Entrepreneur | Pratik Thakker | Global Indian

Global IndianstoryPratik Thakker: Israel’s tech ambassador to India

Pratik Thakker: Israel’s tech ambassador to India

Written by: Namrata Srivastava

(September 17, 2022) His first day in Israel was a disaster. He felt so overwhelmed and homesick that he landed in an emergency room following an anxiety attack. “My first few months in Israel were very challenging. I longed to go back to Mumbai, but I knew that I couldn’t give up,” shares entrepreneur Pratik Thakker. Starting his journey as a young kid, who sold firecrackers and pickles in India, Pratik has come a long way to starting two tech-based companies – Webzoly and Testlify, in Israel. Often referred to as Israel’s tech ambassador to India, Pratik is Israel’s top LinkedIn influencer with over a hundred thousand followers.

Entrepreneur Pratik Thakker

“I have seen many failures in my life to understand that without falling you cannot expect success,” shares the entrepreneur as he connects with Global Indian during an interview, adding, “My companies have been helping Israeli tech companies grow in India and Asia-Pacific (APAC) by providing the local team, capital and drive the marketing, sales, and growth. India and Israel have a very long and deep relationship and I am quite proud to be a part of this journey.”

An entrepreneurial kid

Born in Kutch, Pratik grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. A mischievous child, he studied at a boarding school till Class 4. “That was a difficult time. Staying away from your family at such a tender age can have a very deep impact,” shares the entrepreneur, “In the middle of IV standard, my father shifted me to a convent school. It was a bit difficult for me to adjust and frankly, it took about three years to match up to the education level of the students my age. Eventually, I was able to top my class and even got a scholarship from the school.”

It was in Class 7 that Pratik began his entrepreneurial journey. Inspired by his father, who had a spice shop, and other relatives, the entrepreneur decided to test his business skills. “Diwali was around the corner, and I wanted to sell crackers – not the usual ones but the fancy firecrackers. After my father gave me about ₹3000, I got a friend on board whom I promised to share my leftover crackers with along with a treat at a Chinese restaurant,” Pratik laughs.

Entrepreneur | Pratik Thakker | Global Indian

Excited about his first venture, Pratik took off to a wholesale market in the Masjid Bandar area of Mumbai with his friend and father, and picked some really unique stock for their stall. “But due to the festive season, we couldn’t find a spot for our stall. So I took a small stool, and placed my carrom board on it upon which I put my stock. People were very intrigued by two young boys selling crackers and we earned a good amount,” he says, adding that the two friends continued to sell crackers for the next three Diwalis.

The land of Judah

Even during his college years, Pratik continued dabbling in entrepreneurial opportunities and even tried his hand in the stock market. Around the same time, he met his life partner, Nancy. “Nancy is a Jew of Indian origin. After our marriage, she motivated me to move to Israel. It was called the startup nation, and we thought it would be a great place to build our career.”

Pratik with his wife, Nancy

But all was not rosy. Soon after the couple landed in Israel, Pratik struggled with homesickness. Unable to find a job and having a hard time adjusting to the high-tech ecosystem of Israel, Pratik took up cleaning jobs. To get the ball rolling, the entrepreneur decided to offer something of value for free to the people. “On a Facebook group called Secret Jerusalem, I posted that I will help the first five people who approach me, with building a website for free. I had about seven customers in the first three months, and their testimonials got me my first high-tech job as a webmaster at Masa Israel Journey,” shares Pratik, who later became the Director of Digital Marketing in the same company.

Having gained much experience, the entrepreneur eventually decided to start his own company in 2016. “I was working as a freelancer on the side. One of my start-up clients requested if I could help them with sales development in India as they found it challenging to get the results. I immediately agreed and that’s how Webzoly was born. The idea was to start a customer service-centered and results-oriented outsourcing solution for companies. Currently, my team consists of highly trained skilled experts. From the beginning, Webzoly had an organic extension. We look into what is important for our clients and work on it,” he shares. Pratik’s other company, Testlify, which he co-founded in 2022, helps recruiters find the best candidates with deep analysis that’s accurate, automated, and unbiased.

According to the Indian Embassy in Israel, approximately 12,500 non-Jewish Indians work in Israel, many of whom are students, employees in IT companies, or diamond traders. Speaking about Indians living in Israel and the opportunities there, the entrepreneur explains, “There are a few hundred Indians in Israel, who are pursuing engineering or MBA. Since Israel’s focus is on innovation and technology, youngsters can benefit from the curriculum here. Many Indians are working as caregivers as well. However, a major setback is that once they complete their education or finish their work contract, non-Jewish foreigners are asked to leave the country. So, you can study here and learn a lot, however, you cannot get an Israel passport.”

