(January 19, 2024) “Mountaineer Baljeet Kaur dead”, a headline that went viral in the spring of 2023 when the Indian mountaineer went missing for more than 18 hours during one the most dangerous treks in the world – summiting Mt Annapurna I. With no oxygen support, her chances of survival in -50°C at almost 7000 metres above sea level were so bleak that the news of her death spread like wildfire. But the mountains saved her and she was found alive, which was nothing short of a miracle. “The mountains wanted me to live. So I am alive today,” she said upon her return.
Baljeet is the first Indian woman to scale seven 8000-metre peaks – Mt Everest, Mt Annapurna, Mt Kanchenjunga and Mt Lhotse – in Nepal in one season in 2022, and later added three more peaks, making it a total of seven 8000m peaks. In the last few years, Baljeet has undertaken many challenging summits but it was Mt Annapurna that tested her the most. Things started going downhill after she went missing near Camp IV of Mt Annapurna while descending from the summit point. With no oxygen support, Baljeet soon started showing signs of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), and started hallucinating. “My mind was manipulating me. When I reached the summit point, I started seeing people who didn’t exist. I saw oxygen plants. I slapped myself multiple times, started motivating myself, and somehow mustered the courage to move forward,” she reminisced in another interview, adding, “Every 15-20 minutes, my mind would imagine something and I’d regain consciousness for five minutes. My life depended on decisions I took in that time frame.”
As the night faded into the light, she was able to send a SOS message and was airlifted aftere being stranded for nearly 18 hours right below one of the deadliest peaks in the world and for 48 hours above 7000m. “I have always trusted the mountains and respected them. I save them by keeping them clean, so they look out for me. But, in this case, I think I survived because I was self-motivated. That’s my mantra,” she added.
A village girl becomes a mountaineer
Coming from a humble background in Himachal Pradesh, her mother is a homemaker while her dad works as a bus driver for the Himachal Road Transport Corporation. Growing up in a village, girls were expected to take care of household chores and get married. But Baljeet’s mom wanted her daughter to pursue her dreams. “My mom wanted to join the police. But she couldn’t. However, she pushed me to follow my passion, and live an extraordinary life,” Baljeet said at TEDx.
It was during a NCC camp that Baljeet had her first taste of mountaineering when she was chosen for an excursion to Mt Deo Tibba at the age of 20. That was the beginning of a life of adventure. She loved scaling peaks, and soon joined a team of ten NCC mountaineers for an adventure to the 7,120-meter-high Mt Trishul. However, the team could only reach 6350m as the climb was cut short due to bad weather. A year later, she found herself as a part of another NCC mission to Mt Everest, this time reaching 8,548 metres before she was taken back to the base camp by her Sherpa. “Some 300 meters before, my oxygen mask stopped working, and I fainted. Seeing my condition, the Sherpa asked me to return. But I was inconsolable, and promised to return in 2020,” she added.
With the taste of adventure in her mouth and the sunburn on her skin, she knew she had found her calling. But she knew she needed the kind of preparation that takes her to the top of the peaks, and spent the next few years doing mountaineering courses, learning skiing, snowboarding. Now, she was ready for the opportunity and it came knocking on her door in the form of Everest expedition by Indian Mountaineering Foundation, which included scaling four peaks. However, it dawned upon her that if she is running after making records, she will never be able to achieve it. “The mountains wanted me to scale them selflessly. I did that when I scaled Mt Pumori (7161m) in 2021, and I became the first Indian woman mountaineer to achieve the feat,” she revealed, adding that it gave her the confidence to scale other peaks now. In 2022, she became the only Indian mountaineer to scale four 8000m peaks in less than a month.
Baljeet’s emergence from the brink of death during the Mt. Annapurna summit stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of human perseverance. Her unwavering belief in herself and her unyielding determination allowed her to conquer not only the peaks but also the depths of fear that gripped her. Her journey serves as an inspiration to all, showcasing the extraordinary feats that can be achieved when one confronts their fears with resilience and self-belief.
