Who is Revati Sharma Singh and what is her artistic focus?

Revati Sharma Singh is an interdisciplinary artist based in the UK. Her artistic focus revolves around creating paintings and sculptures that explore the depth of understanding, emotions, and the beauty of nature. She draws inspiration from her love for colors, nature's beauty, and her memories of her grandmother's tea estate in Himachal Pradesh.

How does Revati Sharma Singh describe her approach to art?

Revati Sharma Singh describes her paintings as layered, mirroring the complexity of people. She compares the slow, covert changes in weather to the internal workings of a stranger's mind. Adding layers to her art unpeels the subjects and reveals deeper meanings and emotions.

What sparked Revati Sharma Singh's interest in pottery?

Revati Sharma Singh was introduced to pottery as a teenager and was immediately captivated by it. She developed a profound love for pottery after spending time with great potters in an artist village called Andretta in Himachal Pradesh.

Which artist had a profound influence on Revati Sharma Singh's paintings?

Revati Sharma Singh developed a deep admiration for the works of Affandi, a renowned Indonesian impressionist master, during her stay in Singapore. Affandi's style of painting and his works have inspired her artistic journey.

What led Revati Sharma Singh to initiate philanthropy through her art?

After experiencing the success of her inaugural exhibition at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, Revati Sharma Singh realized the positive impact her art could have. Inspired by this revelation, she started donating a portion of the proceeds from her sold paintings to charitable organizations based in Indian cities, making philanthropy an integral part of her artistic journey.

How did the move back to Mumbai influence Revati Sharma Singh's artistic expression?

Moving back to Mumbai and living in the trendy suburb of Bandra provided Revati with a renewed perspective on the city's contrasting landscapes. The juxtaposition of high-rise apartments of the privileged and sprawling slums below inspired her to explore the urgent challenges that plague India's densely populated society, giving her art a distinctly political dimension.

What themes did Revati Sharma Singh explore in her installation 'Running on Faith' at the Art Monaco fair?

In the installation 'Running on Faith,' Revati Sharma Singh targeted the concepts of faith and karma as manifested in modern India. The installation featured a life-size cycle rickshaw with an overweight, gold-colored passenger being pulled by an emaciated, grey-blue rickshaw driver covered in tiny artworks of Hindu icons.

How does Revati Sharma Singh create her colors for her artworks?

Revati Sharma Singh makes her own colors using natural pigments and glues. She incorporates stunning lapis lazuli, beautiful malachite, earthy raw sienna, brilliant yellow, and other natural materials to create the essence of her art.

What was the focus of Revati Sharma Singh's sculptural works in the exhibition 'Grains of Antiquity'?

In the exhibition 'Grains of Antiquity,' Revati Sharma Singh cast grains in various materials and stitched them together to form maps of countries. She used rice paper to layer cutouts and drawings over each other, creating visual decoupages and exploring the language of grains, food, hunger, and abundance.

How does Revati Sharma Singh envision using her art for the common good of humanity?

Revati Sharma Singh has a strong desire to be ethical in the implementation of her work. She aims to use her art to illuminate important issues, including those related to race, color, class, and religion, and hopes that her artistic expression can contribute to positive change and make a difference in the world.

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

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

Q: Where has Revati Sharma Singh showcased her artwork internationally?

Revati Sharma Singh has participated in prestigious art events such as the LAPADA Fair, Saatchi's Start Art Fair, the Affordable Art Fair in London and Singapore, the Masterpieces Art Fair in London, Art Monaco, and the Venice Biennale. She has received two invitations to showcase her work at the Venice Biennale.

Written by: Lubna Reshi

(March 27, 2023) Nowsheen Yaqoob believes no matter what the adversity is, one must learn to be joyful in all situations. Joy, she believes, is a basic emotion – It was the conviction that led to the creation of Auracious Global Consulting – a human development company based in Dubai, that helps individuals and organisations across the globe achieve their full potential on the personal and professional fronts. Their approach, according to the company’s LinkedIn profile, involves the latest developments in neural and behavioural science, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Hypnosis and Quantum Physics, as well as Life Coaching and Change Management models. Auracious works with a diverse clientele from around the world, as well as with clients like FedEx, De Montfort University Dubai and Amity University Dubai. Nowsheen, who left behind a lucrative career in the aviation sector to help people and organisations transform themselves, has come a long way.

The wind beneath her wings

Born in Srinagar, Nowsheen is a qualified Architect and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, besides being a certified life coach. Growing up, she always dreamed of a profession that would allow her to fly. “When I would watch planes fly as a child, I dreamt of working in a profession that would allow me to travel across the world. However, when it actually happened I felt something was missing,” Nowsheen said, in an interview with Global Indian.

Nowsheen Yaqoob, founder, Auracious Global Consulting

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

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

The entrepreneurship route

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

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

Her personal transformation

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

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

Her focus areas

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

Nowsheen Yaqoob, founder, Auracious Global Consulting, Global Indian

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

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

A global mission

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

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

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

Overcoming obstacles

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

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

Making a difference

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

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

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

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

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Meet Dr Mukesh Aghi: A significant pillar of the US-India ties

(May 14, 2023) “This year, United States became India's largest trading partner with trade nearing near the $200 billion mark,” shared a happy Dr Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in one of his social media posts last week. Since the inception of USISPF in 2017, Dr Aghi has played a pivotal role, working with business and government leaders in the US and India to promote trade and strengthen ties between the two countries. “It's a remarkable achievement but more can be done, as the Indian government sets policies and executes new schemes to improve and enhance the business environment in India, thereby creating a stronger environment to create more foreign investors,” the business leader added. A recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2021 for his outstanding contributions to the Indian diaspora, through promoting economic ties between India and the US, Dr Aghi has immense love for his native country. Although he was born in India, Dr Aghi has lived around the world to study and work. With a distinguished career spanning both the private and public setors, Dr Aghi has held senior leadership positions in companies like IBM (Singapore and India), Steria (France), and L&T

r Aghi has immense love for his native country. Although he was born in India, Dr Aghi has lived around the world to study and work. With a distinguished career spanning both the private and public setors, Dr Aghi has held senior leadership positions in companies like IBM (Singapore and India), Steria (France), and L&T Infotech (USA).

Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian

As the President and CEO of the nonprofit organization USISPF, Dr. Aghi has been a vocal advocate for the interests of the Indian American community. He has pushed for policies that benefit Indian companies operating in the United States and has been a strong proponent of initiatives that promote education, innovation, and entrepreneurship among the Indian diasporas.

The Global Indian has been recognized for his leadership and contributions through various awards and accolades, including the JRD Tata Leadership Award. He was recognized by the New York-based Esquire Magazine as a Global Leader. For his extensive philanthropic work, he received the prestigious ‘Ellis Island Medal of Honor’ in America in 2018.

Taking US-India strategic partnership forward

“I believe that the US-India relationship is the most important relationship of the 21st century. This has been stated by President Obama, President Trump and President Biden,” Dr Aghi remarked in a chat show conducted by Business World during his recent visit to India.

His non-profit, USISPF serves as a platform for dialogue and collaboration between businesses, government officials, and thought leaders from India and USA.

Established with the goal of enhancing bilateral trade and investment ties, fostering economic growth, and advancing shared interests and values between the two countries, USISPF focuses on various sectors including technology, energy, healthcare, defense, education, and agriculture. “India's demographic dividend, (now as the world's largest populous country) and tech talent, and the robustness of the American tech economy enable a synergy in the tech space,” Dr Aghi remarked in a social media post emphasizing how both countries complement each other.

[caption id="attachment_38609" align="aligncenter" width="443"] Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian Dr Mukesh Aghi with US President, Joe Biden[/caption]

The organisation acts as a forum for stakeholders to exchange ideas, address challenges, and explore opportunities for economic cooperation. It also organizes high-level meetings, conferences, and events that bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and influencers to discuss key issues and promote business partnerships.

USISPF also provides research and analysis on important economic and policy issues affecting the U.S.-India relationship. It produces reports and publications that offer insights and recommendations to policymakers, businesses, and other stakeholders.

Utilizing India’s potential

In his recent conversation with Business World Dr Aghi said, “India has tremendous resources to build AI, while the US has fantastic algorithms on the AI side. If we merge those algorithms with the data of 1.4 billion people, we can come up with fantastic solutions that will be a win-win. However, it is important for policymakers on both sides to sit down and discuss how they can establish certain fences around AI so that it does not become a threat to society.”

Fully invested in his purpose of leveraging the high potential of US-India partnership, he remarked that the time is ripe to enhance the two countries’ collaboration in the space sector, and work towards enhancing supply chain resiliency, ‘a focus for Prime Minister Modi and President Biden ahead of the Quad Leadership meeting’.

Expressing his joy, he added, “India is now becoming a hotbed of innovation which is going to the rest of the world. We have over 326 space startups in India, and they are doing fantastic innovation.”

[caption id="attachment_38610" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian Dr Mukesh Aghi in a meeting with PM Modi[/caption]

At the top of his game

Climbing peaks whether as a business leader or as a mountaineer is the Indian-origin leader’s core competency. While Dr Aghi served as chief executive and member of the board at L&T Infotech, he played a key role in tripling the company’s valuation. He expanded the business on a global level, led the company’s commercial growth strategy, established its global services function, and built the global sales leadership team preparing the organization for an IPO.

During his time as CEO at Steria, a European digital services and software development company, Dr Aghi successfully spearheaded the merging of Xansa and Steria into a more than $2 billion business. He managed P&L, sales strategies, service delivery, strategic partnerships, a global workforce of over 6,000 people, and the top 50 global accounts of the organisation. The business leader also directed the building of innovation labs and business solutions and liaised with the World Economic Forum and lobby groups in India and Europe during his time at Steria.

As the general manager of outsourcing in Asia-Pacific and President of India at IBM, Dr Aghi tripled the company’s revenue in three years and grew the market share, gross margins, and caliber of talent. He helped set up the IBM Lab in India and registered multiple patents from it.

Fluent in many international languages, as well as an avid marathon and mountaineering enthusiast, the business leader has competed in more than 27 international marathons and climbed some of the highest peaks in North America and Europe.

[caption id="attachment_38612" align="aligncenter" width="815"] Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian Dr Mukesh Aghi with Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal[/caption]

Reaping growth

Dr Aghi is the founding-CEO of Universitas 21 Global, which went on to become one of the world's largest e-learning joint ventures, hailed by global educational bodies as a premier online institution. He was responsible for Building the company from the ground up and spearheading strategies for all aspects.. He also led the board of corporate and academic leaders.

The company's online program became the fastest-growing online program with enrollment growing to more than 7,000 MBA students from 70 countries across the world. Five years after founding Universitas 21 Global, Dr Aghi sold the company to a private equity firm for a profit which was twelve times his investment value.

“We as individuals must decide on our own what our priority is. You must reflect ‘am I being a parasite in the world or am I being a contributor’. It's ok to create wealth but there must be a balance – a balance between accumulating the wealth and bringing change and contributing to society,” he said in a thought leadership conversation organized by Giggr.

