Global IndianstoryGoogle’s $100 million man: YouTube names Neal Mohan as CEO

Google’s $100 million man: YouTube names Neal Mohan as CEO

Compiled by: Darshana Ramdev

February 18, 2023) In 2011, Twitter was in turmoil. They needed someone to revamp the product and bring in advertisers – a chief product officer, essentially. Board member David Rosenblatt had just the man in mind: Neal Mohan. So, in 2013, Twitter made him an offer and it seemed like things were going according to plan. Then Neal said no. Google had written him a big, fat cheque – $100 million in stock options, to be exact. Neal Mohan, the man described by Richard Frankel, his former boss, as a “high-end customer support representative,” was now Silicon Valley’s most valuable asset. And clearly, he has lived up to expectations. On February 17, when Susan Wojcicki announced that she was stepping down, Indian-American Neal Mohan was appointed as YouTube’s new CEO. The Global Indian joins the growing list of Indian-Americans at the helm of US’ big tech corporations.

Thank you, @SusanWojcicki. It’s been amazing to work with you over the years. You’ve built YouTube into an extraordinary home for creators and viewers. I’m excited to continue this awesome and important mission. Looking forward to what lies ahead… https://t.co/Rg5jXv1NGb

— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) February 16, 2023

Life as YouTube’s Chief Product Officer

He’s more than earned his stripes. Ever since he took over as YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015, Neal has played a pivotal role in some of the company’s top products. He is the driving force behind YouTube TV, YouTube Shorts, YouTube Premium (formerly Red), and YouTube Music.

“In a most fundamental way, my job is twofold. I’m responsible for all our products – the YouTube experience on mobile phones, desktops, laptops and large living room screens – everything that viewers use to connect with their favourite creators,” he told Lew Later last year. Then, there “things that creators use – this includes YouTubers, musicians, artists and traditional media companies.” Finally, there he is responsible for “trust and safety, community guidelines – the rules of the road, so to speak.” Simply put, it comes down to “helping my teams make the best deicisions on behalf of that ecosystem. It includes our viewers, users, creators and advertisors.”

Early life

Mohan was born in India in 1975 and moved to the US a few years later. “I had always been interested in technology, even before college,” he said, in a 2022 interview with Greylock. “I always knew that working would computers would be my career path.” His ambition took him to Stanford University, where he studied Electrical Engineering “and a lot of CS classes, basically.”

Neal Mohan (Photo: CNET)

He graduated from Stanford and entered the workforce at what he describes as a “pivotal moment.” This was the start of the golden age in Silicon Valley – “the dawn of the internet, really. Netscape had just come out with its browsers and was a Silicon Valley startup. There were lots of companies excited about making the transition.” It was a fortunate turn of events for him. “When you’re able to start your career at the inflexsion of a big technology change, there are lots of interesting opportunities.

Mohan began his career as a ‘management consultant, working with tech businesses and finding ways to bring this new technology, the ‘internet’ to Fortune 500 companies. He realised, “very quickly,” that he wanted to be part of these startups himself. He did a short stint at Andersen Consulting (Accenture) and in 1997, So, he joined Net Gravity, kickstarting his career in the technology business. That company was acquired by advertising startup DoubleClick later that year. It’s where he met David Rosenblatt. He played a pivotal role in Google’s $3.1 billion acquisition of the company.

DoubleClick Inc.

This was the great revolution in democratising information. “It’s about fundamentally powering the creation of and consumption of all this information,” regardless of whether the user was on a low-speed dial-up in some corner of the world, or a high-speed connection in Silicon Valley. “You have access to the same technology,” he said.

That’s where DoubleClick Inc. came in – if information was to be provided to everyone with access to an internet connection, preferably for free, it needed a sustainable revenue model. The internet was a medium too, just like print or TV – and those ran on ads. DoubleClick was at the forefront of developing and providing Internet ad services, through technology products and services that were sold to ad agencies and the mass media. They went on to work with businesses like Microsoft, General Motors, Coca-Cola, Apple Inc, Nike and L’Oreal.

The Google acquisition

In 2003, he quit DoubleClick to return to Stanford University for an MBA. The company was having solvency troubles at the time. In 2003, he quit DoubleClick to return to Stanford University for an MBA. The company was having solvency troubles at the time and in 2004, David Rosenblatt was brought in as CEO. He asked Mohan to rejoin as soon as he was done with his MBA. The company was acquired by Google for $3.1 billion in 2007, with Mohan being a key driver of the deal. He joined Google a year later, in 2008.

Life at Alphabet Inc.

