Global IndianstoryFrom Kerala to the Royal Society: Professor John Kuriyan’s journey to deanship is an inspiration

From Kerala to the Royal Society: Professor John Kuriyan’s journey to deanship is an inspiration

Written by: Namrata Srivastava

(August 4, 2022) As a young kid in India, Professor John Kuriyan would often find himself fascinated by the greenery surrounding him. Today a leading structural biologist with numerous awards and honours, Professor Kuriyan is widely known for his fundamental discoveries concerning the structure and mechanism of enzymes and molecular switches. “Growing up in a tropical country like India, one finds life in almost everything around,” shares the scholar, as he takes out time from his tight schedule to connect with Global Indian, from California, United States of America. “Just a flask of river water would contain so many bacteria and viruses. That is what motivated me to pursue a career in sciences.”

Professor John Kuriyan

Currently, the scholar is serving as a professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. Named as the next dean of the prestigious Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences – the first Indian-American scholar to hold the office – Professor Kuriyan is ecstatic about the new inning. “I have spent many decades in academia, and to join the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences is a tremendous privilege. The institution is known for its cutting-edge and interdisciplinary approach to research, and to get to shape the strategies for the future direction of the school will be an honour,” expresses the scholar, who will assume the dean’s office on January 1, 2023.

The world of sciences

A native of Kerala, Professor Kuriyan travelled across the country, thanks to his father’s transferable job as a central government employee. “One of the most distinctive things about my father’s job was that his assignment changed every three to four years. So, I got to see most parts of India, from Assam to Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. I enjoyed it all,” he shares.

While he finished his bachelor’s degree in the US, few people know that Professor Kuriyan was initially enrolled at the University of Madras. “I was studying chemistry at the Madras Christian College in Chennai. It was only during the second year that I received a scholarship from Juniata College in Pennsylvania. I was elated to join them,” he says. The scholar, who earned his BS in Chemistry in 1981, proceeded to enroll in the Ph.D programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a doctorate in Physical Chemistry in 1986. “I completed my post-doctoral fellowship under the supervision of Professors Gregory Petsko and Martin Karplus. It was a great learning opportunity for me and I took full advantage of it,” shares the scholar, who loves birdwatching during early hours of the morning.

Prof John Kuriyan receiving SGRF Lifetime Achievement Award

Armed with a Ph.D, he joined Rockefeller University in New York City as an assistant professor in 1987. In 2001, the scholar joined the University of California, Berkeley as a Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and also of Chemistry. “Teaching young and bright minds is very rewarding,” expresses Professor Kuriyan, speaking about his long career in academics, adding, “The special thing is, if the students have chosen the subject themselves, then to watch them learn, grow and explore the new avenues in the field is pretty exciting.”

Above the curve

A favourite among his students, Professor Kuriyan’s research in the field of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology is inspiring. Concerning the atomic-level mechanism of the enzymes and molecular switches, his laboratory uses X-ray crystallography to study and elucidate mechanisms. His work has helped the scientific world understand how misregulation of these enzymes could be a reason for cancer and immune diseases. The lab has been instrumental in the determination of the switching mechanisms of several tyrosine kinases, including immune-cell kinases ZAP-70 and BTK.

Prof John Kuriyan with world’s leading structural biologists, at the Inaugural Symposium for the Harvard Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center for Structural Biology

The scholar’s research on fundamental discoveries related to the structural basis for high-speed DNA replication has been applauded worldwide. The Dupont-Merck Award of the Protein Society (1997), Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry (1998), and Cornelius Rhoads Memorial Award (1999) are just a few among the many awards he has won for his research works. In 2005, Professor Kuriyan was conferred the prestigious Loundsbery Award by the National Academy of Sciences. He was also elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 2015.

Still connected to his roots in Kerala, the scholar lauds India for its technological innovations. “The infrastructure of science has definitely improved in the last four to five decades in India. I think if the country decides to invest more towards scientific research, India has really great potential for dramatic advancement,” Professor Kuriyan shares, before returning to his busy schedule.

