Global IndianstoryVidya Vox: Indian-American singer creating waves in the world of music

Vidya Vox: Indian-American singer creating waves in the world of music

Compiled by: Charu Thakur

(November 15, 2023) Make some noise for Vidya Vox – the queen of mashups. One balmy morning in 2015, Vidya Vox exploded on YouTube with her first mashup – a perfect blend of Indian music and Western pop. This was when the Millennials took notice of this internet sensation who proudly wears her culture up her sleeve and gives it an international twist.

But it was the viral Kabira and Closer cover mashup that catapulted the Indian-American to new heights of success and fame. Her velvety voice, the beats, and the beautiful fusion of two chartbusters made the mashup cover an instant hit. In 2018, she was ranked among the top 10 Indian YouTubers. With 7.63 million YouTube subscribers and 1.1 million followers on Instagram, Vidya has truly become a social media sensation. and is also one of the highest-paid YouTubers.

Born in Chennai as Vidya Iyer (Vidya Vox is her stage name), she started training in Carnatic music as early as five years of age. The YouTuber and singer, who is well-versed in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and English, moved to the US with her family when she was 8. Though she relocated to a new country, she felt rooted in India and music remained an integral part of her life.

Identity crisis

Brought up in Virginia, Vidya faced a sort of identity crisis in her growing-up years. With AR Rahman and bhajans playing at home, she was introduced to Shakira and Coldplay in school. “It was an identity crisis of sorts because the two worlds I was living in seemed so far apart,” she said in an interview. This identity crisis led to her being bullied in middle school and left her so scarred that she started hiding her Indian identity and stopped getting dosa for lunch at school. “But by the end of high school, I realized this was ridiculous. I started participating in bhangra groups, dancing to songs like Kangana Tera Ni. By the time I went to college, I had totally embraced my Indianness, but I still didn’t tell anyone I could sing,” she told another daily.

Never-ending collaboration with Shankar Tucker

It was her chance encounter with music composer and clarinetist Shankar Tucker during her final year of college that drew her to music once again. Vox was pursuing psychology and had plans of entering into a medical college.

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“It was then that I collaborated with Shankar Tucker who showed me that music is possible through YouTube. I had never thought about a music career but that collaboration changed my life. It gave me the itch to pursue music, which I did after I finished the degree,” she added.

She became the vocalist for Tucker’s band and his YouTube channel ShrutiBox. But it wasn’t until 2015 that she started making music for her channel.

The beginning of Vidya Vox

After her graduation, Vidya moved to Mumbai for a year to train in Hindustani music. It was during this time that the idea of creating her channel struck her, and as they say, the rest is history. “I grew up on Queen, ABBA, and at the same time, Nityasree. So, I thought, how can I marry the two worlds? People have been doing mashups for generations, and I realised that when I went to concerts. This was the best way to show that I can sing both styles in the same song and be from both cultures,” she added.

Moreover, Vidya, who believes in experimentation and calls complacency the death of an artist, always tries to incorporate a song “that is reflective of local culture and add my twist to it.” For her, this is what adds beauty to the song. “For each language, I have a coach to train me through the pronunciation. I give it a lot of importance,” she added.

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In the last 15 years, Vox has collaborated with various international artists and she is proud of putting Indian music on the global platform. Having performed at Festivals Des Artes in Reunion Island, Dubai, and the Meru Series in the Netherlands, Vox has become a modern-day ambassador for Indian music.

She has played a pivotal role in putting Indian music on the global map, and she says it’s high time. “India is more important in the world, more than ever. There are so many talented artists and musicians who are of Indian origin and grew up in different parts of the world, paying homage to their roots. By doing that, more parts of the world are learning about India and Indian music and culture.”