Having always worked at the intersection of media and technology, developing a roadmap for advertising models in the digital age, Mohan became invaluable to Google very quickly. Between 2008 and 2015, he served as a Senior VP of Display and Video Advertising.

He was pivotal to developing the company’s ad products and helping to grow YouTube revenue. Mohan became a well-known name in Silicon Valley and when Twitter needed a new man to revamp their product, which was falling apart, they turned to the internet ads savant. Mohan has played an important role in some of Google’s most important ad products, including AdWords, DoubleClick and Google Analytics. He was also responsible for the automation of buying and selling digital ad inventory.”

Transforming YouTube

In 2015, Mohan joined Alphabet Inc subsidiary YouTube as its Chief Product officer. He has been responsible for the livestreaming service YouTube TV, YouTube Music, YouTube Premium and YouTube Shorts.

Under him, YouTube’s creator economy boomed. In 2022, Indian YouTubers were contributing around Rs 6,800 crores annually to the country’s GDP. “The creator economy in India is truly flourishing,” Mohan remarked. The monetisation model changed the content creation site – as of 2019, there were two billion users on YouTube, watching 1 billion hours of videos every day. YouTube ad revenues were around $19.77 billion in 2020.

With Susan Wojcicki announcing her resignation to focus on her health and personal life, Mohan will take over as YouTube’s fourth CEO.

Life at home

Neal Mohan and his wife, Heema Sareem Mohan

Mohan is married to Heema Sareem Mohan, who is a spokesperson for Democratic State Senator Joe Simitian. She specialises in reforming the juvenile justice system and education policies and does extensive non-profit work. Born and raised in New York, she mvoed to Silicon Valley to be with her husband.

The couple resides in the Bay Area, in one of San Francisco’s most upscale localities, with their three kids.

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Published on 18, Feb 2023

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Indian professor Pallavi Chitturi – Making statistics & maths relatable to US students

(January 21, 2022) Statistics and maths evoke an ardent response from Indian professor Pallavi Chitturi. The research professor with a firm hold on data, predicts and forecasts diverse viewpoints. Teaching statistics at the Fox School of Business, Temple University, and EMBA programmes in Philadelphia and Bogota, Colombia, is a calling that she has embraced with immense grace. As research professor, she has written several research presentations at national and international conferences, and also published a book, Choice Based Conjoint Analysis – Models and Designs. The recipient of the Musser Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, for Pallavi, learning is an evolution. The Andrisani-Frank Undergraduate Teaching Awardee and the Crystal Apple Teaching Awardee, Pallavi was also given the Executive DBA Faculty of the Year Award. The Dean’s Teaching Fellow for innovation in teaching and excellence has decades of mentoring and dedication to her subject and students, in equal measure. At heart, Pallavi loves teaching, and adores her subjects. While maths and statistics are horrors for many, she was a natural. In school, she recalls her teachers repeatedly advising her to pursue engineering because of her passion and aptitude for maths. Unsure about what she wanted to

es her subjects. While maths and statistics are horrors for many, she was a natural. In school, she recalls her teachers repeatedly advising her to pursue engineering because of her passion and aptitude for maths. Unsure about what she wanted to pursue, the one thing she knew was - it would not be engineering. A vague notion of being a teacher, just like her mother, guided her.

The Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi BA (hons) student in mathematical statistics was bowled over by her professors’ zeal and knowledge ---- emulating them was her aspiration.

“LSR being an all-women’s college, the faculty was also all women. They were brilliant, accomplished with PhDs from universities across the country. They were exceptionally good at their subjects and enjoyed teaching. They helped me resolve my dilemma: I was going to teach maths/statistics, and I was going to get my PhD before that,” reveals Pallavi Chitturi in an interview with Global Indian.

Her journey

It was maths and more maths as her journey began. “Mathematics, combined with opportunity - I was lucky to have some wonderful mentors who lit up my path with so much grace,” adds the Indian professor.

“Ever heard of Ikigai — the Japanese philosophy? What you love, what you can be good at, what you can be rewarded for and what the world needs — if these four can intersect, then you can be successful at whatever you choose as your career. I loved maths, I was good at it, and could be rewarded for it. So, my choice of career was clear even before I had earned my PhD,” says the brilliant professor who finished her MA at Delhi University, got married and left for the US. She joined University of Texas, Austin for post-graduation, and a PhD in statistics. “My mentor and guide was the renowned Prof Peter W M John - known for his work in statistics. It was sheer good luck to be mentored by him,” the Indian professor recalls.