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Published on 04, Aug 2022

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Manu Chopra: Bridging the digital divide and empowering rural India with AI

(November 11, 2024) The rise of artificial intelligence has transformed almost every aspect of modern life - redefining industries, reshaping economies, and raising questions about the future of work. From self-driving cars navigating busy streets to predictive healthcare, AI systems continue to alter how we live and interact with technology. But while tech giants benefit immensely, marginalised communities often get left behind in this wave of innovation. This is where Manu Chopra, the founder of Karya, is bridging the gap and changing the narrative. For him, AI isn't just about algorithms and data. It's a tool to uplift, to bring dignity and opportunity to India’s often overlooked rural citizens. Till now, this Stanford graduate has impacted over 35,000 people across 24 states in rural India through Karya's digital work. [caption id="attachment_59715" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Manu Chopra[/caption] "Our goal is to use technology as a means to provide opportunities to disadvantaged communities. We identify and train workers who need work the most and pay them 20 times the minimum wage, ensuring that our data solutions contribute positively to both technology and society," the 28-year-old wrote on his website. The idea for Karya was born out of a realisation that large technology companies

st and pay them 20 times the minimum wage, ensuring that our data solutions contribute positively to both technology and society," the 28-year-old wrote on his website.

The idea for Karya was born out of a realisation that large technology companies spend large sums collecting data to train AI systems, but these opportunities rarely reach the communities most in need. Karya addresses this issue by connecting rural communities to tech industry opportunities. Explaining how it works, Manu said, "Microsoft wants to make a language model in Marathi, one of the many regional languages of India. They reach out to Karya to collect thousands of hours of speech data in Marathi. Karya takes Microsoft’s big digital task and breaks it into micro tasks and we distribute these micro-tasks to our workers in rural India via their smartphone.” Apart from the employment, the biggest differentiator for these rural Indians is the pay. “We pay our workers 20 times the Indian minimum wage.”

From Shakur Basti to Stanford University

Manu grew up in one of Delhi's poorest neighbourhoods, Shakur Basti. It was in the dusty alleys of the basti that he found himself at a crossroads many times. Though poverty was a constant challenge, he channelled his interest in technology and education as a means of breaking the cycle. Growing up, he spent most of his afternoons coding in the community computer lab and dancing to Bollywood songs. "Through a series of scholarships, I became the first person from my community to go to a college in the US. In one generation, I went from Shakur Basti to Stanford," the Global Indian said.

His admission to Stanford University was a seismic shift not just for him, but for his entire community. Stanford marked a new chapter for him, where he deepened his knowledge of computer science and explored how technology could create social impact. At Stanford, he co-founded CS+ Social Good, a student group focused on using technology to address pressing social issues. The goal was to empower students to use technology for social good by inspiring action, fostering collaboration, and creating pathways for change. This initiative began a lifelong commitment to merging tech innovation with social impact.

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

Having gained knowledge and skill sets in the US, he wanted to make an impact back home. Despite work opportunities at big companies, Manu Chopra decided to pack his bags and return to India in 2017 to work as a research fellow at Microsoft to explore ways to tackle extreme poverty by giving the poor access to digital work. This led him to travel across the country where he sought ways to leverage technology to alleviate poverty, gaining new insights into India’s evolving landscape. “I expected it to be harrowing. Mainstream media (within India and especially, abroad) paints such a bleak picture of India as if nothing good has ever happened or will ever happen in India. I expected to feel jaded at the lack of progress, and to be disappointed at the lack of good work happening on the ground. Obviously, the opposite happened. Every single village I visited blew me away. The more I travelled within India, the more optimistic I became,” he wrote on his website.

Empowering Rural India through AI

One experience in particular stayed with him — a field visit to a data company, where he saw over 30 men earning as little as $0.40 an hour. “I thought, this cannot be the only way this work can happen,” Chopra said. Driven by a desire to create more equitable opportunities, he founded Karya in 2021 alongside Vivek Sheshadri, a former Microsoft Research colleague. Their mission: to use AI and data collection to benefit the very people traditionally left behind by the tech revolution.

Karya's main focus is on language. By highlighting India's linguistic diversity, Karya meets the data needs of large tech companies while also helping rural workers earn money. “What if we could bypass skilling?” Chopra asked. “Can we give people a livelihood and money for skills they already have? What is the skill that rural India already has? Their language.” This philosophy has driven Karya to gather information in regional languages—spoken, written, and visual—so that AI systems become more accurate and culturally inclusive.