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Published on 15, Nov 2023

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Raj Patel: Bringing Indian Wines from Napa Valley

Meet Raj Patel, the Gujarat-born American Indian, whose brand of wine was served at the State dinner hosted at the White House for our Prime Minister. (July 23, 2023) Recently, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US, President Joe Biden hosted a State dinner for him. A bottle of wine from Patel Winery was served along with the food. It is not very often that one hears of an Indian entrepreneur in the US who is in the business of producing wines. Competing with other vineyards, some of them being family-owned businesses going back hundreds of years, and selling a bouquet of high-end red and white wines takes some doing. Yet, Raj Patel, a first-generation wine producer, has successfully converted his early passion for wine into a business. Passion for Wines Raj recalls how his journey into wine-making began. “My passion for wine began 20 years ago while working as a lab intern for Robert Mondavi Winery. I learned how to make superior-quality wines and I have been a passionate student ever since.” [caption id="attachment_42088" align="aligncenter" width="505"] Raj Patel, Founder of Patel Winery.[/caption] Raj initially worked in the finance industry. And when an opportunity to get into the wine

ads/2023/07/Raj-Patel-Headshot-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Global Indian | Raj Patel" width="505" height="714" /> Raj Patel, Founder of Patel Winery.[/caption]

Raj initially worked in the finance industry. And when an opportunity to get into the wine business opened up, he grabbed it, though it came with challenges. He says, “Starting a wine business was at the back of my mind since 1989 when I first worked at Robert Mondavi. A winery requires years of planning and saving. It also requires patience, a tremendous amount of work, and determination because you might have to wait for a couple of years before you start turning in a profit. Building a brand is difficult in any industry, but in the wine business, it’s even more so because of lots of competition, and many wineries have been around for a few hundred years. I finally started the business plan in 2006 and in 2007 we made our first vintage.”

The wines that Patel Winery started out with were Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) wine and added red wine in 2008; In 2013 they added Malbec, Coombsville, and Rutherford CS. Raj’s goal though is to produce Bordeaux-style red wine and finally, own a winery of his own in the future.

Napa Valley Nuances

What is the business model then and how does Raj actually produce the wines? He explains, “We are currently using a custom crush facility to produce our wine. We use only handpicked, hand-sorted grapes from premiere Napa Valley vineyards. Winemakers believe that wine is made in the vineyard—in other words, it takes great grapes to create great wine. Our mission statement is ‘to produce the finest Bordeaux-style red wine from Napa Valley.’ My intent is to create unique wines with a strong personality that reflect the uniqueness of each vineyard and sub-applications of Napa Valley.” His personal favourites though are wines from Napa Valley, Bordeaux, France, Piedmont, Italy, and Champagne, in France.

Pairing Indian food with Wine

Global liquor giants are now tweaking their alcohol brands to suit Indian cuisine, some even blending them differently or creating exotic cocktails with Indian spices and other ingredients, and offering them at curated meals with dishes specifically paired to suit the drink. Do Raj’s wines follow this trend? He says, “We make wine for those who love wine and all kinds of food, and we let our clients decide what they enjoy a bottle of our wine with. In the US, many are moving away from spirits and beer to wine. Drinking wine is fashionable in the Indian community all over the world. Here, over 50 percent of my customers are of Indian origin. In today's global market, it's too difficult to set a broad agenda to match food and wine, that is an old concept. The new school of thought is more open to the type of foods and wine pairing. The wine critics might have a different viewpoint, but from a winery owner's point of view, we need to trust consumers and let them figure it out.”

Hence, Raj prefers to stick to the traditional while reiterating that Indians, even those in the US, are now drinking wine and not just beer and whisky, and pairing it effortlessly with Indian food. He believes that his wines are best paired with Indian curries and dishes that are bland to medium-spicy. “Because we have people from so many diverse cultures who drink our wines, it's hard to stay one dish works better than another. Having said that, I would not pair very hot and spicy foods with our red wines, medium-spicy works best. Our white wine can be paired with much spicier foods.”

What then is the business model followed for the production of wine since he doesn’t grow the grapes himself? “Due to the nature of grape production, considerable produce can be obtained on a limited amount of land. Depending on the variety produced, for many new farmers, especially in areas where land is quite expensive, leasing land is often the best option. We lease the bulk of their land for crop production, allowing them the flexibility to adjust to our growth target.”

