Global IndianstoryNirnith Devireddy’s Ikiminds is transforming Healthcare and Life Sciences globally

Nirnith Devireddy’s Ikiminds is transforming Healthcare and Life Sciences globally

Written by: Vikram Sharma

(February 27, 2023) Having spent his formative years in the US, Nirnith Devireddy developed some fundamental life skills early in life. Making friends real quick, networking and learning about the world through others experiences and cultures — were the most rewarding experiences during his schooling days.

An early headstart

Business was always an area of interest for him. In ninth grade, he won the DECA Business Youth Leader award in 9th grade for a Marketing competition in Keller Middle school in Dallas, Texas. “The unique schooling curriculum and skills I picked up there contributed to my development as a global entrepreneur,” smiles Nirnith DeviReddy, Co-founder and Director of Ikiminds, a data-driven Bio-IT services firm, speaking to Global Indian.

Nirnith Devireddy, co-founder, Ikiminds

How does Ikiminds work?

A subsidiary of US-based Adroitent Inc, Ikiminds transforms biological data into impactful insights and solutions in the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medtech sector.

“Solving specific domain-centric industry challenges like the collection and analysis of large volumes of biological data, explainability of outliers and impurities in drug development life cycle, and data security is at the core of our work,” explains the 31 year old, who launched Ikiminds in 2021.

The firm’s talent pool of data scientists, computational biologists, PhDs and domain experts are spread across their offices in Hyderabad and USA, serving over 50 clients globally.

After the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was passed by the US government in 2023, paving the way for the industry to transition away from animal testing in clinical trials to other alternative approaches like modelling and simulation and insilico clinical trials, Ikiminds saw tremendous growth.

“We are at the forefront of providing these advanced modeling and simulation solutions and have created a platform for implementing and adopting these services by bringing in the best-in-breed partners,” says Nirnith, pointing to the firm’s strong capabilities in the virtual clinical trial space.

The company has delivered insilico models in multiple therapeutic areas like Oncology, Diabetes, Neurology, Vaccines etc. that can be customized to meet the needs of Pharma customers. Recently, Nirnith gave a presentation on present Modeling & Simulation & AI transformation in Pharma at the BioAsia 2023 conference in Hyderabad.

Early life

Born in Hyderabad in May 1991, Nirnith’s family moved to the US where he studied in different schools including Keller Middle School, Bear Creek Intermediate School, Ellis Elementary School and Shady Grove Elementary School. It gave him a unique school curriculum, which shaped his personality.

The family moved back to India in 2006 and Nirnith graduated high-school from the International School of Hyderabad. His father Srinath Devireddy is an Entrepreneur, Investor, and the current IT Advisor to the Government of Andhra Pradesh, his mother Supriya Reddy is an Interior Designer and Entrepreneur.

While his parents are a huge inspiration for Nirnith, his grandfather, late CC Reddy, who was a Government advisor, film producer, a successful global entrepreneur and Nandi award winner, played a key role in shaping his personality.

Back to America

It was in 2009 that the determined youngster returned to America to pursue BBA at Babson College, the world’s top entrepreneurship school. He graduated with a dual major in Technology, Entrepreneurship and Design (TED) & Environmental Sustainability.

The school’s ground-breaking curriculum allowed students including Nirnith to be a part of a class called Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship to pitch business ideas, have two best voted on, and then split the class into two companies, where the college would provide a seed fund of $3000 dollars and a full semester to set up the business in the real world and conduct sales.

“Our company WriteOn was a peel-and-stick dry erase board material that can be customized as per branding and logos. We had the highest sales out of all the FME companies that year generating revenue of $12,000USD,” says a beaming Nirnith. The profits were given to a charity, as is the norm.

In 2013, after college, Nirnith moved to San Diego, California and worked at Qualcomm as a project analyst for three years. “It was an excellent start to my career as I was introduced to the corporate world and was part of some very interesting projects as I worked in the Customer Engineering team which is responsible for supporting all of Qualcomm’s customers globally,” says the entrepreneur, whose wife Mounica holds a Master’s in Data Science from UC Berkeley.

While work experience was integral for him, his heart was in entrepreneurship. He left the organization to start something on his own even as he continued his Executive Education at Harvard with an online certification in Implementing AI Solutions in Healthcare. “This brought together a cohort of industry leaders who were working on implementing AI in Healthcare and Life Sciences,” says the winner of the IT Serve Alliance Startup Pitch Competition winner in the USA.

First venture

In 2016, he co-founded his first venture ‘Anipanion’ with his roommate from Babson College. “It was the world’s leading next-gen, tele-health and pet-care marketplace platform that connects pet parents and veterinarians through virtual visits with the goal of making veterinary care more convenient and accessible for pet parents,” explains the entrepreneur.

His firm was recognised by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) as a leading virtual care platform.

