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Global IndianstoryArjuna awardees 2022: Chosen for being on top of their games

Arjuna awardees 2022: Chosen for being on top of their games

Written by: Amrita Priya

(November 28, 2022) On November 14, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced a star-studded list of Arjuna Awardees. Twenty five sportspersons will receive the award on November 30, including Sharath Kamal, after his superb outing at the Commonwealth Games 2022, as well as shuttler Lakshya Sen, who brought home a gold from Birmingham and was part of the Indian team that won the Thomas Cup 2022. The Ministry received a large number of nominations that were considered by a Selection Committee headed by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, Retd. Judge, Supreme Court of India, eminent sportspersons, sports journalists and administrators. Global Indian takes a look at some of the Arjun awardees 2022 – the winners of the country’s second highest sporting honour on November 30.

The golden girl: Nikhat Zareen

On her first day at the boxing camp, Nikhat Zareen was asked to train with boys, because there were no other girls picking up the sport in Nizamabad. She has come a long way, from being the only girl in the camp, to the world boxing champion. “I remember telling my father that someone had told me that boxing is not meant for girls. He told me, there is nothing one can’t do if they are determined,” shared Nikhat, during an interview with Global Indian.

Nikhat Zareen

The champion, who has been conferred with the Arjuna Award this year, has won several gold medals in various international boxing championships, including Commonwealth Games 2022, IBA Women’s World Championship 2022, Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament 2022 and 2019, and 56th Belgrade Winner International Championship 2018. Passionate and focussed, the 26-year-old boxer is training hard to claim many more medals for the country. “I took a short leave to visit my family in Nizamabad after winning the World Championship. But I am back to the training camp now. My next aim is the upcoming World Boxing Championships and later the 2024 Paris Olympics. I dream of winning gold there for my nation,” shared the champion.

Follow Nikhat Zareen on Instagram

The sound of success: Jerlin Anika

It wasn’t easy for her ever. Born into a middle-class family and diagnosed with a hearing disability at the age of two, badminton player J. Jerlin Anika had it tough right from the get go. But the champion was determined to show the world that no limitation could stop her. “When my eight-year-old daughter started showing a liking towards badminton, I thought the sport will distract her from her hearing impairment. I never thought that she would reach this level,” her proud father, J. Jeya Ratchagen, said during an interview.

Jerlin Anika

The young star created history after winning three gold medals at the 24th Summer Deaflympics, held in Brazil earlier this year. Passionate and focussed, Jerlin had earlier won the gold for India at the 2019 World Deaf Badminton Championship in China. One of the highest-ranked Indian players in World Deaf Badminton, Jerlin is working hard for her upcoming sporting events, and wants to participate in major international tournaments. “She has reached the highest stage in the deaf category, so now she is looking to do well in the general Olympics. But it won’t be easy, (because) the level of the game is very high there and she has to improve a lot overall. So we are planning to send her to countries like Indonesia and Malaysia for coaching, where she can technical sessions from leading international coaches,” her father said.

Follow Jerlin Anika on Instagram

Poster boy of Indian badminton: Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen has rounded off 2022 with a blaze of glory, shooting up to rank six in the World Badminton Federation. The young champion bagged the gold in the men’s singles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and was a part of the Indian team that brought home the Thomas Cup 2022.

“This has been an amazing year for me. From the time I was a child, I dreamed of participating in the All-England championships. As a matter of fact, that was the only tournament I was aware of at the time. Being a part of the finals was one of the most incredible experiences,” Sen tweeted, in November 2022, shortly after the big win.

Lakshya Sen

Sen, who started his training at the Prakash Padukone Academy when he was 12 years old, became acquainted with the game when he was five years old, accompanying his grandfather, Chandra Lal Sen, known around town as the ‘grand old man of Badminton’ to the only outdoor court in his hometown, Almora, Uttarakhand. A year later, he began training under his father. Sen is one of two badminton players to receive the Arjuna Award 2022.

Follow Lakshya Sen on Instagram

Glory of Kolhapur: Swapnil Sanjay Patil

An accident at the age of six left Swapnil Sanjay Patil with a permanent deformity on his leg. His treatment involved water therapy, which led to an interest in swimming. His father, who is a swimming coach, was more than happy to teach him, as his son had not been inclined towards the sport until then.