Process of Winemaking

The techniques followed also stick to the traditional. “We utilise neo-classic winemaking techniques; we are not a style that is driven by or follows the latest fad in winemaking. Our goal is to capture the uniqueness of the growing site for each vineyard and give each wine its personality. This approach to winemaking is pure and unadulterated; therefore, the wines will typically be very dark in colour, complex and aromatic; most of the characteristics that determine a wine’s style. We also age our wine in 100 percent new French oak barrels and one year in a bottle before release.”

[caption id="attachment_42090" align="aligncenter" width="509"] Global Indian | Raj Patel Raj Patel with Winemaker Luc Morlet.[/caption]

Raj’s company has a limited production – 1000 cases a year. He says, “Low yields are common and each vine is cared for individually by the vineyard owners. Because of the intense demand for great vineyard fruit in Napa Valley, we are only able to produce a limited amount of wine each year. There are 12 (750ml) bottles in one case, (that is 9 liters per case, this is universal in the wine world). Our goal is to grow the winery to about 2,500 to 3,000 cases in the next 10 years. We are limited by a small supply of fine quality grapes, and what mother nature gives each year, hence our production is limited.”

The wines are certainly from the premium range. Starting at USD 60 and going up to USD 170, Patel wines are aimed at HNIs and connoisseurs who don’t mind spending as much for a bottle. About 60-70 percent of each vintage is sold directly to consumers from the website. “We ship to 40+ states in the USA and six other countries. The remainder is sold to wholesalers who then sell to fine shops and fine dining restaurants all over the USA,” says the Global Indian.

When asked about his Cabernet Sauvignon that had been served at the White House, he said, “We are honoured to have our wine featured at Prime Minister Modi's White House State Dinner. Julien Fayard, our winemaker, does an amazing job! At the end of the day, even though I am Indian, I grew up in the US, and when the White House serves wine, it’s representing America and the best that we can offer.”

Follow Raj Patel on LinkedIn and Twitter
(For more details, you can visit patelwinery.com)

Afza Tamkanat continues her family’s artistic legacy, from Hyderabad to Sydney

(December 21, 2023) Art is an exploration of the present moment, as far as Afza Tamkanat is concerned. Whether it was painting the streets of Hyderabad, her city by birth, or the sights of Sydney, where she is curently based, Afza takes inspirations from the the things that surround her. Her father, the celebrated artist Fawad Tamkanat, never wanted to impose his thoughts and dreams on his children, but for Afza, who grew up surrounded by canvases and paintbrushes, and her father hard at work, art seemed to be the only way. Her challenge is to establish her own voice as a painter, without losing touch with the work that has so inspired her - that of her father. She paints imagery that is close to her heart - the sparrows her grandmothes used to feed, the streets of Hyderabad and the landscapes of Sydney, where she lives with her husband. Her canvasses have a distinctly vintage feel, which she works hard to achieve. Now, at 33, Afza Tamkanat's art is a reflection of her journey, from childhood memories to getting married, motherhood and moving countries. A family of stalwarts Born into a creative family where children were encouraged to

tive family where children were encouraged to choose their own professions, Afza had many examples of living one’s passion at home. Her great-grandfather, Syed Hafeezuddin, was a famous Hyderabadi playwright; her grandfather (Shaz Tamkanath) was an accomplished poet; and her father is one of Hyderabad’s best-known contemporary artists.

[caption id="attachment_47690" align="aligncenter" width="598"] Afza Tamkanat with her father[/caption]

“Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away before I was born, but I know him through his poetry, his radio and television interviews, newspaper articles, and most importantly, how his colleagues, friends, and students speak about him,” Afza tells Global Indian.

As a young girl, she has been deeply influenced by her father’s work. She says, “My father, who is my best friend, is the reason I do what I do. He has always encouraged and supported me in whatever I chose to do, be it learning to play the keyboard or designing my own clothes, and most importantly, painting.” Her fondest memories are of her father would giving her his brushes and colours to paint, and then print her drawings as new-year cards to send to galleries across India.

Growing up, she was a soft-spoken and quiet child who preferred painting over playing with toys. She reflects, “I was also one of those kids who was never good at communicating; I was the silent observer and had a deep passion for painting and listening to stories. The joy and happiness that I felt when I was painting were like no other, and I knew I would be more than satisfied doing this for the rest of my life.”