Anipanion helped many veterinary hospitals across the United States overcome operational challenges when the pandemic hit in 2019 and continues to be instrumental in veterinary practice workflows today. “We have integrated with many practice management systems within the veterinary care flow and are one of the top telemedicine providers in the United States,” says Nirnith. While he continues to serve as co-founder and board member, he stepped back from daily operations to give more time to his new venture, Ikiminds.

Challenges

Bringing in the first customer was the biggest challenge, a common problem for entrepreneurs. “The first one is always challenging but once you nail it – it is the leap spring which propels your venture forward,” he says.

Next came a phase of rejections. “Being aware of red flags and learning to pivot towards better things is a good practice. Allow rejections to bog you down is not,” he feels. Another hurdle was understanding the domain. Without an educational background in Biology, it took Nirnith many hours of study and online learning to bring himself up to speed with the scientific elements of the business.

Future plans

Growing his companies into multi-billion dollar organizations that change the world is Nirnith’s relentless goal. “We aim to become technology partners to many more pharma organisations globally to offer end-to-end modelling and simulation services to accelerate the drug development cycle.”

Cinema and politics

Outside of entrepreneurship, Nirnith is a big movie buff who loves acting and dancing. “I was a part of two high school plays as the lead and even took acting lessons in San Diego as a weekend hobby,” he says. He also played a cameo in a Telugu movie. “I also hope one day I can act or produce a feature film. I also am very interested in politics and feel I can be of value to help my home state of Andhra Pradesh through all my learnings and skills,” says Nirnith, who is the Regional Vice President of North American Telugu Association.

If you’re wondering why Nirnith seemed familiar, it’s because his wedding was covered in Netflix’s hit reality docu-series, The Big Day’. “Of course I was not acting in that. It was a series dedicated to unveiling the multi-billion dollar wedding industry,” says the huge Star Wars fan.

The fitness freak loves to spend time with his pet, Pico. When he is not doing anything else, he loves to travel around the globe.

Giving Back

Nirnith also volunteered at Blue Cross and Naandi Community Water Services. “Giving back to the planet provides me with a great sense of peace. In fact, Babson College had coined a philosophy to reshape business leaders of tomorrow called the “Triple P” bottom line, (People, Planet, and Profit) which I believe is how all businesses one day should be thinking about their bottom lines,” he adds.

Follow Nirnith on LinkedIn

Name*

Email*

Name*

Email*

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Published on 27, Feb 2023

Share with

ALSO READ

The Gospel truth: Actor Paras Patel is carving a niche for himself in Hollywood

(November 13, 2022) Over one billion Christians from across the globe were delighted when American filmmaker Dallas Jenkins announced that he would chronicle the journey of the Christ through his web series The Chosen. As more details started to come from the show's set, people murmured about an Indian-American cast in one of the most important roles in the series. But, despite all their doubts, the audience was absolutely mesmerised by actor Paras Patel, who portrayed the role of Saint Matthew, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. [caption id="attachment_31706" align="aligncenter" width="698"] Actor Paras Patel[/caption] The Global Indian has been a part of three major shows, including ABC Family’s 'Teen Spirit' and CBS Films' 'The Duff'. "Growing up, it was such a rare treat to see someone that looked like me on TV or in a movie, and I took it for granted that it would always be that way. As visibility for South Asians is increasing in mass media, there is still a long way to go, and I hope to inspire the next generation of South Asian artists to see a place for themselves in this industry," the actor shared during an interview with Voyage LA. The world's

m>'. "Growing up, it was such a rare treat to see someone that looked like me on TV or in a movie, and I took it for granted that it would always be that way. As visibility for South Asians is increasing in mass media, there is still a long way to go, and I hope to inspire the next generation of South Asian artists to see a place for themselves in this industry," the actor shared during an interview with Voyage LA.

The world's a stage

Belonging to a Gujarati family who immigrated to the USA several decades back, Paras Patel had, on numerous occasions, shared that he loved acting and performing for the crowd since he was a young kid. In love with Bollywood and its music, Paras even played games inspired by movies growing up. "As cliched as it sounds, I knew I wanted to act at a young age. I loved to perform whenever I could, whether it was in school plays, cultural community shows, or even family gatherings. During summer breaks, my brother and I would use a camcorder and make little skits and pretend we had our own TV show. I’ve played various fictitious roles, from a mad scientist to an angry chef! I remember when I was in 5th grade, I did a book report but turned it into a play and performed it in front of my classmates. It wasn’t a part of the assignment at all, but I just did it. It just came naturally to me," the actor told Voyage LA.

[caption id="attachment_31707" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Actor | Global Indian A still from the show Teen Spirit[/caption]

After earning a degree in finance, Paras Patel started looking for job opportunities. however, the prospect of a career in numbers didn’t make him happy. And so, he started working on the sets of various productions in Atlanta, to get on-field experience, starting from one of the biggest cult-drama that aired on American television - The Vampire Diaries. All the money that he earned doing the background work on these productions went into his acting classes, getting headshots, and other career-related material.