Indian Professor | Pallavi Chitturi | Global Indian

As faculty at Temple University, she found herself in the august company of Dr Damaraju Raghavarao, chairman of the department. “Dr Raghavarao was someone whose research papers I had read at DU ---- now I was working in the same department. He published a paper with me, and worked with me on the publication of our book, and papers. He need not have worked with me, a junior faculty, but he was such a wonderful mentor. It was a pleasure learning from him,” explains the statistician who cannot forget the impact of Prof John and Dr Raghavrao.

The teacher who connects with students

“I enjoy the subjects, and I enjoy teaching. Students connect with that. Some must think I am crazy - How can anyone love maths so much? Maybe because I try to make it relatable. In one teacher evaluation, a student wrote, “I never thought I could like maths so much till I took your class,’” says Pallavi, grinning from ear to ear.

Students were often bewildered by her accent --- Is it Brit, Indian or even a Texan twang? Nevertheless, they love learning from her. As a professor, she was asked to teach at Temple University in Rome and Beijing – a respite she enjoyed.

On bringing up her boys

Shifting to the US was smooth as her upbringing – her father, a retired major-general and mother, a teacher, and their Army life prepared her what was to come. Her sons Akshay and Abhinav grew up in the US with Indian ethos as Pallavi’s parents and in-laws visited often, and she would visit India twice a year. She loves music and the arts and indulges in them in her free time.

Indian Professor | Pallavi Chitturi | Global Indian

Plans for the future

The Chitturis are a teaching family – Pallavi at Temple University and her husband Ravi at Lehigh University (teaching marketing).

For Pallavi, there is a “lot more to do” as she believes teaching can be carried forward in three different modes - research, contributions and service. Her elder son, Akshay just got married to his colleague, and the professor-mother is thrilled. Pallavi believes teaching can be carried forward in three different modes – research, contributions and service. "There is a lot more to do,” she concludes.

Follow Pallavi Chitturi on Linkedin

Reading Time: 5 min

The ‘lake man’: Anand Malligavad bridges science with tradition to revive Bengaluru’s dying lakes

(May 31, 2022) A Google search of Bengaluru's lakes even throws up a dedicated Wikipedia page. The city has around 80 lakes today, some of which have been in the news for all the wrong reasons - including a stubborn cloud of toxic, inflammable foam on Bellandur Lake back in 2016. Without a river nearby, Bengaluru's lakes date back to the sixteenth century. Scientifically planned even then, the network used the city's altitude to distribute rainwater through a series of lakes and catchment areas. They were the city's lifeline. Their number has dwindled from over a 1000 to 280 in 1960, according to Anand Malligavad, who has earned himself the title ‘lake man', for his efforts in rejuvenating the city's lakes. He even quit his job in 2019 to follow the cause full time and has revived 23 lakes so far. [caption id="attachment_25101" align="aligncenter" width="619"] Anand Malligavad[/caption] The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals include access to clean water and sanitation for all and apart from serving an important environmental cause, Bengaluru's lakes were historically designed to sustainably meet the needs of what its founders foresaw would be a growing population. Despite being one of the world's largest and cutting-edge cities,

clean water and sanitation for all and apart from serving an important environmental cause, Bengaluru's lakes were historically designed to sustainably meet the needs of what its founders foresaw would be a growing population. Despite being one of the world's largest and cutting-edge cities, buying water from private tankers is common in many neighbourhoods, where piped water from the official water supply board has remained a feeble promise for years. Rejuvenating what is left of the city's lakes is a pressing need and Anand is among a small but determined group of activists whose efforts have resulted in tangible change over the years. In an interview with Global Indian, Anand, India’s ‘lake man’, talks about bridging modern and traditional science for sustainable urban living and the challenges he continues to face.

A self-taught man

"I do my job through experiential learning," says Anand, who is a qualified engineer but never formally studied conservation. Years of research preceded his first attempt to fix the lake situation. He gathered every bit of information he could about the lakes - their shape, structure, soil conditions, topography, ecosystem and their place in the larger, interconnected network. He studied nearly 180 lakes in Bengaluru and nearby areas over the course of one year.

[caption id="attachment_25107" align="aligncenter" width="937"] Lake man : Anand revives Bengaluru’s dying lakes | Global Indian A lake rejuvenated by Anand Malligavad[/caption]

"We make use of ultra-violet water treatment, microorganisms in the soil and aquatic plants to sufficiently aerate the water," explains Anand. "Other measures, like separating rainwater from sewage, is done in the wetland itself to ecologically correct the water quality."