Swapnil Sanjay Patil

The para-swimmer, who is doing his master’s degree at Shahaji College, Kolhapur aims to open a swimming academy in Kolhapur for physically-challenged swimmers like him. His father, Sanjay who is a pillar of strength for him at every step, has already started work in this direction by training a few such youngsters before Swapnil takes it up in a full-fledged manner. The next goal of the Paralympic swimmer is to do well at 2024 Paralympics. To make the dream come true he has been training for six hours a day, and devoting a good chunk of time to his fitness regimen as well.

Follow Swapnil Sanjay Patil on Instagram

The dependable defender: Deep Grace Ekka

Born in Lulkidhi, a small village in the Sundergarh district of Odisha, Deep Grace Ekka started playing hockey in school. At that point, however, she had no intention to pursue it as a profession, and was content with participating at activities organised by her school.

Deep Grace Ekka

Her life changed during a round of hockey selections at her school, when she was got selected to join Sports Authority of India’s, SAI-SAG centre. Deep was just 13 when she represented the state, after which she went on to play the senior nationals in Sonepat at 16.

Though Grace started hockey as a defender, her desire was to become a goalkeeper. However, her uncle, who was also her, coach believed she showed more potential as a defender. Grace heeded his advice and honed her skills as a defender until she excelled.

Follow Deep Grace Ekka on Instagram

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Published on 28, Nov 2022

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Plot twist: How Dev Raturi went from waiter to restaurateur to one of China’s best loved actors

(October 24, 2024) Dev Raturi fondly remembers his pahad in Uttarakhand, although nearly 20 years have passed since he last called it home. In 2005, armed with a job offer from a friend, and lots of dreams for his future, Raturi scraped funds together to buy himself a plane ticket to Beijing. As promised, he began his career as a waiter, serving food and wiping down tables at his friend's restaurant and earning a meagre monthly salary of 1650 RMB. Five years later, he was fluent in Mandarin, had a steady diet of Bruce Lee films, and had risen through the ranks to become general manager of a steakhouse. He went on to open his own restaurant chain, and in 2015, found the break he had been waiting for all his life - the chance to act in a film. Now, he has worked in over 20 films and web series, and still owns a chain of successful Indian restaurants. He is now such a popular name in China that his life story has found its way into a Chinese textbook. The Global Indian, who has become a self-appointed cultural bridge between India and China, is a prominent member of

l Indian, who has become a self-appointed cultural bridge between India and China, is a prominent member of a small-ish Indian diaspora comprising around 45,000, a mix of professionals, traders and students. Most of these people are located in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In Beijing, where Dev Raturi started his journey, Indian professionals are found in fields like IT, finance, and education. Additionally, Indian-owned businesses, including restaurants, play a key role in representing Indian culture.

[caption id="attachment_58490" align="aligncenter" width="308"] Dev Raturi | Actor | Global Indian Dev Raturi[/caption]

Early Life: Leaving Home for Opportunity

Dev grew up in Kemriya-Saur, a village in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district. His family lived off farming, and money was always tight. Like many young men from his background, he had to leave school early to help out. He moved to Delhi in the late 1990s, working a series of jobs—anything that paid the bills. But Dev wanted more than just to scrape by. He dreamed of making it big, especially in films. Inspired by Bruce Lee, he was fascinated by the world of cinema.

In 1998, he tried his luck in Bollywood. He auditioned, waited, and hoped, but it never clicked. Dev didn’t have the connections or the polish to break into an industry known for being tough on outsiders. After several years, it became clear he needed to find another path.

"Acting was something I had given up on, but China gave me a second chance." - Dev Raturi

The Move to China: A Gamble That Paid Off

In 2005, a friend told him about a job opportunity in Beijing. It wasn’t glamorous—a waiter job at an Indian restaurant—but it was a chance to start fresh in a place where no one knew him, and where he might just find his break. “I remember everyone telling me I was making a mistake,” Dev said. “But I had to try something new. I felt stuck.”

The first job was as basic as it sounded. Dev’s salary was 1,650 yuan a month, barely enough to live on. The language barrier was huge, and he knew little about China beyond what he’d seen on TV. But this was where Dev’s stubbornness came in handy. He learned Mandarin on the job, listening carefully to how customers spoke and picking up phrases from his colleagues. By 2007, he had learned enough to be promoted to manager, and his salary rose significantly. “I was always good with people, and I think that’s what helped,” he said. “Even when I didn’t understand everything, I listened.”