(February 24, 2023) With the recent spate of unprecedented appointments in the United Kingdom, it is clear that the Indian diaspora is more than making its mark, across different walks of life, in the European nation. The latest appointment in the news is that of Indian-origin medic Meghana Pandit as the CEO of the Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Meghana, who received her MBBS from the University of Bombay, has become the first female and the first person of colour to hold the coveted post. The NHS Foundation Trust is one of England’s largest teaching trusts, representing some of the biggest teaching hospitals in the country. [embed]https://twitter.com/OUHospitals/status/1626186256630644737?s=20[/embed] Joining the trust as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in 2019, Professor Meghana has been serving as interim CEO since July 2022. Following a rigorous and competitive process, which concluded after what OUH described as an extensive national and international recruitment search, the Indian medic has got appointed to the post permanently. “It is a privilege to be asked to lead OUH on a permanent basis. I look forward to continue working with colleagues at OUH, our partners in the health and social care system in Oxfordshire and across the BOB Integrated
Joining the trust as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in 2019, Professor Meghana has been serving as interim CEO since July 2022. Following a rigorous and competitive process, which concluded after what OUH described as an extensive national and international recruitment search, the Indian medic has got appointed to the post permanently.
“It is a privilege to be asked to lead OUH on a permanent basis. I look forward to continue working with colleagues at OUH, our partners in the health and social care system in Oxfordshire and across the BOB Integrated Care System, our partner universities, and Oxford Hospitals Charity, to ensure the highest quality of research and innovation enabled care for our patients and populations,” she said after the announcement was made.
Shining bright
The Indian origin doctor managed to impress the final selection panel comprising the Trust's Chair, Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery, two non-executive directors, lead governor, the chair of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), and the regional director for NHS England's South East region during the final interview.
I am proud to have the opportunity to continue leading with compassion and respect for others, with a desire for excellence - ProfessorMeghana Pandit
The OUH said in its press release that "all members of the interview panel unanimously agreed that Meghana was the preferred candidate for appointment." The recommendation was approved at a meeting of the Council of Governors.
The impactful leader
During her successful stint as the Chief Medical Officer of the OUH NHS Foundation Trust, the Indian-origin medic had led the development of clinical strategy at the institution. She was responsible for clinical quality, medical education, risk management, legal services, and research and development. Dr Meghana was also leading a team of over 1,000 doctors, and undertaking clinical office-based gynaecology.
During the interim period as CEO, Professor Meghana performed her duties with élan, displaying exceptional leadership. In a previous interview published by British Medical Journal (BMJ), the renowned UK medic had said, “Leaders should be accountable for their actions and responsible for maintaining staff and patient safety.”
Leaders should facilitate change and empower staff to speak up. Support for colleagues and consistent messaging are incredibly important - ProfessorMeghana Pandit
From Bombay to UK
After finishing her MBBS from the University of Bombay, the Global Indian moved to the Oxford Deanery in the UK, where she specialised in obstetrics and gynaecology. Later, life took her to the US, where she was a visiting lecturer of urogynaecology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Her career in United Kingdom boasts several coveted roles. Dr Meghana has served as consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, clinical director and then divisional director at Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. She contributed to the growth of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and consequently the Deputy Chief Executive (DCE), before joining Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Having received her MBA from Oxford Brookes University, she moved to the prestigious INSEAD University in Fontainebleau, for the Innovating Health for Tomorrow programme. Dr Meghana has done impactful work as a founding senior fellow of the faculty of medical leadership and management, an associate fellow at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, and a professor of practice at Warwick University.
Being kind to each other and oneself goes a long way in our work. We are all very busy and can very easily forget to appreciate our colleagues for what they do. It is important to put ourselves in their shoes — to gain powerful insights that shape how we act — and learn to appreciate others - ProfessorMeghana Pandit
"Throughout my career, and more so since I have held leadership roles, it has become clear to me that as a leader, one has to communicate clearly and ensure consistency in messaging," she had said. Above all, she values the patient experience.
For Professor Meghana, who is making waves on the professional front; her loving and supportive family enables her to reach great heights. A passion for long walks and cooking have been the medic’s go-to, helping her relax amidst her several demanding roles over the years.
(October 19, 2024) What inspired Ruchit Garg to quit his job at the Redmond Headquarters and return to India to set up a social enterprise for small holder farmers? Especially when Garg, who grew up struggling financially, actually made it to the Holy Grail of tech jobs. It was the desire to make a change at the bottom of the pyramid that took the young boy who would sneak into his local library in India to read the Harvard Business Review, to actually being featured in it himself. In March 2023, the Global Indian, who is the founder and CEO of Harvesting Farmer Network, was invited discuss financial inclusion for smallholder farmers at Harvard University. Humble beginnings Ruchit Garg lost his father when he was young, and the family had only his mother's meagre earnings on which to survive. He was born in Lucknow, where his mother worked as a clerk for the Indian Railways Library. Since the family couldn't really afford books, the young boy would sneak into the library to read. The library was well stocked, however, and he read a wide range of books and magazines, including the Harvard Business Review, which he loved. [caption id="attachment_50197" align="aligncenter"
"I grew up in Lucknow, then West Bengal and back to UP where I did a master's in Meerut," Garg said. He loved coding and computers and went on to create India's first commercial text-to-speech system in Hindi, back in 2001, when he was part of a young company. From there, in 2005, he went to Microsoft R&D in Hyderabad and later moved to Redmond, Washington where he helped build XBOX, the Microsoft OS and the Windows Phone.
