Global IndianstoryMeet Teja Chekuri, the global F&B maverick who shaped India’s craft beer market

Meet Teja Chekuri, the global F&B maverick who shaped India’s craft beer market

Written by: Minal Nirmala Khona

(August 7, 2023) How does a young engineer end up as the President of a company that owns a chain of restaurants, microbreweries the size of a gated community, and other food and beverage hotspots that are perennially popular? Teja Chekuri is one such entrepreneur born with vision and foresight. He says, in an exclusive with Global Indian, “After my master’s at Gannon University in Eire, Pennsylvania, I worked at Metlife and UPS. Then I set up my own IT services company. While travelling around the US, I observed that microbreweries were popular and I thought of setting up one in India. I was planning to move back to India and there were three cities with microbreweries already running – Bengaluru, Pune and Gurgaon. I saw the opportunity, wanted to have the early mover advantage and decided to go for it.”

Teja Chekuri, founder of the microbrewery Prost, in Hyderabad.

Microbreweries to Macro Businesses

Teja’s food and beverage outlets span across India, the US and Canada. He started with Prost, a microbrewery, in Koramangala, Bengaluru in 2012. Though hailing from Telangana, the lack of permissions made him choose Bengaluru; he eventually launched Prost in Hyderabad in 2016.

Simultaneously, based on his observations of the Indian cuisine served in the US, he decided to set up a chain of restaurants that would be unapologetic about their spicy foundation – essentially Andhra and Telangana food – not tweaked to suit the American palate. “In 2015, we launched Godavari in Woburn, 20 minutes away from Boston, Massachusetts. We did not want to do the sweetened versions of curries. We were not afraid to make it spicy; why should we change our food?” he asks.

Prost, Hyderabad.

It might have seemed risky to many but incredibly, Godavari received a positive response, and is now in over 30 locations across the US and in Toronto, Canada. With plans to launch 21 more branches in the near future, with the latest ones set up in Denver, Colorado and Princeton, New Jersey, Godavari is present in Delaware, Toronto, Tampa, Jersey City, Minneapolis, Orange County, Atlanta, Columbus, Woburn, Philadelphia, Naperville, Houston, Schaumburg, Kansas, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Edison, Hartford, Herndon, Morrisville and Rhode Island etc. Despite 30-40 per cent of the menu changing once a year, the thali, the Andhra Chicken Curry and the Hyderabadi Dum Biryani are its most popular items. Godavari also serves idlis, dosas, sambar and rice and uluvacharu – dishes familiar to the fairly large Telugu speaking diaspora. And, the flagship Woburn restaurant, is still the biggest crowd puller, contributing over 300,000 USD to the company’s turnover every month.

Expanding Indian Cuisine’s Frontiers

Under the Godavari Group of Restaurants in the US, Teja continued to expand. Following the quick service restaurant model, Vaanga, serving fusion Indian food was started in 2017 in Boston. He then launched Madras Dosa Company [MDC] in 2021 in Seaport and Harvard Square, in the same city. He refers to MDC as a “Subway for dosas with a set menu – two kinds of batters, two chutneys [coconut and ginger; peanut is not used due to people’s allergies] and toppings like karam podi, sweet chocolate, onion, Horlicks, and more. There is even a Lays [chips] and an ice cream dosa available for kids. We are now looking to launch MDC at Times Square in New York too,” he reveals.

This was followed by 1947 – Truly Indian – a fine dining brand serving North and South Indian cuisine in Norwood, Massachusetts also in 2021. The next two ventures he has lined up for Boston include an Indian gastro bar called ‘Don’t Tell Aunty’, serving fusion food, and drinks concocted with Indian spices. The other is Boston Halal, following the quick service restaurant model, serving Mediterranean food.

Madras Dosa Company, Seaport.

This year, Teja incorporated all his brands into the Golden Horn Company, of which he is the President. His initial investment of six crore rupees now fetches a neat turnover of Rs 250 crore. In the US, his partner who handles operations is Kaushik Koganti and Sree Harsha Vadlamudi partners him in India.

The company has clearly defined roles and demarcations. He says, “Every menu goes through six months of trials and tests; we have streamlined operations and 40 staff members oversee different departments for all the chains. Maintaining the highest standards is a must. It was tougher to get permissions and licenses in some cities and others were easier. But, ensuring that all the dishes taste the same across the outlets remains a challenge.”