At the root of his efforts is a childhood fondness for lakes. Growing up, Anand had the enviable experience of studying at a school located around a lakebed, back home in a little village in North Karnataka. "I spent more time around the water body than in the classroom," he laughs. In 1996, he joined thousands of migrants moving to Bengaluru to make the most of its then fledgling IT boom. He arrived at the city of lakes to find only a handful remaining, in various stages of pollution and neglect.

The turning point...

Having made rueful note of the city's lakes soon after his arrival in Bengaluru, but hamstrung by a lack of funds, there was little Anand could do for many years. The first turning point came in 2003, when Anand, a mechanical engineer, joined Sansera Engineering, an automotive and aerospace company. Over the years, he scaled up his career in the organisation, becoming the group head of its projects and CSR division. It brought him back to a cause dear to his heart - for years he had watched the city's lakes continue to dwindle and die before his eyes. He pitched the idea at work and it found favour with the management, who agreed to fund his initiative.

Lake man : Anand revives Bengaluru’s dying lakes | Global Indian

Working with a budget of ten million rupees, Anand began reviving Kyalasanahalli Lake near Anekal. Years of neglect and encroachment had left the 36-acre waterbody on the verge of death. They built 'bunds', the boundaries that have traditionally guarded the city's water bodies. clay and gravel from the lakebed were used to construct natural structures. Begun in April 2017, the project got completed in 45 days, at the cost of Rs 95 lakh.

Challenges galore

The battle for water rages quietly on many fronts, including longstanding riparian disputes with neighbouring states. Water concerns are also likely to thwart future growth in a city that has established itself as a growing hub for both startups and cutting-edge technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXcUXxve8Ds

Important though Anand's efforts might be in the larger view of things, "raising funds is the biggest challenge," he says. "The second challenge is dealing with resistance from encroachers. Getting approvals from governments and maintaining the lakes after they have been rejuvenated are also issues." The lake man also involves local people and youth in his initiatives, making the protection of lakes a community effort. Not only this, he conducts reforestation drives with them to bring back the flora and fauna to previous glory. "It also helps them see their potential in terms of significantly improving their surroundings," Anand remarks.

South to North

"I had set a goal to revive 45 lakes of Bengaluru by 2025 but will achieve the goal by 2024 itself," he says. He is expanding his reach from south to north India. In association with the Ayodhya Lake Development Authority, he is working on rejuvenation of 108 kunds of the Ramayan era in the temple city. "We are also working on the project of rejuvenating Samda lake in UP with plans to turn it into an international bird sanctuary, one of the biggest of the country,” says Anand.

[caption id="attachment_25105" align="aligncenter" width="730"] Lake man : Anand revives Bengaluru’s dying lakes | Global Indian Anand Malligavad with chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath[/caption]

Message for society

Anand prefers to work in quiet, instead of driving too much publicity around his efforts. He believes strongly in two things. First, "education is not about scoring marks, it's about impacting lives," he says. "Academics are important but so is being passionate about a cause that matters. When a man like me coming from a small village can help in bring about a change in big cities then it is possible for all,” and true to his words, the 'lake man' has inspired many. One of his protégés is even writing a book on Anand and his journey.

Lake man : Anand revives Bengaluru’s dying lakes | Global Indian

"Nobody is too young or old to drive change," he states. "I have been trying to revive the lakes from the age of 35. By the time I turned 42, I had revived almost 23 lakes. We can work for a good cause at any stage in life, instead of waiting to retire to do something good." The father of one has now set his sights on the rest of the country and hopes to revive at least one lake in each state of India by 2025. "I want to create a model lake in each state, train people to revive other lakes in their nearby areas and become best inhabitants," he signs off.

Follow Anand Malligavad on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Reading Time: 5 mins

Vidya Vox: Indian-American singer creating waves in the world of music

(November 15, 2023) Make some noise for Vidya Vox - the queen of mashups. One balmy morning in 2015, Vidya Vox exploded on YouTube with her first mashup - a perfect blend of Indian music and Western pop. This was when the Millennials took notice of this internet sensation who proudly wears her culture up her sleeve and gives it an international twist. But it was the viral Kabira and Closer cover mashup that catapulted the Indian-American to new heights of success and fame. Her velvety voice, the beats, and the beautiful fusion of two chartbusters made the mashup cover an instant hit. In 2018, she was ranked among the top 10 Indian YouTubers. With 7.63 million YouTube subscribers and 1.1 million followers on Instagram, Vidya has truly become a social media sensation. and is also one of the highest-paid YouTubers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzhNseO6_HI Born in Chennai as Vidya Iyer (Vidya Vox is her stage name), she started training in Carnatic music as early as five years of age. The YouTuber and singer, who is well-versed in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and English, moved to the US with her family when she was 8. Though she relocated to a new country, she felt

elocated to a new country, she felt rooted in India and music remained an integral part of her life.