[caption id="attachment_58493" align="aligncenter" width="574"] Dev Raturi | Actor | Global Indian A still from a Dev Raturi film[/caption]

By 2010, Dev had become the area director for a hospitality chain. He was responsible for multiple restaurants, handling operations and marketing. But he wasn’t satisfied with just being an employee. He saw the gap in how Indian culture was represented in China and thought he could do it better. He heard his Indian friends speak ill of China, and his Chinese friends' unflattering opinions of India, and was hurt by both. However, he came to understand these prejudices came from ignorance, rather than any real malice or hatred. "I realised it is not an easy job being a proud Indian in China. So I thought I must fill this gap because there were very few Indian restaurants, but none of them present you with Indian culture, they just sell the food. I realised that no, this is not enough."

Entrepreneurial Success: Building a Restaurant Chain

In 2013, Dev opened his first restaurant, Redfort, in Xi’an. This wasn’t just another Indian eatery. Dev wanted it to be an immersive experience of Indian culture, from the decor and music to the food and service. The restaurant became a hit, not just because of the food, but because it gave people something they hadn’t seen before—a glimpse into India. “We didn’t just sell food; we sold an experience,” Dev explained. “When people walked into Redfort, I wanted them to feel like they were in India, not just another restaurant.”

Redfort was successful enough that Dev expanded it to other cities. Over the next few years, he opened more branches across China, each one adding a little more to the experience. Today, he owns a chain of eight restaurants, as well as two Chinese restaurants specializing in local cuisine. His success earned him numerous media appearances, and in 2018, he was named one of the “Top 100 Entrepreneurs in Shaanxi.” His story even became part of a class 7 English textbook in Xi’an.

[caption id="attachment_58491" align="aligncenter" width="622"] Actor | Global Indian Red Fort, the Indian restaurant in China owned by Dev Raturi[/caption]

Breaking into Films: An Unexpected Twist

While his restaurants were thriving, Dev’s childhood dream of acting hadn’t disappeared. His big break came out of nowhere. In 2016, while preparing to open a new restaurant in Sichuan, he was approached by a director looking for an Indian actor for a small role in a Chinese film. “I didn’t think much of it,” Dev recalled. “I thought, why not? It had always been my dream.”

The film was a low-budget project, but it gave him a taste of what he had always wanted. The role wasn’t big, but it was enough to get him noticed. Over the next few years, Dev landed more roles in films and TV shows, playing a variety of characters. By 2019, he had appeared in over 20 productions, including “The Ark,” where he played an astronaut, and “My Roommate is a Detective,” a popular TV series. “I never thought I’d get to do this,” he said. “Acting was something I had given up on, but China gave me a second chance.”

Impact

Dev’s story is now well known, both in China and back home in India. He’s been featured on CCTV, Xinhua News, and other media platforms. His restaurants are popular not just for their food but for the cultural experience they offer. He regularly organizes events that showcase Indian music, dance, and festivals, making his restaurants more than just places to eat—they’re a way for people to learn about Indian culture. “I wanted to do more than just serve food,” he said. “I wanted to bridge a gap. There are so many misconceptions about India in China, and I wanted to change that.”

In 2018, Dev was recognized as one of the “Top 100 Entrepreneurs in Shaanxi,” and his achievements earned him roles such as Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs Committee of Xi’an Baoji Chamber of Commerce. Today, his story continues to inspire many, especially those who feel limited by their circumstances.

Dev Raturi | Actor | Global Indian

Dev is also planning to invest further in his home state of Uttarakhand. “I want to give back,” he said. “I’m working on a plan to open a business there, maybe something similar to what I’ve done in China. It’s important for me to contribute to where I came from.”

For Dev Raturi, success didn’t come the way he expected, but it came nonetheless. From waiting tables to running a chain of restaurants, from dreaming of Bollywood to acting in Chinese films, his journey is a reminder that sometimes, taking the unexpected route leads to the most surprising destinations.

Follow Dev Raturi on his website.