The India Growth Story

Next on the anvil is Pangeo – a lounge bar on Bengaluru’s Brigade Road, spread over 20,000 square feet – to be launched shortly. And the world’s largest microbrewery spread over two acres, or 1.4 lakh square feet, in Marthahalli in Bengaluru again. Teja is looking at opening new outlets in Hebbal, Kanakapura and cities like Nagpur. Purple Potato, in Hyderabad’s Financial District, serving what he calls borderless cuisine, is also due to open its doors shortly.

Milestones and More

What could perhaps be his company’s biggest milestone this year though, has been his investment of buying a whopping nine franchises of Dunkin’ Donuts in the US. He says, “For two years, we have been trying to acquire these franchises. The company has very stringent rules about who they give them to. After evaluating us for a long time, they gave us their approval. We invested 18 million USD into acquiring nine of them in different locations.”

How does he stay ahead of the game? It is almost like he knows what is going to be the next big trend and gets on it before his competitors do. He says, “The food and beverage market is a volatile one. If you want to grow, you have to keep changing and evolving. You have to know what people want to eat when they dine out, all over the world. Currently, pan-Asian food is the popular trend.”

Pangeo lounge bar, Bengaluru.

If he didn’t have enough on his plate already, Teja has also been nominated to the Forbes Business Council, a prestigious networking platform where he is expected to give advice as a mentor, write articles and be part of expert panels, in business affairs.

With a busy lifestyle, long hours included, how does he maintain a work-life balance? He says, “I travel a lot for work, but when I am in Hyderabad, I make it a point to go home early to spend time with my wife and two daughters. I go to the gym every day and I catch up on my reading on flights.”

Teja’s career trajectory seems unstoppable with multiple food and beverage venues. His business could well become a case study at a business school in the future.

Follow Teja Chekuri on Instagram and on his website.

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Published on 07, Aug 2023

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Fire ants and curd-rice jelly: Chef Johnson’s organic, molecular gastronomy experience at Farmlore

(October 01, 2023) His food philosophy is a dramatic showcase of locally sourced organic produce and molecular gastronomy. Meet Chef Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore in Bengaluru where fire ants are a signature dish. The restaurant (though it is more of a gourmet experience centre) only serves 18 guests per meal – lunch and dinner. It is closed two days in a week so everyone has time to recharge. And the man behind this avant garde gourmand dining experience is Chef Johnson Ebenezer. He loves molecular gastronomy and all its accompanying drama like firing up a dish at the table and liquid nitrogen. But he follows the principle of locavore -- cooking what grows within a 100-mile radius of where he is based; and can even make curd rice a piece of art in the five and ten-course meals he serves. [caption id="attachment_45602" align="aligncenter" width="583"] Chef Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore in Bengaluru.[/caption] Johnson, who started his career with The Taj Group of Hotels, worked on a cruise liner and set up the Michelin guide listed restaurant Nadodi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He recalls in an exclusive with Global Indian, “Nadodi, which means nomad or gypsy, served three cuisines, that of Sri

Ebenezer | Global Indian" width="583" height="816" /> Chef Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore in Bengaluru.[/caption]

Johnson, who started his career with The Taj Group of Hotels, worked on a cruise liner and set up the Michelin guide listed restaurant Nadodi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He recalls in an exclusive with Global Indian, “Nadodi, which means nomad or gypsy, served three cuisines, that of Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are interlinked to some extent and I was instrumental in establishing the brand. I created the menu and added the biryani to it. Even now, years after I have left, the biryani remains a constant.”

Gastronomic Delights

On his return to India he met with Kaushik Raju, the investor on whose land the restaurant now operates. The idea was to create an organic, yet exclusive dining venue, and it grew, over time, into Farmlore. Located in Yelahanka, it’s a 30-minute drive from the Bengaluru airport.

At Farmlore, the sky is the limit when it comes to experimentation. The food is certainly not for those who like it traditional. He says, “I cook for those who want to know about the creative process that has gone into preparing the food. I enjoy molecular gastronomy as it helps me improvise. I can experiment with my ingredients and harness my creativity. I like to work with sensory perceptions around food and its purpose. It is an eclectic approach to locavore ingredients, using modern techniques.”