[caption id="attachment_31709" align="aligncenter" width="544"] Actor | Global Indian A still from the sets of The Chosen[/caption]

"Through a showcase from one of my classes, I met and signed with my first agent and then happened to book my first audition ever, a lead in Teen Spirit which was a feature film for Freeform. I continued to work on various productions in the south for another year, and then eventually moved to Los Angeles to further my career. Moving to LA was a whole new world, and I had to start over with building relationships and enrolling in more training to strengthen my craft… but I haven’t looked back since," he said.

The Chosen one

While he had to face several hurdles during his initial days of struggle in LA, the actor was soon spotted by producers and started working on minor roles in various movies and TV shows. Although a few people didn't approve of his career choices, Paras was determined to make it big in the entertainment industry.

"In Indian culture, you are expected to take a more traditional career path, so it was a bit of an eye-opener for my loved ones when I went from pursuing a career in finance to acting. I am grateful that my parents have always been supportive, but I’ve had some extended family members question my career path and express doubt in my future as an actor," Paras Patel shared during the interview, adding, "This line of work also comes with countless rejections, fear that you’re wasting your time, and tons of self-doubt. You can be a great actor but never get a chance to work. This business has a certain degree of luck involved. I’ve got parts that have been edited out numerous times due to factors out of my control."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-veXCXOzPE4

Not one to give up easily, Paras Patel was persistent and eventually landed the role of Matthew in The Chosen after several auditions. "I portray a historical figure. Season 1 has amassed over 35 million views globally in a span of a few months! I am incredibly thankful and grateful to the fans of the show, whose numerous messages of support and appreciation of my work have impacted me profoundly," the actor shared.

[caption id="attachment_31708" align="aligncenter" width="593"] Actor | Global Indian A still from the sets of The Chosen[/caption]

Even though much is known about the character he played, Paras Patel admitted that he was surprised to see the character written in a way that had never been done onscreen before. "It was the character description depicting Matthew as on the autism spectrum and the writing that initially drew me to the project," the actor shared during a podcast, adding, "The impact the show has had on our audience and having underrepresented communities feel like they are finally getting the representation and acceptance they deserve on a mainstream show keeps my heart full."

Actor | Paras Patel | Global Indian

An actor who loves challenging roles, Paras Patel is looking to collaborate with several other artists in the coming years. "I think what sets me apart as an actor is that I am always working on my craft to continue to get better. I am a hard worker and am always looking to improve. I also love to collaborate and meet others, as I believe there are enough seats at the table in this business and we should all support one another," shared the actor.

Follow Paras Patel on Facebook and Instagram

Reading Time: 6 mins

Afghan model Vida Samadzai says Taliban 2.0 has an appetite for destruction

(August 26, 2021) Just a few days ago Vida Samadzai, Afghanistan’s first model to participate in an international pageant, was comfortably seated at her breakfast table in her plush Los Angeles home with some acquaintances. Soon however, shocking news began pouring in about the situation in her motherland: Afghanistan. Scrolling through social media posts, she came across a torrent of distressing news about the Taliban takeover. Horrified, the 43-year-old chanced upon video clips of Taliban brutality against young women in Afghanistan: she went numb, the clips brought back long forgotten memories. She made frantic calls to relatives and friends back home, to check on their well-being. Horrors best forgotten "The Taliban 2.0 is going to be all about barbarism, torture and inhuman behavior not just towards women but children and men as well. I can tell that from my past experiences," declares Vida, a Pashtun who was born and brought up in Kabul. She lost a young relative to suicide bombing and has come across numerous instances of her classmates being tortured and beaten up by the Taliban. One of the most tragic stories was that of a young girl in her neighborhood, who jumped to her death from a residential complex in an upscale Kabul locality when the militia knocked on her door in a bid to kidnap her. Growing up amid these dark events for

d brought up in Kabul. She lost a young relative to suicide bombing and has come across numerous instances of her classmates being tortured and beaten up by the Taliban. One of the most tragic stories was that of a young girl in her neighborhood, who jumped to her death from a residential complex in an upscale Kabul locality when the militia knocked on her door in a bid to kidnap her.

Growing up amid these dark events for a major part of her life is what appears to have shaped Vida Samadzai into what she is today — free thinking, fearless and an outspoken woman who cares two hoots about orthodox traditions. When she appeared in a red bikini in the 2003 edition of the Miss Earth pageant it enraged the hardliners back home including the Afghan Supreme Court. She was condemned for going against Islamic law and Afghan culture; but Vida decided to soldier on. She went on to make a successful career for herself as a model, appeared in Bigg Boss Season 5 and briefly dabbled in Hindi cinema as well.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vida Samadzai (@missafghanistanofficial)

Afghanistan of yore

"Most Afghans never wrapped themselves into old traditional rules and regulations. Men in our group did not sport a beard while women never wore a burqa. Afghanistan was known to be the second Paris and most women would closely follow fashion and were stylish: something they would pick up from the Vogue magazine which made its way into Afghanistan back in the 1960s and 70s. We were never interested in a conservative, orthodox way of living," says Vida, speaking exclusively to Global Indian.