‘Nightingale of India’ Lataji’s influence through 1942-2022 will live on

(February 7, 2022) No tribute is enough. No memory can truly explain the depth of emotion and feeling of loss as India grieves its nightingale and Queen of Melody. A legacy that has traversed three generations with her poignant, child-like and memorable voice still rings out loud. The world, too, lost a beacon of immense talent as ambassadors, cricketers like Imran Khan and Shoaib Akhtar, and many international names paid tribute to Lata Mangeshkar. The legendary singer whose name was synonymous with music, with an exhaustive repertoire, is a part of every Indian family. Her death on February 6 left a void as homes across India and the world listened to the 50,000 songs she sang, humming those tunes they grew up with as they watched her funeral pyre with a deep sadness. With the death of Lata Mangeshkar the subcontinent has lost one of the truly great singers the world has known. Listening to her songs has given so much pleasure to so many people all over the world. — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 6, 2022 Lata? Who Lata? Grammy winner and 2022 nominee Ricky Kej shared a heartfelt anecdote on Instagram, adding to the many across borders about

src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022

Lata? Who Lata?

Grammy winner and 2022 nominee Ricky Kej shared a heartfelt anecdote on Instagram, adding to the many across borders about India’s Bharat Ratna, “Absolutely devastated. A true legend, the greatest ever. In February 2015, as I landed in the Bengaluru Airport after winning the Grammy Award, I got a call from a landline number. I picked up the phone and a young 16-year-old voice asked me in Hindi, ‘Is this Ricky Kej,’ I said yes, and asked who it was?. She said, ‘I am Lata.’ I replied, ‘Who Lata?’ I did not know any Lata! She repeated, ‘I am Lata, a singer,’” to which Ricky questioned again.

Just then her manager came on the line saying, “This is Lata Mangeshkar… The Lata Mangeshkar!!!!!.” Kej goes on to add, “I apologised profusely, she laughed. I joked with her that she sounds like a 16-year-old! She laughed even more and told me that a lot of people say that.” Mangeshkar even asked Kej to call her “didi” not maam. He added, “She told me she loves my style of music and she listens to it a lot. We also spoke about my grandfather, who coincidentally she knew… Always so humble, gracious and generous with her time and words. Lata Didi will live on forever, through her voice and through her kindness.”

Even the seven-time Grammy Award-nominated musician Anoushka Shankar felt the blow, recalling her father and sitarist Ravi Shankar’s strong bond with her, “I feel slayed by this news. I had such a good fortune to interact with her through my father. Their relationship was so special. Thinking of her with so much love and gratitude for what she gave the world.”

English singer and songwriter Boy George paid his "deepest" condolences. Tweeting about Lata Mangeshkar, he wrote, "R.I.P Lata Mangeshkar one of India's most beautiful voices. My deepest condolences to her family and most especially to her sister Asha Bhosle who sang on Bow Down Mister. A gifted family."

R.I.P Lata Mangeshkar one of India's most beautiful voices. My deepest condolences to her family and most especially to her sister Asha Bhosle who sang on Bow Down Mister. A gifted family.

— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) February 6, 2022

How Lataji influenced an artist’s saxophone

Her understanding of music and humanity is something that she will always be remembered by.
Subbalaxmi, also called Saxophone Subbalaxmi told Global Indian, “Lataji’s passing away is a global loss but I am certain her voice and songs will live forever and be an encouragement to our young singers. I started learning saxophone in the classical Carnatic genre. Lataji’s songs impacted me to start playing Bollywood songs. Knowingly or unknowingly, I always choose her songs to play on my saxophone. Her voice is etched in my memory forever!” says the musician has given more than 3,000 saxophone performances worldwide.

Closer to home, singer Sona Mohapatra who made her debut on the Times Square Billboard in 2021, called her passing “an end of the golden era of music.” Sona tweeted, “If I were to choose the one single spirit that has inspired India since Independence to aspire for excellence and also experience divinity, it would have to be #LataMangeshkar. Her passing is truly the end of the golden era of film music. #omshanti.”

#LataMangeshkar forever. Love, #India 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/iRCptBMuE4

— Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) February 6, 2022

Recalling her first meeting with Lata Mangeshkar at Sonu Nigam’s house, Sona wrote, “Upon touching her feet to take her blessings, she sang two lines of my song from Talaash, Jiya Lage Na and told me that I should keep singing such songs. I was shocked that she even knew me. She went onto regale us all with the changing language of songs, the lyrics and also cracked jokes about the political scenario, I realised why she had been at the top of her game for so long, so bright, vital, ‘cool as cool can be’ and in touch with her environment. An empress, timeless and forever. Lata Didi, you will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Breaking the glass ceiling

For Grammy nominated singer who has been rocking Euro indie charts, Vineet Singh Hukmani, Mangeshkar’s legacy is unequivocal, “I will always admire Lataji for breaking the glass ceiling globally, not only as a supremely gifted singer but also holding the Guinness world record for recording 50,000 songs in 14 languages! This had inspired me hugely! This year, I won my gold disc world record as the first artist in the world to hold nine number 1 singles on the European Indie Top 100 in 2021, I would like to dedicate this first baby step to her omnipresent greatness.”