There was only one problem. "I got bored," Garg confessed in an interview. "I felt like a misfit there. I always wanted to start a business." At the time, he was also seeing the startup economy boom in the US, and he decided it was now or never. He founded 9Slides, a multi-media traning platform which allowed business to create, publish and measure their training content on any device. The company was eventually acquired by Limeade, where he worked in product development for two years.
A change of heart
"I saw some recognition and everything that comes with selling a company," Garg said. "But I realised it's also not worth it to me, to build something with a solely monetary focus. Obviously, you want to build a hugely successful company, but which can also help people at the bottom of the pyramid," he says. He recalled his grandfather, who was a farmer in India and the hardships that small hold farms continue to face.
It's not worth it to me to build something with a solely monetary focus. Obviously, you want to build a hugely successful company, but which can also help people at the bottom of the pyramid.
When he began in 2016, there were 480 million small holder farmers in the world. In 2024, there are roughly 500 million, and they continue to make up a large portion of the world's poor, who live on less than $2 per day. In contrast, the food agriculture industry is worth trillions of dollars, and small holder farms produce about 80 percent of the food consumed in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. This was one part of the picture that gave him pause. The other was the number of people who go to bed hungry every night - according to the WFP, the number is around 783 million people, that's roughly 1 in 10 of the world's population. "Unless we fix the problem, it's going to be bad for the human race as a whole," Garg remarked.
Smallholder farmers are central to his solution. Apart from producing the majority of food consumed in large parts of the world, they also reduce dependency on imports and help stabilize local food prices. Many smallholder farms sell their produce at local markets, creating a supply chain that benefits local vendors, transporters, and other small businesses. By purchasing seeds, fertilizers, and farming tools locally, they also help sustain agricultural input markets. They might be small, but they play a crucial role in providing food security for their communities by ensuring a consistent, localized food supply, which is particularly vital in rural areas where larger commercial farms might not operate.
Bridging the gap with tech
Despite these contributions, smallholders face challenges such as limited access to finance, quality inputs, and market connections, which makes it difficult for them to scale operations or achieve consistent productivity. So, Ruchit Garg began studying these issues and found there were fundamentally three problems. "Access to market, access to inputs like seeds and fertilizers and access to financial instruments like insurance and so on," Garg explained. "From my perspective as a data tech guy, this can all be seen as information asymmetry; there is a gap between small holder farmers and everyone else in the value chains." There were lots of companies to give loans to farmers, but it was hard to figure out where the farmer is exactly, what his networth might be or how much crop he produces. "If we could match, make it easier, affordable and timely and available to stakeholders, we could solve a lot of problems."
Could cutting-edge tech be integrated into the age old practices of smallholder farms? Digital tools are transforming smallholder farming by connecting farmers directly to buyers, reducing their dependence on middlemen. Precision agriculture, including IoT sensors and mobile apps, helps farmers manage irrigation, monitor soil conditions, and predict weather patterns, which boosts yields and cuts costs. India’s investment in agri-tech reached $1.7 billion between 2014 and 2019, showing the sector’s growth potential. However, issues like poor connectivity and digital literacy still limit broader adoption, something Garg’s Harvesting Farmer Network is actively addressing
Moving back to India
Shortly before the pandemic hit, Ruchit Garg decided to move his family back home. He was travelling a lot for work, doing around one international trip every month from California to Nigeria, Kenya and to Europe. Being in India made sense and he would have access to the huge number of small holder farmers in Asia. "Also, my kids were growing up and hadn't really seen India, I thought it would be a good time for them to move back and also be near their grandparents," he said.
As soon as the move happened, though, the pandemic struck and the world went into lockdown. Garg was also reading news about farmers throwing away produce and feeding it to cattle because they couldn't transport it to markets and to buyers. Again, the problem seemed to be an information gap. Garg got on Twitter and began linking farmers with buyers, and immediately, calls started pouring in. There were cases when farmers had huge orders for thousands of kilos which they could not transport because of pandemic restrictions. "I would call the local bureaucrat and arrange for the person to be given a pass. I also worked with the Indian Railways. They were also very cooperative, they even offered to arrange a special train for me. It was a community effort and I found myself at the centre of it," Garg recalls.