Identity crisis

Brought up in Virginia, Vidya faced a sort of identity crisis in her growing-up years. With AR Rahman and bhajans playing at home, she was introduced to Shakira and Coldplay in school. "It was an identity crisis of sorts because the two worlds I was living in seemed so far apart," she said in an interview. This identity crisis led to her being bullied in middle school and left her so scarred that she started hiding her Indian identity and stopped getting dosa for lunch at school. "But by the end of high school, I realized this was ridiculous. I started participating in bhangra groups, dancing to songs like Kangana Tera Ni. By the time I went to college, I had totally embraced my Indianness, but I still didn't tell anyone I could sing," she told another daily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw9EiwUn4Yg

Never-ending collaboration with Shankar Tucker

It was her chance encounter with music composer and clarinetist Shankar Tucker during her final year of college that drew her to music once again. Vox was pursuing psychology and had plans of entering into a medical college.

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"It was then that I collaborated with Shankar Tucker who showed me that music is possible through YouTube. I had never thought about a music career but that collaboration changed my life. It gave me the itch to pursue music, which I did after I finished the degree," she added.

She became the vocalist for Tucker's band and his YouTube channel ShrutiBox. But it wasn't until 2015 that she started making music for her channel.

The beginning of Vidya Vox

After her graduation, Vidya moved to Mumbai for a year to train in Hindustani music. It was during this time that the idea of creating her channel struck her, and as they say, the rest is history. "I grew up on Queen, ABBA, and at the same time, Nityasree. So, I thought, how can I marry the two worlds? People have been doing mashups for generations, and I realised that when I went to concerts. This was the best way to show that I can sing both styles in the same song and be from both cultures," she added.

Moreover, Vidya, who believes in experimentation and calls complacency the death of an artist, always tries to incorporate a song "that is reflective of local culture and add my twist to it." For her, this is what adds beauty to the song. "For each language, I have a coach to train me through the pronunciation. I give it a lot of importance," she added.

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In the last 15 years, Vox has collaborated with various international artists and she is proud of putting Indian music on the global platform. Having performed at Festivals Des Artes in Reunion Island, Dubai, and the Meru Series in the Netherlands, Vox has become a modern-day ambassador for Indian music.

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

She has played a pivotal role in putting Indian music on the global map, and she says it's high time. "India is more important in the world, more than ever. There are so many talented artists and musicians who are of Indian origin and grew up in different parts of the world, paying homage to their roots. By doing that, more parts of the world are learning about India and Indian music and culture."

Follow Vidya Vox on Instagram

Reading Time: 4 min

Building Bamboo House India – The Lingams’ rocky road to success

(January 16, 2023) In the year 2006, three months into their marriage, the quest to buy an eco-friendly sofa set for their home took Prashant and Aruna Lingam to a small village called “Katlamara” on the India-Bangladesh border. Enamoured by bamboo and the amazing skills of the local bamboo communities, they decided on social entrepreneurship themselves. It was an unknown domain then but they took the risk, launching Bamboo House India in 2007. [caption id="attachment_33883" align="alignnone" width="3915"] Prashant and Aruna Lingam, co-founders, Bamboo House India[/caption] A risky leap to social entrepreneurship It was a tough call for a middle-class, just married couple to get into the bamboo business and their families were much against it. Yet, they went ahead. The decision proved costly for them during the next three years, forcing them into a debt of Rs. 60 lakh (approximately $ 80,000) owing to a failed business model. Despite being plagued with physical, mental, financial, and personal woes, their passion for bamboo refused to die. “Today, Bamboo House India is the largest builder of bamboo and recycled plastic houses in the country with a robust social business model which never existed in India earlier,” smile Prashant and Aruna, speaking exclusively

cial, and personal woes, their passion for bamboo refused to die. “Today, Bamboo House India is the largest builder of bamboo and recycled plastic houses in the country with a robust social business model which never existed in India earlier,” smile Prashant and Aruna, speaking exclusively to Global Indian.

The successful revival of their enterprise from the brink of a complete washout provided them with an opportunity to bring a bamboo revolution to India.