Finding her feet

For Afza, there is no greater influence on her work than her father. She agrees, “Ever since I can remember, I have seen my father paint. His immense body of work, his hard work, and his dedication to his work have been inspirational. I was always in awe of his craft and wanted to paint like him, secretly wishing to do even better.”

As Afza started painting academically, she slowly evolved her own style and language. Working with different mediums, her realistic renderings create an interesting space that is subtle and sensitive. Her subdued colour palette and an element of fantasy that is present in her work infuse a streak of surrealism into her canvasses.

“I like to believe that art was always a part of me,” shares Afza and adds, “I feel I paint the way I look at the world. The memories and nostalgia of an ever-changing world are what I aim to capture. The sparrow sitting on the window sill, dipping its beak in the bowl of water on a hot summer afternoon, the ride in my grandfather’s old fiat, or the evening ritual of my family with Osmania biscuits with chai—my work is a pictorial diary of my life.”

A recipient of the Devi Award by The Indian Express Group for empowering women through Art, the artist has showcased her work internationally, and has created a niche of her own. The artist states, “When I started, a lot was expected of me by my teachers because of my surname. It was the biggest challenge to move away from my father’s shadow and create my own language and style of work.”

A new facet to life

Afza Tamkanat moved to Sydney after her marriage to Muqhaddin Javad in 2018. The Pucca Hyderabadi in her had to adjust a lot, especially when it came to food! She smiles, “I miss my totapari kairi (raw mango), jamun (black plum), and aam (mango), as well as my favourite spots for biryani and chicken 65. But there is a little India here, in Harris Park, where we have Hyderabad House and Pista House (both popular eateries), so we sort of manage. Still, I crave the Hyderabadi hospitality and tehzeeb!”

Sydney has influenced her work in more ways than one. She has exhibited at the affordable art fair in Melbourne and adds, “I love visiting the new South Wales art gallery and the Chau Chak wing museum at the University of Sydney.” Afza shares that the city has a lot of white windows, which have found their way into her work! She shares, “It’s from here that my window series started! As an artist, it’s become my second nature now to observe my surroundings, and sometimes unconsciously, when I am working, things flow on canvas. Currently, Sydney is seeping into my canvasses!”

The mother of two kids, four-year-old Inara Javad and toddler Anaiza Javad,Afzz Tamkanat is juggling being a mom and trying to find time for work. When free, she loves going on bush walks and treks to experience the great Australian outdoors with her husband.

She explains, “I don’t know how I do it. At times, I don't get the time to paint for months together, but my sketchbooks have little drawings of my ideas. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way!” She has passed on her love for art to her young children. Her elder daughter has her own set of colours and sketchbooks and loves sit and paint with her mother. Having just finished a show in London, she is working on a solo show to be exhibited in Europe, Australia, and America soon.

How MIT scientist Shriya Srinivasan’s ventilator tech is saving lives

When Shriya Srinivasan, a postdoctoral medical researcher at Harvard Medical School, came up with a ventilator multiplexer amidst a raging pandemic, she hoped to solve a million problems with one medical device. At the peak of the pandemic, a shortage of ventilators had patients gasping for breath. Srinivasan’s ventilator-splitter could reduce this requirement by half. “The problem with earlier ventilator multiplexer models was that they could not be customized to treat each patient,” Srinivasan told Global Indian in an exclusive interview. “Splitting them uniformly between two patients can be injurious to each patient.” [caption id="attachment_4816" align="aligncenter" width="537"] Shriya Srinivasan at work[/caption] What Srinivasan and her cohort of researchers did was incorporate individualized controls. In other words, doctors can now treat two patients with a single ventilator while customizing the settings to suit specific medical requirements. Soon after the research was published in the Science Translational Medicine journal, she sought to industrialize the life-saving equipment given the dire global shortage. “We partnered with a Bengaluru-based startup to add a digital monitoring component to the ventilator multiplexer and get it ready for global deployment,” says Srinivasan. However, by the time Srinivasan’s splitter hit the market, India’s second wave had begun to ease, leaving the healthcare ecosystem with less appetite and funds for innovation. The Indian American researcher says, “It was incredibly challenging to reach the healthcare market in India. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle to

l device." width="537" height="358" /> Shriya Srinivasan at work[/caption]

What Srinivasan and her cohort of researchers did was incorporate individualized controls. In other words, doctors can now treat two patients with a single ventilator while customizing the settings to suit specific medical requirements.