After completing her graduation from Kabul, she briefly visited Delhi and then moved to the US in 1996. She went on to win the Miss America 2005-06 pageant and was the second Afghan woman to participate in the international beauty pageant since 1974, the first being Zohra Daoud.

"Afghans are fighters and they cannot be conquered. History is replete with examples of our courage and bravery. We may not have sophisticated weapons like the Taliban but we have the passion and the never-say-die attitude. Afghans are also known to be hospitable and kind hearted," she adds.

where do her parents live in Afghanistan? "For their safety, I cannot reveal that," she says. Interestingly, her father studied in a Lucknow University while her mother studied college in Kabul and then left for Europe to pursue higher studies.

[embed]https://twitter.com/MissAfghanistan/status/1031237822869454848?s=20[/embed]

Shaped by brutality

This Afghan-American recalls how the Taliban would torture people on flimsy grounds.

"We were taught the Quran Sharif in high school. But one cannot just memorize it word by word. Once, the Taliban randomly asked a 13-year-old to recite a "Surah" from the Quran and when he could not, they repeatedly slapped him. In another instance, they tortured a relative of mine and abandoned him in the mountains," recalls Vida.

Based on the feedback she receives on a daily basis from her country, she says not just women, even men are worried and desperate to leave the country. "Did we ever witness men trying to fly on the wing of a plan in a bid to leave their country?" she wonders, referring to the videos showing Afghan men desperately trying to escape Afghanistan over the past 10 days.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vida Samadzai (@missafghanistanofficial)

Vida Samadzai was associated with a US-based women's charity to work towards raising awareness about women's rights and education in her country. Ask her if she wants to return to Afghanistan, she replies in the affirmative. ''There was a job offer to host a show, designed on the lines of American idol. But I could not take it up as the job demanded that I stay in Afghanistan for four months. I had other work commitments and I had to turn down the offer.”

“But I will go back to my country one day and help in making Afghan women financially independent by creating jobs. I do not fear the Taliban."

Reading Time: 8 mins

Chef Chintan Pandya: The game changer who has altered the way America consumes Indian food

With a firm belief in serving food cooked in its original form, Chintan Pandya is the creative mind behind four very successful restaurants, including one that won a Michelin star. (August 27, 2023) A chat with Chintan Pandya, Chef Partner at Unapologetic Foods and the brain behind Dhamaka, the Indian restaurant in New York, reveals that he is one of life’s straight shooters. Retaining the candour that is a trademark of the Gujarati community he comes from, growing up in Mumbai – where no one has time for anything except straight talk – and then finding his life’s calling after moving to the US, he has truly transferred the integrity of his beliefs into the food he serves. [caption id="attachment_44258" align="aligncenter" width="544"] Chef Chintan Pandya.[/caption] Explosions of Flavour In these days of political correctness, Chintan prefers to be honest. He says, “I speak the truth and I don’t believe in sugar coating anything.” In the hospitality business, where keeping customers happy is of prime importance, does this approach work? Apparently, it does. Dhamaka, meaning explosion, the Indian restaurant launched by Chintan and his business partner Roni Mazumdar, with whom he set up their company called Unapologetic Foods, is serving little-known

prime importance, does this approach work? Apparently, it does. Dhamaka, meaning explosion, the Indian restaurant launched by Chintan and his business partner Roni Mazumdar, with whom he set up their company called Unapologetic Foods, is serving little-known Indian dishes from states like Meghalaya, Bihar and Nagaland among others, to huge success. What’s more, the dishes are cooked in their original style, with no tweaking, even being served in the containers they are cooked in.

His other restaurant, Semma, serving micro-regional South Indian cuisine, headed by Head Chef Vijay Kumar, was awarded a Michelin star within a year of its opening. And, Adda, his restaurant serving classic Indian and street food, is the only one in his bouquet of brands that serves naan and butter chicken. Rowdy Rooster, serving Indian style fried chicken among other things, is also making its mark, Masalawala serving Bengali food is popular and Kebabwala, serving grilled meats and kebabs like you get in India is on the anvil.

And oh, he is also the first Indian from New York, the third person of colour, and the first Indian cooking ethnic Indian food to win the prestigious James Beard Award in the culinary field last year. Not bad for someone who doesn’t believe in compromising his culinary skills now, is it?

