Global IndianstoryFrom the perspective of NRIs: Why India’s election and its results matter

From the perspective of NRIs: Why India’s election and its results matter

By: Amrita Priya

(June 5, 2024) India has the biggest diaspora in the world followed by Mexico, Russia and China as per UN’s latest data. According to India’s External Affairs Ministry, there are over three crore Indians currently settled abroad. Of this, close to 1.35 crore are NRIs while the remaining are Persons of Indian Origin (PIO). Addressing tens of thousands of people of Indian origin, the Indian Prime Minister has built a strong connection with the diaspora in the last one decade. Added to that, the external affairs minister Jaishankar’s skillful foreign relations have boosted the interest of Indian diaspora in their native country and resurrected a sense of pride.

The leaders’ consistent outreach to the Indian diaspora worldwide has been a significant feature of their foreign policy. Understanding the value of building ties with the diaspora, even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been on several visits abroad, primarily at foreign universities addressing the Indian natives. The Indian diaspora across the globe has keenly observed the 2024 elections due to the foreign policies which have a massive impact on them especially from the perspective of the migration policies. While counting of votes was in progress, Global Indian spoke to a few members of the diaspora asking their opinion on the significance of elections for Indians staying abroad. Here‘s what they had to say:

Paras Khuran

Paras Khurana, AI, Cybersecurity & HR Professional, Ontario, Canada

India’s elections hold immense significance for millions of NRIs, as the outcome can directly impact the lives and connections with our homeland. The election results will shape India’s economic trajectory, influencing factors such as investment opportunities, taxation policies, and remittance regulations. NRIs often contribute substantially to India’s economy through remittances, which amounted to a staggering $87 billion in 2021, according to the World Bank. Furthermore, the elected government’s stance on issues like dual citizenship, voting rights for NRIs, and diaspora engagement initiatives will have a profound impact on the NRI community. The election outcome will also influence bilateral relations between India and the countries where NRIs reside, affecting their lives and prospects. As India’s global influence continues to grow, NRIs have a vested interest in the nation’s political landscape and the policies that shape its future.

Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Gupta, Business Executive, Dubai, UAE

What I realised in my two decades abroad is that a powerful image of India brings a lot of global opportunities for Indians staying within the country and those working abroad. Coming from a country that can boast of a good economy, education, and innovation adds immense value to professionals of the country in a foreign land. As an Indian native, I feel proud highlighting the country’s positive developments in the global arena. Staggered image or poor image of a country, and struggling government would not add value to me as an NRI. Clean and a digitally strong image is what we are looking for and support. I am looking forward to the same good image of India in the coming decade and that is why staying abroad I have been keenly observing the election related developments in India. Stability of government would mean a lot of boosts in the sectors of business economy, trade, startups, foreign collaborations, sustainability, energy efficiency, women empowerment, innovation and research development. The way the government performed in the last one decade has evoked patriotism, nationalism, strength and power at the global platform.

Harold D’Souza

Harold D’Souza, President, Eyes Open International, Ohio, United States

As an NRI, the significance of Indian elections across borders serves as a powerful reminder of our deep-rooted connection to our homeland. Despite living abroad, our nationality, culture, and heritage remain integral to our identity. Keenly following the electoral process of India allowed us to stay connected to our roots, affirm our solidarity with our fellow citizens back home, and ensure that our voices abroad contribute to shaping our nation’s future. It is our continued commitment to the values and principles that define us as Indians, no matter where we reside. To me, India’s elections and results influence policies and decisions impacting not only those living in India but also the global Indian community.

Suresh Jayaraman

Suresh Jayaraman, Technical Auditor, Sharjah, UAE

Staying abroad, I feel so proud to be an Indian and witness how our elections, the world’s largest electoral festival, uphold the spirit of our democracy under the supervision of our Election Commission. As NRIs, we continuously think about the people back home and take an active interest in the electoral process, hoping for a strong government to form at the center and for our country’s values to be showcased to the entire world. However, there are certain areas where the political arena appears unpleasant from the perspective of a common man. Some individuals in politics do not come with the motive of serving the nation; instead, they view politics as a means to make a lot of money. Like every election, I hoped that in this election too, people would think carefully and cast their ballots with the nation’s growth in mind, electing the right candidates.