Manu Chopra | Global Indian

AI for Social Good

They pay workers $5 per hour, 20 times the minimum wage, and also help them earn royalties whenever their data is sold, creating a source of passive income. Karya currently focuses on collecting data in Indian languages that are underrepresented in AI. This data will be used to develop AI systems that are accurate and fair for all. Their work includes collecting written, spoken, and visual data in regional languages across India.

In just two years, Karya has changed lives. Over 35,000 rural Indians have earned a collective ₹65 million, finding economic security and, perhaps more importantly, a renewed sense of self-worth. “I genuinely feel this is the quickest way to move millions of people out of poverty if done right,” Chopra told TIME.

“Wealth is power. And we want to redistribute wealth to the communities who have been left behind.”-- Manu Chopra

AI’s recent boom, especially in natural language processing, has placed projects like Karya at the center of global attention. Large tech players, including Microsoft and Google, have turned to Karya for speech data across 85 Indian districts, while the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborates with them to reduce gender-related biases in AI datasets. As biases in AI systems continue to garner scrutiny, his work represents a conscientious approach to building ethical, inclusive datasets. In 2023, Manu Chopra was featured in the list of the TIME100 Most Influential People in AI.

In a time when AI seems far from rural realities, Manu Chopra’s Karya bridges the gap by connecting marginalized communities to the digital economy, bringing dignity, and creating new opportunities. His journey from Shakur Basti to Stanford and back to India shows the power of innovation driven by empathy and purpose. It reminds us that technology’s true impact isn’t just in what it can do, but in who it can help.

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How Actor Kal Penn shattered Hollywood stereotypes and became the political voice for South Asian immigrants in the US

(November 4, 2024) Kal Penn remembers the day he changed his name. He was just starting out as an actor, a college student sending headshots to casting agents and getting silence in return. A friend suggested a simple switch: go by “Kal Penn” instead of Kalpen Modi, and he might get a response. He laughed it off, but curiosity got the better of him. Within a week of mailing out headshots with his new name, he had auditions lined up. “It was surreal,” he recalls. “Just changing my name made me visible to them.” Known for his role as Kumar in the Harold & Kumar series, he brought one of the first complex South Asian American characters to mainstream comedy, changing the way audiences saw Asian American leads on screen. Penn’s impact didn’t stop at comedy; over two decades, he took on roles in films like The Namesake and Designated Survivor, broadening the representation of South Asians in American film and television. The Global Indian left Hollywood in 2009 to join the Obama administration, surprising many who couldn’t understand why he’d trade acting for politics. For him, it was about public service—a value he grew up with. In his new

ldn’t understand why he’d trade acting for politics. For him, it was about public service—a value he grew up with. In his new role, Penn worked on outreach to Asian American, Pacific Islander, and arts communities. Though seen as “the actor” in D.C., adviser Valerie Jarrett reminded him he was there for his unique perspective, not his fame.

[caption id="attachment_59226" align="aligncenter" width="933"] actor Kal Penn | Global Indian Kal Penn with former US President Barack Obama[/caption]

Early Life

Penn grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of Indian immigrants who had high hopes for his future. His father arrived in the United States with a handful of dollars, working to provide stability for his family. For them, a career in medicine or engineering would mean Penn had “made it.” “Acting was something they just couldn’t see as stable,” he says. But Penn was drawn to theater early on, performing in school plays, knowing that his family’s support came with concerns. He took this passion to UCLA, majoring in sociology and theater, where he faced the realities of trying to break into Hollywood as a South Asian actor.

“Every role I’d see was a stereotype,” he recalls, thinking back to his first auditions. He’d show up, only to find that the roles he was reading for were cab drivers, tech support guys, or nameless “foreigners” who barely had lines. “There was this expectation that I’d put on an accent, act like a caricature,” he says. The industry wasn’t interested in casting him as a leading man, but Penn kept pushing, convinced he could prove them wrong.

Hollywood calling

In 2004, Penn got his breakthrough with *Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle*, a comedy about two stoner friends on a surreal quest for fast food. The character of Kumar was unlike anything he’d seen—a South Asian lead who was funny, flawed, and just a regular guy. “I read the script and thought, ‘This is different,’” he says. “Kumar wasn’t a punchline, he was the guy with a story.” The film became an unexpected hit, and audiences connected with Kumar, especially young people who rarely saw someone who looked like them in a role like this. For Penn, the role was a revelation, proof that there was space for South Asians as more than just stereotypes.

