanted to explore life and food outside Hyderabad. I would explore the food and neighbouring areas like Puducherry.”

[caption id="attachment_48993" align="aligncenter" width="621"] Chef Krishna Chaithanya is the Chef de Cuisine at Zila in Hyderabad[/caption]

Chef Krishna joined the Taj Krishna Hyderabad, after completing his course, as a hotel operations management trainee. This was his base for four years and he worked at Firdaus, their Indian restaurant, and Encounters and Alfresco, the all-day diner. This was followed by a short stint at Barbecue Nation, setting up their flagship outlet, and then Taj Krishna again as for what was to be a short stint. In the midst of all this, in 2017, he was part of a team that was sent to Davos, Switzerland, as part of the Andhra Pradesh entourage for the World Economic Forum. His job was to cook Andhra food through the day – from breakfast to lunch to high tea for the delegates who visited their stall called Sunrise Café. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to then AP CM Chandrababu Naidu and several world leaders, they all sampled the food he had made.

Michelin Stars and more

Then, a call from a friend in Bangkok led Chef Krishna to the kind of creative environment he craved. Gaggan Anand, the Michelin star chef wanted to speak to him. He recalls, “It was past midnight and Chef Gaggan called; all he asked me was whether I could make idlis, dosas and upma. I said yes and he asked me to come to Bangkok as he was looking for someone with my skill set. It was barely five months after I had rejoined the Taj and this was an offer of a lifetime. There is no culture of holding back anyone at the Taj, so I decided to go to Bangkok despite misgivings from my family and girlfriend.”

Moving to Thailand and specifically, working with Gaggan Anand was, for Chef Krishna “an experience like that of a kid in a candy shop. There was so much equipment I had never seen before – where a carrot would go in at one end and come out as paper at the other. It felt like a miracle and took a week for it to sink in. I finally felt like this is what creativity should be. The usage and understanding of food at a molecular level, playing around with textures of dishes and learning the attitude of ‘why not’ were my biggest takeaways here.”

Unfortunately for Chef Krishna, after three months, due to some differences between the investors and Chef Gaggan, the restaurant closed down and he chose to go with the investors who wanted to start something new. The core team was sent to India to explore the cuisines they specialised in before the launch. While he was here, he got the opportunity to work at Karavalli, at the Taj Gateway in Bengaluru, which strengthened the foundation of his knowledge of South Indian cuisine. “I travelled to Chennai, all over Karnataka, sampled several dishes and found out how they were originally made. It was like a research trip. Then, as we entered Bangkok the lockdown began and five or six of us were cooped up in an apartment. We started experimenting with dishes and creating new ones for the restaurant. The investor, Rajesh Kewalramani, wanted us to capture the finesse of European food and add it to the depth that Indian food already had.”

The restaurant they helped set up is now called Indee, and it has recently been awarded a Michelin star. Again, Chef Krishna had to move, this time for personal reasons. On his return to India, he joined the Sheraton Grand in Pune where he was in charge of creating the menu for global cuisine at their restaurant Nuvo, which was a fine dining restaurant in the evening and after 11 pm, it turned into a high energy nightclub. He says, “Here I had the freedom to do anything with the food and while it was creatively a great step, I still missed Indian cuisine. After a year, I got the offer to move to Hyderabad with Zila and I took it up because we were expecting our first baby and it made sense to be close to family.”

At home with contemporary trends

At Zila, Chef Krishna seems to have finally found his groove. Indian food is given the finesse of presentation like European food. Its soul is essentially Indian and experimentation is within those parameters. Chef Krishna explains, “We make a kachumber which looks nothing like what it traditionally is. It is a constructed salad with stracciatella topped with cured cucumbers in sake, mirin apple cider vinegar and black salt, then arranged with sliced heirloom tomatoes topped with a smoked tomato and date chutney. Then we add a dollop of our chunky mint chutney to bring all the ingredients together. To make it sustainable we make a juice out of all the trimming of vegetables and season and foam it up and serve it on the side. This is in keeping with the global trend of sustainability, as it has zero wastage.”