Inspiring millions

The young entrepreneur today is a LinkedIn influencer, with over a hundred thousand followers. However, building a brand for himself wasn’t an easy job. “No product would sell if it is not marketed well. And that is true even for people. When I first started posting on LinkedIn, I hardly got any likes, however being consistent got people to notice me. Earlier this year, the LinkedIn team reached out to me to help them build a creator community. Through my posts, I try to inspire and educate people about scaling up their careers, business strategies, and much more. It is great to impart the knowledge that I have about the industry with people who wish to start something of their own,” shares the entrepreneur.

Follow Pratik Thakker on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook

Name*

Email*

Name*

Email*

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Published on 17, Sep 2022

Share with

ALSO READ

Meet Ahana Gautam, the Harvard grad who is ‘unjunking’ Indian snacks through Open Secret

(August 20, 2024) Ahana Gautam has the perfect CV - an undergrad from IIT-Bombay, followed by a master's from Harvard Business School. Those credentials fetched her a top-tier job at Procter & Gamble in the US, but Ahana, who was born and raised in a small town in Rajasthan, took a one-way flight home instead of climbing the corporate ladder. She is the founder of Open Secret - a company that offers healthy snack options, which achieved a Rs 100 crore turnover in February 2024. Ahana's mission is twofold: To 'unjunk' India's packaged food and beverage industry and to make sure that women have a seat at the table at all rungs of the workforce. The Global Indian grew up in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, where "families had different dreams from their daughters and different dreams for their sons." Ahana's mother, who is her biggest inspiration, was a professor who raised two children "single-handedly," going to work, then coming home to take care of the home and kids. And unlike other families in Bharatpur, she encouraged her daughter to study, as well as her son. "I remember one of her professor friends came home one day and said, 'Why are you encouraging

s her son. "I remember one of her professor friends came home one day and said, 'Why are you encouraging your daughter to go to IIT? Your son has already gone to IIT Bombay, your 'IIT-sapna pura ho gaya'. That was the kind of environment in which I grew up," Ahana recalls. In fact, although the situation in Rajasthan has improved over the years there is still a stark disparity: male literacy stands at 79.19 percent while female literacy is still straggling at 52.12 percent.

Ahana, however, made it to IIT Bombay, where she completed a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering before heading for an MBA at Harvard Business School. She began her corporate career at Procter & Gamble, then moved on to General Mills and Fox Star Studios. And all through, the idea for Open Secret was growing in the back of her mind. "During my time in Boston, we would go grocery shopping, sometimes to Whole Foods and there were so many options for families to choose from." She recalled her own mother struggling to find brands that were healthy and also tasted good. "At that time, India had zero innovation in the packaged food industry, even though it is the land of innovation. But kids were still eating the same snacks, made with maida, sugar and palm oil."

Being the forerunner

Health-focussed foods and beverages are expected to be a $30 billion by CY 2026, and are projected to capture around 16 percent of the packaged food and beverage market. In 2019, however, when Ahana began working on her new startup, there were hardly any players in the market. At the time, she was also fending off relatives who tried to persuade her to marry. Again, Ahana's mother stepped in, saying, "It's her life. She will decide what she wants to do and what she doesn't." Instead, she gave her daughter Rs 2 lakh as paid-up capital for her new idea, asking to be a director in the startup. Soon after, in early 2020, Ahana Gautam launched Open Secret which is India's first brand of healthy foods and snacks.

The demand gap was massive, especially during the pandemic when a healthy lifestyle became the need of the hour. Unfortunately, Ahana lost her mother, which she calls "the lowest moment of her life." Again, she defied stereotypes, performing her mother's last rites. The next day, however, she returned to work and closed a funding negotiation. "I had two choices. Either I could have paused and grieved or gone back to work," she told Forbes. "Going back to work was a tribute to her." Besides, a lot was at stake, including the livelihoods of her employees, most of whom were women.

Expanding into a platform

After the pandemic, more health-conscious food and beverage brands entered the market. And one consumer, a mother, told Ahana that although she enjoyed the Open Secret snack portfolio she had to look elsewhere to get, say, a good brand of tea or a healthy beverage. "I thought, how can I serve this customer better," Ahana said. "So from a journey that began as a brand, we are now a platform. All those brands out there doing amazing work are now partners. I don't see them as competition, I believe in my mission of unjunking F&B for every Indian family. We are here to serve the customer and take the ecosystem along with us."

All this is only possible with the right team. "The idea is one percent, 99 percent is execution. And for that you need a strong team," says Ahana. "We have the best people, from Harvard, from IIM who are extremely skilled but also, they are all very purpose-driven. They joined Open Secret because they believe in the mission."

Feminism in the workspace

All through her journey, Ahana admits, she has been in a minority. At IIT Bombay, she was one of 28 girls in a class of 600. At her first job in Procter & Gamble, she was the only female on the team building a manufacturing site. "It really taught me how to tackle these situations. So by the time I began building Open Secret, when I entered these rooms, I was prepared."