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Published on 05, Jun 2024

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Venkatesh Charloo: How a banker in Hong Kong returned to India to conserve marine life

(March 20, 2024) While the majority of his weekdays were spent working for a bank in Hong Kong, his weekends were all about binging on nature documentaries. Enamoured by marine life, Venkatesh Charloo decided to be a diving instructor. With this dream in his sights, he returned to India in 1995 and joined the Barracuda Diving Centre in Goa. A decade into diving in oceans, something strange happened in the summer of 2007 when Venkatesh was diving at the Grande beach in Goa and he found an angel fish caught in a ghost net. Seeing her struggling to get out, he spent the next few minutes untangling the net in an attempt to save her life. By that time, the fish was completely exhausted, and couldn't swim anymore and just lay on Venkatesh's palm for a while, recuperating. After regaining strength, it didn't dart away into the ocean, instead, it rubbed itself against his hand, as if thanking him. "Even after all these years, I can't believe I had this experience. I remember thinking that it was time to give back to the oceans," said Venkatesh, who is a marine conservationist and founder of Coastal Impact. Conserving marine life That

pact.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coastal Impact.

Venkatesh Charloo | Global Indian

Conserving marine life

That incident propelled Venkatesh towards marine conservation, and two years later, he ended up starting Coastal Impact, with the aim to study and monitor marine ecosystems and help build interest among local communities. "It dawned on me that there are so many marine beings dying around us and there's very little we are doing to save them," he said in an interview.

The voracious monsoon of 2009 led to the shutting down of the diving centre, owing to heavy rainfall. This presented Venkatesh with an opportunity to start working in the area of marine conservation - taking the first step in creating awareness. He began by doing presentations in schools and colleges, and educating local people about marine life, and realised that people were keen to know more. Moreover, he collaborated with marine biologists for underwater surveys. "We would do line transects for them, and even do underwater videography and photography which was a great learning experience. Slowly all of these experiences moved me towards conservation," he revealed.

Venkatesh Charloo | Global Indian

Why corals are important

This propelled him to start Coastal Impact in July 2009 with the aim to increase the coral cover in Goa - which is currently seen around three islands - Grande, St George Island, and Pequeno. As the marine world of Goa is home to 65 types of fish and 30 species of corals, Venkatesh wants people to know about the rich biodiversity that exists in the oceans. Calling corals the foundations of the oceans, Venkatesh added, "Corals act as a barrier between big waves, tsunamis, and helps the health of the oceans. Even if they form only 1 percent of the surface of the entire oceans, they support 25 percent of the biodiversity that exists." Moreover, oceans are responsible for producing up to 60-70 percent of the oxygen we breathe. In the years that he has been in Goa, he saw many corals dying due to fishing, plastic, water pollution, and climate change. "This is putting a lot of stress on the corals." He was called to take action through coral transplantation. "Our work in coral transplantation involves continuously monitoring and rescuing fragmented corals, and physically relocating them from inhospitable sites to favourable habitats where the coral is more likely to thrive," the Global Indian said.

The process of coral transplantation

With a grant of ₹20 lakh from the Habitats Trust, he along with volunteers embarked on a journey to transplant corals in Goa. It was while reading about Florida-based Mote Marine Labs, that he accidentally discovered the process of transplanting corals on land in aquariums, which is called micro fragmentation. "We pick up broken but alive pieces of coral. We cut the corals and then fix these fragments into the transplantation site. We measure and document the growth of the coral through photography," he revealed. Once the corals mature, they are then outplanted onto the reefs where they become one with nature. In the pilot project, 192 coral fragments were transplanted, and they have shown a growth rate of nearly 500 percent over the span of two years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3JsQkeOPzI

Moreover, he started Coral Crusaders, a coral adoption initiative by Coastal Impact in which they put corals up for adoption for ₹5500 and have already had 110 fragments of corals being adopted. The money is used towards future transplantation as well as monitoring and maintaining the existing corals. "I truly believe people want to do good in the world, one just has to give them a legitimate and right path where they see the value and want to associate with," he said. The progress is a bit slow and Venkatesh believes that marine conservation isn't getting the right attention. But he plans to continue his efforts in Goa and hopes that more people and companies work together towards collective impact.

Venkatesh began his career as a banker but he still likes to call himself "a banker who is now protecting a much greater wealth - marine biodiversity and the environment."