[caption id="attachment_45595" align="aligncenter" width="633"] Farmlore's fire ants are a signature dish.[/caption]

Speaking of local ingredients, one unusual item served is the fire ant. These ants, which are part of the Kodagu or Coorgi cuisine, are pounded into a chutney by the local tribals or Badagas. They are high in protein and Johnson serves these ants, which are the signature dish at Farmlore, in various forms. A meringue or sorbet, on a canape or in a salad, he even has his vegetarian guests willing to try them. Depending on the trees they are collected from – lemon or mango – they echo the citrusy or mangoey flavour respectively. He reveals, “I tell stories through my food. I use all the senses – of sight, smell and taste. In fact, we have even developed a process to capture petrichor – the smell of the first rain when it hits the earth. We spray it to add to the ambience.”

Another signature dish always on the menu is the alcohol-based Trippy Gummy Bears; a favourite with guests.

Modern Avatars, Traditional Ingredients

Also relying on the principle of umami, the fifth taste, he experiments with much-loved, universally popular dishes. He says, “For example, most people like to eat rasam when it is raining; we have given it a spin to make variants of rasam in different flavours; it won’t look like rasam but the taste is reminiscent of it. Similarly, we make a sorbet out of popcorn.”

Johnson is a firm believer of transforming an ingredient or dish into hitherto unimagined avatars. When served in their exquisitely plated version as one of the five courses – they are reminiscent of what their traditional form is when you taste them; like the Tair Sadam is served as a chilli jelly but the taste is of curd rice. Under their creative experiments, traditional ingredients are metamorphosed into modern gastronomical wonders by the creativity of Johnson and his head chef Maitreye Iyer.

The dining experience at Farmlore is unlike that of other exclusive food venues. Each course is different, the menu is not announced in advance and the five-course meal costs Rs 3500 on weekdays and the ten-course one on weekends costs Rs 5500, including taxes. Well-heeled guests have been known to book the entire 18 seats for a private meal or a romantic proposal after which they fly off to distant foreign lands. Others fly in from Mumbai and Hyderabad just for dinner. Some of his regular clients are the VIPs of the country and for reasons of privacy, Johnson cannot reveal their identities.

Locavore to Farmlore

The website states that they serve what they grow and follow traditional and ethical principles including cooking on fire with wood procured from the mango trees growing on their 35-acre farm. Their produce, poultry and meat are organically cultivated at the farm itself, and includes moringa, pumpkins, lemons, mango, duck, quail, prawns, horse gram, jackfruit, ice apples, etc. They use organic compost, where the urine of the cows released at four in the morning is collected, mixed with mulch and fermented with jaggery and neem to make fertiliser. They also have 22 of the local breed of cows and the ghee, butter, cheese, dahi and ice cream is all made from the milk of these cows. Solar panels for lights and wood fire to cook make it an organic, back to roots, self-sustaining enterprise through and through.

Johnson can experiment with any food item and transform it to a contemporary bite sized portion. Jamun with salt and chillies shows up as a jamun popsicle on his menu. Ridge gourd, breadfruit, raw jackfruit, parsnips, asparagus and rainbow carrots, nasturtiums, purple cabbage – he plays around with them all. His favourite ingredient to work with though is salt. And not just any salt, he procures the mineral-rich Sannikatta salt from Gokarna in coastal Karnataka and has been using it ever since he got to know about it. He says, “It is like black salt, but more earthy and potent and one has to intuitively gauge how much to use. I also use liquid jaggery called joni bella, which I source from Northern Karnataka. It doesn’t solidify and I don’t use processed sugar or iodised salt at all.” He also likes to cook different kinds of rice – ambemohr, gobindbhog, jeerakshala, arborio, kesar kollam etc. He says, “Each strain cooks differently and they all have different flavours so it becomes very challenging.”

With the country’s top celebrities as his clients, and his own global exposure to food trends, what does he see as the next gastronomic practice everyone might follow? He says, “Mock meat is a trend right now, it is a mainstay for vegans. Open fire cooking is also becoming a trend in the West. Barbecued and grilled food and oats are making a big comeback.” Someday, he plans to write a cookbook, though his will be remarkably different, with illustrations drawn by his children. Till then, experimentation is the order of the day for Johnson.