How it works
Simply put, Harvesting Farmer Network describes itself as a "mobile marketplace," which collaborates with offline centres to help farmers at every step of the growing process, from seed to market. Driven by data, intelligence and technology, HFN establishes digital and physical connections with farmers, providing them with access to inputs (seeds, fertilisers, equipment etc), finances and to buyers, as well as with expert advisory and better pricing. HFN reportedly has 3.7 lakh farmers in its network and covers 948,043 acres of land.
Farmers can also get help on call, and HFN has linked up a network of agronomists and advisors to give them scientific and reliable advices. What's more, this advice is available in local languages. It also helps to sidestep the middlemen and connect farmers directly with buyers, helping generate better value and revenue for farm produce, using a tech-driven, integrated supply chain.
(November 11, 2024) The rise of artificial intelligence has transformed almost every aspect of modern life - redefining industries, reshaping economies, and raising questions about the future of work. From self-driving cars navigating busy streets to predictive healthcare, AI systems continue to alter how we live and interact with technology. But while tech giants benefit immensely, marginalised communities often get left behind in this wave of innovation. This is where Manu Chopra, the founder of Karya, is bridging the gap and changing the narrative. For him, AI isn't just about algorithms and data. It's a tool to uplift, to bring dignity and opportunity to India’s often overlooked rural citizens. Till now, this Stanford graduate has impacted over 35,000 people across 24 states in rural India through Karya's digital work. [caption id="attachment_59715" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Manu Chopra[/caption] "Our goal is to use technology as a means to provide opportunities to disadvantaged communities. We identify and train workers who need work the most and pay them 20 times the minimum wage, ensuring that our data solutions contribute positively to both technology and society," the 28-year-old wrote on his website. The idea for Karya was born out of a realisation that large technology companies
st and pay them 20 times the minimum wage, ensuring that our data solutions contribute positively to both technology and society," the 28-year-old wrote on his website.
The idea for Karya was born out of a realisation that large technology companies spend large sums collecting data to train AI systems, but these opportunities rarely reach the communities most in need. Karya addresses this issue by connecting rural communities to tech industry opportunities. Explaining how it works, Manu said, "Microsoft wants to make a language model in Marathi, one of the many regional languages of India. They reach out to Karya to collect thousands of hours of speech data in Marathi. Karya takes Microsoft’s big digital task and breaks it into micro tasks and we distribute these micro-tasks to our workers in rural India via their smartphone.” Apart from the employment, the biggest differentiator for these rural Indians is the pay. “We pay our workers 20 times the Indian minimum wage.”
From Shakur Basti to Stanford University
Manu grew up in one of Delhi's poorest neighbourhoods, Shakur Basti. It was in the dusty alleys of the basti that he found himself at a crossroads many times. Though poverty was a constant challenge, he channelled his interest in technology and education as a means of breaking the cycle. Growing up, he spent most of his afternoons coding in the community computer lab and dancing to Bollywood songs. "Through a series of scholarships, I became the first person from my community to go to a college in the US. In one generation, I went from Shakur Basti to Stanford," the Global Indian said.
His admission to Stanford University was a seismic shift not just for him, but for his entire community. Stanford marked a new chapter for him, where he deepened his knowledge of computer science and explored how technology could create social impact. At Stanford, he co-founded CS+ Social Good, a student group focused on using technology to address pressing social issues. The goal was to empower students to use technology for social good by inspiring action, fostering collaboration, and creating pathways for change. This initiative began a lifelong commitment to merging tech innovation with social impact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrcHdWd_dCA
Having gained knowledge and skill sets in the US, he wanted to make an impact back home. Despite work opportunities at big companies, Manu Chopra decided to pack his bags and return to India in 2017 to work as a research fellow at Microsoft to explore ways to tackle extreme poverty by giving the poor access to digital work. This led him to travel across the country where he sought ways to leverage technology to alleviate poverty, gaining new insights into India’s evolving landscape. “I expected it to be harrowing. Mainstream media (within India and especially, abroad) paints such a bleak picture of India as if nothing good has ever happened or will ever happen in India. I expected to feel jaded at the lack of progress, and to be disappointed at the lack of good work happening on the ground. Obviously, the opposite happened. Every single village I visited blew me away. The more I travelled within India, the more optimistic I became,” he wrote on his website.