Still, as an entrepreneur, she became aware of a level of subconscious biases, which even her wealth of experience had not prepared her to face. "It becomes harder at the top because there is so much informal bonding," she says. "I would go to Diwali parties where I would be standing a room full of men playing poker and smoking their cigars. And these informal connections play a huge role in building trust. It's so important to bring in new women, into every discussion, into networks and to events." Today, she stands with confidence, but that didn't come easy. In fact, she advises women to build resilience and have a thick skin.

[caption id="attachment_49176" align="aligncenter" width="489"] Open Secret offers a wide range of healthy Indian snacks[/caption]

The importance of stories

Time has not improved the situation. In 2010, the female workforce participation was 20 percent or more. In 2022, it was less than 10 percent. "It has become less," says Ahana, who is now also a venture capitalist. "When I lost my mum I went back to my hometown and what I saw there broke my heart. In that house where I grew up, there was a small girl sitting outside and kneading dough. A lot hasn't changed. We have to ensure that we are sharing our stories, because they are the most powerful way to change societal norms." Having strong role models can also be a game changer, she adds. "My mother was an example for me, she made me fearless. I had that kind of role model but so many girls don't have one. So let's share our stories."

Ahana believes that leaders, governments and companies need to work together to create an ecosystem where women can thrive. "And as leaders, we need to ask if we are doing our best to bring more women back to the workforce. It should not be a choice, it is a responsibility."

Follow Ahana Gautam on LinkedIn

The spiritual doctor: India’s top hair transplant surgeon Dr Pradeep Sethi connects giving back with spirituality

(April 21, 2023) Dr. Pradeep Sethi went from being a farm labourer, spending his childhood working in the fields to becoming one of India’s top hair transplant surgeons and the co-founder of Eugenix Hair Sciences, which boasts a long line of celebrity clientele. He’s also a leading philanthropist who has founded the Utkal Gaurav International School in his village Berunapadi in Odisha. The school aims to provide world-class education for free in India’s eastern hinterland, where opportunities are rare. Dr Sethi is in the process of bringing in top faculty from around the world to give international exposure to students, while laying emphasis on spiritual practices to ensure their holistic development. [caption id="attachment_37628" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Dr Pradeep Sethi[/caption] All through his inspirational journey, Dr Sethi, a true son of the soil, never lost touch with his village, which is situated 160-km away from Bhubaneshwar. Having benefited from education provided by various charitable trusts, he is now deeply committed to philanthropy and connects giving back with spirituality. He made headlines for his work with Utkal Gaurav International School which has been developed with a fund of ₹10 crore. The school was virtually inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik last month.

-contrast="none">All through his inspirational journey, Dr Sethi, a true son of the soil, never lost touch with his village, which is situated 160-km away from Bhubaneshwar. Having benefited from education provided by various charitable trusts, he is now deeply committed to philanthropy and connects giving back with spirituality. He made headlines for his work with Utkal Gaurav International School which has been developed with a fund of ₹10 crore. The school was virtually inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik last month.

Until 2020, the ground on which the school has been developed was just a large piece of farming land where I used to work as a daily wage worker. But, today, the same land houses the school.

"Most of my friends, who were initially my clients, have endorsed the idea of my school,” Dr Pradeep Sethi said, while speaking to Business Line.

The path of spirituality

Early in life, Sethi began gravitating to the teachings of spiritual gurus, especially Swami Paramhansa Yoganand, author of the iconic book, Autobiography of a Yogi. The spiritual teacher and author has laid emphasis on the importance of physical health and well-being, calling spirituality a holistic practice. Yoganand's teachings had a great impact on Sethi in his growing up years. The spiritual master’s emphasis on the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of service to others deeply resonated with Dr Sethi’s aspirations of life.

[caption id="attachment_37584" align="aligncenter" width="497"] Indian Doctors | Dr Pradeep Sethi | Global Indian Dr Pradeep Sethi with cricketer Ravi Shastri[/caption]

Autobiography of a Yogi is still Dr Sethi’s favourite, and he gifts the book to people as often as he can. "I have earned lots of friends through this book and I am sure when I die, I will be carrying lots of love, affection and friendship to the other world," he said.

The dream philanthropic project

Sethi’s own life has been transformed by the kindness of strangers and charitable institutions, and he never misses an opportunity to do good to others. With a deep urge to give back he provides free treatment to the needy, supports charitable causes and extends whole-hearted support to community outreach programmes.

During the launch of Utkal Gaurav International School, Sethi remarked, “I hope to arrange ₹100 crore for the final look of this dream project, in the next five years,” adding, “I want the kids of my school to get the exposure of the world. The difference between my village and developed countries like USA is all about exposure, and I want to do the hard work to reduce the gap between the developed countries and a developing small village.” Kids at the international school will be introduced to a wide array of fields including technology, sports and agriculture.

Some of my friends from Oxford and Harvard University are already taking classes online. Once the infrastructure is ready for the teaching staff to stay in, we will have teachers from places like the USA, UK and Australia visiting the campus.