On his travels, Chef Johnson likes to eat at:

Singapore: Tian Tian; Hainanese Chicken Rice; my all-time favourite
Cheek By Jowl by Sri Lankan Chef Rishi Nalendra. I loved his flavours
Chennai: Buhari, Mount Road. Patti Samosa. Sheer nostalgia for me
Chicago: Alenia, by Chef Achatz. This one is always on my list; someday I would want to visit this place because to me that was the first cookbook which I got for myself and ever since then it has grown on me
Follow Chef Johnson on Instagram

Sanjeev Sanyal: Bringing an ‘Ocean of Churn’ to India’s economy, history and geography

(November 1, 2022) Sanjeev Sanyal leads quite an unstructured life, devoid of a fixed routine or weekends. Some days are full of meetings, other days have public events lined up and there is travel across India, sometimes abroad. A handful of quiet days allow him to sit down with his books. For someone like Sanyal — who spent over two decades in international financial markets — high stress and working long hours in an environment which is always volatile, are a way of life. “But that is the nature of financial markets,” he says, offering a glimpse into his role as a Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. [caption id="attachment_31210" align="aligncenter" width="949"] Sanjeev Sanyal[/caption] “It (experiences) served me well when all the assumptions about the world economy broke down during the Covid pandemic. I never imagined that I would be typing out the G20’s Global Action Plan on my laptop in the middle of a total lockdown,” smiles Sanjeev Sanyal, in an exclusive conversation with Global Indian. One of Asia’s leading economists, bestselling writer, historian, environmentalist and urban theorist — Sanjeev Sanyal is a man of many hues. The Rhodes Scholar, who was Principal Economic Advisor to the Union Ministry

roke down during the Covid pandemic. I never imagined that I would be typing out the G20’s Global Action Plan on my laptop in the middle of a total lockdown,” smiles Sanjeev Sanyal, in an exclusive conversation with Global Indian.

One of Asia’s leading economists, bestselling writer, historian, environmentalist and urban theorist — Sanjeev Sanyal is a man of many hues. The Rhodes Scholar, who was Principal Economic Advisor to the Union Ministry of Finance, is also a visiting professor at Oxford University and received the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2007.

When he talks economics — the world takes note

“The year 2023 could be a difficult one for the world economy with the impact of monetary tightening, high energy prices, and geo-political uncertainty. Although we have been very conservative with macro-economic management in India, global trends will have an impact on our economy,” he warns. If India’s economy is growing, and the rest of the world is not, then external accounts will eventually feel the stress.

“Similarly, our dependence on imported energy makes us vulnerable to imported inflation. Therefore, with such bumpy roads ahead, we need to drive carefully. If monetary tightening is needed, so be it,” says the internationally acclaimed economist, who was one of the main architects of the G20s Global Action Plan that was used to coordinate the international response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0h4eoEVhnQ

The G20 Action Plan, Debt service suspension initiative and incremental progress on important matters, were some of the achievements of the G20, which held two virtual summits during 2020.

Brand India rising through reforms

The term ‘Brand India’ has taken the world by storm and who better than Sanyal to break it all down.“We have emerged now as the world’s fifth largest economy in dollar terms, and the third largest in purchasing power parity terms. We are also the world’s fastest growing economy. Admittedly we are still poor in per capita income, but we can justly claim that the absolute size of our economy now matters on a global scale,” explains Sanyal.

This, he elaborates, is the cumulative result of pursuing a supply-side reform effort over many years by reducing bureaucratic red-tape, creating frameworks like GST, building infrastructure, digitization, and so on.

Bullish about Brand India

“By the end of this decade we can expect to bypass Germany and Japan to become the third largest economy in dollar terms. However, economic growth is not a birth-right, and it requires that we keep up this reform effort,” he points out while stating that maintaining macroeconomic stability is important, and we should be wary of wasting resources on unproductive freebies.

A man of many interests

Born in Kolkata, West Bengal in August 1970, Sanyal studied at St Xavier’s school and St James School. “From economics to natural sciences, genetics to history, from urban design to wildlife conservation, I have always had such eclectic interests and read widely,” says Sanyal, who was actively involved in inter-college debating and won several trophies.