With so much thought going into a salad, other dishes get similar respect. With Rogan Josh, instead of mutton, he uses lotus stem, which is also native to Kashmir. “The easiest option to replace meat with a vegetable is raw jackfruit. I wanted to move away from that and try something else. It has become one of our most ordered dishes.”

In a nutshell, Chef Krishna reiterates that at Zila, they are elevating age old recipes, giving them a modern touch without losing out on the soul of the dish. A kulcha comes stuffed with brie and bird’s eye chillies, topped with aragula leaves, and the raw mango and cranberry chunda is a marriage between an Amritsari kulcha and a French puff pastry to give it a crunch.

And while he thinks he is still a long way from having the expertise of writing his own cookbook, he believes that sustainability and conscious eating are the zeitgeist now. “People are more aware of what they eat; our customers even ask us about the source of our ingredients. We try and minimise wastage and use every part of the vegetable where possible. Complex flavours are the big thing right now; whether through Pan Asian or Indian cooking.”

While travelling, Chef Krishna likes to eat at:

Garden Vada Pav, Pune: Vada Pav
Saengchai Pochana, Bangkok: Pad kra paw gai
Ram Ke Laddu, Lajpat Nagar, Delhi: Laddu
Shivaji Military Hotel, Bengaluru: Mutton Biryani and Mutton Chops
Nair Mess, Chepauk, Chennai: Meals
You can follow Chef Krishna on Instagram: coconut_curryleaf

Spare the life, use the rod: Entrepreneur Sharad Ashani gets Rs 50 lakh to grow his anti-suicide device

(March 23, 2022) Sharad Ashani is not your typical entrepreneur. The 66-year-old Mumbai-based founder of Safe Solutions had an over three decade-long career behind him before he decided to start up. Except, he was looking to make a difference after his retirement in 2017. Shocked by the number of suicides by hanging in the India, Sharad patented what is called Gold Life, a range of anti-suicide rods. So far, his company has installed over 50,000 anti-suicide rods in ceiling fans across hospitals, hotels, hostels, jails, and government quarters. Recently, this year (2022) his venture received a funding of Rs 50 lakh from Shark Tank India as well. Back in 2004, actor and model Nafisa Joseph committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan. “Soon after, an air hostess died in a similar manner. It struck me hard,” says the entrepreneur. “How were such educated and successful people taking such drastic measures? Was it so easy for one to hang from the ceiling fan? Around the same time, I came across a National Crime Record Bureau report that stated over 40 percent of those committing suicide in India died by hanging. It was time to do something about this,” says the

thing about this,” says the entrepreneur in a conversation with Global Indian.

[embed]https://twitter.com/SharadAshani/status/1232910384539095040?s=20&t=bDu--Q4l6EsbrJJyeibd7Q[/embed]

The journey of research

Sharad then began archiving news reports of suicides by hanging to work on a solution. He went through medical journals, and came up with a thoroughly researched prototype. This endeavour also took him to Nata Mallick, the West Bengal executioner to understand neck pressure, and breathing rates once the hanging process begins. “On a visit to Kolkata, I went to Mallick’s house to discuss the product I was mulling over; I wanted to ensure it was free from any loopholes,” says the Indian entrepreneur. Several trials later, Gold Life anti-suicide rods were patented in 2007.

The rod, which can be retrofitted into any ceiling fan, has an unlatching mechanism. When someone tries to hang oneself, the load exceeds the determined point, activating the unlatching mechanism, safely landing the person on the ground.

[caption id="attachment_21757" align="aligncenter" width="906"] Indian Entrepreneur | Sharad Ashani | Global Indian Sharad Ashani with his son, Gaurav[/caption]

However, Sharad was still far from working full-fledged on this as he was employed with Crompton Greaves. In 2011, the entrepreneur got the opportunity to participate in Mahindra’s Spark The Rise competition where he won a grant of Rs 4 lakh as the first runner-up. This further strengthened his belief in his idea.

Second Innings

When Sharad retired in 2017, he immediately got to work to launch his venture. “I began working on refining my product the day after my retirement. To ensure that it was 100 percent fool-proof, I had it tested at the government’s MSME testing centre. I did not want to take any chances with the quality, and also got the anti-rust testing done,” the entrepreneur explains.