Dr Sethi has plans to take the senior kids to international tours. “This would enable their growth and build in them the capacity to imagine the ideas that they can work upon to make the society better,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_37585" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Indian Doctors | Dr Pradeep Sethi | Global Indian Opening ceremony of Utkal Gaurav International School[/caption]

Dr Sethi's venture is backed by industrialists like Rajiv Bajaj from Bajaj Group, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, Puneet Goenka of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, and Sandeep Raheja of Exide Battery. Many of Sethi’s clients including cricketers and actors have also extended their help for the project. “The amount does not matter, the feeling behind it matters,” Dr Sethi said.

Keeping in tune with the principles espoused by his spiritual guru Swami Paramhansa Yoganand, Sethi’ school does not just focus on academics but on the all-round training for a fit body, mind and soul. Yoga, meditation, purpose of life and how to maximise one’s potential find a significant place in the curriculum. “I look forward to the day when institutions all over the country and across the world replicate the model,” he said.

The course of life

Though Sethi worked as a farm labourer, he was deeply dedicated to his academics, and later was able to secure an admission at Navodaya Vidyalaya. Studying there, he did well in his senior secondary exams and got admission at the Government Medical College in Sambalpur in Odisha. He later went on to do his further studies at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

Passing out from there, Sethi started his practice from Rishikesh in 2008. The lack of opportunities in his area of specialisation led him to head to Rishikesh to get some spiritual relief and to try his luck there. Not getting a job immediately after passing out from medical college and moving to Rishikesh is something that he calls ‘blessing in disguise,’ because that prompted him to start his own independent practice.

Luck prevailed and Sethi’s practice became so successful that he expanded his business outside Rishikesh. Within a few years of starting his independent practice, he co-founded the state-of-the-art hair transplant chain Eugenix Hair Sciences, with his wife Arika Bansal who happened to be his batchmate at AIIMS. With seven clinics across India, Eugenix Hair Sciences has treated thousands of satisfied patients.

[caption id="attachment_37586" align="aligncenter" width="710"] Indian Doctors | Dr Pradeep Sethi | Global Indian Dr Pradeep Sethi and Dr Arika Bansal with their team[/caption]

To make others happy you will have to go out of your way. You will have to cause yourself discomfort and sacrifice your pleasures. If you go to that extent and serve society, only then you will be able to generate joy within you. That’s what I practice. I am very selfish. I want to make myself extremely joyful.

Dr Sethi is popular for his innovative techniques and advanced hair restoration methods including the DHT technique which he pioneered. He has conducted workshops and training sessions for the people of the medical fraternity in India and abroad and has contributed to the field through his research and publications in various medical journals. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) has bestowed the prestigious Fellow of ISHRS title upon Sethi for his pioneering research. However, the illustrious doctor considers his practice and medical research his ‘secondary job’ while practicing the principles laid down by Swami Paramhansa Yoganand his ‘primary duty’.

Follow Dr Pradeep Sethi on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook

Reading Time: 5 mins

Dr Nayan Kalnad: At the forefront of the digital healthcare revolution

(June 7, 2024) "M-Health, E-Health, we had lots of names for digital healthcare when I first started working in this space. It was very novel and a lot of people were sceptical," Dr Nayan Kalnad says, as he connects with Global Indian from the UK, where he currently lives and runs his digital healthcare company, Avegen. "Do you remember when people said 'digital banking'? Now, it's just banking. You can do your banking work while you're in a car on the way to the airport. That's the kind of change we want to see in healthcare. There should be no distinction between digital and non-digital," he says. Seizing an opportunity Dr Nayan's first turning point came in 2007, when he was introduced to a technology that would change his approach to healthcare. It was an interactive voice response system, part of a pilot project to improve healthcare responses for HIV patients, many of whom avoided going to doctors because of the prevailing stigma. "At that stage, I saw the potential of what this could do, especially because due to my experience of working in clinics," Dr Nayan explains. Surrounded by scepticism, Dr Nayan decided to stick with his instincts anyway,

erience of working in clinics," Dr Nayan explains.

Surrounded by scepticism, Dr Nayan decided to stick with his instincts anyway, and follow through on what he knew would come to become the future of healthcare. Today, Avegen operates around the world and its services have been used by over one million people globally. Their products include cardiac rehab apps, digital HIV-care programmes and maternity monitoring tools.

[caption id="attachment_38122" align="aligncenter" width="330"] Dr Nayan Kalnad, CEO and co-founder, Avegen[/caption]

From medicine to pharmaceuticals

Born in India, Dr Nayan Kalnad was raised in Mangalore, and studied medicine at Kasturba Medical College. He pivoted to pharmaceuticals, joining Pfizer, where he worked mainly in drug development before moving on to Johnson & Johnson."I was working to improve care delivery for HIV-positive patients in India," he recalls. They noticed that patients living with HIV, especially in rural areas, had very limited access to healthcare The stigma surrounding the illness was the main cause - Dr Nayan's team found that HIV+ people preferred to avoid taking health issues to a doctor. "We wondered if we could use IT to solve this problem."