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From the US to Switzerland: How Indians rule the roost

(May 1, 2022) India has the largest diaspora in the world - over 13 million Indians live outside the country, with 17 million individuals of Indian origin. While they are known to be skilled IT professionals, several Indian-origin politicians have earned important designations in governments worldwide. According to the latest report by Indispora, a US-based nonprofit community of global Indian diaspora leaders from various backgrounds and professions, more than 200 persons of Indian-origin hold the highest positions around 15 countries - which included elected officials, diplomats, legislators, heads of central banks and senior civil servants. They also listed over 60 leaders, who hold cabinet positions in various countries. Global Indian takes a look at few notable politicians, who have made their mark as immigrants or children of immigrants. Kamala Harris – vice-president of the United States During a civil rights protest on the Berkeley campus, when Shyamala Gopalan asked her toddler daughter “What do you want?” she replied, “Fweedom!” [caption id="attachment_23845" align="aligncenter" width="597"] Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States[/caption] Today, the journey of Kamala Harris is an inspiring story of many firsts. Probably one of the most famous Indian-origin politicians in history, Kamala is not just a woman, but

Kamala-Harris.jpg" alt="" width="597" height="896" /> Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States[/caption]

Today, the journey of Kamala Harris is an inspiring story of many firsts. Probably one of the most famous Indian-origin politicians in history, Kamala is not just a woman, but also the first Black and first Indian-American vice-president of the United States. Born in Oakland, California to parents who emigrated from India and Jamaica, Kamala and her sister, Maya, grew up embracing both their South Asian and Black heritages. But it was her mother, a breast cancer scientist and pioneer in her own right, who instilled a strong sense of justice in Kamala from a young age. Her parents took the little Kamala to civil rights demonstrations and introduced role models—ranging from Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall to civil rights leader Constance Baker Motley—whose work motivated her to become a prosecutor.

In 2010, Kamala was elected as the first African American and first woman to serve as California’s attorney-general. Six years later she was elected as a senator for California, becoming only the second African-American woman to ever be elected to the US senate. Because of the politician's commitment to fighting injustice, her eloquence, and capabilities for leadership and governance, President-elect Joseph R Biden chose Harris as his running mate in 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-cbGOYjBfU&t=103s

Since her attorney-general days, Kamala rallies for women’s rights — supporting women in our workforce, addressing the maternal health crisis, and defending reproductive rights. During one of her many famous speeches, Kamala told the Generation Equality Forum at a summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron that gender equality was paramount to strengthening democracy. “Use the tools for democracy, whether that is the freedom of speech or the freedom to vote. And if you do not yet have those freedoms, fight for them and know we will fight alongside you,” the politician said, adding, “If we want to strengthen democracy, we must fight for gender equality. Because here is the truth: Democracy is strongest when everyone participates, it is weaker when people are left out.”

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Leo Varadkar - Tánaiste and minister for enterprise, trade and employment, Ireland

Leo Varadkar knew since early childhood he wanted to enter politics - announcing to his mother’s friends he would be minister for health at just seven. Born to Dr Ashok Varadkar and Miriam Howell, in Dublin, Leo became the first Indian-origin, openly gay and youngest-ever Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) in 2017.

[caption id="attachment_23846" align="aligncenter" width="581"] Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste of Ireland[/caption]

Currently serving as the Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) and minister for enterprise, trade and employment, Leo studied medicine at Trinity College, Dublin, where he was an active member of the campus Young Fine Gael organisation, and also served as the vice-president of the youth organisation of the European People’s Party, an amalgam of dozens of centre-right youth political groups from across Europe. In 2007, at age 28, the politician emerged on the national stage by winning election to the Dáil representing Dublin West.

Often called the Celtic Tiger, Leo has been able to pull Ireland out of an economic crisis, and incorporated a road map for achieving a low carbon economy. During his first address as Taoiseach, Leo said that his government would be “one of the new European centres.” Given Ireland’s staunchly Catholic past, Leo’s sexuality was always a talking point across the globe. However, the Taoiseach believes that Irish society is changing. During an earlier interview, he had said, “I think other people, perhaps people braver than me, who campaigned for equal rights before the law changed things for me - To them I’m very grateful. But it does add additional responsibility on me, that I do want to use the office that I now hold to advance equality of opportunity, to advance the concepts of equal rights before the law. That’s not just for people from the LGBT community here in Ireland, but also in Northern Ireland, and around the world where such rights are under threat.”

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Harjit Sajjan - minister of international development, Canada

The first Sikh Canadian to command a Canadian Army reserve regiment, and later becoming the country’s minister of national defence, Harjit Sajjan has been one of the most beloved ministers of Canada. The politician, who was born in Punjab in 1970, immigrated to Canada with his family when he was five years old. He grew up in South Vancouver, and benefitted from everything the area’s diverse and culturally rich community has to offer.

[caption id="attachment_23847" align="aligncenter" width="726"] Harjit Sajjan, minister of international development of Canada[/caption]

At the age of 19, Harjit joined the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own) as a trooper and was commissioned as an officer in 1991. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and was deployed overseas four times in the course of his career: once to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and three times to Afghanistan. In 2011, he became the first Sikh to command a Canadian Army reserve regiment. Harjit was also a part of the Vancouver Police Department, before being elected for the riding of Vancouver South during the 2015 federal election.