The next step was marketing. As he wondered how to market the product, a news report of another suicide by hanging in a Mumbai daily caught his eye. He wrote to the editor about his anti-suicide rod. An impressive coverage followed.

[embed]https://twitter.com/SharadAshani/status/992017337564975104?s=20&t=bDu--Q4l6EsbrJJyeibd7Q[/embed]

Soon, government institutions began placing orders; the Air Force School in Faridabad and Kota Hostel Association were some of the first to place orders, followed by IIM Kashipur, and then psychiatry hospitals, hotels, and private institutions.

The game changer

“After the Shark Tank India episode was aired, my phone did not stop ringing for five days,” says Sharad, adding, “Some were to appreciate my innovation, others to place orders. Surprisingly, most of the calls were from eastern India and Puducherry. That’s when I learnt from an NCRB report that Puducherry topped the list of states when it came to suicide by hanging,” says the Indian entrepreneur.

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

Following the buzz generated by Shark Tank India, Sharad’s company has been getting more orders than its manufacturing capacity. “We are working to expand our manufacturing units. We plan to begin retailing online this April,” says the entrepreneur, who finds himself working 24x7 post-retirement. “Of course, I am enjoying the entire process. I feel that just like Edison’s invention benefitted the world, my innovation will also greatly impact society. In 10 years, I hope every ceiling fan in the country will have these anti-suicide rods leading to a drastic fall in the incidence of suicides,” he says optimistically.

Reading and forgetting is not the solution

Intrigued with the number of suicides and their fall outs on the deceased’s kin, he adds, “From police investigations, stigma about renting such places, financial repercussions, the complications are huge.” He recently received a call from a woman who’d lost her husband to suicide by hanging, who admitted that if she had been aware of the rod, her husband would be alive.

Present and future

While Sharad has been contemplating manufacturing energy efficient fans with anti-suicide rods, he is currently swamped with orders following the reality show.

[caption id="attachment_21759" align="aligncenter" width="677"] Indian Entrepreneur | Sharad Ashani | Global Indian Sharad Ashani with his wife and daughter[/caption]

The entrepreneur enjoys playing the tabla, reads books by Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, and Chan Kim, etc. “These books have been a guide to me in my corporate as well as entrepreneurial journey,” says Sharad, whose wife Sharada and two children Gaurav and Arpita, and their families, make life beautiful. Next on agenda, are plans to innovate on more safety products.

Follow Sharad Ashani on Twitter

Reading Time: 7 mins

Indian hotelier Anjan Chatterjee taking Calcutta to India and to the World

(January 8, 2022) They are calling it the 'Bengali food's latest outpost'. And it took two friends — former Indigo Airlines CEO Aditya Ghosh and well-known Indian hotelier Anjan Chatterjee to come together to open Chourangi in the heart of London. Located at the intersection of Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, Chatterjee calls it fulfilling to bring the eclectic cuisine of Calcutta to the city of London. The restaurant opened to rave reviews last year and despite the pandemic, it is going strong. So how did Chatterjee and Ghosh come up with the name Chourangi? "Chowringhee, from where the name has been originally derived, is a central business district of Calcutta and is also a very famous movie (36 Chowringhee Lane) by Aparna Sen. The name apart from being iconic represents the soul of Calcutta," he tells Global Indian. On his union with Ghosh, Chatterjee says that it is a friendship of twenty years. Introduced to each other by late Pranab Mukherjee (Ex-President of India), Chatterjee reveals they connected over their love for food. "One fine evening over drinks I had shared my dream with him to take Calcutta's cuisine to London, and he just jumped to the idea and

nks I had shared my dream with him to take Calcutta's cuisine to London, and he just jumped to the idea and thereon, he has been a constant guide in this venture,” says the Indian hotelier.

[caption id="attachment_18611" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Indian Hotelier | Anjan Chatterjee | Global Indian Anjan Chatterjee's Chourangi[/caption]

Chatterjee may want to take Calcutta/Kolkata to the world, but over the years, his Speciality Restaurants group, a listed entity, has introduced Bengali and world cuisine to much of India with very well-known restaurants such as Mainland China, Haka, Oh! Calcutta, Machaan, Sigree among others. Each restaurant is unique for its cuisine, and unlike each other. "Oh! Calcutta is a Bengali centric fine dining space, while Chourangi is much more than that. It represents Calcutta's heritage cuisine and not just 'Bengali' cuisine," adds Chatterjee.