Empowering Rural India through AI
One experience in particular stayed with him — a field visit to a data company, where he saw over 30 men earning as little as $0.40 an hour. “I thought, this cannot be the only way this work can happen,” Chopra said. Driven by a desire to create more equitable opportunities, he founded Karya in 2021 alongside Vivek Sheshadri, a former Microsoft Research colleague. Their mission: to use AI and data collection to benefit the very people traditionally left behind by the tech revolution.
Karya's main focus is on language. By highlighting India's linguistic diversity, Karya meets the data needs of large tech companies while also helping rural workers earn money. “What if we could bypass skilling?” Chopra asked. “Can we give people a livelihood and money for skills they already have? What is the skill that rural India already has? Their language.” This philosophy has driven Karya to gather information in regional languages—spoken, written, and visual—so that AI systems become more accurate and culturally inclusive.
AI for Social Good
They pay workers $5 per hour, 20 times the minimum wage, and also help them earn royalties whenever their data is sold, creating a source of passive income. Karya currently focuses on collecting data in Indian languages that are underrepresented in AI. This data will be used to develop AI systems that are accurate and fair for all. Their work includes collecting written, spoken, and visual data in regional languages across India.
In just two years, Karya has changed lives. Over 35,000 rural Indians have earned a collective ₹65 million, finding economic security and, perhaps more importantly, a renewed sense of self-worth. “I genuinely feel this is the quickest way to move millions of people out of poverty if done right,” Chopra told TIME.
“Wealth is power. And we want to redistribute wealth to the communities who have been left behind.”-- Manu Chopra
AI’s recent boom, especially in natural language processing, has placed projects like Karya at the center of global attention. Large tech players, including Microsoft and Google, have turned to Karya for speech data across 85 Indian districts, while the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborates with them to reduce gender-related biases in AI datasets. As biases in AI systems continue to garner scrutiny, his work represents a conscientious approach to building ethical, inclusive datasets. In 2023, Manu Chopra was featured in the list of the TIME100 Most Influential People in AI.
In a time when AI seems far from rural realities, Manu Chopra’s Karya bridges the gap by connecting marginalized communities to the digital economy, bringing dignity, and creating new opportunities. His journey from Shakur Basti to Stanford and back to India shows the power of innovation driven by empathy and purpose. It reminds us that technology’s true impact isn’t just in what it can do, but in who it can help.
(March 25, 2023) Earlier this year, chef and restaurateur Reena Pushkar received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman from President Draupadi Murmu and EAM S. Jaishankar. Known as the 'Curry Queen', Reena Pushkarna introduced Israel to Indian cuisine and owns the country's most iconic Indian restaurant chain, Tandoori. Reena and her husband, Vinod, have been in the business for nearly four decades and operate restaurants across Israel and also in Singapore. In 2003, they established PRESKO Food Industries, making 'kosher Indian food'. Global Indian takes a look at Reena's remarkable journey and her contributions to India's soft power in Israel. [caption id="attachment_36581" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Reena Pushkarna receiving the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2023[/caption] Thaalis to chicken tikka In the early days, Ichakdana, Israel's first Indian restaurant, named after the famous Raj Kapoor film, Shri 420, remained empty, night after night. This was the early 80s and nobody knew India, or its vegetarian food. Instead, patrons flocked to the middle-eastern restaurant next door, for the kebabs and grills. In fact, that place was so packed, staff would stop by Ichakdana to borrow tables and chairs. Ichakdana's owners, Reena and Vinod Pushkarna, persisted. Slowly, the Indian community got wind of the place and began trickling
the middle-eastern restaurant next door, for the kebabs and grills. In fact, that place was so packed, staff would stop by Ichakdana to borrow tables and chairs. Ichakdana's owners, Reena and Vinod Pushkarna, persisted. Slowly, the Indian community got wind of the place and began trickling in at night, bringing their transistors with them to listen to their favourite Bollywood hits. Before they knew it, they were borrowing tables and chairs from the place next door.
The Tandoori legacy
One year later, they opened Tandoori, which has become the stuff of legend in Tel-Aviv. Reena knew the Israelis would love the "chicken tikkas and Nargisi koftas." She even handed out complimentary servings, and shrewdly got her friends to sit by the window, so passers-by would think the place was full. This was 1984. The place became so popular that it took over the lobby of the Commodore Hotel - it was a lively place, full of Bollywood music and dancing - Reena would bring professional artistes from India to perform.