[caption id="attachment_38615" align="aligncenter" width="779"] Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian Dr Mukesh Aghi with industrialist Shiv Nadar[/caption]

Giving back

A noted philanthropist, Dr Mukesh Aghi has been involved with several charitable organisations and supported causes related to education, healthcare and poverty alleviation. He has been at the forefront of relief efforts for issues ranging from the pandemic to the 2018 floods in Kerala. He also works with initiatives aimed at promoting clean energy and sustainability and has served as the CEO of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-profit organization in India that aims to bring transparency to the country’s democratic system.

He has also been involved with the Pratham Education Foundation, one of India's largest NGOs, which works to provide quality education to underprivileged children in India.

Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian

In 2017, Dr Aghi received the Community Leadership Award by the American India Foundation (AIF) for his philanthropic work. “Indian Americans are the most affluent and most philanthropic minority group in the US. It shows that as a community, we are not just focused on enhancing our own lives, but also the environment around us and the different cities we are staying in,” he said at a conference.

Dr. Aghi holds several degrees, including an advanced management diploma from Harvard Business School, a Ph.D. in international relations from Claremont Graduate University, California, an MBA in international marketing from Andrews University, Michigan and a BA in business administration from the Middle East College, Sultanate of Oman. Though he is based in the US, the business leader extensively travels to India for help power his country's growth.

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Frogman of India: Prof SD Biju is all set to make frogs popular at Harvard

(May 19, 2023) For those intrigued by the amphibian world, Professor SD Biju is a name to note. A pioneering herpetologist, he has unearthed 116 unique amphibian species across India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka and is now preparing to bring his expertise to Harvard University as a Radcliffe Fellow. “Delighted to announce that I will be joining the Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute as a Radcliffe Fellow,” tweeted the Delhi University professor Sathyabhama Das Biju. Popularly known as the ‘Frogman of India’, Prof SD Biju has been selected for the prestigious Harvard Radcliffe fellowship for 2023-24. The senior professor of environmental studies at DU is the 60th fellow representing biological sciences in 23 years of the Radcliffe programme at Harvard, and only the second fellow in this discipline from India. The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is one of the world’s leading centres for interdisciplinary exploration and research. [caption id="attachment_38842" align="aligncenter" width="846"] Dr S.D. Biju[/caption] The Radcliffe Fellowship One of the most prestigious academic programmes in the world, the Radcliffe Fellowship is awarded every year to scholars, artists, and practitioners engaged in innovative work seeking to engage audiences beyond academia, confronting pressing social and policy issues along the

ramme at Harvard, and only the second fellow in this discipline from India. The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is one of the world’s leading centres for interdisciplinary exploration and research.

[caption id="attachment_38842" align="aligncenter" width="846"] Indian Professor | SD Biju | Global Indian Dr S.D. Biju[/caption]

The Radcliffe Fellowship

One of the most prestigious academic programmes in the world, the Radcliffe Fellowship is awarded every year to scholars, artists, and practitioners engaged in innovative work seeking to engage audiences beyond academia, confronting pressing social and policy issues along the way. This is not the herpetologist’s first association with Harvard University, where he serves as an associate of the department of organismic and evolutionary biology. However, the Radcliffe fellowship gives him the chance to work there full-time.

During his fellowship, Prof Biju plans to accelerate his scientific efforts through on-site collaboration with Harvard faculty members, postdocs, and graduate students, making use of the rich specimen collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. He would work to expedite efforts to outpace nameless extinctions in India’s amphibian hot spots through the discovery and documentation of species and identification of key biodiversity areas for their conservation.

“The biologist attracted global attention to amphibians in South Asia when his three decades of work discovered over a hundred new species, created an upsurge in scientific knowledge,” stated the release from Harvard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLEA8zyE1uI

Tryst with frogs – how it all began

The research scientist earned his first PhD in Botany from University of Calicut, India, and contributed to knowledge on plants through several scientific publications and books. He went on to obtain his second PhD in animal science from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium and shifted his focus to amphibians.

In his acceptance speech of IUCN/ ASG Sabin Awards few years ago, Professor Biju shared “I was introduced to the wonderful world of amphibians by amphibians themselves. I was a plant taxonomist. Wherever I went searching for plants, frogs were there. I became fascinated by their colours, shapes and behaviours,” he said. Slowly his interest leaned from plants to frogs. “One day I realised that my mind is full of plans for frog study, and not for plants study. From that moment frogs took charge of my life.”

Prof Biju works in India’s forests and out of his laboratory at Delhi University. During his field studies, he has spent long days in forests, even going without food several times. “No stranger to starvation as a child, I can easily go without a meal or manage in any adverse circumstance during tough field trips. This has all now become part of my life,” he shared in an interview.

[caption id="attachment_38843" align="aligncenter" width="1163"] Indian Professor | SD Biju | Global Indian Photo Credit: Prof SD Biju[/caption]

Early life

Born in Kadakkal, a remote village close to a forest in Kerala, as a little boy he used to walk to school with a broken slate in hand, after selling milk in the morning and handing over the money to his mother to run the household. The family moved to Madathura after his birth and during the several years they spent living there, they would see wild elephants in their backyard almost everyday.

“I helped my parents from a young age in earning our livelihood. We had a small plot of land that we tilled. I bathed the cows, fed the chickens, walked every morning for five kilometres to sell the milk to a shop. It’s a life I cherished. That’s my strength,” he shared in an interview with Forbes.

Back then, the only language he knew was Malayalam and he struggled in college as ‘science was taught in English’. His sheer dedication towards the subject that helped him sail across all hurdles.