The origins

A hotel management graduate, Chatterjee dabbled in the hospitality sector working for the Taj Group and others. He also had a stint as an ad-selling executive in Mumbai for Kolkata's ABP Group. But the pull of the food was too hard to resist and in 1992, he started Only Fish, with the Bengali diaspora in mind. Then came Oh! Calcutta, again in Mumbai.

Since then there has been no looking back for this IHM Kolkata graduate. In these twenty-seven years, the Speciality Group has standardised recipes, created a chain of fine dining, casual dining, bar & lounge and bakery & confectionery outlets and restaurants not only across the country but also the world. There are around 130 restaurants and confectioneries in over 25 cities in India as well as in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Dubai (UAE) and now in London.

Speciality Restaurants went public in 2012 and became the first food chain in India to get listed in the stock market.

When the pandemic came calling

The hospitality sector was coming out of a trough when the pandemic struck, and Chatterjee had to go back to planning with his son, Avik, taking active interest in the business now.

The Indian hotelier understood very early that something profound was happening for the sector and it would never be the same again. It called for alacrity to acknowledge and change.

[caption id="attachment_18606" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Indian Hotelier | Anjan Chatterjee | Global Indian Anjan Chatterjee with his son Avik[/caption]

From a restaurant company that was known for fine-dining, they had to seriously look at the home delivery side of business. "We have strengthened deliveries in the last one-and-a-half years. In the process, we have created a kitchen within the kitchen, where we increased the capacity of the kitchen by optimizing and by putting cloud kitchen because Mainland China, Oh! Calcutta and other brands are formidable brands,” says the Indian hotelier.

Cloud kitchen is a separate vertical within restaurants, and while it formed almost 60 percent of all business, it hasn't come down 35-38 percent even after all restrictions got lifted. "A lot of cloud kitchens are being added to the places where either we do not have restaurants or we have shut down. We are expanding through the cloud kitchen. I think this has been the biggest learning because we knew that any variant of COVID can hit at any point in time,” says Chatterjee.

The new normal

Chatterjee feels that the trend of cloud kitchen is here to stay as it has now become the 'new normal' and has given birth to an 'ordering out culture'. "The other reason has been the pricing and convenience of ordering food from the comfort of your home as it is incomparable to the experience of going to a restaurant or finding people to party in the first place." he adds.

[caption id="attachment_18612" align="aligncenter" width="664"] Indian Hotelier | Anjan Chatterjee | Global Indian Braised Lamb Shank Curry[/caption]

Cafe Mezzuna, the contemporary European all-day diner, is a hit among the young diners. It has also been adopted to the cloud kitchen format with Mezzuna Gourmet Pizza, an app for ordering deliveries. Chatterjee and his team concentrated on pizzas with some innovative toppings as well as regular menu. "We have created a brand that’s slightly more glocalised but with the Mezzuna legacy. We are quite a puritan brand when it comes to Cafe Mezzuna, it’s pure Mediterranean. We have done an innovation in terms of packaging. It’s thermo-insulated, so the pizza stays hot. These are gourmet pizzas 12-inch and 15-inch, slightly glocalised and not like (Cafe) Mezzuna’s. We have seen a good off take of the brand as of the present considering the prevailing circumstances," he explains.

Increasing footprints abroad

The Speciality Group has opened their second outlet of Asia Kitchen by Mainland China at the Mall of Emirates (Dubai). "Riyasat is set to launch in Dubai and then there’s Mainland China opening soon in Houston too," shares Chatterjee. However, considering the pandemic situation, the hotelier is more inclined towards expanding the Cloud Kitchen vertical in India. "Surely we wish to expand both the brands further but maybe through a cloud kitchen model," he says.

Indian Hotelier | Anjan Chatterjee | Global Indian

A foodie family

His wife Suchhanda and son Avik are better chefs claims Chatterjee. But the family is involved in various parts of business. "While my wife, Meenoo has been the hands behind all the interiors and décor that you come across for Mainland China and Oh! Calcutta, my daughter-in-law is not directly involved in the business but she keeps on sharing some valuable inputs time to time," Indian hotelier says.