But Harold & Kumar didn’t transform Hollywood overnight. “People assumed that movie would open all the doors,” he says, “but I kept getting offers for the same kind of parts.” Instead of settling, Penn sought roles that challenged the industry’s narrow view of him. One of these was The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel. Directed by Mira Nair, the film follows Gogol, a young man straddling his Indian heritage and his American identity. “It was the most rewarding role I’d ever had,” Penn says, noting that it gave him the chance to tell a story that felt real. “I could relate to Gogol on so many levels—it was more than just acting.”

[caption id="attachment_59227" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] actor Kal Penn | Global Indian Actor Kal Penn in a still from Harold and Kumar[/caption]

Politics

In 2007, while filming the TV drama House, Penn’s life took an unexpected turn. A friend and co-star, Olivia Wilde, invited him to a campaign event for Barack Obama. Penn went, curious but not expecting much. Listening to Obama, though, something shifted. “He was talking about change in a way that felt real,” Penn recalls. Inspired, he joined the campaign as a volunteer, traveling to Iowa to knock on doors and connect with voters, many of whom were surprised to see a familiar face at their doorstep.

In 2009, after Obama’s victory, Kal Penn made a surprising choice: he stepped away from acting to join the administration as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. “People thought I was nuts,” he says. “They couldn’t understand why I’d leave Hollywood for Washington.” For Penn, though, it wasn’t about abandoning one career for another; it was about public service, something he’d grown up hearing about in his family. “My family didn’t fight for opportunities just so I could settle for something easy,” he says.

In Washington, Penn focused on outreach to Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and the arts community. But he also faced a new kind of challenge. “In Hollywood, I was typecast as the ‘Indian guy,’” he says. “In D.C., I was ‘the actor.’” He remembers confiding in senior adviser Valerie Jarrett about his concerns. She reassured him, telling him, “You’re here because of what you bring, not because of what you’ve done on screen.” Jarrett’s support helped him lean into his role, connecting with communities across the country. “This wasn’t about being recognized—it was about doing the work,” he says.

His two-year tenure in the White House ended in 2011, but the experience left a lasting impact on him. “Being part of something meaningful was a new feeling for me,” he says. After returning to Hollywood, Penn found that his time in Washington had broadened his sense of purpose. “It gave me a different perspective on what mattered,” he reflects.

Personal Life

[caption id="attachment_59228" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] actor Kal Penn | Global Indian Kal with his partner, Josh[/caption]

In 2021, Penn published You Can’t Be Serious=, a memoir that opened a new window into his life, particularly his long-term relationship with his partner, Josh. For over a decade, he’d kept their relationship private. “Josh isn’t into the spotlight, and I respected that,” he explains. But writing the memoir felt like a moment to be candid. “I wanted to show up fully as myself,” he says, adding that the response from readers was overwhelmingly supportive.

For Kal Penn, opening up about his personal life wasn’t about making a statement; it was about authenticity. “I knew that sharing my story could make others feel seen,” he says. For years, Penn had been a visible figure in Hollywood, but now he was bringing every part of his identity into the conversation.

Legacy

Today, Kal Penn stands as a figure who has pushed past the limits of Hollywood and Washington, showing that it’s possible to create space for more diverse voices. “I’ve learned you don’t have to be just one thing,” he says. For him, that truth has shaped a career that defies easy categorization. As he continues to work in Hollywood and beyond, he’s focused on telling stories that matter, creating room for others to tell theirs.

Follow actor Kal Penn on Instagram.

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

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

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

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

Challenges galore

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

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

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

When fortune favoured them

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

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

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

Recognition for the ‘bamboo couple of India’

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

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

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

A creative business model

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

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

Lifetime learners

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

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

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

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

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

Creating employment

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

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

Constant experimentation

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

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

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

How it works

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

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

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

Follow Bamboo House India on Instagram and YouTube

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Anya Chalotra: From Indian roots to Netflix fame and Forbes 30 Under 30 in European entertainment