Today, ‘his discoveries alone represent 25 percent of India’s amphibian diversity,’ highlights a research report. Interestingly, out of 100 amphibian species discovered by Prof Biju, 40 are named after people who have played a significant role in his journey of rising from humble beginnings to becoming a world-renowned herpetologist.

To acknowledge his contribution to the world of amphibians, a research team led by other herpetologists have named two frogs after Biju - Beddomixalus bijui, which was discovered in Kerala by researcher Dr. Anil Zachariah and team in 2011, and Bijurana nicobarensis, discovered in 2020 from Nicobar Islands by a joint team of Indian and Indonesian herpetologists.

Indian Professor | SD Biju | Global Indian

Why are frogs significant at all

Calling himself a ‘crazy frog scientist going about his usual business.’ Professor Biju said in an interview with Mathrubhumi, “Frogs are a small, yet significant, part of the wide spectrum of an ecosystem. Our survival is dependent on such billions of life forms.” He believes that if frog population in a habitat is healthy, the good health of other species in the habitat can be maintained.

“Frogs are living fossils. With 230 million years of evolutionary history, frogs are the first land animals with a backbone that moved on earth. They are among the few living beings with us who have witnessed all the five mass extinctions,” he shared with Forbes.

Strongly advocating to build a mindset of conservation of all species in entirety instead of focusing on few, Prof Biju pointed out:

In the food chain, frogs form an important part of the diet of many other animals such as birds and snakes. If their populations decline, the entire ecological pyramid will collapse. That is why they are called the 'conveyor belts of life'.

“The highly permeable skin in frogs is sensitive to even the slightest of change in the environment. If the number of frogs decrease (in a habitat), so would other species co-inhabiting in those water bodies and wetlands,” he remarked, calling them ‘the herald of ecological balance’ and ‘environmental barometers,’ and emphasizing on why if all species need to survive, they must survive together.

[caption id="attachment_38847" align="aligncenter" width="1108"] Indian Professor | SD Biju | Global Indian Photo Credit: Prof SD Biju[/caption]

The ardent researcher

Prof SD Biju has published over 100 research articles in top scientific journals. His findings have appeared in popular international press like National Geographic, BBC, CNN, New York Times, Forbes, The Economist, Associated Press, and The Guardian.

“I am at the threshold of 60. I work for 16 hours every day. Frog study may seem absurd to some, but this is a realm of research which is highly vibrant,” the scientist remarked in an interview with Mathrubhumi.

The Global Indian has guided many PhD students and is happy with the quality of research he produced during the process. All his students are well-placed as professors or scientists in top universities and institutions in India and abroad.

With the support of Conservation International, USA, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) the herpetologist runs The LOST! Amphibians of India (LAI) which is a nation-wide citizen science and conservation initiative started in 2010 for rediscovering India's lost species of amphibians.

[caption id="attachment_38849" align="aligncenter" width="1115"] Herpetologist, professor SD Biju has unearthed 116 unique amphibian species and is now heading Harvard University as a Radcliffe Fellow. Prof Biju and his team on field study[/caption]

The Frog Prince

Under his leadership, some of the lost species of frogs like the Chalazodes Bubble-Nest Frog, were rediscovered in the Westerern Ghats after 136 years.

The frog researcher who founded Systematics Lab at the University of Delhi in 2006 has been making contributions towards conservation of amphibians through discovery and documentation of their species with his students. The Kerala-born has been recently conferred the first 'Kerala Sree' Award by the governor of the state in the presence of the chief minister. Prof Biju is often found capturing the images of the amphibians on camera with finesse of a skilled photographer. Such is his love for frogs that he even has an impressive collection of frog replicas in different shapes and sizes adorning his home.

[caption id="attachment_38888" align="aligncenter" width="1068"] Indian Professor | SD Biju | Global Indian A rare species - Indian Purple Frog ((Nasikabatrachus Sahyadrensis) that is usually found 18 feet under the soil discovered by Prof SD Biju | Photo Credit: Prof SD Biju[/caption]

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Ayo Shanti: The native American in love with the Ganges and the indigenous Indians

(Jun 7, 2023)“I don’t usually talk about this but I think I can talk more freely about it with Indians – I am sure I had many lifetimes in India,” smiles Ayo Oum Shanti,” as she connects with Global Indian from New York City. The founder of the nonprofit World Water Hub (WWH), Ayo was born Roberta Weiri and changed her name later, to be in tune with her spiritual side. WWH began with Ayo’s passion project, The River Project–Ma Ganga (RPMG), which is a convergence of her experiences and fascination with the Ganges, her partner's love for his native country, and her acumen to bring people together to find solutions. “I was raised to be a citizen of the world,” says the eighty-year-old, who is working to build meaningful communications around water and raise funds for the Ma Ganga project in India. Her nonprofit was created to give local communities from around the world a voice, and the chance to participate and collaborate in developing viable solutions to problems involving rivers and other water related issues. [caption id="attachment_39678" align="aligncenter" width="414"] Ayo Oum Shanti[/caption] “We have just officially become part of the Pennsylvania based HSI (Humanitarian Social Innovations) fiscal

pan data-contrast="auto">“I was raised to be a citizen of the world,” says the eighty-year-old, who is working to build meaningful communications around water and raise funds for the Ma Ganga project in India. Her nonprofit was created to give local communities from around the world a voice, and the chance to participate and collaborate in developing viable solutions to problems involving rivers and other water related issues.