Challenges galore

“Years of failures coupled with knowledge gained from tribal communities, waste pickers, farmers, municipal bodies, and multi-lateral agencies taught us to comprehend the ground realities and think out-of-the-box,” say the founders of Bamboo House India, who have received many awards for their work.

While Prashant is a management graduate, Aruna is a science graduate. Their initial days of entrepreneurship were tough. “My post-pregnancy complications, my husband’s year-long immobility caused by a near-fatal accident, the deaths of six loved ones, lack of household income, and my inability to put proper food on the table for two years only aggravated the situation took a toll on my mental health,” informs Aruna. In those trying times, Aruna had to offer up whatever little jewellery she had left, to rework their business model and give their bamboo enterprise another try.

Prashant, Aruna Lingam | Bamboo House of India | Global Indian

When fortune favoured them

It was only after a Hyderabad-based client reached out to them for a bamboo project that fortune for this couple turned its course. “But the client’s lack of trust about the durability of the product became a stumbling block. I convinced him to pay us post production and only if the end-result is up to his satisfaction,” recalls Prashant.

The end product not only turned out to be extremely well-constructed but also earned a good reputation for the bamboo houses in the region. The success led them to build recreational bamboo houses at the behest of prime corporate houses like Google and Infosys.

For Prashant and Aruna, their difficult entrepreneurial journey introduced them to certain qualities and abilities which they never knew existed. “I never knew I had so much determination, patience, and ability to take extreme risks and fight so many odds,” says Aruna, while Prashant nods in complete agreement.

Recognition for the ‘bamboo couple of India’

Known as the “bamboo couple of India” Prashant and Aruna networked effectively and brought in stakeholders like the Confederation of Indian Industries, the Indian Institute of Technology, the National Mission on Bamboo Applications, and Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, forging a multi-stakeholder partnership which triggered the construction of 300+ eco houses till date.

Their work received greater recognition from the US State Department not only when they nominated Aruna for the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program for global thought leaders but also when they made a short video feature on their innovative work for Global Entrepreneurship summit 2017 (Hyderabad), an event graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump.

Recognition for their work continued when they received an invitation from the Government of Kenya to replicate their social business models in their country and case studies by the Indian School of Business, ICFAI University, University of Mexico, and IDEX. “It further strengthened our belief in the work we were doing,” smile the couple, who also constructed 100 low-cost shelters using plastic waste and received global attention after coverage by BBC and the World Economic Forum.

A creative business model

“We designed a lean, sustainable, and innovative business model which laid a road map for our personal and professional growth,” says Aruna, who believes that their business is commercially profitable and socially impactful because of the innovative products designed to meet customer needs without compromising on the social deliverables.

When they were struggling to get a foothold in the market, the lack of funds nudged them to rope in the media as an important stakeholder in their vision to achieve social progress. What started with a single local newspaper coverage in 2006 has today snowballed to media features in over 1500 national and international media platforms including Entrepreneur, BBC, Brut, CII, CNN, World Economic Forum, French TV, Australian TV, to name a few.

Lifetime learners

Aruna believes that theoretical knowledge is an important foundation for an entrepreneur’s toolkit, which they could not obtain during their initial days of entrepreneurial journey.

“All our decisions were based on intuition and gut-feel, rather than organized subject knowledge, and today I have decided to go back to school and obtain the required learning to scale my impact,” says Aruna, who is all set to broaden her horizon by pursuing her masters in innovation and entrepreneurship from London School of Economics. Their innovative social business models have been globally studied with universities Harvard, Cornell, Kellogg and ISB doing case studies on their work.

Last year, www.reall.net, a UK-based social housing company offered to bring in investment in their work and this year too they proposed a green entrepreneurship project from IKEA Foundation.

“My innovations in plastic waste shelter solutions found a platform under the UNDP program for possible global replication. Still, I am afraid to take up projects of this magnitude due to lack of organized subject knowledge, lack of business model clarity. That’s why I want to go back to school and capitalise on my experiences,” explains Aruna, a renowned speaker on national and international platforms on various topics including circular economy, waste management and social entrepreneurship.

Aruna has also been named among the world's 100 social entrepreneurs bringing a change with her work and her bamboo work has been featured in World Bank Report as well.

Creating employment

Motivating people to pursue their dreams and having successfully created employment opportunities for thousands of artisans and waste pickers, she has mentored and influenced students, academicians, children, housewives, corporates, NGOs, and society at large with her work.

Experimenting with new material has been central to their success. Once, the entrepreneur-couple even used discarded tyres and came up with a range of fabulously comfortable furniture by taking unwanted lorry and car tyres and turning them into quirky seating options with creative flair and endless innovation.
“Once, we saw tyres being burnt and the owner told us there was no process in place to discard them. We decided to help with the problem,” says Prashant.