This was around 2007-08 and the team decided to try an Interactive Voice Response system. The user could call a number, enter the number corresponding to the issue and pick out the symptoms. The system would use an algorithm to give them advice and its database already contained information on the drugs the patient had been taking. "The other part was to call the patient and educate them on living with HIV," Dr Nayan explains. "What medicines should they take, what food should they eat? We created a data bank, back in those days. It was my first exposure to using IT within healthcare and I felt like digital technology could help solve challenges that patients, doctors and nurses face."

The digital-healthcare dream

Dr Nayan moved to London to study at London Business School, after which he went back to J&J. By this time, the conglomerate had set up a team to examine how IT could be used in the healthcare context. "We built products for patients who needed cardiac rehabilitation, to try and reduce the risk of a repeat heart attack and to reduce the time heart patients spent in the hospital." The project was piloted in four hospitals - three in the US and one in the UK, "another critical experience," Dr Nayan says. Shortly after, he left J&J to co-found Avegen.

In 2015, Dr Nayan and Neeraj Apte, an engineer with over 20 years of experience in software development, came together to create Avegen. A couple of years were spent exploring the best business structure and fine-tuning their model, before dedicating their efforts to making Avegen the go-to development platform for scalable digital health products. "We were like any startup," Dr Nayan says. "Our initial idea did not work."

That idea was to build a virtual call center for doctors in India. "We were handling about 1 lakh calls per week," he recalls. "It was a call center, basically and it took up all the oxygen in the room." While they were meeting a need, it was not the purpose for which Avegen was created. It was also difficult to scale up. "We had to stop, pivot and return our focus to the original aim - building a digital platform. That pivot happened around 2019 and we re-branded." This was when they build the platform that Avegen continues to use - HealthMachine enables healthcare providers and pharma companies to build, implement and scale their digital health products. It's their way of helping democratise the creation of digital health products, removing the need for a large team and extensive investments in software engineering.

[caption id="attachment_38123" align="alignnone" width="2560"] The Avegen team[/caption]

Expanding the scope of healthcare

"Today we have digital health for pregnancy, HIV, TB, pulmonary arterial hypertension. We have around eight or nine conditions for which we build digital health products," Dr Nayan says, adding, "We have hundreds of thousands of users every month and have deployed it in multiple countries, although our strongest presence is in Europe and India."

Simply put, the idea is to make interaction easier, especially in countries like India where patients travel many miles to see a doctor. The pandemic only reinforced this need. One Avegen product, used by Europe's largest HIV clinic, asks the patient to complete a questionnaire instead of setting up an appointment with a hospital. The information is sent to the clinic, where doctors can decide if the patient needs to come in to the hospital or not. "Often, patients come from very far away, only to be told that they are fine."

Maternity care is another important pillar for Dr Nayan and Avegen. "India has a high maternal mortality rate and some of that is avoidable," he explains. "Expecting mothers need to make regular visits, do blood tests and take folic acid supplements and follow an evidence-based care programme. We want to make it easier for them to do this." Pregnant women need to download the app, which will tell them what to do based on how far along they are, and also connect them with experts. "Good health is not just about what happens within the four walls of the clinic. It's about what happens outside of it. I can get my bloods done at a clinic, but when I go out, do I decrease the salt in my food, or get regular exercise? These are the main drivers of good health. We want to support patients outside and widen the scope of healthcare."

Overcoming challenges

When he first started working in digital healthcare, people didn’t trust the concept. "The common understanding was that healthcare had to be face-to-face; they didn't trust the digital tech, hence didn't use it." However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world's perspective on digital healthcare overnight. "During the pandemic, digital products became essential to the functioning of the healthcare ecosystem," Dr. Kalnad noted.

Avegen collaborated with government bodies and charities to provide digital healthcare solutions during the pandemic, such as supporting 30,000 HIV patients in Mumbai who couldn't access their medication due to lockdowns. "We have come a long way since. In the coming decades, we will see digital health becoming mainstream," Dr Nayan predicts.

The way forward

Despite the progress, Dr Nayan admits there is work to be done. "Scaling and integrating digital healthcare into the existing healthcare system is crucial," he says, adding, "It needs to become accessible to everyone, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. Digital health should not be for a certain segment of the population; it should be for everyone."

Dr Nayan Kalnad, CEO, Avegen, talks to a colleague

This vision aligns with Avegen's mission as well, which is to provide digital health solutions to all, irrespective of where they live or what healthcare challenges they face. "We believe that healthcare should be a fundamental right. We want to build digital health products that are relevant to the user, easy to use, and engaging. This is done through collaboration with healthcare providers, governments, non-profits, and other stakeholders to bring digital health products to the public."

Nayan Kalnad's journey is a testament to the power of innovation and technology in improving healthcare. His dedication to making healthcare accessible and affordable to everyone has inspired many, and his work with Avegen has shown that digital health services have the potential to transform the healthcare industry.