[caption id="attachment_39678" align="aligncenter" width="414"] Ayo Oum Shanti | Philanthropist | Global Indian Ayo Oum Shanti[/caption]

“We have just officially become part of the Pennsylvania based HSI (Humanitarian Social Innovations) fiscal sponsorship, and are addressing ourselves as HSI-WWF,” she says.

Passion to make a difference

Before her retirement, Ayo worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – one of the top cancer hospitals in the world. It was a setting where shared information and collaboration were at the heart of research to find cures. As a coordinator, Ayo helmed various collaborative and outreach efforts like conferences, seminars, symposiums and PRSS.

Using this experience, Ayo aimed to create a similar model with HSI-WWH, to solve global water-related problems like floods, drought, pollution and sewage. “I truly believe that there is a solution to all these problems. Education is important. We need to just open our minds to change the situation. Once humanity has the will to make changes, it will happen. Lots can be done with the change of mindsets,” she remarks.

HSI-WWF works as an open access educational resource. “In essence we are creating a global hub around river restoration and water management for education, sharing information and solutions, and for creating a platform for collaborations,” she says.

How did it start…

During her visits to India, Ayo would spend many afternoons at the Assi Ghat in Varanasi. “I love rivers in general but there was something really magical about the Ganges,” she says. This was when the seed of starting a non-profit around water and river restoration germinated in her mind.

[caption id="attachment_39681" align="aligncenter" width="580"] Ayo Oum Shanti | Philanthropist | Global Indian One of the ghats of the Ganges in Varanasi[/caption]

“There can be thousands of river restoration projects in the world and there could in hundreds in India alone, but there are hardly any platforms to bring all of them together,” says Ayo. “We are creating a space where people (those involved in river restoration and water management) can collaborate and share their experiences of what’s working for them and how others can benefit from those strategies.

The significance of indigenous communities

In addition to her NGO, Ayo has plans to establish a think-tank which would focus on the Ganges and other significant water bodies, supporting geo-hydrologic eco-systems worldwide.

In her last visit to India, she spent a lot of time with the rural communities of Rajasthan. I felt an instant connection with them. “I am grateful to the Gravis (Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti) for connecting me to their communities at Gagadi and Bap. I am thankful for the organisation’s generosity to teach me their amazing water management systems and to the community support on so many levels,” she says.

With first-hand experience interacting with indigenous people in Rajasthan Ayo has learned a lot. She strongly believes that they have the knowledge that we need. “I would like to group these indigenous knowledge-keepers with scientists in the envisioned think tank to come up with sustainable solutions” she says. “We should not be arrogant about our knowledge because indigenous communities have more knowledge than us. Their language is not that much of a barrier - if you want to communicate, you will be able to communicate with them.”

[caption id="attachment_39682" align="aligncenter" width="344"] Ayo with a person from rural Rajasthan, India[/caption]

World Water Quilt

To spread awareness on pressing issues, Ayo and her team have big plans for World Water Day 2024. The team is inviting, artists, photographers and poets to share their creations with them. All their creations will then be collated on fabric, in the form of a quilt and presented to the UN on World Water Day 2024 which falls on March 22. “We are hoping participation of creative minds from all over the world. Later, a book featuring the contributors of the project is also being planned,” she informs.

How Roberta Weiri became Ayo Oum Shanti

Like some Americans, Ayo follows the shamanic tradition. It revolves around the principle of being devoted to the knowledge and care of other souls and, on nurturing the ecstasy of one’s own soul.

“20 years ago, when I got divorced, my entire life changed except my name.’ Fellow followers of Shamanism said - “In our tradition when you are starting a new phase of life, you give yourself a new name that’s in harmony with what your intention is for the new phase of life. Why don’t you do the same."

Ayo liked the idea and chose a name which is in tune with her utmost intentions. – “Ayo is an African name that means ‘joy.’ I look at my middle name ‘Oum’ as the music of the spheres and ‘Shanti’ is peace – so these are my intentions,” she says. “Spirituality is my top priority,” she smiles.

Connection with India

The spiritual soul nurtures a deep bond with India in her heart. “I grew up in what is called the Unitarian church. Under its umbrella, in Sunday school you spend the first three years learning about other religions before you learn about your own,” she mentions.

“So, the church used to bring people from other religions to talk about their beliefs,” Ayo says narrating a childhood incident. “I still remember, when I was six, an Indian woman came to give a lecture in a gorgeous red sari. I was extremely shy to speak but very clearly, I remember thinking, I come from where she comes from, although I had no idea where she came from,’ she smiles. That was the first time that Ayo had met an Indian but she felt as if she belonged to her culture.

[caption id="attachment_39683" align="aligncenter" width="378"] Ayo in Rajasthani attire[/caption]

By the time she turned a teenager she had made lots of Indian friends, and all her friends would wonder, “Why are you so comfortable with Indians?” Perhaps as Ayo believes, she has lived many past lives as an Indian. Later, when it was time to choose a partner, she chose an Indian.

Impact of early years

Growing up Ayo was profoundly influenced by her father, a first generation American, an artist, a machinist engineer, and a Spanish Civil War and WWII veteran. “He had a big heart and a deep respect for life, nature, and all humans. It was through him that I learned what it means to have unconditional love,” she shares. Her mother has had an equally powerful influence on her life.
 
“My mother was referred to as a ‘crusader for lost causes’ as she was always searching for common ground in all that she did. She was involved in UN-NGOs and was an organizer for the Gray Panthers - a series of multi-generational local advocacy networks in the United States which confronts many social justice issues,” she tells.

Her parents’ influences are evident in Ayo’s passion for putting community first. “We (WWF) are functioning out my retirement fund,” tells the change maker for whom ‘future of humanity’ matters more than her own ‘future’.