The Nehruvian critic

An alumnus of Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi, Sanyal is vocal in his criticism of Nehruvian socialism. Pointing out the primary defects in the economic policies since independence, the master strategist feels that adoption of Nehruvian socialism as our economic model in the fifties was a big mistake.

“It was a visible failure by the mid-sixties and yet we doubled down with bank nationalisation and ever higher tax rates. It created an inefficient, bureaucratic system that allowed rent-seeking and control by a tiny elite,” states Sanyal, who was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2010. The resultant failure, he says, was dubbed the “Hindu rate of growth” — as if India had failed Nehru rather than the other way around.

As a result, he says, India’s share of world GDP continued to shrink till the nineties. “It is only in 2019-20 that we regained the share of the world economy as in 1947. Much of that inefficiency has been rectified through reforms since 1991, but we still need changes in major areas – judiciary and the administrative apparatus,” explains Sanyal, who was honoured as a Young Leader 2014 at the World Cities Summit by the Singapore government.

Rhodes scholar to working in financial economics

While in college, he was not especially concerned with history, except in a general sense. “It was later that I began to see a pattern in the way that Indian history was distorted by colonial and later Marxist historians,” says the 52-year-old, who obtained a Master’s degree from St Johns College, where he was a Rhodes scholar.

Indian Leaders | Sanjeev Sanyal | Global Indian

Sanyal began working in financial economics in the 1990s and went on to create the Green Indian States trust with environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev to promote sustainable development. He then worked at Deutsche bank as it’s global strategist and managing director until 2015. In 2008, he travelled all over the country with his family, which resulted in his book “Land of Seven Rivers.”

Principal Economic Advisor to PM Narendra Modi

What’s it like working with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

“He (PM Modi) is a very good listener, and always asks very probing questions. One has to really come prepared with all the research,” smiles Sanyal, who played a key role in preparing six editions of the Economic Survey of India, during his stint as Principal Economic Advisor to the union Finance Ministry between 2017 and 2022.

[caption id="attachment_31197" align="aligncenter" width="933"] Indian Leaders | Sanjeev Sanyal | Global Indian Sanjeev Sanyal with the Prime Minister of India[/caption]

In February 2022, he was appointed as Member of Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.“If the argument is based on solid grounds, there is a good chance that it will get the Prime Minister’s support even if it goes against his pre-existing views. This a big strength for any leader,” says the main architect of the G20 Global Action Plan.

The academician and the author

Sanyal is also a visiting scholar at Oxford University, Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Policy studies, Singapore, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Sociery, London, Visiting Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and a Senior Fellow of the World Wildlife Fund.

As we move from economics to books, the bestselling writer is upbeat about his just published book called Iconic Indians. “The book profiles 75 Indians who defined post-independence India,” says Sanyal, whose other bestselling books include — The Indian Renaissance: India's Rise after a Thousand Years of Decline (Penguin, 2015) and Land of The Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography (Penguin, 2013) — among others.

“I am now editing a book on the Revolutionaries and their role in the Independence Movement. Hope to have it out in early 2023,” informs the author, who won the first International Indian Achiever’s award for his contributions to literature in 2014. It is an award given to Indians who have excelled in different fields on the international stage. At Oxford he developed a love for old maps and cartography, an interest often reflected in his writings. After exploring Oman, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia and Zanzibar and places up and down the Indian coastline, he wrote “The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History.”

The acclaimed writer does extensive research. “Frankly, I like the research part much more than the writing part,” smiles Sanyal, who has also publishes hundreds of articles and columns in leading national and international publications.

Sanjeev Sanyal’s environmental work revolves around the economics of cities. He has been a strong advocate of including ‘walkability’ and organic evolution in cities. Recently, he was in Mumbai where he spoke of how the city would be completely transformed within 2-3 years, with 12 metro lines, a coastal road, a new International Airport and a trans-harbour bridge to name a few.

Sanyal at home

He’s quite the fitness freak, making time for the gym or a run. When he can, Sanyal also likes paragliding, whitewater kayaking and other adventure sports. “I also try to make time for family, friends and religious festivals. It is more about opportunistically using my time rather than slotted routine,” he informs.

Not many know that Sanyal holds a black belt in martial arts but is no longer able to keep up the training. “Hence, I have shifted to softer exercises like running, swimming or the gym. I try to go trekking in the hills a couple of times a year,” he signs out.