Constant experimentation

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A post shared by Bamboo House India (@bamboohouseindia)

The founders of Bamboo House India have also experimented with trash plastic bottles to build sustainable homes, replacing bricks. “Housing shortfall in India stands today at 148 lakh dwelling units and we hope our innovative techniques will help bring it down,” say the Lingam couple, who are on a mission to improve the housing situation of the poor in the country. For those who do not know, a mud-filled plastic bottle is no less strong than a brick.

A plastic bottle house costs a quarter of the money required to build a conventional house, points out Prashant. The 225 sq ft house looks like an ordinary home, but it differs in many ways. “The structure has the added advantage of being fire proof and earthquake resistant,” says the TEDx speaker. In terms of strength, performance is equal to bricks and may be better too.

Prashant feels the in the mantra “reduce, reuse and recycle”, the ‘reuse’ part is often overlooked. In one pilot project, they built a house with bamboo and bottles.

How it works

Explaining how they went about it, Prashant says while the basic skeleton was made with bamboo, bottles filled with mud were placed both vertically and horizontally for walls, which offers thermal insulation. “The plastering was done with mud and cow dung and Cement plaster was used only for the final coat. The roof was made with bamboo attached to wooden batons,” he explains.

Over the years, the couple constructed 55 street vending kiosks using plastic waste, laid10,000 sq. ft of recycled plastic paver tiles, installed 5,000 recycled plastic street dust bins, enabling then to circulate 10,000 MT of plastic waste from landfills and water bodies.

“Continuing with our eco spirit, we developed low-cost shelters using agricultural waste to address the issue of stubble burning and to date, have constructed 25 Agri waste houses circulating close to 5,000 tons of agricultural waste,” inform the Lingams, who employ thousands of artisans from villages including women on a part-time basis ensuring their livelihood and a better standard of living.

Follow Bamboo House India on Instagram and YouTube

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In the chef’s domain: Exploring culinary tales with Ranveer Brar

(February 25, 2024) To say that he is one of the most celebrated chefs in India might be an understatement. Known to be India's youngest executive chef, Ranveer Brar is quite famous globally for his expertise in infusing traditional cuisines with a contemporary flair. But, would you believe it if I told you that this chef's first job wasn't at a five-star hotel, but at a roadside stall, where he worked on a lakdi ki bhatti (wood-fired oven)? And that the chef had to work really hard to prove himself. "Munir Ustad was my first mentor, he completely changed the way I approached food and cooking. I had noticed him often during my street food walks and secretly hoped he’d let me be his shagird (student) someday," shares the chef, as he connects with Global Indian, adding, "When I eventually joined him, it wasn’t easy to gain his trust! Ustad would not easily share his recipes with me. I used to crush the spices and haul sacks of coal up to the terrace to dry them. I had to patiently prove myself and learn. And even when he did start sharing, it wasn’t a break-down kind of teaching. You just

en I eventually joined him, it wasn’t easy to gain his trust! Ustad would not easily share his recipes with me. I used to crush the spices and haul sacks of coal up to the terrace to dry them. I had to patiently prove myself and learn. And even when he did start sharing, it wasn’t a break-down kind of teaching. You just had to observe and learn the nuances. In a lot of ways, it taught me the importance of believing in your intuition and interpretation of any dish and using recipes as guidelines."

A global culinary artist, Chef Brar is an honourary member of the James Beard Foundation, and has received recognition for his contribution to various cuisines from several institutions such as The American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF) and Academy for International Culinary Art (AICA).

A young lad from Lucknow

Growing up in Lucknow, Chef Brar was always fascinated by the city’s street food. Almost every day, after school, a young Ranveer Brar would venture out on the streets of Lucknow with his friends to taste the mouth-watering street dishes. But unlike his friends, this young boy was not just fascinated by the food - but also the stories behind each dish. "It’s difficult to say what attracted me first - food stories or the food itself," shares the chef, adding, "Growing up in Lucknow, where they say – ek plate khana, ek pateela kisse (a plate of food served with an urn full of stories), I would like to think it’s more the former. I was especially fascinated by the kebab vendors. In a way, these jaunts were also a major contributor to my already growing interest in food."