So, how has Chintan quite literally, caused a dhamaka in the US with his food which is spicy, rich with little known masalas, and includes ingredients like pig’s tails and dishes like Champaran Meat and Nalli Biryani on the menu? With a generous smattering of Hindi phrases interspersed, he says, “I have always questioned the norm and looked for the logic behind it. Yeh aisa kyun hai? I also asked the same questions about the Indian food served in the US.” He doesn’t have anything complimentary to say about the butter and cream laden, bland versions of desi food that was and is perhaps still being served in several places. “Sticking to my beliefs has caused me a lot of setbacks in the past. But I knew what I wanted and that was to cook Indian food as close to its original recipe.”

[caption id="attachment_43913" align="aligncenter" width="578"] Chef Chintan Pandya | Global Indian Chef Chintan Pandya with Chef Vijay Kumar and Roni Mazumdar[/caption]

Unapologetically Indian

Incidentally, he adds that the only complaints he has ever received about his food, few and far between as they are, have come from Indian Americans. The local people of different heritage who dine here relish his creations. “When an Indian American complained about my biryani, and asked me to change it, I refused. I respectfully told him that we have sold over 4000 biryanis so far. If I get only two or three complaints about it, I am not going to change it. You are welcome to eat at the place you say makes it better.”

Dhamaka has some dishes you would not even find in India. The tag line says Unapologetic Indian and the menu is a veritable culinary map of India. Kolambi and Kekda Bhaath, from the Konkan region is a rice dish cooked with crab and tiger prawns; Champaran Meat is mutton cooked Bihari style and the Rajasthani Khargosh is rabbit cooked the way hunters in Rajasthan would. The last dish is a sellout because they only cook one rabbit per day.

The integrity Chintan displays in his thought process is echoed in his food. Nothing but the best ingredients are used. He says, “I always look at the end product. It could be the most expensive ingredient if I compare it to others, but it has to be the best.” Speaking of the best, another star bestseller at Dhamaka is the Methi Paneer. In fact, Chintan has been known to declare that he will pay anyone who can procure paneer better than what is made in-house at Dhamaka. What is the secret of his paneer? He says, “We buy the entire high fat milk produced for the day from one guy and he only has a limited quantity. We make our own paneer with that milk. If there is any leftover from the main course, we use some to make Chenna Poda, the Odia dessert.”

It is this dedication to being authentic that in fact prevents Chintan from serving some classic Gujarati food, the food he grew up eating, and perhaps knows best. He says, “We do serve Methi na Gota and Makkai Panki, among others, but because I can’t get fresh green garlic here, I cannot serve Undhiyu (a traditional Gujarati dish that is a medley of winter vegetables, steamed muthias etc.). It is also why I cannot serve dhoklas because I am yet to achieve the level of perfection – which my mother’s dhoklas have. And though I have replicated the Mumbai pav, I think it is still mediocre by comparison to the original,” he says candidly.

Chef Chintan Pandya | Global Indian

Simple and Authentic

Personally, Chintan loves working with all green leafies and pure ghee is the fat used to cook all the food. He says, “When I make Saag Paneer, it doesn’t only mean spinach. Saag for us means all the green leafy vegetables, even the ones we get here. As for ghee, we use insane amounts of it to cook our food. I don’t believe in all that drama of dry ice and other such tricks; and I don’t create any new dish. I simply prefer to serve the best version of a dish. I like to keep food as simple or as complicated it is, so long as it is original.”

Speaking of simple, Chintan doesn’t eat at his restaurants, but carries food from home. “My lunch box is usually boiled moong or boiled chana, some fruits and a protein bar. Even as a family, we don’t eat out much,” he says.

However, he reveals that his favourite dishes served at his restaurants include the Gunpowder Dosa at Semma, Paneer Tikka at Dhamaka, Dahi Batata Puri at Adda, Biyerbarri Fish Fry at Masalawala and Vada Pav at Rowdy Rooster. His favourite comfort food though is khichdi and chhaas or buttermilk.

Another practical touch is the fact that there is no fancy serveware used at Dhamaka. Food is served in steel plates and the glasses are standard fare from Ikea. Chintan believes in letting his food do the talking. And talking it is, with Dhamaka having a waiting list of 400-500 people wanting a reservation every day.

With all this success under his chef’s hat; other chefs in the US, following his trajectory of serving authentic Indian food, with chillies and all the other bells and whistles, how does Chintan stay grounded? There is that brutal honesty again. “We as Indians celebrate too much. There are chefs who have achieved far more accolades than we can think of. My goal is to reach that level. I am happy with what I have achieved, but I wonder how will I get there?”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Roni Mazumdar (@roni.mazumdar)

And the reason he is so confident about his talent is the setbacks he has faced in the past. “People only see the success; they don’t see the blunders that came first. But I am not scared of failure; when you have nothing to lose, you are free to do what you believe in.” And because of this very attitude, the Global Indian is happy that more chefs are following the trend he has set. “More is good, we should take everyone with us as we do better.”