During one of his interviews, Harjit had said that he hopes his years in uniform will help motivate the troops, and maybe Canadians in general. “If someone looks at that image and thinks, ‘Wow, if this guy can do this stuff, I can too,’ then I’ve inspired people along the way, which has always been my goal,” the politician said, adding, “But it is just a picture, and life has a way of humbling you if you have any type of arrogance.”

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Vivian Balakrishnan - minister for foreign affairs, Singapore

A doctor by profession, an activist at heart, Vivian Balakrishnan serves as the minister for foreign affairs in the Singapore government. Born in 1961 to an Indian Tamil father and a Chinese mother with ancestry from Fuqing, Vivian has raised his voice against injustice since childhood. The politician, who studied medicine at the National University of Singapore, was elected president of the student’s union (NUSSU 1981 to 1983), and chairman of NUSSU (1984 to 1985).

[caption id="attachment_23848" align="aligncenter" width="695"] Vivian Balakrishnan, minister for foreign affairs, Singapore[/caption]

Following his dream Vivian then pursued postgraduate specialist training in ophthalmology and was admitted as a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1991. However as soon as he returned to Singapore he started noticing the many problems his people faced. While he has made many famous speeches, one of the most liked videos is of a 29-year-old Vivian debating the then newly elected PAP MP K Shanmugam on Lee Kuan Yew’s remarks that questioned the loyalty of Malay Singaporeans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPHD72AKGn4

In the 2001 general election, Vivian was elected as a member of parliament for Holland – Bukit Timah GRC, and in January 2002, he was appointed minister of state at the ministry of national development. An environmentalist, Vivian has been aiming for sustainable development in Singapore. “Singapore is both a small island developing states (SIDS) and a city-state. Since independence 50 years ago, we have pursued sustainable development. Despite, and perhaps because of, our natural constraints, we had to achieve economic progress whilst preserving a good living environment. Although we have one of the world’s highest population densities, we have maintained our greenery and biodiversity, and enhanced our citizens’ quality of life. This year, we were honoured that our Singapore Botanic Gardens was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site," the politician had said while representing Singapore at the UN SDG conference.

Though a hardworking politician, Vivian is also a devoted family man. Married to Joy Balakrishnan, the politician is father to one daughter and three sons.

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Nik Gugger - member of the national council, Switzerland

In 1970, a Malayali woman gave birth to a baby boy in Udupi, Karnataka, and told the doctor to give her child for adoption to a family that will look after him well, before abandoning the newborn. Five decades later that child, now known as Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, became the first Indian to be elected to the Switzerland parliament. Within a week of his abandonment, Gugger was adopted by a Swiss couple — Fritz and Elizbeth Gugger. His new parents took him to Kerala when he was just 15 days old, and they lived there for around four years before moving to their native in Switzerland.

[caption id="attachment_23849" align="aligncenter" width="635"] Nik Gugger, member of the national council, Switzerland[/caption]

Through his father’s work at the Uetendorfberg Foundation, which offers housing and work opportunities for people with hearing, speech and multiple impairments, Nik came into contact with disabled people early on. After finishing his school, Nik did pioneering work in the development of school social work and was a member of the working group for the development of the model for open youth work in Winterthur. At the same time, he studied social work and social management at the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz from 1995 to 1999. Since his adoptive parents were not rich enough to finance his higher studies, Nik had to drive trucks and work as a gardener to pay his fees.

Soon after he finished graduation, he became a member of the central board of the Swiss Evangelical People's Party (EPP). From 2014 to 2017, he was a member of the Zurich Cantonal Council, and in the 2017 National Council elections, Nik Gugger made it to the first substitute seat. Currently, the politician is a member of the Foreign Policy Commission and also a member of the Council of Europe.

A devoted father of three, the politician is deeply connected to his roots, and often visits Thalassery in Kerala – a place he calls his hometown. He also founded the aid organisation, Gundert Foundation, in Thalassery, which is committed to modern education for children of all castes. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nik launched a fundraising campaign to enable ventilator purchases in Odisha.