Chef | Ranveer Brar | Global Indian

After about six months of training under Munir Ustad, Chef Brar decided to further his culinary education and enrolled at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Lucknow. Subsequently, he joined the Taj Group of Hotels, commencing his journey with one of their most esteemed establishments, Fort Aguada Beach Resort in Goa. Remarkably, during his initial assignment, the chef successfully inaugurated two restaurants within the hotel – Morisco and il Camino. In 2003, he made a move to the Radisson Blu Hotel in New Delhi, achieving the distinction of becoming the youngest executive chef in the country at the age of 25.

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"Thanks to my stint at the Taj during my days as an intern, I went on to open restaurants at various Taj establishments, the responsibility of opening and running a restaurant came early to me. I believe in taking everyone along my life/culinary path and that I feel has earned me a priceless wealth – human connections. I like to be logical when it comes to any task, list down the tasks, and tackle them systematically. Every restaurant I worked with, the lessons and lauds that came with them, paved the way for the next project I’d work on. And so life continued," shares the chef.

Inspired by the locals

In 2003, the chef moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he established Banq, a high-end Franco-Asian restaurant that garnered acclaim and multiple accolades. This was also around the same time that the world first tasted Chef Brar's signature dish, Dorra Kebab - a 200-year-old dish from Rampur, made with minced lamb, and marinated with over 30 rare herbs. "I created the Dorra Kebab in India, around 2003. It’s actually a classic dish that we just reinvented with a little panache and flair. The idea was to bring out the thought that Kebabs can be melt-in-the-mouth and celebrate the skill of Kebab-making too. And that’s what we took to the US," shares the chef.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdhFryFd22U

But, while he has travelled across the globe, and tasted the flavours of most cuisines, the chef's favourite travel memory remains that of visiting a small Rajasthani village. "A dish and a memory that are quite close to my heart is a Raab that I sampled in Rajasthan. When I first met Shanti Devi in Khejarli village, Rajasthan, I wasn’t quite prepared for The Sustainable lunch she treated me to. Half the ingredients were preserved over from the previous season and a buttermilk-like dish she made from Bajra, the Raab, was chilled in an earthen indigenous ‘refrigerator’! Though we couldn’t fully understand each other’s language, I learnt a lot from her that day through the food she cooked for us. I have since recreated and reinvented what I ate that day in my cooking sessions across the world," he shares.

Beyond the kitchen

In 2015, upon returning to India, the chef crafted menus for several upscale restaurants, such as MTV India, Haute Chef, English Vinglish, and TAG GourmART Kitchen. But, the kitchen wasn't the only playground that he was interested in anymore. Chef Brar made his first appearance on Indian television, with MasterChef, and subsequently several other shows including Ranveer On The Road, The Great Indian Rasoi, Food Tripping, and Himalayas the Offbeat Adventure. While he certainly wasn't the first chef to appear on television, what set him apart was his unique storytelling style.

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In fact, the chef is gearing up another show, called The Family Table, where he hosts celebrities and their families for fun cook-offs. "In a country where our day begins with ‘aaj khane mein kya hai!’, food becomes the perfect conversation starter, especially in a household. There’s an entire genre of home cooking that lies in heirloom recipes from different families that need to come to the fore. With the Family Table, the idea is to bring those recipes, those conversations forward; and celebrate this aspect of our cuisine through the fun in and beauty of family cooking," he says.

But not just TV, the chef was recently seen in the six-episode anthology – Modern Love Mumbai – along with Pratik Gandhi and veteran actress Tanuja, which was directed by Hansal Mehta. "Honestly, I never thought I would act, though I always had a lot of respect for the craft. I debuted in mainstream television and I thought I would end up in the directing stream, as I direct a lot of food documentaries. So I wasn’t planning to become an actor, but the love for the medium and the ease of working with Pratik, Talat Aziz ji, and Hansal sir ticked all the boxes for me. And the role of Rajveer was truly endearing for me. My next was with Hansal ji again, The Buckingham Murders. It was a completely different role and an intriguing character experiment as well. I’m definitely on the lookout for the next interesting script," the chef expresses.

[caption id="attachment_39932" align="aligncenter" width="556"] Chef | Ranveer Brar | Global Indian Chef Ranveer Brar with actor Pratik Gandhi, during the shoot of Modern Love Mumbai[/caption]

Sharing his mantra for the upcoming generation of chefs, he shares, "Just remember three rules - get the basics rights, stick to the genre of food that you feel most connected to, and persevere with patience and focus. The trick is to keep it simple and play to your strengths. Instead of planning long menus, stick to the dishes you know you are experts in, and work on dishes that represent your culture and your personal connection with food better. ‘Less is more’ is the mantra that works."

Follow Chef Ranveer Brar on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and his website

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