Even as the whole world united in their grief, Lata Mangeshkar’s songs that span 1942 to 2022 have brought caste, creed, religion, country and people together. It’s something that at least February 6 will be revered for – when music brought unity amongst all.

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Odisha’s red ant chutney hailed by Gordon Ramsay gets GI tag

(January 24, 2024) "Now this is what I have travelled into the wild for, the chutney," says Michelin-star chef Gordon Ramsay in his documentary when he travelled to India in 2010. Clad in a blue tee and beige cargo pants, he tries the red ant chutney served on a leaf. "It's hot but absolutely delicious," he remarks, adding, "I am never going to touch mango chutney for the rest of my life." Keen to know what makes the chutney so delicious, he finds himself escorted to a nearby jungle where a man climbs up a tree and cuts a branch that has what looks like a nest. Upon closer examination, he finds that it's a nest for fire ants - and the chutney in question is Odisha's Kai Chutney which has bagged the GI tag recently for its unique taste and texture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz7L_DKNDBE Rich in protein, zinc, vitamin B-12, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron et al, the Kai chutney, made from weaver ants, is found in the Similipal forests of Mayurbhanj district and has become a quintessential part of their culinary culture. If experts are to be believed, the savoury chutney helps boost the immune system and prevent diseases. Early this

e system and prevent diseases. Early this month, red ant chutney was awarded GI (Geographical Indication) tag for its exceptional health benefits and nutritional value. The tag serves to safeguard the unique flavour profile, preventing the dilution or replication of the dish, and the global recognition will help pave a deeper understanding of the superfood.

The making of the chutney

In the Mayurbhanj district, numerous tribal families earn a livelihood through the collection and sale of these insects and chutneys. They have cleverly included red ants in their daily lives by harvesting and making tasty dishes that highlight their unique flavours, finding sustainable and innovative ways to use this natural resource. They collect kai pimpudi (red weaver ants) and their eggs from nests, meticulously clean them before making a semi-solid paste chutney by grinding a blend of salt, ginger, garlic, and chilies in a pestle mortar, which increases its shelf live to one year.

Red Ant Chutney | Global Indian

"The chutney is popular not just for its delicious taste but also for its medicinal properties. It addresses coughs, colds, aches and pains. The ants' high levels of formic acid, amped up by seasonings, make this chutney extremely hot," Pobitra Mandal, a Mayurbhanj native said in an interview, adding that ants are tastiest as larvae or adults. "This is when the ants are optimally developed and produce maximum flavour."

About 500 tribal families make a living by collecting and selling these insects, along with a chutney made from them. Due to high demand, they can sell large amounts at village markets and fairs. The price for a kilogram of live kai pimpudi is around ₹400-600, and the chutney sells for ₹1,000.

According to Nayadhar Padhial, the secretary of Mayurbhanj Kai Society, each year around three quintals of kai pimpudi is collected by tribals from the forest in the district. "We started the society in 2018 to promote kai pimpudi chutney by organising tribal food festivals and awareness meetings," he said in an interview.

Red Ant Chutney | Global Indian

Promoting the rich culture of the state

The red ant chutney is not just restricted to Odhisa but is a pivotal dish among the tribes of Chattisgarh's Bastar region. Chefs from India and abroad often indulge in tours that showcase the process of harvesting and storing red ants in indigenous communities. Even the Belgadia Palace in Mayurbhanj takes pride in showcasing its culinary delight to the world. "Our property has its trees and we have enlisted a member of a local tribe to collect the ants from the trees. Then, our chef, also from a tribe, prepares the chutney the traditional way," Sautam Pramanik said in an interview.