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Sutanu Sur: Taking India’s soft power to the world through music

(January 8, 2023) “Learning tabla from such a young age made me so good at Maths that I became an engineer,” tabla player Sutanu Sur joked, as he did a demonstration with the instrument before joining the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra in concert. Sutanu has been living in Fox Valley, in Wisconsin, USA, for nearly a decade and learning the tabla for well over three, part of a small but thriving Indian diaspora a few hours North of Chicago. His audience that night was almost completely American and many were seeing a tabla for the first time. Sutanu, a software engineer by profession, performs whenever he gets the chance, he is keen to have a proactive role in taking Indian music to the world. Although Indian music culture is well-showcased in the larger cities, the same cannot be said of the smaller suburban towns, where the diaspora is notably smaller. “Indian classical music concerts happen in the big cities. I live three hours from Chicago, in a town where everything is available, including a prestigious concert hall. But there is hardly any focus on Indian music," Sutanu tells Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_33665" align="aligncenter" width="340"] Sutanu Sur[/caption] Sutanu is determined to

ption id="attachment_33665" align="aligncenter" width="340"] Sutanu Sur[/caption]

Sutanu is determined to do his bit, performing as much as he can, talking about his craft and speaking to the media. The Indian diaspora in this little corner of American suburbia is small but active – in 2010, they even built the region’s first Hindu temple, there is a Sikh temple and the nearest Bengali Association (Bengali Cultural Society of Milwaukee) that hosts its Durga Puja celebrations every year is two hours away.

Performing with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

Last year, the internationally renowned conductor and pedagogue, Dr Kevin Sütterlin, who had become the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra conductor, decided on a more multicultural theme for their concert in October 2022. He picked a piece by Reena Esmail, whose compositions are rooted in Indian classical music traditions and fused with Western music and instruments. The piece, however, needed a tabla player.

"Kevin considers himself a global citizen and is interested in different cultures and forms of music," Sutanu says, as he recalls how this collaboration happened. "He chose the Esmail piece because he wanted to show a blend of cultures. They decided to include the tabla section without knowing how hard it would be to find a tabla player." By then, Sutanu had performed in several concerts in the area and Sütterlin tracked him down. "It was the first time I received the scores of a composition," Sutanu smiles.

The concept was so novel to the audience that Sutanu had to start out with a demonstration. What's more, the orchestra had managed only three rehearsals with their tabla player. "They are world class musicians who could adapt to the different kinds of compositions and the nature of the instrument," Sutanu explains.

Early talent

Growing up in a suburb some 50 kilometres outside Kolkata, Sutanu showed an interest in the tabla in his family home from a very young age. His parents noticed and fixed up lessons with a teacher. He learned for 12 years, under Pandit Sukumar Moitra. He performed even as a child, taking part in competitions and winning nearly all of them. "The tabla was my main focus then. I was doing my riyaz for six to eight hours a day." Even his academics became second priority, until class 10. "I was really good at Maths and got into Jadavpur University," Sutanu says. "I studied engineering and continued to play the tabla."

When Sutanu moved out to Fox Valley to work, around a decade ago, there weren’t too many Indians around. “Nobody really focused on presenting Indian culture to the community,” he says. He began performing with IndUS of Fox Valley organization, which is dedicated to promoting Indian culture. “I have been performing there for the last seven years,” he says.

A tabla player joining a symphony orchestra is rare and Sutanu takes pride in it, "as an Indian," he says. "The audience was surprised to learn all the nuances of the tabla. The only way to promote something to is to get people to learn about it," he says.

An ambassador of India's soft power

Sutanu continues to train, now with Pandit Swapan Choudhury, who has launched a digital library of resources for tabla players around the world. “Music has its own language, it’s a great way to communicate,” Sutanu says. “I have never played alongside a clarinet before and I don’t think Dr Bruce Danz has played any Indian songs before. But he was adapting and so was I, it’s a communication that happens through music. That’s why it plays such an immense role in connecting people and cultures from around the globe.”

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Sagar Honnungar: Building disruptive AI at Hakimo

(October 29, 2022) Puzzles can be deceptively simple, if you know how to approach them. Techpreneur Sagar Honnungar, the co-founder of Hakimo has what it takes to solve even the most complex ones. In school, Sagar Honnungar loved solving puzzles. That childhood hobby continued to inspire him, even his work today could be described as solving a mountain of puzzles, as he and his team go about securing big enterprises, including airports and multinational companies. Hakimo, where Sagar is both co-founder and CTO, is a California-based company that acts as an AI assistant for GSOC (Global Security Operations Centre) operators in big enterprises by eliminating most nuisance alarms and enabling them to prioritise high severity alerts using cutting-edge AI solutions. “This significantly reduces the chances of a real break-in going unnoticed by security operators in the midst of false alarms,” explains Sagar, in conversation with Global Indian. The company’s product won the Judges Choice award across all categories in the New Products Showcase at ISC West conference this year — a proud moment for the Hakimo team. [caption id="attachment_31149" align="aligncenter" width="684"] Sagar Honnungar, co-founder of Hakimo[/caption] Growing up in Bengaluru, the garden city and Silicon Valley of India, Sagar did