Impressive zeal at eighty

After the birth of her first child, education had taken a backseat for Ayo. “I returned to my college (Hunter College, NYC) after 45 years to get my bachelor's degree," she says excitedly. Ten years later in 2019, she did her master's in EDM (Emergency and Disaster Management).

[caption id="attachment_39684" align="aligncenter" width="488"] Ayo in Kochi[/caption]

 
A published poet and writer, a dancer, choreographer, world traveller, and astrologer, Ayo has held managerial positions in many industries. “If you look at my resume you would say, whoa! What exactly was she trying to do,” she laughs. “All that I have done gives me a broader perspective of different domains of the society,” she signs off.

Follow Ayo Shanti on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 5 mins

Journey of an artist: Revati Sharma Singh is crafting artistic narratives that transcend boundaries

(June 4, 2023) In a world where the weight of crises threatens to drain the vibrancy from our existence, it is a somber thought to imagine a world devoid of colour. From the pressing issues of hunger to the disheartening disparities of abundance, humanity stands at a crossroads. But amidst this bleak panorama, one interdisciplinary artist has emerged as a beacon of hope, weaving hues of optimism through her artistic tapestry. For the past 23 years, UK-based artist Revati Sharma Singh has tirelessly traversed the creative realms between London and India. "My paintings are very layered, just like people are," the artist explained during a recent interview, adding, "Often one wouldn’t notice slow, covert changes in the weather, just like one wouldn’t pay heed to the internal workings of the mind of a stranger. In a way, then, adding layers only unpeels my art’s subject." The Global Indian has been a consistent participant in prestigious art events such as the LAPADA Fair, Saatchi's Start Art Fair, the Affordable Art Fair in London and Singapore, the Masterpieces Art Fair in London, Art Monaco, and the Venice Biennale, where she has received two invitations to showcase her work. "Layers of surfaces give

as been a consistent participant in prestigious art events such as the LAPADA Fair, Saatchi's Start Art Fair, the Affordable Art Fair in London and Singapore, the Masterpieces Art Fair in London, Art Monaco, and the Venice Biennale, where she has received two invitations to showcase her work. "Layers of surfaces give meaning to the depth of understanding and emotion below. Nothing is ever in a vacuum and nothing is ever truly lost. Even if it can no longer be seen, it is right there under the surface. My works are made up of these layers. Sometimes many layers that you only catch a glimpse of how the work started and how it evolved."

Enchanted by nature

Growing up in Mumbai, Revati would never leave any chance to visit her grandparents, who lived in a scenic village in Himachal Pradesh. It was here that the young artist first fell in love with nature's beauty and later incorporated that into her art. "My work finds its verse in memories of my days at my grandmother's tea estate, nestled between the mountains in a tiny village called Darang, in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh," she mentions on her website, adding, "It is my spiritual home that renders my aesthetic. One of the most important concepts ingrained in me from my wandering days in the hills is that of freedom. Freedom from dogma and religion, freedom from closed-mindedness, freedom to choose my influences, and freedom from fitting in."

Artist | Revati Sharma Singh | Global Indian

But, while she loved colours since she was a young kid, Revati was introduced to pottery as a teenager, and in her words she was "hooked for life". Revati said, "My love affair with the pottery first began when I was 14. That summer, I lived with and learned from the great potters, Mini and Mary in an artist village called Andretta in Himachal. I spent hours turning the wheel with my foot and creating little pieces of magic from the earth. The rest of my time I spent walking around the fields on my own."

An artistic inspiration

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from Delhi College of Art the artist shifted to Singapore, which proved to be a turning point. Venturing beyond the borders of India for the first time, she immersed herself in the vibrant city, tirelessly exploring its art galleries. It was during this period that she developed a deep admiration for the works of Affandi, the renowned Indonesian impressionist master, who would later become a profound influence on her paintings. "I admire Affendi, an old Singaporean Master. I love his work and his style of painting. I relate to his work a lot and am very inspired by him," Revati shared.

[caption id="attachment_39592" align="aligncenter" width="605"] Artist | Revati Sharma Singh | Global Indian Revati's artwork, "Fleeting Glimpses in Delhi"[/caption]

Interestingly, it was also during her stay in Singapore that Revati experienced the triumph of her inaugural exhibition, held at the esteemed Raffles Hotel. Reflecting on this achievement, the artist recalled a profound realisation that her art held the power to make a positive impact. Inspired by this revelation, Revati initiated a heartfelt gesture of philanthropy by donating a portion of the proceeds from each of her sold paintings to charitable organizations based in Indian cities. This philanthropic practice remains an integral part of her artistic journey, with notable contributions made to the annual charity auctions organized by the Magic Bus Foundation.

[caption id="attachment_39594" align="aligncenter" width="692"] Artist | Revati Sharma Singh | Global Indian Revati is working on several pieces for various international art festivals[/caption]

Revati eventually moved back to Mumbai and the return to her homeland sparked a transformation within her artistic expression, taking on a newfound and distinctly political dimension. Moving to the trendy Mumbai suburb of Bandra in 2007 provided Revati with a renewed perspective on the city, allowing her to embark on what she considers a pivotal phase in the evolution of her artistic expression. "I can still recall the moments when I would gaze out from my sea-facing apartment, completely captivated by the juxtaposition before me. I could see the shimmering high-rise apartments of the privileged alongside the sprawling slums below. This stark and powerful contrast became a pivotal moment of realisation for me, as it dawned on me that my art possessed the extraordinary potential to illuminate the urgent challenges that plague India's densely populated and struggling society," the artist expressed.