Books written by Sanjeev Sanyal:

The Indian Renaissance: India's Rise After A Thousand Years of Decline, World Scientific, 2008.
Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography, Penguin, 2013.
The Incredible History of India's Geography, Penguin, 2015.
The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History, Penguin, 2017.
Life over Two Beers and Other Stories, Penguin, 2018.
India in the Age of Ideas: Select Writings, 2006-2018, Westland, 2018

Follow Sanjeev Sanyal on Twitter

Reading Time: 5 mins

Indian-origin Rita Kakati-Shah is empowering people in second innings of their career through Uma

(May 6, 2023) After passing out of King’s College London, when UK-born Rita Kakati-Shah joined investment bank Goldman Sachs’ sales training desk in 2001, she discovered that there were very few women at the training floor of the London headquarter. This perturbed her, and over the next ten years that she worked with the firm, she made some changes while climbing up the hierarchical ladder. "I got involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives along the way. Those were the times when the terms 'diversity, inclusion and equity' were not really used, and I just went ahead with the purpose of building community and bringing people together,” she tells Global Indian. Fifteen years later in 2016, Rita turned an entrepreneur with her business focusing on diversity and inclusion in a powerful way. [caption id="attachment_38175" align="aligncenter" width="599"] Rita Kakati-Shah, founder and CEO, Uma[/caption] Now a resident of New York in the United States, Rita Kakati-Shah is the founder and CEO of Uma that works to empower women and minorities to re-enter the workforce. The name of her business venture resonates with the idea with which she forayed into entrepreneurship. “Uma is the Hindu Goddess who is an epitome of a daughter, a

ian Diaspora | Rita Kakati-Shah | Global Indian " width="599" height="860" /> Rita Kakati-Shah, founder and CEO, Uma[/caption]

Now a resident of New York in the United States, Rita Kakati-Shah is the founder and CEO of Uma that works to empower women and minorities to re-enter the workforce. The name of her business venture resonates with the idea with which she forayed into entrepreneurship. “Uma is the Hindu Goddess who is an epitome of a daughter, a mother, a sibling and a wife, and represents strength, courage and confidence. She is the Goddess of go-getting,” smiles the award-winning gender, diversity, inclusion and career strategist, who is also a speaker, author and advisor to Fortune 500 companies.

Uma is an international platform that partners with organisations across the globe to attract, retain and develop women and minorities in the workforce by boosting their confidence levels, and building leadership and resilience in them to succeed. Headquartered in New York, with presence in London, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Toronto, Rita’s entrepreneurial venture empowers women to: ‘Be Bold. Be You. Be Uma’.

Rita also hosts the popular South Asian television show, The Uma Show, on Mana TV International, and has written a book The Goddess of Go-Getting: Your Guide to Confidence, Leadership, and Workplace Success, that was launched by the Consulate General of India in New York last year. She has co-authored three books on leadership, has written multiple research papers and is actively involved in volunteerism and advocacy.

[caption id="attachment_38177" align="aligncenter" width="691"] Indian Diaspora | Global Indian | Rita Kakati-Shah Rita Kakati-Shah with her book[/caption]

The empowerment journey

After a decade of experience in finance, Rita’s career saw a transition into the pharmaceutical industry, which led her to move to the US. After working for a few years there, she got married and took close to four years of break to raise her two kids. "Out of all the jobs I had done, by far the most challenging and rewarding was the new journey of motherhood and fulltime parenthood. Without getting a day off as parents we make an impact on our future generation,” she remarks.

"During my motherhood journey I became a pro at certain skills like negotiation and communications, and really learning to listen and have empathy with my toddlers, which I realised were completely translatable into the corporate and paid salaried world," she adds.

It was her journey into motherhood that played a catalyst in helping her identify a new direction in life. Like many mothers when Rita took a career break, returning to work - she discovered - required self-motivation and the skill to market one’s capabilities in such a way that they are perceived as indispensable for the workforce as they are for their families.

This idea gave birth to Uma. “Founding Uma has been an empowering journey to address the issues companies were missing,” tells Rita.