-31149" src="https://www.globalindian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/PHOTO-2022-10-18-00-36-281.jpg" alt="Techpreneur | Sagar Honnunagar | Global Indian" width="684" height="513" /> Sagar Honnungar, co-founder of Hakimo[/caption]

Growing up in Bengaluru, the garden city and Silicon Valley of India, Sagar did his schooling until Class X at S. Cadambi Vidya Kendra, and then went to National Public School Rajajinagar until Class XII. “I had always been the class topper and was taught to aim high in life,” recalls Sagar, who was strong in science and mathematics. His father Kashinath Honnungar was an electronics engineer (now retired), mother Sanjivani Honnungar is a home-maker.

As a child, he wanted to be an astronaut, for he was fascinated by the vast expanse of the sky and space. But when he was first taught Java in high school, Sagar discovered he was that quite good at programming and fell in love with it.

The cream of the crop

Having performed well in the IIT-JEE examination, Sagar went to IIT Madras for his undergraduate studies. “I learnt to adjust to new environments and live independently. The peer group was undoubtedly the best,” smiles Sagar, who maintained a stellar academic record.

He first visited the US in the summer of 2015 as a Viterbi-India scholar to complete a research internship at USC (University of Southern California). Towards the final year of his undergrad, the techpreneur developed an interest in computer vision and computational imaging. He completed his B Tech in Electrical Engineering in 2016 and ranked second in the entire department.

The Stanford experience

Sagar returned to the US a year later and this time, for a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. For this, he received the JN Tata Endowment Scholarship. Sagar describes the Graduate school at Stanford as an intense and enriching experience. “Since it has a quarter-based system as opposed to a semester system, it felt quite fast-paced compared to my undergrad. I soaked up all that I could during my two years there and did a number of research projects in the field of machine learning,” explains Sagar, who graduated in 2018.

[caption id="attachment_31150" align="aligncenter" width="643"] Techpreneur | Sagar Honnunagar | Global Indian The Honnungar family[/caption]

He considers himself lucky to have worked with renowned experts like Prof. Srijan Kumar and Prof. Jure Leskovec on identifying malicious users based on their activity in websites like Wikipedia, and understanding and predicting entity-set interactions in different kinds of networks.

The IT guy

The Stanford alumni’s first job after college was at a fast-growing startup called Rubrik, which was right next to Stanford, where he worked from 2018 to 2020 as a software engineer. “I built Rubrik’s first cloud native data management product for O365 protection on a SaaS platform, designed with a unique enterprise architecture,” informs Sagar, who was also an integral part of the design and implementation of the storage layer which managed the entire lifecycle of data stored on the platform. Two patents were filed based on his work at Rubrik.

Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley

As he was thinking about and researching different startup ideas at the beginning of 2020, Sagar met with his friend, Samuel Joseph, who was also looking to work on something new. Together, they founded Hakimo in California, now a 15-person company that has disrupted the physical security industry like no other.

The Hakimo team noticed a few major trends. For example, the number of cameras being deployed was increasing exponentially and they were mostly for physical security use cases. The cost of cameras was coming down rapidly, and computer vision and deep learning techniques were advancing fast, opening up possibilities for new innovative products.

“With these trends in mind, we spoke to a number of security professionals to understand their pain points,” he says. Two major problems came up repeatedly — false alarms from access control systems and tailgating incidents. He and his team analysed the reasons and came up with solutions.

Building a prototype and a successful launch

Sagar built the initial prototype of the algorithm and tested it out on a few sample alarm videos from a couple of interested customers. “They were highly impressed at what Hakimo’s AI algorithms were able to achieve,” says Sagar, whose elder sister, Shruti works as a software engineer in the US.

They swiftly decided to raise VC funding to take it to the next level. “We raised a $4M seed round in Oct 2020 with Neotribe Ventures as our lead investor with participation from Defy Ventures and Firebolt Ventures and some angels. We have now grown to a team of 15 split between the US and India,” informs Sagar.

Techpreneur | Sagar Honnunagar | Global Indian

One of the logistical challenges he faced was understanding and navigating the visa requirements and constraints when founding a company in the US since Sagar was an Indian citizen. “In the early days, we encountered a lot of challenges which are common among most startups. Hiring a good initial team is very important but also hard since the candidate has to trust the vision of the company and take a big leap of faith without concrete signals of growth or success,” he explains.