Busy with several assignments besides creating new menus, Chintan Pandya is also toying with the idea of a cookbook that he plans to launch soon. We are sure it will be nothing but an original compilation.

Chef Chintan Pandya eats at:

Rezdora and Don Angie for authentic Italian
Wus Wonton for Pan Asian
Kailash Parbat for Indian street food
Ayada Thai for Thai food
Spice Symphony for Indian Chinese

Follow Chef Chintan Pandya on Instagram

Indian-origin Google CEO Sundar Pichai receives Padma Bhushan

(December 4, 2022) “India is a part of me and I carry it with me wherever I go,” Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said after receiving the Padma Bhushan award from the Indian envoy to the US. The Indian-origin CEO is among the 17 others who have been bestowed with India’s third-highest civilian award. "I am deeply grateful to the Indian government and the people of India for this immense honour. It is incredibly meaningful to be honoured in this way by the country that shaped me," added the 50-year-old while accepting the award from Taranjit Singh Sandhu. [caption id="attachment_32421" align="aligncenter" width="979"] Sundar Pichai received Padma Bhushan award[/caption] The CEO of tech giant Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc hardly needs any introduction. In the last 18 years with the Google, Sundar has contributed immensely to the trade and industry sector, thus making his mark. Interestingly, the email service provided by Google, Gmail, was launched on the very day Pichai joined the company – April 1, 2004. Unaware of this new product, he admitted his ignorance in the job interview of the organisation. Luckily for Pichai, that moment of uncertainty got viewed as one of the qualities that

Google, Gmail, was launched on the very day Pichai joined the company – April 1, 2004. Unaware of this new product, he admitted his ignorance in the job interview of the organisation. Luckily for Pichai, that moment of uncertainty got viewed as one of the qualities that Laszlo Bock, Google’s former senior VP of people operations was looking for in a candidate. Bock remembers Sundar Pichai as the candidate with "intellectual humility”. Today, Pichai’s meteoric rise from humble beginnings to a top CEO is a success story that people cherish globally.

[caption id="attachment_26171" align="aligncenter" width="991"] Google CEO Sundar Pichai Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO[/caption]

The first non-white CEO of Google also serves on Alphabet’s Board of Directors. He has been focused on developing products and services with the vision to be of value in all big and little moments of people’s lives.

Talking at Google’s flagship I/O Developers Conference 2022, Pichai informed:

“Throughout the pandemic, Google has focused on delivering accurate information to help people stay healthy. Over the last year, people used Google Search and Maps to find where they could get a COVID vaccine nearly two billion times!”

His zeal for leadership with purpose got recognised in India in the form of Padma Bhushan award 2022. Global Indian turns its spotlight on the journey of the man who inspires millions.

The academic flight

Ironically, the CEO of American multinational technology company has not studied computer science, rather metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. Coincidentally, he has also studied inside the campus of IIT Chennai. His school, Vana Vani happened to be located inside the sprawling Chennai campus.

[caption id="attachment_26157" align="aligncenter" width="984"] Google CEO Sundar Pichai In India Sundar Pichai interacting with IIT Kharagpur students in one of his India visits.[/caption]

Born in 1972, he was raised in a middle-class household by an electrical engineer father who worked at General Electric Company (GEC) and a stenographer mother. Interested in the world of engineering, he was keen to explore the field, and he did so when he enrolled in the IIT Kharagpur. The passion for material sciences and engineering later took to Stanford University for a master's degree and then to Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for an MBA. But making that first trip to the US wasn't that easy for someone who came from a humble background. His father had to spend a year’s salary to buy a plane ticket for him to go to the US for his studies. That was Sundar's first flight journey. The sincere student did not let his parents down and got recognised in his foreign academic institutions as one of the best in the batch.

Foundation of the effervescent leader

Before his association with Google, Pichai worked at Allied Materials and McKinsey & Co. Though both the organisations specialised in metallurgy, the stints groomed him well. He picked up the nuances of product strategy, execution, and team building that eventually set the foundation for his pivotal beginnings at Google. Pichai nurtured his career by aligning it to Google’s success.

“We try to work on things that billions of people will use every day”

No wonder Google is part of everyday conversations and happens to be a significant part of the vocabulary of kids and adults alike across the world!

[caption id="attachment_26172" align="aligncenter" width="817"] Google CEO Sundar Pichai With Team Sundar Pichai with Nigerian Google team during his visit to Africa[/caption]

It has established itself as the organisation that cares with breakthroughs like use of machine learning (ML) to make web images more accessible to people who have vision problems. It generates real-time captions for online videos to help those who struggle with hearing.