Soon after the research was published in the Science Translational Medicine journal, she sought to industrialize the life-saving equipment given the dire global shortage. “We partnered with a Bengaluru-based startup to add a digital monitoring component to the ventilator multiplexer and get it ready for global deployment,” says Srinivasan.

However, by the time Srinivasan’s splitter hit the market, India’s second wave had begun to ease, leaving the healthcare ecosystem with less appetite and funds for innovation. The Indian American researcher says,

“It was incredibly challenging to reach the healthcare market in India. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle to deploy these units.”

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_7M_jJ6NZ4&ab_channel=TEDxTalks[/embed]

She added that the reason for a sluggish response was both monetary and bureaucratic. Nevertheless, over two dozen units have been deployed and the splitter may come in handy to tackle the imminent forthcoming waves.

This Global Indian medical engineer is not new to innovation and her earlier attempts at accessible healthcare equipment stand testimony to it. Her past research focused on surgical innovations which allow a better connection between the human body and prosthetic limbs. “For people with amputations, we’ve seen great improvement in their mobility, pain profile and their ability to sense phantom limbs,” she says. While some techniques are already implemented in individuals fitted with prosthetic limbs, others are on clinical trials.

Global identity

Srinivasan was born and raised in the US after her parents Srinivasan Ranganathan, a senior project manager in an IT firm, and Sujatha Srinivasan, an acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancer, moved to the US in the early 1990s. Her parents belong to a conservative family in Tamil Nadu.

Following her undergraduate course at Case Western Reserve University, she pursued the prestigious program in medical engineering and medical physics from Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology.

Being a first-generation immigrant hasn’t been easy on Srinivasan. It left her with an identity crisis in childhood. “Any child that follows one culture at home and another at school would go through this identity crisis on where do you fit in,” she recalls. But she managed to channel her crisis to her advantage.

“You’re out of place and you belong nowhere. Then you realize that you belong nowhere is the same thing as you belong everywhere,”

[caption id="attachment_4815" align="aligncenter" width="615"] When Shriya Srinivasan, a postdoctoral medical researcher at Harvard Medical School, came up with a ventilator multiplexer amidst a raging pandemic, she hoped to solve a million problems with one medical device. Shriya Srinivasan during a dance performance Photo Courtesy: The Hindu[/caption]

Perhaps this is what motivated her to set up Anubhava Dance Company – a Bharatanatyam platform to perform and train together – to help fellow Indian-Americans to learn this classical art form. “I’ve been learning dance from a very young age. It’s a very big part of my life,” says Srinivasan, who routinely performs at the famed Chennai’s December Margazhi season.

Srinivasan and members of the company have performed at shows in over 15 American cities. “It’s hard to carry something like Bharatanatyam over here [in the US]. It requires so much history, language, music, and culture. It’s like a full package you need to know to be productive and carry it forward,” she emphasized.

While Srinivasan’s long-term goal is to conjure up accessible and affordable healthcare apparatus, she is also determined to firm up her Indian roots through Bharatanatyam.

Editor's Take

Ever since the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, medical facilities across the world have faced an accute shortage of ventilators; an oft life-saving option for patients. In this regard, India is in many ways an archetype of the challenges that many developing countries face. It is a crucible for any innovation to succeed at scale; and any innovation with respect to COVID-19 should be lauded. Shriya's work will have a global impact in the way imminent waves of the pandemic will be dealt with and can possibly save millions of lives.