Follow Dr Nayan Kalnad on LinkedIn and check out Avegen's work here.

‘Extra’ordinary love: Shivani Dhillon’s quest for an inclusive society

(April 5, 2023) On a scorching summer afternoon in Chandigarh, Shreya Dhillon stood outside her house, refusing to come back inside. Shreya was wearing several layers of clothing, as kids with Down Syndrome often do, because increased pressure helps alleviate their sensory issues. When her mother, Shivani Dhillon, came home, the family was at their wits' end. Shivani walked straight up to her daughter and began to tell her a story. "Shreya, do you know what happened today? The sun came out and asked if you want to play. Do you want to play with the sun, Shreya?" Shreya turned to lock eyes with her mother, who continued speaking as she led the child back inside. "I could teach her everything through stories," Shivani tells me, as we speak – it’s a busy Saturday morning in the Dhillon household and I can hear the sounds of the day unfolding. Shreya walks into the room as well, looking into the camera to greet me with a smile and a cheery “hi!” “She has learned to recognise colours, fruits, the sun, the moon, night and day, all through stories. That's how she absorbed information." That opened a door, for Shreya and for

oor, for Shreya and for Shivani as well, who began harnessing the power of stories to reach out to children and young adults with intellectual disabilities. A former journalist, Shivani is an award-winning social entrepreneur, founder of the Down Syndrome Support Group India and Samvid - Stories & Beyond. Her latest accomplishment is a book of her own: Extra: Extra Love, Extra Chromosome, with Shreya as a protagonist. It’s a story of fortitude and self-acceptance that transcends age and ability. And it gives readers a momentary glimpse of the courage that neuro-atypical kids like Shreya, as well as their parents, must display every day of their lives.

[caption id="attachment_36959" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Shivani Dhillon and her daughter, Shreya[/caption]

The intrepid journalist

Before Shreya was born, Shivani Dhillon was a journalist, chasing stories around the globe, visiting warzones and interviewing high profile people. An anchor with the BBC, Shivani did the work most young journalists dream of doing, but very few realise. "I started in 1999 and joined Zee News as an anchor and reporter," Shivani says, in her interview with Global Indian. These were in the early days of television news, and new channels were just entering the fray after decades of DD dominating the scene.

After a couple of years in television news in India, Shivani moved to London for a Master's degree in diplomatic studies. From there, she joined the BBC World Service, also working on documentaries. During those eight years, she married, and gave birth to her first son, who was struggling with health problems. "Once, I had to leave my son for about four days to make a documentary. When I came back, I realised I didn't want to do this anymore," she says.

The birth of Shreya

In 2010, Shreya was born with Down Syndrome, as the doctors in the UK had predicted. In the first trimester, they were told there was a high chance their daughter would have Down Syndrome. Shivani was asked to do a test and to decide on a course of action post the results. She refused. "We wanted the child, irrespective of what it may or may not have. We didn't want to find out."

The family returned to the UK, in part because of the healthcare system, where proactive staff also understood the toll taken on mothers of disabled children. They would even call to remind her of upcoming counselling and medical appointments. But there was one thing missing - social interaction. They returned to India, going back into the joint family system. Here, Shreya had lots of people to talk to and became a friendly child, her speech developed and she blossomed.

Creating a community

While a strong sense of community did wonders for Shreya, healthcare was another story. "I was thrown into the deep end when it came to therapy, finding the right doctor, the right information and even fellow parents." The stigma was very high, even educated relatives asked Shivani why she told people about Shreya's 'condition'. And she knew that thousands of parents across the country were facing the same thing.

Shivani began printing out flyers with her email id and phone number, talking about DS and appealing to parents with disabled kids. "I was looking for a friend," she admits. In 2012, she got her first phone call. "I knew I needed to reach out to more people and Facebook was still new then, so I started an online support group." The group has over 2,500 members now, from India and around the world. "You want to connect to your own people," Shivani tells me. "There is stigma in our country, even today. In the UK, there was support from the state, the doctors, the therapists. They understand what the parents go through and it felt good. In India, you're likely to be asked what you ate during pregnancy," Shivani explains. Those moments of self-doubt are common, "I would wonder if I did actually eat something wrong, partied too much, or didn't pray enough?" Being able to share experiences with people who had similar lives made a world of difference.

Finding purpose

Back home, Shreya needed to be taught even the smallest things. "You don't teach neurotypical kids how to walk, they just walk. But kids with DS need to be taught." She was well-travelled and well-read, with access to all the resources she needed and she could handle the challenges that came her way. "I started thinking about that - I can do so much for my kid but what about the parent who doesn't have the exposure, the knowledge or the resources? What happens then? I wanted to do something for them."

We spend our lives trying to figure out what our purpose might be and many of us never do. But in the darkest of times, that purpose might come looking for you. That was the case with Shivani. She started the Down Syndrome Support Group India, and built a loving and supportive community. She organised an international art exhibition, encouraging art as a form of therapy. They celebrated World Disability Day and Down Syndrome Day.