(November 12, 2024) In 2024, Anya Chalotra earned a prestigious spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for European entertainers, a nod to her breakthrough performances and rising stardom. The British-Indian actor, best known for her role as Yennefer of Vengerberg in Netflix’s fantasy TV series The Witcher, has mesmerised audiences worldwide with her talent and distinct cultural heritage. Raised by a British mother and an Indian father, Anya Chalotra grew up in a home that celebrated both cultures. Her upbringing was a rich amalgam of traditions; on one hand, she enjoyed British literature and theatre, which fuelled her fascination with storytelling, while on the other, she was immersed in the world of Bollywood through her father's influence. From a young age, she found herself enchanted by Bollywood's emotional depth and grandeur, often humming tunes from films like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. This early exposure to Indian cinema kindled her love for acting, shaping her desire to perform on screen. As her career gained momentum in Britain, her unique blend of influences—both British and Indian—set her apart, paving the way for her breakout role in The Witcher and ultimately earning her a spot on

>. This early exposure to Indian cinema kindled her love for acting, shaping her desire to perform on screen. As her career gained momentum in Britain, her unique blend of influences—both British and Indian—set her apart, paving the way for her breakout role in The Witcher and ultimately earning her a spot on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.

[caption id="attachment_59781" align="aligncenter" width="709"] Indian actor | Anya Chalotra | Global Indian Anya Chalotra in Netflix series, 'The Witchers'[/caption]

Anya’s maiden India visit

In 2019, Anya visited India for the first time, embarking on a heartfelt trip with her father, a native of Pathankot in Punjab. Describing the visit as “special,” she fondly recalled her instant connection with relatives she had only ever known from afar. “It completely got me,” she shared, reflecting on how Indian culture had always felt close yet distant. “Even though we’d never met, we became so close so soon,” she said, noting the warmth and familiarity of her extended family. For her, it was an embodiment of India’s deeply rooted familial bonds, “where your cousins are actually like your siblings.”

While it took over two decades for her to visit her father’s homeland, Anya’s cultural ties had always been nurtured. Growing up, her father introduced her to Bollywood classics like Kal Ho Naa Ho, Main Hoon Na, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, sparking her passion for acting. Her visit to India further inspired her to take up Hindi classes, deepening her connection to her roots. Shortly after that trip, her career reached new heights with the premiere of The Witcher, a performance that ultimately earned her recognition in Forbes' influential list.

Indian actor | Vengerberg | Global Indian

Growing up in Britain

Born in Wolverhampton, Anya grew up in Lower Penn village in South Staffordshire, UK, where she lived with her parents, and two siblings. She completed her schooling at the St. Dominic's Grammar School for Girls in Brewood, and later trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

She discovered her natural flair for performing at an early age. Like every Indian parents, his father too nudged her to sing for her relatives during a family gathering. She was only eight at that time. “We were having a family get-together, and he told me to sing an Indian song. And I knew, right then, that I loved attention,” she recalled.

Punjabis in Britain

Over the years, Punjabis in Britain have not only maintained their cultural identity but also thrived, contributing significantly to the country’s social, economic, and political landscape. From family-owned businesses to leaders in politics, academia, and the arts, British Punjabis have made their mark, blending heritage with a new sense of belonging. Gurudwaras, community centres, and cultural festivals like Baisakhi have become prominent symbols of Punjabi culture, while the community’s values of hard work, and unity have helped successive generations thrive. Today, Punjabis in Britain are celebrated as an integral part of the UK’s multicultural landscape, bridging continents with a legacy of tradition, pride, and progress.

[caption id="attachment_59783" align="aligncenter" width="602"] Indian actor | Anya Chalotra | Global Indian Anya with her parents[/caption]

Shining in all three seasons of Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’

Yennefer of Vengerberg is a name that needs no introduction for fans of The Witcher. The saga began as a short story submitted to a Polish magazine in 1986, evolved into a multi-book series throughout the '90s, was adapted into a video game in 2007, inspired various comic book iterations over the past decade, and finally became a TV series for Netflix in 2019.

Yennefer of Vengerberg is a complex, powerful sorceress in The Witcher universe, known for her fierce independence, intelligence, and magical prowess. Born with physical deformities and enduring a difficult childhood, she transforms into a formidable and enchanting figure, both beautiful and skilled in magic. Her character’s journey from hardship to strength, and her intense bond with Geralt of Rivia, makes Yennefer one of the most intriguing and beloved figures in the series.

Indian Actor | Anya Chalotra | Global Indian

Anya Chalotara was a relative newcomer when she got the role on the grand scale fantasy drama and that too opposite ace actor Henry Cavill who played the role of Geralt. However, instead of struggling under the weight of the role's legacy, the actor embraced the challenge putting her heart and soul into the character of ancient sorceress that she portrays.