The family is into hospitality business, and it is but natural that it discusses food and latest trends even at the dining table. "Avik keeps bolstering me with the latest videos and updates on the changing food trends," he says.

Despite having a busy schedule, Chatterjee loves to put on the apron once in a while for the family. As for his favourites, he has the usual Bengali cuisine suspects--chingri malai curry, Calcutta fish fry with gondhoraj lemon and jhurjhure alu bhaja on the side. "But, do not get shocked or surprised if I savour an entire portion of Calcutta biryani at two in the morning or a steamed jasmine rice followed with fish in Tobanjan sauce specially made by our chef De Cuisine, Rajesh Dubey!," Chatterjee laughs.

Follow Anjan Chatterjee on Linkedin

Reading Time: 7 min

Ricky Kej, the musician with an activist heart

(November 17, 2021) From the Grammy-winning album Winds of Samsara to My Earth Songs and most recently Divine Tides, composer, musician and humanitarian conservationist Ricky Kej has the propensity to dig deep into ragas and their effervescence. Composing strains that not just stand the tests of time, but also alleviate the angst that humans wreak on nature, Ricky is an activist at heart. If he defines his life on two cornerstones - music and conservation, it is because many of his signature albums have an intrinsic bond with nature. The dentist who turned inwards conjuring up soulful music from ordinary notes has been on a journey of awakenings, be it with music, or through it, to raise environmental consciousness. A degree in dental surgery lies gathering dust, yet Ricky feels that his career was never a transition. "I have always been a musician. From a young age, I wanted music as my hobby, profession, career, bread and butter. I did a degree in dental surgery only because of my parents. I had made a deal with my father that once I completed a dental degree, my life was my own. The minute I got my degree, I handed it over

ee, I handed it over to my parents and became a full-time musician. I did not practice dentistry even for a day,” smiles the idealist believer who might just inspire a world of somewhat clueless folk who want to follow their hearts.

[caption id="attachment_15927" align="aligncenter" width="739"] Ricky Kej[/caption]

His recent album Divine Tides saw Kej associate with Stewart Copeland, founder and drummer of the Police fame. Now, he is working on a follow-up to his 2015 Grammy-winning Winds of Samsara (for which he worked with South African Wouter Kellerman). Back then, both Kej and Kellerman were huge fans of each other, and wanted to work together. A tryst of destiny brought them together.

"It was around 2012 when I met flute player Wouter Kellerman. We met in Los Angeles, and I mentioned that I had just composed a piece of music based on the ideals of peace by Mahatma Gandhi, my father of the nation. It was a huge coincidence that Wouter was working on a piece of music inspired by Nelson Mandela, his father of the nation. Through our discussions, we realised that there was a lot of cross-pollination - Mahatma Gandhi spent his formative years in South Africa, so had a South African-ness while Mandela was heavily inspired by Gandhi so had an Indian-ness. Wouter started to add South African-ness to my music, I started to add Indian-ness to his music. We became the best of friends, travelled the globe and in two-and-a-half years, we had Winds of Samsara (my 16th album!), and it went to the top of the US Billboard charts, and we won the Grammy Award for it," Ricky recalls. For the musician who has won over 100 music awards across 20 countries, the Grammy Award is most cherished as awards are for a greater good, not just for mere vanity, he says.

[caption id="attachment_15928" align="aligncenter" width="518"] Ricky Kej with his Grammy Award[/caption]

The pandemic was the perfect opportunity to kick back in his studio and kickstart Divine Tides with Copeland. "I was thrilled when he said yes. I have always relied on technology for my recordings, and Stewart too is high on technology, and has one of the most amazing home studios. That helped us record seamlessly. We did our portions individually, and it all came together superbly. We are thrilled to have created an album that celebrates life, creates a wave of much-needed positivity,” adds the Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_15925" align="aligncenter" width="658"] Divine Tides by Ricky Kej and Stewart Copeland[/caption]

For a star who idolised Copeland, working with him was like attending "the best masterclass imaginable!" Kej says, "Stewart is not just the founder and drummer of one of the biggest selling bands in history 'The Police', he also regularly composes for operas, orchestras, and for over 50 Hollywood movies. He is constantly evolving and learning by exploring new sounds, traditional instruments, and rhythms," which formed an intrinsic bond with Ricky, as his pattern is similar. The songs imbue strong Indian roots with a fusion of the west as the album celebrates the magnificence of the natural world, and the resilience of our species.