How do tailgating detection and false alarms filter work?

Hakimo’s software is layered on top of and integrates with the existing access control system (which manages the badge readers and door sensors) and the video management system or cameras. It ingests alarms from the access control system and for every alarm, fetches the corresponding video from the camera facing the door or alarm point. The AI engine then analyses the video using state-of-the-art machine learning and computer vision techniques to provide a severity score for the alarm and resolves it automatically if it is found to be a false positive.

“Our product can eliminate more than 80% of such nuisance alarms, of which some common ones are Door Forced Open (DFO) and Door Held Open (DHO). We can identify tailgating by correlating the badge reads from the access control system with the number of people entering through the door in the video for that time window,” he explains.

Rooted in tech skills

A strong technical background forms the core of the Hakimo team, with multiple employees from reputed colleges like IITs and Stanford. Each team member has deep expertise in computer vision, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and design of robust, scalable and reliable software systems.

Roughly half of Sagar’s workday is spent on managing, coordinating, guiding and unblocking the team on ongoing projects. Then, it’s time for talking to customers, identifying avenues for improvement and product expansion and thinking about the company’s vision and roadmap. “The remainder of my day goes into coding and contributing to product development. I also actively engage in hiring activities for team leaders across different departments as well as engineers in the company,” says Sagar.

Expansion to India

The California-based company already has an R&D centre in India and currently employs around eight people with plans to expand over the next few months. But currently they are selling only in the US market. “Once we reach certain milestones in the US market, we will be looking to expand and get some clients in India as well,” informs Sagar, whose way of giving back is by creating more jobs back home.

Techpreneur | Sagar Honnunagar | Global Indian

When not working, Sagar loves to explore the outdoors and going on hikes in the sunny California weather. Otherwise, one can spot him playing tennis or the piano to unwind during his free time. “I also find solving different sorts of puzzles like sudoku and crosswords very exciting,” smiles the Hakimo co-founder, who is currently reading Masters of Doom, the story of two legendary game programmers Carmack and Romero.

Follow Sagar Honnungar on Linkedin

Reading Time: 8 min

Into the jungles with wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt

(March 30, 2024) In 2023, wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt was named the winner of the People's Vote Award in the wildlife category at the ReFocus Black & White Photo Contest for his image 'The Gentle Giant of Ambroseli', where he went up against entrants from 77 countries around the world. With numerous accolades to his name, and work featured in publications across the globe, the self-taught photographer's journey began at home, listening to his mother's stories of growing up in Mombasa and in his father's darkroom, where he watched films being developed and enlarged. He talks to Global Indian about what inspires him to travel to the world's most remote and challenging terrains to seek out some of the world's most exotic, dangerous and elusive wildlife, as well as toeing the line between respecting an animal in its habitat and getting the perfect shot. [caption id="attachment_50399" align="aligncenter" width="523"] The photo of the polar bear in Svalbard that won Parag Bhatt an honourable mention in 2022[/caption] The formative years Born, raised, and educated in Mumbai, Bhatt’s school days saw him keenly interested in science when he would make models and electrical toys from scratch. That interest saw him pursue electronic engineering.

onourable mention in 2022[/caption]

The formative years

Born, raised, and educated in Mumbai, Bhatt’s school days saw him keenly interested in science when he would make models and electrical toys from scratch. That interest saw him pursue electronic engineering. However, post his graduation, he moved to Powder Metallurgy where he worked on manufacturing diamond tools for the stone cutting industry. He worked in this industry for 40 years at the same time pursuing his hobby. “My father had a deep interest in photography. He had a darkroom at home where he would develop the film and enlarge prints. I used to love the way prints would come alive in a hypo solution in just a few minutes from white light falling on photo paper. So, I used to work with him in the darkroom and occasionally pick up his camera and shoot. That is how my interest was kindled in photography,” he reminisces.

Wild Ways

As far as his interest in wildlife was concerned, the contribution to this came from his mother who was born in Mombasa, Kenya since his grandfather had emigrated to Kenya. “She used to tell us stories of how she frequently encountered wildlife in Kenya when traveling from one place to the other by road or how the animals used to roam freely and were not confined to parks. Such stories brought in a lot of excitement within me as a young boy and ever since then, I wished to visit Kenya to view wildlife. Gladly this dream of mine came to fruition in 1994 when I first visited Kenya. My trip to Kenya plays an integral role in my journey as a wildlife photographer. It was on that trip that I for the very first time in my journey as a wildlife photographer shot wildlife,” he explains.