Rise and rise of Google under Pichai’s leadership

Sundar Pichai joined Google as its vice-president of product management. He was entrusted with the responsibility of development of Google Toolbar and Google Chrome. These went on to become the world’s most popular internet browser. Undoubtedly, with these quantum leaps, Sundar Pichai climbed the hierarchical ladder. He launched Chrome OS and Chromebook in 2011 and went on to launch Android operating system in 2013. By 2014, the super talented Indian-origin professional was leading all products and engineering divisions at Google, overseeing vital platforms like Search, Gmail, Chrome, Play, Android, Maps, and Google Workspace.

[caption id="attachment_26158" align="aligncenter" width="884"] Google CEO Sundar Pichai With Modi From Left to right : Larry Page (Google's co-founder), Sundar Pichai (Google's CEO), Narendra Modi (India's PM), Eric Schmidt (Google's former CEO), and Ram Shriram (American businessman)[/caption]

When Google reorganised into Alphabet in August 2015, Sundar Pichai got selected as its CEO. In December 2019, he became the CEO of both Google and Alphabet, replacing founder Larry Page. In 2021, under Pichai’s leadership, Alphabet crossed $2 trillion in market value due to sales and profit growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Building impact with powerful breakthroughs

Bringing the world together through different platforms, and giving unique experiences to people has always been the core of what Sundar Pichai and his team thrive upon.

While talking about war drift Ukrainians at Google I/O Developers Conference 2022, he remarked:

“In countries around the world, Google Translate has been a crucial tool for newcomers and residents trying to communicate with one another. We’re proud of how it’s helping Ukrainians find a bit of hope and connection (in countries where they have taken refuge) until they are able to return home again.”

While many other technology giants embrace the metaverse as the next frontier of growth, Sundar Pichai sees Google’s future in its oldest offering - the Internet search. He foresees people asking computers more questions with voice and multimodal experiences.

From overseeing new investments like acquisition of YouTube and launching of Google Cloud, Pichai leads the organisation by advancing AI, digital technology, machine learning and quantum computing.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NJ-juLXoFxM&list=PLjq6DwYksrzyHa9RtflCUniCMTFG4twFD

"AI can make humans more productive than we ever imagined," he remarked in the conference stressing that it can play a foundational role in every aspect of people’s lives, right from healthcare, education, manufacturing to how people consume information. Emphasizing on the significance of ML he said, “When machines would be programmed to simulate human mind, mimic human activity and solve problems, it will have a bigger impact than most of the breakthroughs in recent history."

Matters close to heart…

Keeping India close to his heart, Pichai has led Google to invest in the foundational infrastructure of the country by developing technology specific to its needs. Google Pay app is one such example. “India will be a global player in the digital economy,” he concluded in an interview.

In a statement, the California-headquartered company has mentioned that it will invest ₹109 crore to support healthcare facilities and a further ₹3.6 crore to upskill frontline workers in India. The tech giant has entered into a tie-up with NGOs like GiveIndia, ARMMAN, PATH and Apollo Medskills to fulfill these commitments.

In the last five years, Google has granted funds to the tune of $57 million to India. Out of this $18 million was part of Covid 19 response.  In April 2020, Pichai made personal contribution of ₹5 crore to GiveIndia so that the country can fight the first wave of pandemic.

Love and life

Keeping his private life pretty private, Pichai stays with his wife Anjali who happens to be his heartthrob and classmate from IIT Kharagpur, son Kiran and daughter Kavya in California. The cricket buff is a Sachin Tendulkar fan. The love for the game comes from childhood aspiration to be a cricketer. As a high school student, he was the captain of the school cricket team, displaying his leadership skills on the field.

[caption id="attachment_26161" align="aligncenter" width="849"] Google CEO Sundar Pichai Sundar Pichai trying his hands at cricket[/caption]

Pichai’s love for sports does not end at cricket. He is also an ardent fan of FC Barcelona – the football club and seldom misses to watch it’s match when its competing on field.

The top CEO recently admitted in one of the interviews of the Wall Street Journal that he is not very good at meditation. Instead, he prefers NSDR (non-sleep deep rest), listening to podcasts or taking his dog for a walk.

Do you know how Sundar Pichai connects people?

Google’s flood forecasting technology sent flood alerts to 23 million people in India and Bangladesh in 2021 helping in timely evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.
Around the world, Google Maps has mapped around 1.6 billion buildings and over 60 million kilometers of roads to date with the vision to keep everyone within the reach, and make the world a well-connected chain of individuals.
The number of buildings on Google Maps in Africa has increased by 5X. Google has made a dataset of these buildings publicly available so that international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank can use it to better understand population density and to provide support and emergency assistance.
Google Translate broke down language barriers by recently adding 24 languages which together are spoken by 300 million people, bringing them closer to communities across the globe.
Google has been building augmented reality into many products like Google Lens to provide more interactive experiences and prevent technology from coming in the way of the real-world environment.
Follow Sundar Pichai on Twitter and Instagram