The broader picture

In 2011, Revati was invited to exhibit at the Art Monaco fair, which she did with Running on Faith, an installation featuring a life-size cycle rickshaw. In the work, the artist turned her focus more directly toward the religious context of modern India, targeting the concepts of faith and karma as manifested in an overweight, gold-coloured passenger being pulled along by an emaciated, grey-blue rickshaw driver – the latter’s thin body covered in tiny artworks of Hindu icons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av4R1CVrknQ

A couple of years later the artist shifted base to the United Kingdom, and 2015’s Italia Docet | Laboratorium marked Revati's first appearance at the Venice Biennale, with two multimedia installations drawing on the work of renowned Indian philosophers Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. While her art is brilliant, one of the most interesting things about Revati is that she makes her own colours. "I use natural pigments and glues to make my colours. Stunning lapis lazuli and beautiful malachite, earthy raw sienna, and brilliant yellow - it’s the essence of my being."

In 2019, Revati exhibited her sculptural works, Grains of Antiquity with Art and Soul, casting grains in varied materials and stitched together to form maps of countries, cutouts, and drawings are placed over each other using rice paper forming various planes of visual decoupages. Currently, working on several pieces for various international festivals, the artist wishes to use her art for the common good of humanity.

Artist | Revati Sharma Singh | Global Indian

"I have a strong desire to be ethical in the implementation of my work, to not succumb to what is expected but to be courageous and have the integrity to do what I believe in," she expressed, adding, "I found my path in the language of grains, the language of food, the language of hunger and that of abundance, it’s the language we all speak despite our differences in race, colour, class or religion. It is these differences that make life colourful."

Follow Revati Sharma Singh on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and her website

Reading Time: 6 mins

Pradnya Giradkar: Inspirational life story of Cheetah lady who reintroduced cheetahs in India

(October 3, 2022) “India had 10,000 cheetahs during the time of Akbar but then, rulers over the years have been fond of hunting, and the number of the fastest animal on earth started coming down in India. The last three cubs were killed by Maharaja Surguja of MP in 1947,” says Pradnya Giradkar, the country’s first cheetah conservation specialist, who lived with 52 cheetahs in Namibia. Eight cheetahs from Namibia were brought to Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022, receiving such fanfare that they were received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself on his birthday. It was a historic day in many ways - also because it is the world's first carnivore relocation project. It’s a milestone that Pradnya, founder of the Wildlife Conservation and Rural Development Society has worked over a decade to achieve, and her phenomenal efforts, have finally paid off with the success of Project Cheetah. Having been declared extinct in 1952, the homecoming of the big cats after 70 years on the Indian soil is a matter of great achievement for her. [caption id="attachment_30098" align="aligncenter" width="905"] Cheetah Lady, Pradnya Giradkar[/caption] Pradnya has been a lecturer at zoology department and PhD student of K J Somaiya College

ttachment_30098" align="aligncenter" width="905"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Cheetah Lady, Pradnya Giradkar[/caption]

Pradnya has been a lecturer at zoology department and PhD student of K J Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai, where she taught wildlife as a special subject to students pursuing their degrees. “As a PhD scholar, I was doing my research in tiger conservation and my professors would address me as ‘tigress’ because I had such a knack for it,” says Pradnya who used to watch track the movement of the tigers from midnight to five in the morning at Tadoba National Park. “Now, with cheetahs being brought in to the country, I am being called, ‘the cheetah lady’, it feels good,” she smiles, during her interview with Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_30179" align="aligncenter" width="842"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Cheetahs at Ootjiwarongo forest, Namibia | Photo credit: Pradnya Giradkar[/caption]

Pradnya’s role in Project Cheetah

As the first Indian to be trained by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), the global institution working to save the big cats, Pradnya visited Namibia in 2011.There, she worked closely with Dr Laurie Marker, the executive director of CCF, enjoying an eventful month-long stay with close to five dozen cheetahs, doing their DNA testing, cat analysis, and livestock management as part of the training. Co-incidentally, Marker has been a key advisor to the Indian government on the cheetah relocation project for the last 13 years.

[caption id="attachment_30099" align="alignnone" width="894"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Pradnya with her mentor Dr Laurie Marker[/caption]

Since the conceptualisation of the Project Cheetah in 2009, Dr Marker has been one of the leading figures working on the mission, coordinating with scientists and other specialists, and assessing the suitability of potential habitats for the cheetahs to translocate to India. MP’s Kuno National Park was identified back then.

However, there have been many roadblocks along the way. The major roadblock came when the Supreme Court issued a stay order on the project, on the grounds that the foreign species could endanger the Indian breed of wild cats in Kuno. The court also mentioned that since the African cheetahs are genetically different from the Asian cheetahs, their chances of survival in India may not be high.

[caption id="attachment_30159" align="aligncenter" width="747"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Cheetah at Ootjiwarongo forest, Namibia | Photo credit: Pradnya Giradkar[/caption]

Legally speaking...

At the time, Pradnya, who was just back from her training with Dr Laurie, had first-hand information of the climatic needs of the big cats. Like Dr Marker, she knew that they can very well adjust in India but that required proving in a court of law.

Along with other wildlife scientists, Pradnya went on to gather evidence that the cheetahs can survive in the Indian climate without any difficulty. Her efforts paid off when Dr Stephen O’Brien, a renowned Russian geneticist, sent her a letter, stating that genetic differences between the Asiatic and African cheetahs, which, although “real, were ‘almost negligible”, and that African cheetahs can survive well in India if provided with a suitable prey base and habitat.