In the series, she is the youngest member of the Council of Sorcerers and one of the most powerful mages, slaying monsters, saving lives, and transforming from a hunchbacked farm girl into a charming diva.

“Yennefer is almost 100 years old, so it falls to me to find the middle ground between being someone who has seen a lot of the world and someone who is figuring things out on the go simply because the world around her is constantly changing,” she remarked talking about her character.

Journey in acting

Before starting her career on screen, Anya had starred in several stage productions. In 2017 she was nominated for the stage debut award for best actress for her performance as Hero in a production of Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. Thereafter she performed in several stage productions.

Her first on screen role came in 2018 when she portrayed Jennifer Ashman in the BBC comedy-drama, Wanderlust. The same year, she appeared as Lily Marbury in BBC’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders, and then casting for other on-screen productions followed.

[caption id="attachment_59805" align="aligncenter" width="795"] Indian Actor | Vengerberg | Global Indian Anya during one of her shoots[/caption]

Striding past challenges

Anya Chalotra had to audition thrice for the role in The Witcher. “Every time I auditioned, I became hungrier for the role,” said the actress who considers the opportunity to play the role an ‘absolute gift’. The Witcher novels were written with white characters. However, looking at her talent the makers selected her for the role of Yennefer despite her being an actor of colour and far younger than the fictional character.

Although it was a moment of elation for her, she faced ridicule by many fans of The Witcher novels. They thought the choice of Yennefer’s character was not a good one. Many fans labelled her as ‘incapable’ or ‘inexperienced’ for such a plum role. Anya had to shut her social media accounts to escape the negative words of people who were writing her off even without seeing her work.

“I wanted my journey to be very different. I wanted to allow the character to evolve organically, without any pressure, and I know that the only way to do that was to shut off my social media,” she explained. For all the eight months of filming of the first series she was not on Instagram and Twitter. She wanted to woo her fans by her good performance and hence just focused on her work, and stayed positive.

Indian Actor | Anya Chalotra | Global Indian

The hard work, focus, and dedication paid off when the first season aired. At the premiere of the first season, the Indian-origin actor proudly showcased her heritage by wearing a Manish Malhotra sari.

Today, Anya Chalotra and Yennefer are virtually inseparable in the minds of The Witcher fans, with Anya having filmed the first three seasons across the world. She is now busy shooting for Seasons 4 and 5, set for release later this year and in 2025. The actor’s success reflects the growing influence of the Indian diaspora in global entertainment, showcasing how diverse cultural backgrounds can enrich storytelling on the world stage.

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How Ultramarathoner Sufiya Sufi Runner is smashing the records, one run at a time

(May 17, 2022) Running long distances is a way of life for Sufiya Sufi Runner, who usually chooses to have her finish line several hundreds of kilometres away. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Manali to Leh to the Golden Quadrilateral -- the ultramarathoner has done it all. Keeping her company throughout are beautiful landscapes, roads, mostly lonely, and the hostile weather. Battling heat strokes, low oxygen levels, dehydration, even lung and gall bladder infections -- Sufiya accomplished all her missions with a smile. For her, there is magic in misery. [caption id="attachment_24537" align="aligncenter" width="764"] Sufiya Sufi at the Lungalacha La pass[/caption] Her upcoming plans can give you the jitters -- A run from Siachen to Kargil (460 km in 7 day in -10°C) in July 2022 and a run across the UAE in December (700 km in 7 days, in 48°C and sand storm). These expeditions are the preparation for her longest and biggest expedition Run Around The World in 2024! "Manali-Leh Run was not just a run but survival. It is one of the toughest routes in the world. Tough terrain, high altitude, low oxygen and freezing cold weather made it unique and challenging," informs Sufiya, in an exclusive chat with

ghest routes in the world. Tough terrain, high altitude, low oxygen and freezing cold weather made it unique and challenging," informs Sufiya, in an exclusive chat with Global Indian.

From Kathak to running

Born and brought up in Ajmer, Rajasthan, Sufiya was raised by her mother Shahnaz Khan after she lost her father Rafique Ahmed when she was 16. A student of Dropadi Devi Sanwarmal Senior Secondary School, sports was nowhere in the realm of imagination as classical dance was her forte, with a degree in Kathak from Shramjeevi College, Ajmer.