[caption id="attachment_50397" align="aligncenter" width="466"] Wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt[/caption]

Lessons in the Wild

Wildlife behaviour is quite unpredictable, making it challenging to anticipate their actions and movements. Capturing the perfect shot often requires waiting for the right moment, sometimes for hours or even days. “Hence patience and persistence are mandatory qualities for a wildlife photographer. Moreover, many times the weather is not conducive, which can impact the quality of shots. In times like these, the photographer can either wait for the weather to change and become favourable for capturing shots or use the weather to his/her advantage,” he says.

Wildlife photography involves using specialized gear, such as long lenses and sturdy tripods, which can be heavy and cumbersome to carry around. Mastering technical skills like exposure, focus techniques and composition principles are essential for capturing compelling wildlife images. “In wildlife photography, there is something very interesting called a ‘circle of fear’, which if crossed, will result in the animal fleeing." It's a fine line, he admits, between respecting the animal's space and natural habitat while still getting close enough for a good shot. But, he maintains, the well-being of animals is always top priority and disturbing them for the perfect shot is just not done. "Documenting wildlife can also raise awareness about conservation issues, but photographers must be mindful of their impact on fragile ecosystems and endangered species,” he adds.

Being Recognised

Bhatt won two honourable mentions and the People’s Choice Award in 2022 in the ReFocus B&W photo competition, something that has given him satisfaction and happiness. “I remember capturing the polar bear photograph less than two years ago in Svalbard. The whole idea behind capturing this shot was to portray the behaviour of the polar bear." The polar bear, he says, was dipping into the icy water to search for her kill, which had been carried adrift from the shore by the tide. For Bhatt, the challenge was to locate her everytime she surfaced, as she would dive in somewhere and resurface randomly elsewhere after about half a minute. The long and heavy lens, the choppy waters and the bobbing rubber boat only made the task more challenging.

[caption id="attachment_50403" align="aligncenter" width="433"] Wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt | Global Indian Photographer by Parag Bhatt[/caption]

Working on Himself

As self-taught wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt commenced his journey in wildlife photography during the days of the film by taking snapshots of animals in their habitat. For the first few years, he pursued this path and started documenting each exposure, trying to improve the next time. “Over the years, I realized that there was much more to it than what I had been doing. Hence, I started my quest to improve my skills. For this, I collected a lot of books on the art and science of photography and slowly learned the ropes of exposure, metering, focus techniques, and mainly the art of composing images,” he says.

In 2003, Bhatt bought his first digital camera which revolutionised the learning process. It shortened the learning curve for photographers everywhere, and Bhatt also began observing and learning from some of the best in the business. Seeing their work inspired him to strive for better photographs. "My journey has been slow and painstaking but I have reached a stage where I have the confidence to exhibit my work at the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai,” he adds.

Conflict Cues

For a wildlife photographer documenting human wildlife conflict is an interesting yet challenging task. Balance plays a vital role in showcasing the human and the wild stories. “While documenting the human wildlife conflict I ensure I am capturing the beauty of the wildlife showcasing them as at ease in their natural habitat while coexisting with the human. I also try to show the complex relationship between humans and the wild through my photographs. For instance, I captured one such photograph in Masai Mara Kenya. The photograph portrays how the usage of plastic negatively impacts our ecosystem. The photograph showcased a lion cub chewing a plastic bottle while sitting beside its mother. Plastics pose a significant threat to the health and survival of wildlife globally and the photograph tried to get attention to the harmful effects plastic can have on animals. I wanted to convey the message that we should have effective waste management techniques to avoid such incidents and reduce the harmful effects of plastic pollution,” he says.

Wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt | Global Indian

Looking Ahead

Over the years he has learnt several lessons while pursuing his craft of capturing the wild. Patience, persistence and acceptance in nature are key because no matter how well-prepared one might be, nothing goes according to plan in the wild. "Things unfold in their own way," he says. "I have learned to embrace every moment in the wild as it comes. I enjoy being by nature and observing the animals in their natural habitat and there are a plethora of things I have learned while capturing each shot." Over the years, he has learned to understand animal behaviour better, and to approach every encounter with an open mind. "I accept nature’s unpredictability efficiently and always remain patient in the moment,” he says. For someone who always tries to push boundaries to capture amazing shots, he plans to publish a coffee table book soon. “I will also set strategies to mentor budding wildlife photographers by hand holding them and teaching them the techniques of shooting good wildlife images. I will be going to Kenya at the end of this month to shoot wildlife at night and rhinos up close and hopefully come up with some striking images,” he signs off.

Follow Parag Bhatt on Instagram and on his website