[caption id="attachment_30157" align="aligncenter" width="806"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Cheetah at Ootjiwarongo forest, Namibia | Photo credit: Pradnya Giradkar[/caption]

After this expert clarification, the wildlife scientists, including Pradnya, filed a review petition at Honourable Supreme Court of India which got approved. Finally, it gave its nod to the translocation project in the year 2020, on the basis of the submission of letter of Dr O’Brien to Pradnya, okaying a pilot programme to observe the success before more cheetahs were brought to the country.

“I admire Dr Marker a lot. She is a very good lady. I am very grateful for her efforts that have paved the way for cheetahs to return to India, after we won the case in court,” Pradnya says. “Though we have not met since my return from Namibia, we have always been in touch keeping each other updated on Project Cheetah.”

[caption id="attachment_30158" align="aligncenter" width="765"] Cheetahs at Ootjiwarongo forest, Namibia | Photo credit: Pradnya Giradkar[/caption]

Contrary to belief, India is natural habitat of cheetahs

The reintroduction of cheetahs to India took many years of effort, held up as they were by assumptions that the climatic conditions in the country might be unsuitable. There are doubters even now, but Pradnya is very confident about this landmark move. “India was home to them if we go back in history. Their extinction was caused by man,” Pradnya says.

For the expert wildlife conservationist, cheetahs and tigers are like friends whom she understands well. She can understand animal language as she has studied behavioural activities of animals ethology.

India is the proud country that is home to six types of big cats, While UK has just one, the US has two and Africa, three - Pradnya Giradkar

Stressing on how cheetahs have always belonged to us she says, "Cheetah is derived from the Sanskrit word Chitrakayah or Chitraka meaning the variegated or spotted one. The word gradually got converted to Cheetah"

[caption id="attachment_30116" align="aligncenter" width="1289"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Pradnya's photography at Ootjiwarongo forest, Namibia[/caption]

Tackling human-wildlife conflict

Through her NGO, Wildlife Conservation and Rural Development Society, Pradnya has been trying to address human and wildlife conflict, mitigate and prevent harm that both man and wild animals can cause to each other. Her NGO is engaged in community outreach efforts across the forest territories of India, guiding tribal communities on how to prevent and react to livestock predation. The NGO works to help rural communities gain solutions that are mutually beneficial to both wildlife and domestic animals.

[caption id="attachment_30162" align="aligncenter" width="827"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Photo credit: Pradnya Giradkar[/caption]

Predators like tigers, leopards, lions live alongside human communities and cause harm to the livestock (cows, sheep, and goats) of tribals of the region. However, it is possible for tribals to hunt down the wrong animal in revenge if they don’t know how to identify the predator from the mark of their knuckles - Pradnya Giradkar

“Most of the forest territories are Naxal-prone areas, Naxalites lure the tribals to hunt animals for skin, nails, teeth etc. for money,” Pradnya explains. Her NGO also works for the socio-economic improvement of the tribals so that they do not indulge in illegal activities. They have collaborated with institutions like Khadi Gram Udyog, and National Institute of rural development to provide livelihood opportunities to ensure the tribal communities’ development as a whole and ensure sustainable animal conservation.

[caption id="attachment_30096" align="alignnone" width="1959"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Pradnya at Ootjiwarongo forest, Namibia with Hiererro community people[/caption]

“I cannot be everywhere all the time so I also develop local leaders in the forest territories, who see to mitigating man-animal conflict, and sustainable environment biodiversity conservation,” says Pradnya who also did community outreach efforts for the CCF when she was in Namibia.

Flashback of the journey…

The daughter of a nature conservationist father, Gopalrao and activist mother, Sumati, Pradnya grew up close to the wildlife territory at Giradkar Wada, Umred in Nagpur district. Always a multi-faceted learner, she went on to pursue her MSc in entomology, MPhil in bio- chemistry, and PhD on tiger conservation under University Grant Commission's FIP Fellowship programme. “Since I was dealing with wildlife and tribals, I thought it important to know laws pertaining to both so that I can stand up for them in times of need. So, I went on to do LLB in environmental and international law from Nagpur university completing it with first merit,” she says. One person who inspired her greatly over the years is Dr. S.G. Yeragi from Somaiya College. "He was my Ph. D. supervisor, a well-known personality in Mumbai University and in Maharashtra," she mentions.

[caption id="attachment_30101" align="aligncenter" width="811"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Pradnya at her farm[/caption]

The gifted singer and college chess champion of Mumbai University received the Hidden Eco-Hero award in 2017, an initiative of UNEP that honoured six other environmental leaders from across the globe along with her that year. She was also honoured by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), US for efforts taken for tiger conservation, and received fellowship from WildCRU (Wildlife Conservation Research Unit) of Oxford University, UK with funding from CCF, Namibia. She is the recipient of British Council scholarship for Edinburg University's, environment project at Scotland.

The accomplished wildlife conservationist is also an agriculturalist who enjoys time outdoors in her 175-year-old family property near the forest territory. There, she and her 82-year-old mother grow cotton, gram, soyabeans, and chilli. “I am confident that the Government of India will keep the cheetahs very well. I strongly believe that they will propagate in India more than they have in Africa,” she signs off.

[caption id="attachment_30164" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Conservationist | Pradnya Giradkar | Global Indian Cheetah cub | Photo credit: Pradnya Giradkar[/caption]

Pradnya's story is one of great effort and overcoming major challenges. Through sheer grit and unwavering passion for her beloved wildcats, she has re-written India's wildlife story and found herself a place in the annals of history, both in India and around the world.

Follow Pradnya Giradkar on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 7 mins