[caption id="attachment_38173" align="aligncenter" width="698"] Indian Diaspora | Rita-Kakati Shah | Global Indian Rita Kakati-Shah addressing students at the USC Marshall School of Business[/caption]

“Too many smart, talented women or even men who left the workforce to raise children or for any other reason are unable to find jobs that match their credentials and lifestyle commitments when they try to return,” she says, adding, “Not enough is being done to retain, retrain or re-engage this talent pool. Companies that once hired and trained these incredible people now suffer an intense loss of headcount and huge drain of hiring and training resources, too.” This is the gap that UMA addresses.

Rita Kakati-Shah and her team try to change the status quo of people for the better, and work with like-minded employers to create opportunities that match the credentials and lifestyle goals of people planning the second inning of their careers.

Giving back and getting recognition

Apart from her business, advocacy and volunteerism is an integral part of Rita’s life. She is actively involved with her alma mater King’s Leadership, Diversity and Entrepreneurial Institute mentoring programs, and is also a member of the New York and Los Angeles Alumni Committees. She coaches and mentors survivors of domestic violence, schoolgirls and students, and serves as an advisor, ambassador, and diversity and inclusion expert to multiple boards and global organizations like the JCC of Manhattan, ACP Women Veterans’ Founding Circle, New York City Bar Association, Democracy Without Borders India, and the Global Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

At Goldman Sachs in London, Rita was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Citizenship and Diversity Award and since then has received several international recognitions for her contributions.

[caption id="attachment_38196" align="aligncenter" width="536"] Indian Diaspora | Rita Kakati-Shah | Global Indian Rita Kakati-Shah with her family at King's Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony[/caption]

Involved in advocacy since the time she was a teenager in London, Rita remarks, “My parents brought up my brother and I to always give to others rather than expect to get, and to always remember our roots,” she says, adding, “But I hadn't realised what giving back actually meant till I was in my late teens during a brief encounter with His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who congratulated me and other recipients of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme for community work.” He had said that it was wonderful that all winners had shown endurance, leadership and community service, but our duties as award recipients had only just begun. ‘And that duty was to serve’.

More than two decades later, those words still resonate with Rita. This year, she won the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for a lifelong commitment to building a stronger nation through voluntary service by the executive office of the president of the United States, and the AmeriCorps. Last year she received the Mahatma Gandhi Samman medal in London for her advocacy and community work.

The entrepreneur is a regularly invited speaker and guest lecturer at various academic institutions, multinational corporations and global policy forums such as UNESCO in Paris, European Parliament in Brussels and many more spanning Assam, Meghalaya, Delhi, London, Madrid, New York, San Francisco, Sochi, Toronto and Zambia.

She has been featured as an expert on multiple international television and news shows, interviewed and quoted in various podcasts and publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Thrive Global, Dell Technology, CBS News, Fox News, Yahoo Finance and iHeartRadio.

[caption id="attachment_38174" align="aligncenter" width="801"] Indian Diaspora | Rita-Kakati Shah | Global Indian Rita Kakati-Shah receiving Mahatma Gandhi Samman medal at the Palace of Westminster, House of Parliament in London[/caption]

Love for India

Whether it’s being part of the London Bihu Committee or adorning the traditional Assamese mekhela chador woven affectionately on the handloom in her ancestral home in Sualkuchi, Assam, Rita embraces all with elan. “Growing up in the UK, I was brought up to read and write Assamese with other second-generation Assamese kids. Being an Assamese means a lot to me and I want my kids to pick the heritage, the roots, the culture of Assam. I try to cook the food that my mum taught me as best as I can,” she signs off with a smile.

Follow Rita Kakati-Shah on LinkedIn and Instagram
Follow Uma on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and its website

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

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

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

Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian

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

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

Taking US-India strategic partnership forward

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

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

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

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

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

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

Utilizing India’s potential

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

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

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

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

At the top of his game

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

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

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

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

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

Reaping growth

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

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

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

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

Giving back

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

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

Indian CEO | Dr Mukesh Aghi | Global Indian

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

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

Follow Dr Mukesh Aghi on LinkedIn and Twitter

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Educated in India, this Afghan comes across Taliban and hopelessness everywhere in Kabul