It's easy to picture the wavy-haired lad with dark soulful eyes mesmerised by all forms of music as a child. Listening was more important than seeing, thus Ricky was hooked to his music system. “I would dissect songs, try and figure out instruments used, the musicians, and learn about different cultures and people," Kej reminisces. Music helped him fall in love with nature, and become its custodian. This deep connection can be felt in the gentle stirrings on Winds of Samsara or the unique sounds of Divine Tides.

[caption id="attachment_15929" align="aligncenter" width="760"] Ricky Kej performing at a live concert.[/caption]

Kej's music features in the 2019 documentary Wild Karnataka narrated by Sir David Attenborough which won two awards at the 67th National Film Awards 2021. The US-born, Bangalore-raised Ricky identifies with Karnataka, and Bangalore which became home at age eight when he left North Carolina. Scoring music showcasing the state's ecological diversity with Sir Attenborough's impeccable narration was of course, "an absolute no-brainer" for Kej.

"Music and conservation are the two pillars that define my life. Wild Karnataka brings out the inner child as you watch every stunning frame with awe and wonder. It forces you to realise how amazing Mother Nature is. She has always been the primary source of inspiration for my music," adds Ricky who was honoured to share credits with Sir Attenborough. "Winning the awards furthered the cause of protecting and preserving Mother Nature," he says.

A humanitarian, Kej has always attempted to bridge the widening chasm between human foibles and nature's resilience. As ambassador for the United Nations' UNICEF, UNCCD, UNESCO -MGIEP, Kej works closely with WHO, Earth Day Network, etc. The deeply mindful composer gains an impetus to dedicate his life to conservation. "My music has addressed different aspects of environmental and social issues - climate action, human-animal conflict, sustainable farming, the refugee crisis, etc. I believe that only when people start to acknowledge an issue, start a dialogue to solve it, can a solution appear. I want to inspire this dialogue through music. Music has the power to retain a message deep in the consciousness of a listener,” says the United Nations Global Humanitarian Artist award winner who missed performing during Covid 19 but believes in the "top-down approach" where he performs to inform audiences to create stronger policies to tackle environmental and health issues with a "ground-up approach."

[caption id="attachment_15931" align="aligncenter" width="651"] Ricky Kej addressing the UN General Assembly in 2016.[/caption]

Climate change is the biggest existential crisis humans face, and he urges, "It is up to artists, especially musicians, to advocate for climate action." What concerns him greatly is how the pandemic has hit the entertainment industry. "Performing artists, production companies, event management companies, sound engineers, recording studios and everyone else involved is stuck in limbo in India. It is all about adapting to the times and surroundings as no matter what pandemic hits us, music will never leave our lives," says the Bengalurean who is among the 100 Real Leaders, who has performed multiple virtual concerts during Covid 19 (the last three were watched by an estimated 200 million viewers).

For Ricky's new project, he worked with author and close buddy Vikram Sampath - Women Of The Record which celebrates the brave women in the early 1900s who first adopted recording technology, and became superstars, but were forgotten in history.

[caption id="attachment_15932" align="aligncenter" width="679"] Ricky Kej performing for UNICEF India.[/caption]

Not many know that Kej's grandfather Janaki Das, who he was extremely close to, was an actor, Olympic cyclist, and freedom fighter. "Many remember him as the buffoonish villainous character actor always essaying evil roles. You will remember him as Seth Ghanshyam in the Rishi Kapoor-starrer Khel Khel Mein, or Seth Janki Lal in Karishma Kudrat Kaa or the ticket collector in the Burning Train. He was the only Indian participant in the International Olympic Squad from British Imperial Empire in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and in 1934 and 1942, he broke the world record for cycling. In 1942, he broke yet another world record but on finishing the race, he unfurled the Mother India flag which was gifted to him by Mahatma Gandhi (we were still ruled by the British). For this audacious act, he was disqualified. This was the first time an Indian flag was unfurled on foreign soil. He called it quits as a matter of protest for freedom from the British. He was the pioneer who formed the Indian Cycling Federation," Kej enthuses.