Red Ant Chutney | Global Indian

The recognition of red ant chutney with a GI tag has propelled Odisha's superfood onto the global culinary map. This unique culinary creation, crafted by around 500 tribal families, not only showcases the innovative use of a natural resource but also highlights the rich culinary traditions of the region. With its distinctive flavors and sustainable harvesting practices, red ant chutney stands as a testament to the diverse and remarkable gastronomic offerings emerging from different corners of the world. This GI tag not only adds value to the local economy but also positions Odisha as a hub for culinary innovation, inviting global attention to the intriguing and delicious world of red ant-infused delicacies.

Dr. Santanu Paul: Transforming deep tech education in India with TalentSprint

(December 2, 2023) In 2007, Dr Santanu Paul did what few IIT-ians in the US chose to do. He returned to India. In Hyderabad, in the epicentre of the Indian tech boom, Dr Paul realised that the industry was struggling to hire talent with relevant skills, despite the thousands of engineers and techies being churned out by the higher education ecosystem every year. It sparked the idea for TalentSprint, now a global platform for deeptech and high-end coding bootcamps, with over 3,50,000 learners to date. TalentSprint caters to a wide spectrum of people, from young graduates to seasoned professionals, bringing them up to date on disruptors like AI, machine learning, spacetech and digitial health. WISE, their program aimed at reducing the gender gap in tech, received funding from Google in 2019. A storied career After finishing school at Ramkrishna Mission in Narendrapur near Kolkata, Paul, always a bright student, joined IIT-Madras for a degree in engineering. Armed with a BTech in Computer Science, he moved to the US for postgraduate studies in 1990 and received a PhD in Computer Science & Engineering in 1995 from the University of Michigan. This started his professional journey as a research scientist at the

sional journey as a research scientist at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York from 1995-1999. “I was soon bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and I co-founded a co-founded a B2B tech company, Viveca Inc., where I was the CTO for two years. In 2000, Viveca was acquired by OpenPages and I continued as CTO till early 2003. Both were Boston-based tech firms, with investments from Matrix Partners and Sigma Partners, both blue chip East Coast venture capital firms,” Dr Paul tells Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_47163" align="aligncenter" width="548"] Dr Santanu Paul, founder, TalentSprint, is on a mission to revolutionise deep tech education in India[/caption]

Creating industry-ready talent

Later that year, Dr Paul decided to relocate to Hyderabad with his family, and he took on the role of Senior Vice President and Head of Global Delivery Operations for Virtusa Corporation until 2008. By 2007, Virtusa had listed on NASDAQ and he played an instrumental role in building Virtusa India into a 4000+ strong organization. Post his corporate life in Virtusa, he returned once again to entrepreneurship and co-founded TalentSprint, an edtech firm with a difference. “We began our journey at the end of 2009 with an idea to help 90% of India’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) graduates who receive degrees but are ill-equipped to pursue careers in software engineering because of inherent weaknesses in our higher education ecosystem,” he says.

These flaws meant the booming industry struggled to hire young talent with relevant skills. The conversion rate from interviews to actual hires was quite low, often just 2-3%. To address this problem, he created coding bootcamps as their core offering. These bootcamps equipped fresh STEM graduates with the hard and soft skills they needed to start their careers with great confidence. “Then we noticed there was a huge gap between the demand and supply for deep tech talent, so we went on to introduce deep-tech programs for experienced tech professionals as well,” Dr Paul explains. This was done in close partnership with some of India’s top institutions, including the IIMs, IITs and IIITs. These initiatives became the cornerstones of TalentSprint’s success.

The edtech revolution

Around a decade ago, Dr Paul realised that even seasoned industry professionals aren’t immune to disruption – AI, machine learning, data science and space tech were creating a new genre of demand for talent. TalentSprint followed with deep tech education for executives. TalentSprint has made significant contributions to the ed-tech sector by focusing on developing deep tech talent, offering courses in AI, machine learning, data science, semiconductors, space tech and digital health, among others. The programmes were designed to be specialised and futuristic, “providing learners with in-depth knowledge, hands-on experience, and practical skills in deep tech domains, offered in collaboration with top academic institutions, global corporations, and industry experts to ensure their relevance and effectiveness,” says Dr Paul. By nurturing deep tech talent, they play a vital role in bridging the skill gap and meeting the industry's demand for skilled professionals and contributing to the overall development of the technology ecosystem.