(August 23, 2021) As Hamid Bahraam stepped outside his house located in Police district 8 (locally known as PD 8) in Kabul last evening, the first thing that caught his attention was a group of armed Taliban militia, patrolling the streets in armored vehicles. He then came across a few children playing outside their homes under the watchful eyes of their family members even as a handful of people including women hurriedly walked past shops and establishments on a largely deserted road. The tension in the air was palpable. "There is nothing unusual about the behavior of the Taliban, at least for now, which makes things on the ground look normal. But this is just the beginning (of Taliban rule). All Afghans fear that the Taliban may go back to its old ways (of brutality and violence)," says the 26-year-old, who quickly walked back home after purchasing a few essentials, the prices of which have shot up since the country fell to the Taliban. [caption id="attachment_7970" align="aligncenter" width="571"] Hamid Bahraam[/caption] It was on July 29 that Hamid arrived in his country from Hyderabad, India when the Taliban was still far away from seizing Kabul. "It was just like any other normal day. Only

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[caption id="attachment_7970" align="aligncenter" width="571"] As he stepped outside his house in Kabul, the first thing that caught Hamid Bahraam's attention was a group of armed Taliban militia. Hamid Bahraam[/caption]

It was on July 29 that Hamid arrived in his country from Hyderabad, India when the Taliban was still far away from seizing Kabul. "It was just like any other normal day. Only that the regular Afghan army and police were patrolling Kabul in their vehicles instead of Taliban," he says, drawing a comparison of how things took a turn for the worse in a matter of days.

Afghanistan plunged into chaos after the Taliban took control of the country's capital on August 15. Like all Afghans, Hamid and his family remained indoors that day, staring at an uncertain future, memories of Taliban brutality coming back to haunt them. All that the Afghans saw from the doors and windows of their houses were several groups of Taliban members criss-crossing the city, all in a celebratory mood.

"People are very scared, especially women. There is panic everywhere and people mostly prefer to stay indoors. I stepped out after four days," informs Hamid, speaking exclusively to Global Indian from Kabul. His father Naquibullah Bahraam is a principal in a government-run school there. It was in 2014 that Hamid first visited Hyderabad to pursue a Bachelor of Arts course in Osmania University. After completion of the course in 2017, he went back to his country only to return to Hyderabad two years later to pursue his MA, which he completed in July this year.

[caption id="attachment_7972" align="aligncenter" width="318"] As he stepped outside his house in Kabul, the first thing that caught Hamid Bahraam's attention was a group of armed Taliban militia. Hamid Bahraam[/caption]

"Before I left Hyderabad, I knew of the tense situation prevailing in my country. But not once did I expect that Kabul would fall to the Taliban and the democratically elected government would be overthrown. In fact, all Afghans were under the impression that it was just another fight (between the Taliban and the Government) and a compromise would be reached soon. None in my country had imagined that Kabul would collapse so swiftly," says Hamid, who worked in Kabul-based Gardez radio as a news presenter between 2017 and 2019. The family also run an institution called Bahraam Public Speaking Centre, where both father and son teach public speaking and English to Afghans of all age groups.

As a child, Hamid has faint memories of the ouster of the Taliban regime way back in 2001. "My parents and relatives have lived under the Taliban regime and they have seen the collapse of peace and security post 2001," he says. The family has even been issued threats by the Taliban. "My father is a social activist, a doctor and also worked in a radio broadcast for some time. The Taliban always has problems with media and social activists. Due to his nature of work, the militia had once threatened my father with dire consequences," recalls Hamid, adding that the Taliban has a history of killing and violence which no Afghan can ever forget.

Having completed his MA, Hamid was looking forward to working in media organizations and had even applied for a few jobs. But he is now a disappointed man. "Right now, I have no option but to wait for the situation to normalize. If my plan to join a media house does not materialize owing to the prevailing situation, I will go back to teaching public speaking and English at my academic centre. Hundreds of Afghans have benefited from the academic centre," he informs.

Originally hailing from Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, Hamid Bahraam takes pride in the fact that his father is a Tajik, a Persian-speaking ethnic group and his mother a Pashtun. "Pashtuns and Tajiks live together in Paktika which is a very unique composition. I speak both Persian and Pashto fluently," he smiles. In Afghanistan, Tajiks dominate the Afghan army while Pashtuns dominate the Taliban. Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

Ask him why, despite the deteriorating situation, he chose to return to his country from India, the youngster informs that his visa was to expire in September this year. "Once I completed my course, there was no legal reason to stay back in Hyderabad. Most importantly, I could not have left my family here by themselves."

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