The power of stories

In the Dhillon home, reading a book to the kids was a night-time ritual. And from the time Shreya was a few months old, she had been listening to stories. "I realised she was so engaged and engrossed and learning so much. What she learned, she learned through stories." During the lockdown, Shivani began doing sessions with disabled kids and young adults, telling them stories as a form of therapy. And during the pandemic, she had her work cut out for her. There were difficult topics to discuss, death being one of them.

"Stories impact them on a fundamental level. It takes time but they start communicating more, become more expressive and their language improves," Shivani explains. Communication, she says, is one of the biggest challenges, they struggle with reading facial expressions, understanding social cues and understanding emotions. So, twice a week, she would meet groups of ten, tell a story and talk about the story afterwards.

Shivani Dhillon

Finding a school

Last year, Shreya was taken out of mainstream education and Shivani Dhillon began looking for a school for her. She found one, on the outskirts of Chandigarh, where teachers and students shared a loving bond. But the building was falling apart. "I knew it was the place for my daughter but she and other kids deserved better infrastructure."

Shivani oversaw fundraising efforts, raising enough to revamp the school. "We have launched the new school, Discoverability, now," she says. She works with the principal and the founder to handle the school and Shreya loves being there. "We want to start vocational training for students as well," she says.

Knowledge is power

It has been a journey full of challenges, Shivani says. "Bringing up a child with special needs is not easy, especially in India. You don't get invited to birthday parties, and there's a lot of staring, everywhere we go. I simply walk up to people and educate them. Sometimes that is all it takes. If I hadn't had a daughter with DS, I might have been oblivious too." Life may not work out the way you want, she says. "When I had my daughter, I saw those beautiful eyes and thought, the boys are going to be lining up for her. That's not going to happen but she has brought so much joy and happiness to our lives."

Transformation through crisis

Finding purpose, Shivani says, has been a spiritual journey. She's a believer in karma, not in a 'resigned-to-her-fate' kind of way but in the sense that everybody has a purpose, a reason for living. "When you have that understanding, of something greater, you don't ask those questions. I can't give Shreya many of the tools I use to cope with challenges but I do know that the one thing she can fall back on is a connection to a higher being."

Follow Shivani Dhillon on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 6 mins

Ananya Tiwari: Texas academic promoting STEM among rural Indian girls with SwaTaleem

(May 20, 2024) “I believe we are the only ones from India to have ever received this honour and so we'll make sure that we kind of rise up to it. Our plan is to make our advocacy stronger around STEM and the under representation of women in STEM, not just in India but also globally,” said Ananya Tiwari, soon after receiving the 2023 Inspiring Women in Science Award by Nature Portfolio and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc – which saw nominations spanning 45 countries across six continents. The award ceremony was held at New York in presence of the UN under-secretary general for global communications, Melissa Fleming. This is one of many achievements for Ananya, who is an assistant professor at the Texas A&M University and the founder of the non profit, SwaTaleem. The foundation focuses on increasing STEM participation and aiding retention of adolescent rural girls in STEM education. In 2022, Google named Ananya as one of seven rising changemakers and a ‘Leader to Watch’. [caption id="attachment_51731" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Ananya shared the 2023 Nature Inspiring Women in Science Award with Dr. Hortense LE FERRAND[/caption] “One of the things that we want to do very strongly is to take this programme to as many girls as possible

ds-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-loopstyle="linkonly" data-linkindex="2">The Estée Lauder Companies Inc – which saw nominations spanning 45 countries across six continents. The award ceremony was held at New York in presence of the UN under-secretary general for global communications, Melissa Fleming.

This is one of many achievements for Ananya, who is an assistant professor at the Texas A&M University and the founder of the non profit, SwaTaleem. The foundation focuses on increasing STEM participation and aiding retention of adolescent rural girls in STEM education. In 2022, Google named Ananya as one of seven rising changemakers and a ‘Leader to Watch’.

[caption id="attachment_51731" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Indian Social Entrepreneur | Ananya Tiwari | Global indian Ananya shared the 2023 Nature Inspiring Women in Science Award with Dr. Hortense LE FERRAND[/caption]

“One of the things that we want to do very strongly is to take this programme to as many girls as possible and so we are of course expanding in India. We are also very interested in collaborating with different entities across the world and are looking at a global expansion,” said Ananya.

SwaTaleem

“Over 53 million Girls between the ages of 12 to 18, many of whom are first- generation learners, hail from low socioeconomic backgrounds, rural and tribal areas. As of 2015, their school dropout rates are on the rise and over 13 million have been pushed into child marriages. SwaTaleem helps break this cycle of oppression and empowers these young Girls of tomorrow with the necessary skills and long-term support,” reads the SwaTaleem website. The initiative is running for the past six years in India.