Reading Time: 8 min

From Singapore to the world: Carnatic singer Sushma Soma’s ragas ring out loud

(April 26, 2022) One of her earliest memories of music is listening to her now 92-year-old grandmother singing as she was fed. Today, the award-winning 35-year-old Carnatic singer, Sushma Soma, enthuses about how music was always her passion. Kicking off her journey as a singer at just four, the Singapore-based artist has under her belt an impressive repertoire of performances at several prestigious venues – such as the Indian Embassy Brussels, the Bhavan London, and the Madras Music Academy in Chennai. In 2021, Soma collaborated with Bharatanatyam exponent Mythili Prakash at the Reflektor Festival, Hamburg curated by Anoushka Shankar as vocalist and co-composers. “My most precious childhood memories were listening to Tamil songs on my grandfather’s transistor radio, and waking up to the sound of MS Subbulakshmi’s morning prayers. My grandmother would sing, in fact she still sings so sweetly. I started training at a young age, all this shaped my path,” shares Sushma during an interview with Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_39147" align="aligncenter" width="645"] Sushma with her gramdmother[/caption] Her recently released second album, Home, incorporates environmental issues and raises awareness about sustainability through her music. Sushma created the album along with Aditya Prakash. “Home combines my Carnatic sensibilities, and my

" /> Sushma with her gramdmother[/caption]

Her recently released second album, Home, incorporates environmental issues and raises awareness about sustainability through her music. Sushma created the album along with Aditya Prakash. “Home combines my Carnatic sensibilities, and my passion for the natural world. The starting point was a series of incidents that left me feeling gutted; from the pregnant elephant in India who tragically died when she fed on a pineapple stuffed with explosives, to the loss of indigenous plants and wildlife in the Amazon forest fires. This album is special as it stems from so many things I care about - forests and wildlife,” shares the Carnatic singer, who has won several awards in her career, including the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council Singapore, 2020.

Her archival work with the National Archives of Singapore was also given a special mention at the Singapore Parliament in March 2019.

The Land of Lion

A Tamilian from Chennai, Sushma was hardly 41 days old, when her parents shifted to Singapore (1980s). Growing up, she felt like a minority in Singapore. “Back in the day, Indian expats were not a common sight in Singapore. I grew up around kids who would talk in Chinese or English. While I knew the language, I was deeply connected to Tamil, which we spoke at home. That’s why I loved visiting my cousins in Chennai on vacation,” shares the Carnatic singer.

At four, Sushma started learning the basics of Carnatic music from a teacher who lived right across the street. Being around her teacher, Sushma shares, made her fall in love with music. “She used to perform at temples and would take me along. So, I have been performing on stage since four. During many events, my parents would come back stage to take me home. But I would stay back, because I just loved being around my teacher,” Sushma reminisces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caa9qcrddXE

A diploma in Carnatic vocals at Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFA) in 1993, although she loved to perform, she continued to pursue a traditional career. A mathematics lover, she was obsessed with books growing up. The artiste attained a degree in accountancy from Nanyang Technological University, and a job at one of the Big Four accounting firms. However, it was not long before she realised that her heart was not in her work and she felt a “growing obsession” for music.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sushma Soma (@sushmasaurus)

When she said as much to her father, a chartered accountant, he was shocked. “He freaked out that his daughter was leaving a set career for music. However, he never stopped supporting me,” says the Carnatic singer.

A musical journey...

Not long after leaving her job Sushma shifted to Chennai in 2009, where she lived with her uncle and grandmother. She started training under well-known artiste Lalita Sivakumar, an experience she defines as “a blessing.” Over the course of the next decade, back in Singapore, Sushma performed solo and in collaborations across the world - London, Luxembourg, Brussels, San Diego, Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore just to name a few.

[caption id="attachment_23468" align="aligncenter" width="5081"] Sushma during 2017 Wandering Artist concert[/caption]

"I constantly find myself seeking that one moment during my performances, where it is just me and my music. These moments are fleeting, and rare, but I keep chasing them. For the past five years, I have been trying to express my emotions through music, and that is very liberating and empowering,” shares Sushma, who is currently student of RK Shriram Kumar, a leading Carnatic musician and musicologist.

Actively engaged in the arts as a researcher, educator and writer, Sushma shares that she always reads up about the theme of her songs. “I think that is something that my husband instilled in me - to research about anything before making a song about it,” she laughs sharing, “My husband, Srinivas, is one of the first I share my songs with, and only when he likes it, I finalise it.” Sushma’s husband is an IT professional, working in Singapore.

[caption id="attachment_23465" align="aligncenter" width="638"] Sushma with her co-creator and best friend, Aditya Prakash[/caption]

Busy with rehearsals and events, Sushma shares that she enjoys long walks which are “like meditation. But, of late I have started listening to podcasts on human behaviour to understand our psychology,” shares the Carnatic singer, who loves to bake.

Follow Sushma Soma on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

Reading Time: 7 mins