His grandfather died at the age of 93 in Mumbai in 2003. Ricky's wife Varsha is also a musician who has been a part of a few compositions and is a core part of his musicology.

[caption id="attachment_15933" align="aligncenter" width="830"] Ricky Kej[/caption]

Advice from the music maestro? "Talent may not always be under your control, but you can be the most hardworking person, like I am! Never use creativity as an excuse for laziness. Never make awards the end goal, be grateful when you earn them, and use them as a platform for doing bigger and better things," says the Bishop Cottons Boy’s High School student who never lacks inspiration as his muse is planet Earth.

Follow Ricky Kej on Instagram and Twitter

Reading Time: 8 min

Building better lives: How Nowsheen Yaqoob went from aviation to human development through NLP

(March 27, 2023) Nowsheen Yaqoob believes no matter what the adversity is, one must learn to be joyful in all situations. Joy, she believes, is a basic emotion – It was the conviction that led to the creation of Auracious Global Consulting - a human development company based in Dubai, that helps individuals and organisations across the globe achieve their full potential on the personal and professional fronts. Their approach, according to the company's LinkedIn profile, involves the latest developments in neural and behavioural science, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Hypnosis and Quantum Physics, as well as Life Coaching and Change Management models. Auracious works with a diverse clientele from around the world, as well as with clients like FedEx, De Montfort University Dubai and Amity University Dubai. Nowsheen, who left behind a lucrative career in the aviation sector to help people and organisations transform themselves, has come a long way. The wind beneath her wings Born in Srinagar, Nowsheen is a qualified Architect and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, besides being a certified life coach. Growing up, she always dreamed of a profession that would allow her to fly. "When I would watch planes fly as a child, I

Administration, besides being a certified life coach. Growing up, she always dreamed of a profession that would allow her to fly. "When I would watch planes fly as a child, I dreamt of working in a profession that would allow me to travel across the world. However, when it actually happened I felt something was missing,” Nowsheen said, in an interview with Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_36614" align="aligncenter" width="361"] Nowsheen Yaqoob, founder, Auracious Global Consulting[/caption]

So, after more than a decade of working in the aviation sector she realised that it wasn't her calling. She loved communicating and connecting with people more. Nowsheen went on to do a Master’s in Neuro Linguistic Programming and life coaching. During this time, she realised “there were many people, especially youngsters, who were unable to experience joy because of some trauma they were carrying,” she says. "I transform the way people understand themselves, their relationships, career, and health. The intent to help people in an authentic manner, backed by professional tools, put me on the road to making Life Coaching my career."

Nowsheen constantly feels this desire to add value to people’s lives, especially the ones who feel they are under societal pressure and have issues that prevent them from achieving their best potential due to self-limiting beliefs. She finds it extremely fulfilling personally and professionally in more ways than she could have imagined.

The entrepreneurship route

It was this passion that led to creation of Auracious Global Consulting. "As an Internationally certified Master Life Coach and Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner, my work focuses on human development, along with personal and professional coaching solutions," Nowsheen explains. She remarks, that in her quest for excellence, she has taken purposeful strides to blaze new trails in her specialisation, combining the best of her experience and expertise to help people and individuals achieve growth.

Nowsheen ensures that her beliefs and values hinge on achieving human connectedness, growth and contribution, in a manner that brings the best benefits for those who gain from it. "I give my best in everything I do, and be as genuine as humanly possible, with a never-give-up attitude. It is this same belief, ‘yes, it is possible’ that I share in my work, to help transform an individual’s mindset to realize their infinite horizons, dimensions, and potential."

Her personal transformation

Nowsheen has had her own journey of transformation. "The amalgamation of my life experiences with how I overcame many challenges and obstacles in life, and my passion for sharing my learning with people helped me to take this up as a career," she explains. From her early childhood years and well into adult life, hers has been an arduous journey towards overcoming many fears and anxieties. When she triumphed over them, it inspired her to go forward confidently in her chosen field of work.