The Pushkarna's renown grew exponentially and in 1990, in walked a very special guest - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was on a first date with Sara Ben-Artzo, the woman he would go on to marry. They took a seat at a corner booth - that green couch, "Table No. 8," Reena calls it. It was also the start of a lifelong friendship - Netanyahu and his wife are still regulars at Tandoori Tel-Aviv.
"I knew about it but I didn't tell anybody," says the Global Indian. Actually, it was Netanyahu who spilled the beans, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to visit. That night, the two leaders met at Netanyahu's home for dinner - and Reena Pushkarna had been asked to cater the special meal. During the evening, Netanyahu said to Modi, "I would like to tell you a secret. My first date was in Tandoori Tel-Aviv. It was so successful that I invited Reena Pushkarna and her chefs again to create that magical evening with India."
Today, Reena Pushkarna and her husband run eight Indian restaurants and seven fast-food places in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Herzliya Pituach. Reena is also the go-to person when an Indian delegation comes to visit. Each visit takes upto a month of preparation, from sourcing spices to creating menus that are in keeping with 'kashrut', the Jewish laws regarding food. In 2011, she expanded to Singapore, opening up Pita Pan in Marina Bay Sands - an all-vegetarian, Mediterranean restaurant.
Her own Cordon Bleu
Reena was born in 1958, to a Sikh father and an Iraqi-Jewish mother. In 1975, not long after her sixteenth birthday, she was married off, to 20-year-old Vinod Pushkarna. "He was sailor, whom I first met when I was 12," she said. Vinod was in the Merchant Navy and when he became a Captain in 1977, Reena joined his seafaring life. "During the nine years on board, like all sailors' wives, I too was lonely. My interest in the kitchen became my 'Nine years of Cordon Bleu'. The chefs from different countries got me to learn their cuisines." Along the way, the couple decided they wanted to move to Israel and in 1983, opened up Ichakdana, where they served chaat and vegetarian thaalis.
Business was a struggle, until Reena persuaded her husband to start a non-vegetarian place. "I looked after cooking, catering to preferences of the guests, designing my kitchen, traning my chefs, restaurant decor and so on. But logistics and business, I happily left to him," she says.
Building an empire
In 2003, Reena and Vinod set up PRESKO Food Industries, which produced kosher Indian food. By this time, Israeli backpackers were flocking to India and the cuisine was well known. PRESKO was supplying meals to the Israeli army, the Indian Peace Keeping Force at Golan Heights, El Al Airlines, Korean Air, Air India, Unilever and around the world - the Pushkarnas had entered the big league.
The couple's two kids - Sarina and Kunal also pitched in to help. "Sarina, who is my best friend too, started working at our restaurants from the age of 14," Reena says. Sarina, who is now married with three children of her own, is based in Singapore and serves as Associate Director, Global Media Communications, Marina Bay Sands. Kunal also lived in Singapore for the better part of a decade before returning to Israel to work in the Tandoori Chain and launch his own venture, Tika Pika.
Tabling history
Benjamin Netanyahu's visit set the ball rolling for Tandoori. In October 2015, former Indian President visited Israel at the invitation of President Reuven Rivlin. Two years later, PM Narendra Modi landed in Tel Aviv, becoming the first Indian PM to visit Israel. And Reena Pushkarna was there on each occasion, as the chef - and unofficial ambassador of Indian cuisine in the Middle East.
That's not all. The famous 'table number 8' at Tandoori Tel Aviv was also witness to the Oslo Peace talks in 1993, the peace talks between Israel and Palestine facilitated by Norway. Any official designated to India begins his assignment with a visit to Tandoori or Kohinoor. Reena was also a member of the Israeli Prime Minister's first ever visit to India, during which she was introduced as the "most loved and respected Indian in Israel, who taught us all the meaning of Indian food." Celebrities like the ace Indian conductor Zubin Mehta, actor Sophia Lauren, former Israeli PM Yizhak Rabin and President Shimon Peres have all eaten at Tandoori.
[caption id="attachment_36582" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Reena Pushkarna with Zubin Mehta[/caption]
"I am proud of my heritage," Reena remarks. "Mine has been an effort to conenct people and in the process, I have also been witness to all the milestones in the evolution of the strong ties between India and Israel. She's the pride of the Indian community in Israel too - in 2023, she was congratulated by Kobbi Shoshani, Israel's consul general in Mumbai, who said, "For me and mylate father, you were the Taste of India for many years."