SwaTaleem collaborates with Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) school girls their families, educators, and community women. These residential schools meant for the poorest of the poor were established by the government of India to provide quality education to girls from underprivileged communities. SwaTaleem has been working with 31 KGBVs in Delhi and Haryana – the state with one of the lowest literacy rates of girls.

https://youtu.be/J6xlxkTcMl0

The SwaTaleem empowerment story

Ananya Tiwari adopted the approach of empowering KGBV teachers and local women to support young girls by forming school clusters. Through the use of IVRS technology, SwaTaleem enables girls, parents, and teachers to participate in the development of life skills content collaboratively. This interactive engagement equips young girls to learn life skills easily, feel empowered and build aspirations.

SwaTaleem also works towards improving the skillsets of skill providers and educators in the villages. “Some of the best days in SwaTaleem are when the team members across villages and districts come together to learn and grow, and find new ways to work with girls, teachers, parents and education system’s officials,” the Global Indian said.

The foundation conducts Internal Team Readiness Workshops for all the field team members, including Cluster Leads, Associate Cluster Leads, and Field Coordinators. The primary aim for these workshops is to establish strong connections among team members, enhance unity, encourage reflection on experiences and lessons learned from various field projects, prepare for upcoming interventions in the coming months, and review the annual calendar.

Since most field team members are women, when young girls see so many women facilitating education to them, they get empowered as they have grown up in environments where they have not seen women working.

Ananya Tiwari

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWXN0SzeZd4

Mai Bhi Curie

The foundation’s programme ‘Mai Bhi Curie’ which translates to ‘I can also be Curie’ in Hindi,” is named after Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. This programme has played a big role in making SwaTaleem earn international awards and recognitions. The programme integrates science, gender, and life skills curricula for young girls. These girls often belong to first-generation learner families, marginalized castes, religious minorities, and face high rates of high school dropout and early marriage.

They face a number of barriers in terms of not just completing their schooling but also choosing science. What is interesting is that we recruit local village women to get trained and do the sessions with the girls in the schools.

Ananya Tiwari

After the end of the academic session every year, the girls get to display their scientific projects to the villagers including their parents, family and the government officials at a science fair. This initiative has facilitated scientific knowledge and is playing a role in changing cultural norms, ultimately aiding in the retention of more young girls in STEM fields.

[caption id="attachment_51733" align="aligncenter" width="685"] Indian Social Entrepreneur | Ananya Tiwari | Global Indian Glimpse of the Main Bhi Curie initiatives[/caption]

The impact

SwaTaleem has impacted 250,000 girls in Delhi and Haryana. The foundation not only observes but also quantifies the changes in behaviour and impact, such as improvements in self-esteem, confidence, and assertive communication levels. Ananya emphasizes the profound connection between these changes and scientific knowledge.

“When a girl feels proficient in subjects or areas typically considered difficult by society, she gains the ability to advocate for herself within her family. Numerous studies, including internal research conducted by the foundation, highlight a strong correlation between these factors,” she explains. Along with the evidence-based data, the foundation boasts of anecdotal data of girls that highlight how SwaTaleem has helped navigate their lives in a better direction.

A fun fact is that the schools we work with are nearly two decades old but the girls for the very first time after participating in our programme worked on any science project and submitted in government competitions.

Ananya Tiwari

"These competitions were first held at the block level where they competed with boys and won,” Ananya shares adding. “Their wins have been across gender, across cast, across class, and across the rural urban divide at the block levels, after which their projects went up to the district level and that has been a historical moment for us, something that we've taken huge pride in,” Ananya mentions

[caption id="attachment_51734" align="aligncenter" width="725"] Indian Social Entrepreneur | Ananya Tiwari | Global Indian SwaTaleem Girls[/caption]

The joy of giving back

Ananya gives full credit to her team for the huge impact that SwaTaleem Foundation has hade. The Texas-based educationist believes that had it not been for them, coming so far would have been impossible.

I have grown up in India and I was very fortunate to be able to go to school, to be able to study. I don't come from a very wealthy family but I always had food on table and my parents took really good care of me, so I think it's very important for me as a person to give back and that is why girls education is extremely important to me something that I have been involved with not just through SwaTaleem but also my own research areas here in the US.

Ananya Tiwari

Ananya has studied on numerous scholarships throughout her educational journey. She earned the Margaret McNamara Education Grant (MMEG) to support her studies in the US. MMEG is a nonprofit, public charity founded in 1981 that awards education grants to exceptional women from developing countries.

After completing a BSc from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, Ananya pursued her MA in psychology from Kanpur and graduated as a gold medallist. She did a postgraduate diploma course in liberal studies from Ashoka University on a Russel Mehta Scholarship and earned the Outstanding ELM Award. Following that, Ananya went on to pursue her MS and PhD in educational psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she was the recipient of the outstanding doctoral medallion.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SwaTaleem Foundation (@swataleem_ngo)

Follow Ananya Tiwari on LinkedIn
Follow SwaTaleem on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin and its website

Reading Time: 5 mins