In order to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, Nowsheen had to overcome her own self-limiting beliefs and rise above the apprehensions, fears, doubts and vulnerabilities, as well as a certain level of self-directed scepticism. "Now, I am living my passion of helping individuals to break their shackles of fears, anxieties, traumas, and stress, to live a confident, happy, and fulfilled life."

Her focus areas

Today, Nowsheen helps individuals and corporations to transform the way they understand themselves, their relationships, career, and health, thus becoming their personal and professional best.

Nowsheen Yaqoob, founder, Auracious Global Consulting, Global Indian

"I work on bringing about a dynamic transformation in people’s lives through the principles of Human Potential Development, NLP and Life Coaching through individual sessions, awareness workshops, corporate trainings, group coaching, webinars, seminars, social media awareness, eBooks, self-help PDFs and podcasts."

Human connectedness is the core value on which her Life Coaching approach is founded. Each step of the personal empowerment journey is designed to the highest degree. Auracious Global Consulting uses a well-structured combination of scientifically proven tools and techniques that are an amalgamation of Neuro Linguistic Programming, Life Coaching processes, Compassionate Counselling, Hypnosis and Meditation. “I have been a full-fledged Life Coach since 2015. However, my career in training and development has grown over the past 18 years, with many milestones, experiences, and learning.”

A global mission

She works with people of over 200 nationalities and Auracious Global Consulting is based out of Dubai. Still, Nowsheen keeps her ties with her homeland. “I visit India off and on for counselling; have conducted many sessions in Kashmir with schools, different organisations. I work with multinational companies and conduct workshops for employees and top-notch CEO’s,” she says. These days, Nowsheen has people calling her up from across the world seeking counselling.

In 2022, she also launched Auracious Global in Kashmir and provides online consultations. When she is in Kashmir she does in-person consultations. “People just need to be more aware that help is available and they need to be guided in the right direction. In order to create awareness I make the best use of my social media handles – both personal as well as professional.”

“It is a rewarding journey of transformation and fulfilment for those who I work with, by helping them overcome struggles to achieve their goals,” the entrepreneur remarks. Nowsheen loves to work closely with her clients and seeing them experience their personal breakthroughs is a constant source of fulfilment and gratification for her. “I give my 100 percent to my clients which led my clientele to grow organically through referrals and meaningful associations.”

Overcoming obstacles

Taking on huge responsibilities at an incredibly young age, with minimal guidance and no mentor presented Nowsheen with a mountain of obstacles to surmount.

“However, successfully overcoming those early challenges gave me that all-important thrust in the right direction. I had to break free from the imaginary mould of ‘perfection’ to face realities and to see for myself that inner happiness is more validating and satisfying than trying to live up to anybody else’s definition of perfection. We are not here to live up to a mark sheet of perfect expectations. We are better off discovering and creating our own happiness in each moment of our lifetime, she explains.

Making a difference

At various points in her personal and professional life, Nowsheen has been able to give back to society in many ways where her expertise could be harnessed free of cost to those who needed it. “Throughout the year 2020, especially when the pandemic forced people to give in to mental, emotional, and psychological pressures, and income sources dried up, I was able to provide professional life coaching pro bono to one and all.”

Lately, she has been working towards building a community of transformational coaches, thought leaders, mentors and change facilitators – who offer help to those who cannot afford or access professional coaching. “The foundation of this community lies on shared ideologies, and a fluid forum that inspires, sustains, and encourages progressive thoughts and sustainable human potential transformation.”

Nowsheen’s own struggle for inner transformation and her courage to follow her dreams, have led to her living her greatest passion - making a meaningful difference to people’s lives, by helping them make empowering decisions. She helps people to create the best version of themselves for themselves, and for the larger benefit of society.

“The greater aim is to make the world a better place through individuals who are joyful, confident, and evolved.” Apart from receiving many awards and appreciation during her course of journey, having received the Business Excellence Award from Padma Bhushan Javed Akhtar in November in Dubai has been quite a humbling experience for Nowsheen.

Follow Nowsheen Yaqoob on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 6 mins