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So how did a Kathak dancer end up running? “I was in the aviation industry (ground handling), working like a machine for almost 10 years, which was very frustrating. Then one day, I stepped into this madness (running)," smiles the 36-year-old, whose first run was three km long in a society park in New Delhi in April 2017. The same year, she ran her first half marathon in November.

“Thereafter, I started training, participated in official marathons events and even won a trophy. My first official ultramarathon was 52 km in February 2018 in Noida where I finished first,” says the proud ultramarathoner. Her family was initially skeptical. Not only were they worried that she quit her job for running expeditions, they were also concerned about her health and safety during the long runs. "But when I got my first Guinness World Record and people were praising me, they were happy and kept encouraging me," adds the ultramarathoner.

The beginning of an era

After completing her first ultramarathon, her life partner Vikas, who is a cyclist and her biggest inspiration, came up with a plan - to run from one city to another. “That is how the idea of running long distances hit me. We decided to cover Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in a triangular shape. It was almost 720 km,” informs Sufi, who started from Delhi on March 25, 2018 and returned to the capital on April 9, 2018. “It was my first long-distance run, which I completed in 16 days," says the first female runner to complete this run. This helped boost her confidence to run longer distances.

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Around the same time, Vikas had completed his cycling expedition from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and Sufi decided to run the same route. "He was more excited than me," smiles the runner. The couple got in touch with the authorities of the Guinness Book of Records, who gave her a 100-day deadline.

Breaking records

But she finished her run in just 87 days, and it was one of the most “mesmerising and challenging experiences” for her. "It was cold in Kashmir, while it was peak summer in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. In Rajasthan, I was battling a temperature of 49°C while western and eastern ghats were witnessing rainfall. In many places down south, it was humid," she explains. Of the 87 days, she was hospitalised for five days due to heat stroke, dehydration, lung and gallbladder infection (due to pollution). "This run made me strong," says Sufi.

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Within a year, she planned her third long distance run -- the Great Indian Golden Quadrilateral Run. Connecting four metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata), this 6,000 km long stretch was going to be Sufi's second Guinness World Record. "This record was already set by a runner from Pune (Michelle Kakade) who had completed it in 193 days. So, I had a time target," says Sufi who started her run in February 2020 from Delhi and after completing 2200 km, she had to pull a stop due to the abrupt lockdown triggered by covid. "I was very disheartened because the run was going on smoothly. It was fate and I had to accept it," she adds.

But not the one to give up, she started the run again in December 2020 from Delhi and this time completed successfully in 110 Days. "I broke the previous record by 82 days and completed the Golden Quadrilateral run with an average of 55 km per day," informs a beaming Sufi.

However, it was the Manali-Leh run in 2021 that she calls “most challenging” as she had to undergo acclimatising training before attempting this run. “I fainted twice due to low oxygen. My oxygen level was dropping below 59 percent on high passes. My body was fully drained and exhausted after the fourth day when I was running on NakeeLa Pass. But my mind was not letting my body stop. This route was not just physically challenging but it tries to break you mentally," explains Sufi, who took 6 days and 12 hours to make a new world record on this route. Her total elevation gain on this route was more than 9000 meters, which is more than the mighty Mount Everest.

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Sufi did have a 'support crew' and it was Vikas throughout. "He was taking care of my needs. Mostly, I opt for the local food available at every place. I ensure that it is hygienic, less spicy and oil free but full of protein and carbs. Otherwise, I take protein supplement and BCAA for recovery," explains Sufi. Her liquid intake remains 500 ml per hour during the run.

Pushing the limits

Sufi learnt a lot about life, human mind and body through her runs. "You never know your limits and what you are capable of. If our mind is strong and positive, our bodies have no limits. So whatever the circumstances, be positive always, never underestimate yourself and keep challenging your limits," says Sufi, who indulges in yoga to keep her mind calm and focussed.

Ultramarathoner | Sufiya Sufi Runner

The ultramarathoner, who never had any sponsorships for any of her expeditions, has spent all her savings. “Once people supported me through crowdfunding. But now I’m looking for sponsorships for my future projects. When not on any expedition, I take up some part-time jobs," informs Sufi.

When not running, Sufi indulges in comedy shows and Sufi music. "I also like to watch expedition documentaries. I love to dance, which is the best relaxation and warm-up exercise," she informs.

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