Naturally, his journey at TalentSprint has been phenomenal. The team offers innovative learning programs and transformational bootcamps to new-age professionals who want to build deep expertise to future-proof themselves. Global big-tech businesses such as Google, PegaSystems, and elite academic institutions like IISc, IITs, IIMs, IIIT Hyderabad, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Michigan have partnered with them in this current journey. World-class academic rigor and industry-leading practitioner expertise are seamlessly blended in the programs we offer. With TalentSprint's patent-pending AI-powered learning platform, the team has reached over 350,000 learners. “Our programs have a 95% completion rate, coupled with an outstanding Net Promoter Score of 85 — a benchmark that stands among the highest in the ever-evolving landscape of educational technology,” Dr Paul remarks.

Bridging the gender gap

The company has also been working on addressing gender disparity in the tech industry as a focal point. Even in 2023, women remain drastically underrepresented in the tech sector, with their share among tech professionals being only 29 percent. Although they have been breaking traditional barriers in recent years, women make up only 8 percent of leadership roles in tech industries. They also tend to earn around 17% less than their male counterparts. TalentSprint flagged off the Women in Software Engineering (WISE) program in 2012, their attempt to make strides towards gender inclusivity.

The breakthrough moment occurred when they presented data from their WISE program to Google in the US. Google offered them funding in 2019, giving rise to their pioneering Women Engineers program (WE), now in its fifth edition. WE offers scholarships and full tuition coverage for two years and has impacted the lives of over a thousand female students from tier 2/3/4 locations. “The WE programme is aimed at cultivating a self-reliant ecosystem of technically adept and confident women professionals,” Dr Paul explains. Continuing with the spirit of giving back, their C-STEM (Computational Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Programme is designed for middle-school students, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds, aiming to bridge the access gap to STEM education.

Racial diversity in the US

Inspired by this feat, TalentSprint and Google extended the model to address racial diversity in the US. Their TechWise programme, now in its second cohort, “is dedicated to empowering minority students that are historically underrepresented in the Silicon Valley narrative,” says Dr Paul.

The company is also strategically broadening its collaborations with top-tier universities in the United States. “We take a responsible approach to financial performance, which has allowed us to scale,” Dr Paul says. The company is also venturing into new areas like management, leadership and K-12 segments, alongside an emphasis on expanding our their B2B offerings. “Innovation is in our DNA,” he smiles. That’s evident in their development of iPearl.ai, an AI-powered learning management system. “We want to launch hyper-niche, industry relevant programs through innovative business models catering to diverse audience segments,” he says.

Advice to aspiring entrepreneurs

For aspiring entrepreneurs, his advice echoes the wisdom of visionaries like Steve Jobs. Success in entrepreneurship stems from a long-term perspective and striving to make a difference with all sincerity means that outcomes are likely to follow. “We must embrace adversity as our greatest teacher on the road to accomplishment. My foremost counsel is to pick substantial, challenging problems to solve. We must resist the allure of quick gains and instead focus on addressing pivotal issues and build enterprises around solving intricate problems through impactful and elegant solutions. This approach does not just promise financial success, it also brings inner fulfilment and garners respect on a global scale,” says Paul.

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Meet Ahana Gautam, the Harvard grad who is ‘unjunking’ Indian snacks through Open Secret

(August 20, 2024) Ahana Gautam has the perfect CV - an undergrad from IIT-Bombay, followed by a master's from Harvard Business School. Those credentials fetched her a top-tier job at Procter & Gamble in the US, but Ahana, who was born and raised in a small town in Rajasthan, took a one-way flight home instead of climbing the corporate ladder. She is the founder of Open Secret - a company that offers healthy snack options, which achieved a Rs 100 crore turnover in February 2024. Ahana's mission is twofold: To 'unjunk' India's packaged food and beverage industry and to make sure that women have a seat at the table at all rungs of the workforce. The Global Indian grew up in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, where "families had different dreams from their daughters and different dreams for their sons." Ahana's mother, who is her biggest inspiration, was a professor who raised two children "single-handedly," going to work, then coming home to take care of the home and kids. And unlike other families in Bharatpur, she encouraged her daughter to study, as well as her son. "I remember one of her professor friends came home one day and said, 'Why are you encouraging

s her son. "I remember one of her professor friends came home one day and said, 'Why are you encouraging your daughter to go to IIT? Your son has already gone to IIT Bombay, your 'IIT-sapna pura ho gaya'. That was the kind of environment in which I grew up," Ahana recalls. In fact, although the situation in Rajasthan has improved over the years there is still a stark disparity: male literacy stands at 79.19 percent while female literacy is still straggling at 52.12 percent.