Promoting India's soft power
Reena has also been an integral pillar of Indian cultural relations in Israel. She faciliates and enables Bollywood productions in the country and was recognized in 2004 by the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce. She is also the Honorary President of the Central Board of Indian Jewish Organisations of Israel, the convenor of the Israel Chapter of the Overseas Friends of the BJP and a Board Member of the Indo-Israel Friendship Association.
(October 26, 2022) "Trust is earned and I will earn yours," said Rishi Sunak, soon after being sworn-in as the Prime Minister of the UK. It's cause for celebration by Asians the world over. Understandably so - it's an accomplishment with many firsts (he is the first Hindu and the first person of colour to hold the PM's office. He is also the youngest and richest ever). Poetic justice has definitely been served. Although his family's connections with Africa go back two generations, Rishi has never doubted that his roots are truly Indian. Having grown up in the UK, Rishi found success soon after college, working with two hedge funds and going on to become partner at one.Still, he left it all behind to head for the sunny, very promising California climes, where he quickly a name for himself with hedge funds and to graduate as a Fulbright Scholar from Stanford University, where he would also meet his wife, Akshata. Despite a life of privilege (which has caused controversy), Rishi has hardly been the man to choose the easy way - whether it's taking off across the Atlantic or choosing to enter politics as a Conservative candidate. His first bid
choosing to enter politics as a Conservative candidate. His first bid for Prime Minister was thwarted by Liz Truss although he burst back onto the scene with the overwhelming support of 190 MPs. As congratulations pour in from around the world, Global Indian takes a look at his journey.
From Africa to the UK
For Rishi, it has been a long way here, a journey that began with his grandparents, who left India in search of a better life nearly a century ago. His parents were both born in Africa- his father in Kenya and his mother in Tanganyika, which later became part of Tanzania. It was part of a long and shared history - after the creation of the East African Protectorate in 1885, many Indians migrated there. Both regions were under British control at the time.
This symbiosis didn't last long, with vast numbers of Indians leaving East Africa in the second half of the 20th century. Politics had changed and Idi Amin's expulsion of the Indian minority from Uganda made life very difficult for the diaspora, who packed up their bags and moved. In 1966, Rishi's maternal grandfather Raghubir Sain Berry set off to the UK with his family. His wife sold her wedding jewellery to fund that trip.
Rishi's father went on to study medicine at the University of Liverpool while his mother studied pharmacy at Aston University. Rishi, who even did a stint waiting tables at an Indian restaurant, has spoken often of the sacrifices his parents made. "But it was Britain, our country that gave them, and millions like them, the chances of a better future."
Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.
A glowing article in The Tatlerdescribes Rishi Sunak from his days waiting tables at an Indian 'curry house' named Kuti Miah. The restaurant's owner was friends with Rishi's parents, Yashvir and Usha. Which is not to say that RishiSunak comes with a tear-jerker of a rags-to-riches, immigrant in the UK origin story. Far from it. Born to a physician father, Yashvir, while his mother, Usha, ran a pharmacy, his life was decidedly upper-middle class.
Still, even if there are doubts raised about his privileged upbringing, Rishi's capability as a leader is well-known and greatly appreciated among his party MPs. In 2015, he made his political debut by winning the constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire, in the general elections. Despite early hurdles, he was quickly picked out as a rising star - according to The Tatler, this quality was spotted early on, even by his former boss at Kuti Miah. That year, in 1998, as the then 18-year-old Rishi was all set to enter Oxford University, his boss remarked, "You're going to be someone, Rishi." Sure enough, the fiercely patriotic young man, who grew up, thanks to his parents, immersed in the local community, never looked back.
His broad grin, which he flashes generously, belies the seriousness that lies beneath - Rishi's flawless record goes back a long way, he was Head Boy at Winchester College, an independent boarding school for boys and also editor of the school paper. He went on to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he first dipped his toe in politics, as an intern at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters. He graduated in 2001, which was also the year he gave the fateful interview about his 'working class friends' to Middle Classes: Their Rise and Sprawl.
California dreaming
After graduating from Oxford in 2002, Rishi joined Goldman Sachs, where he worked for three years as an analyst. Then, he worked with The Children's Investment Fund Management, a hedge fund firm and became a partner in 2006. After he moved to California, he worked in hedge funds and experienced the buzz of genius and enterprise that comes with being in the Silicon Valley. Eventually, he went to Stanford University for his MBA. Those were golden days in sunny California, a love affair that hasn't quite died out for Rishi Sunak.
Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuennsberg, he said, "You make the point about California. I have lived and worked in California and I actually think it's one of the reasons I would be good at this job.
Rishi went on to reflect on the "culture" of enterprise he witnessed during his two years living on the West Coast. "I think it's incredibly inspiring and empowering. If I was a young person, I'd want to go and do something like that." Rishi went on to add, causing some controversy as he geared up for the Prime Ministerial race that Liz Truss went on to win, that he will not rule out moving to his Santa Monica home if he loses the election.
Meeting Akshata Murthy
[caption id="attachment_31061" align="aligncenter" width="379"] Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy at their Bengaluru wedding in 2009[/caption]
The first time they met, Rishi said in an interview, he knew there was "clearly something." Akshata, the daughter of Indian billionaire and Infosys co-founder Narayana Murty was in Stanford University too and Rishi recalls re-arranging his schedule to take the same classes so he could "sit next to her." The couple married in 2009.
In a poignant letter to his daughter in 2016, Narayana Murty describes coming to terms with the man who stole his daughter's heart. "I, too, was a little sad and jealous when you told us you had found your life partner. But when I met Rishi and found him to be all that you had described him to be-brilliant, handsome, and, most importantly, honest-l understood why you let your heart be stolen. It was then that I reconciled to sharing your affections with him," he wrote. Akshata continues to manage her father's venture capital firm, Catamaran Ventures in the UK and together, the couple are the 222nd richest people in Britain, with a combined net worth of GBP 730 million as of 2022.
The political route
Rishi's entry into politics began in 2015 when he won the constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire in the general elections, becoming the Conservative Party's rising star almost instantly. His entry, however, was not well-received by other conservative candidates, who resented this apparent upstart claiming territory they believed to be theirs. His victory was even more noteworthy because he contested "as a rank outsider," according to the Business Standard, "in the 97 percent white, prosperous rural Conservative bastion of Richmond in Yorkshire, where, the joke goes, there has been no immigration since the Norman conquest in 1066." However, his right-wing economic views - Rishi is an enthusiastic believer in free markets and a vocal critic of Brexit - helped him secure a historic win.
In 2018, Rishi was inducted in the UK government by then British Prime Minister Theresa May. Then 37-years-old, Rishi was a Conservative party MP (Richmond, Yorkshire) with great promise, entering the government as the parliamentary-under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Incidentally, he was joined by another Indian-origin MP, also a pro-Brexit campaigner - Suella Braverman, who was Suella Fernandes at the time.
Rishi went on to make several contributions in the House of Commons, on issues like digital economy, social mobility and foreign direct investment. "From working in my mum's tiny chemist shop to my experience building large businesses, I have seen how we should support free enterprise and innovation to ensure Britain has a stronger future," Rishi told the media back in 2018.
[caption id="attachment_31063" align="aligncenter" width="744"] Rishi Sunak with his family[/caption]
The Conservative man of colour
As a conservative candidate of colour, Rishi's position is always likely to be precarious. Will he usher in a post-race era, or speak up for the hyper-local, ethnic problems that minorities face in the UK? Always fiercely patriotic, his loyalty to the UK cannot be called into question. However, he remarked, to the Business Standard, "British Indian is what I tick on the census, we have a category for it. I am thoroughly British, this is my home and my country, but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian, my wife is Indian. I am open about being a Hindu." Although he is given to phrases like "oh crikey," he does speak a smattering of Hindi and Punjabi.
Making history
In 2019, Rishi became the first Indian-origin to be named Chancellor of the Exchequer, taking over 11 Downing Street as one of the most powerful people in England. His term was, admittedly, fraught with controversy - he was charged with breaking lockdown laws, for instance. Finally, Akshata stepped in, saying she would pay the taxes, not because she had to because she “wanted” to do so.
On July 5, 2022, Rishi resigned from his post as Chancellor of the Exchequer, withdrawing support from PM Boris Johnson over a sexual harassment scandal within the government. He contested then as something of an underdog, with Liz Truss eventually being named the Prime Minister. He tenure was short-lived and tumultuous and on October 25, Rishi Sunak, who stood unopposed, was named the Prime Minister –in-waiting of the UK. Perhaps Rishi will have his own chance at rewriting history after all.
Ruchit Garg, Founder and CFO, Harvesting Farmer Network[/caption]
Reena Pushkarna with Zubin Mehta[/caption]
Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy at their Bengaluru wedding in 2009[/caption]
Rishi Sunak with his family[/caption]