Ahana, however, made it to IIT Bombay, where she completed a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering before heading for an MBA at Harvard Business School. She began her corporate career at Procter & Gamble, then moved on to General Mills and Fox Star Studios. And all through, the idea for Open Secret was growing in the back of her mind. "During my time in Boston, we would go grocery shopping, sometimes to Whole Foods and there were so many options for families to choose from." She recalled her own mother struggling to find brands that were healthy and also tasted good. "At that time, India had zero innovation in the packaged food industry, even though it is the land of innovation. But kids were still eating the same snacks, made with maida, sugar and palm oil."

Being the forerunner

Health-focussed foods and beverages are expected to be a $30 billion by CY 2026, and are projected to capture around 16 percent of the packaged food and beverage market. In 2019, however, when Ahana began working on her new startup, there were hardly any players in the market. At the time, she was also fending off relatives who tried to persuade her to marry. Again, Ahana's mother stepped in, saying, "It's her life. She will decide what she wants to do and what she doesn't." Instead, she gave her daughter Rs 2 lakh as paid-up capital for her new idea, asking to be a director in the startup. Soon after, in early 2020, Ahana Gautam launched Open Secret which is India's first brand of healthy foods and snacks.

The demand gap was massive, especially during the pandemic when a healthy lifestyle became the need of the hour. Unfortunately, Ahana lost her mother, which she calls "the lowest moment of her life." Again, she defied stereotypes, performing her mother's last rites. The next day, however, she returned to work and closed a funding negotiation. "I had two choices. Either I could have paused and grieved or gone back to work," she told Forbes. "Going back to work was a tribute to her." Besides, a lot was at stake, including the livelihoods of her employees, most of whom were women.

Expanding into a platform

After the pandemic, more health-conscious food and beverage brands entered the market. And one consumer, a mother, told Ahana that although she enjoyed the Open Secret snack portfolio she had to look elsewhere to get, say, a good brand of tea or a healthy beverage. "I thought, how can I serve this customer better," Ahana said. "So from a journey that began as a brand, we are now a platform. All those brands out there doing amazing work are now partners. I don't see them as competition, I believe in my mission of unjunking F&B for every Indian family. We are here to serve the customer and take the ecosystem along with us."

All this is only possible with the right team. "The idea is one percent, 99 percent is execution. And for that you need a strong team," says Ahana. "We have the best people, from Harvard, from IIM who are extremely skilled but also, they are all very purpose-driven. They joined Open Secret because they believe in the mission."

Feminism in the workspace

All through her journey, Ahana admits, she has been in a minority. At IIT Bombay, she was one of 28 girls in a class of 600. At her first job in Procter & Gamble, she was the only female on the team building a manufacturing site. "It really taught me how to tackle these situations. So by the time I began building Open Secret, when I entered these rooms, I was prepared."

Still, as an entrepreneur, she became aware of a level of subconscious biases, which even her wealth of experience had not prepared her to face. "It becomes harder at the top because there is so much informal bonding," she says. "I would go to Diwali parties where I would be standing a room full of men playing poker and smoking their cigars. And these informal connections play a huge role in building trust. It's so important to bring in new women, into every discussion, into networks and to events." Today, she stands with confidence, but that didn't come easy. In fact, she advises women to build resilience and have a thick skin.

[caption id="attachment_49176" align="aligncenter" width="489"] Open Secret offers a wide range of healthy Indian snacks[/caption]

The importance of stories

Time has not improved the situation. In 2010, the female workforce participation was 20 percent or more. In 2022, it was less than 10 percent. "It has become less," says Ahana, who is now also a venture capitalist. "When I lost my mum I went back to my hometown and what I saw there broke my heart. In that house where I grew up, there was a small girl sitting outside and kneading dough. A lot hasn't changed. We have to ensure that we are sharing our stories, because they are the most powerful way to change societal norms." Having strong role models can also be a game changer, she adds. "My mother was an example for me, she made me fearless. I had that kind of role model but so many girls don't have one. So let's share our stories."

Ahana believes that leaders, governments and companies need to work together to create an ecosystem where women can thrive. "And as leaders, we need to ask if we are doing our best to bring more women back to the workforce. It should not be a choice, it is a responsibility."

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