RELATED READ: Dr Nikhila Juvvadi: 32-year-old chief clinical officer who gave Chicago its first Covid-19 jab

Reading Time: 5 mins

Japan-based Indian scientist, Dr. Aditya Baraskar, is working on generating wireless electricity

(February 23, 2023) His LinkedIn page indicates that he is one of the top 100 aerospace and aviation professionals in the world today. However, during my research about his work before our scheduled call, I came across something that sparked my curiosity. While most people earn their engineering degree in four years, Japan-based eminent scientist, Dr. Aditya Baraskar, took two extra years to finish his graduation. Ask him about it, and he laughs, "I had a lot of backlogs, and took me a while to clear all the paper before I got my degree." While many other students would have been disheartened by this situation, Dr. Baraskar found a silver-lining even in these dark clouds. "It was a learning period for me," says the scientist as he connects with Global Indian, adding, "I started looking into what I wanted to pursue next, and putting more thought into my career path. It was then that I realised that space science was my ultimate love and I started developing my skills to work in this industry. I was heavily inspired by Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams." [caption id="attachment_35380" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Dr Baraskar at the ROSCOSMOS Facility[/caption] The Chief Scientist and Mission Designer

nter" width="650"] Scientist | Dr Aditya Baraskar | Global Indian Dr Baraskar at the ROSCOSMOS Facility[/caption]

The Chief Scientist and Mission Designer for the world's first laser-based debris removal project at SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation in Japan, Dr. Baraskar has surely come a long way in the space science industry. The scientist, who is working on generating electricity in space, which can be distributed on Earth without using any wires, is also a serial entrepreneur and investor in businesses working on microsatellite designing, agriculture and fishery automation laboratory, and parking management systems. Interestingly, the scientist is also working on developing technology to tackle space junk, created by old satellites, rocket fuselages, and the like.

A small-town boy with big dreams

Despite being born in a small town in a middle-class family, Dr. Baraskar had big dreams. "I come from a very small town in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. I didn't get any fancy education growing up and studied at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Betul. But I was ambitious. So, after finishing school, I moved to Maharashtra, where I pursued a Bachelor of Engineering in electronics and telecommunication from Shramsadhana Bombay Trust, College of Engineering & Technology in Jalgaon," shares the scientist.

It was during his college that he was asked to present a paper in the second year. For someone who had no inkling about writing a paper, he chose digital communication as his subject. "It really amuses me sometimes that from a boy whose first paper was pretty bad, I have journeyed to become a scientist whose papers are quoted internationally."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGF63rBUUfs

While still in college, a natural disaster in Japan forced him to look into the 'wireless electricity' technology. "In March 2011, Japan was hit by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which resulted in Fukushima nuclear disaster. As the nuclear plant generated electricity, the accident caused a loss of energy for several localities. Not to mention the number of people who lost their lives due to the disaster. While I was reading about the news, I started thinking about more viable ways of generating electricity, and that's when I first thought about using wireless technology. We need electricity 24*7 on earth, but it also has to be from a renewable and sustainable source. So, why not generate electricity in space using solar power?"

"Back then, we had 3G network connections - something many people would have thought to be impossible a decade back - and in the future, this technology would only emerge more. So, in the same way, wireless electricity is also a possibility," he shares. While it was a great idea, the scientist needed to do a lot of groundwork before even testing the technology.

Moving to Moscow

After finishing his graduation, the scientist started writing to various scholars, under whom he could work on his idea. And it was then that he got invited to a military institute in Russia to pursue his master's degree. "While I was in college, I had criticised a Russian professor's paper, who was quite impressed by my knowledge. So, after I earned my degree, he asked me to join the Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) in 2016, where I pursued a Master's in space technology and rocket engineering. As it was a military institution, they didn't have any foreign students. I was one of the first two international students who went to MAI," he exclaims.

[caption id="attachment_35381" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Scientist | Dr Aditya Baraskar | Global Indian Dr Baraskar with Commander Astronaut Dr. Koichi Wakata[/caption]

Sharing an insight about his life in Moscow, the scientist shares, "It was a big culture shock for me," laughs the scientist, adding, "Till then I was completely dependent on my parents, and now all of a sudden I was on my own. During my initial days, I had no one to talk to and had to cook my food, which I had no clue about, and manage my house. So, for the first few weeks, fast-food restaurants were my refuge. However, I started gaining a lot of weight and also it was a bit heavy on my pocket to eat out daily. So, I eventually learned how to cook a basic meal for myself, taking instructions from my mother over the phone. But I must add that the Russians are very warm people. Everyone I met there - from my professors to my colleagues - helped me understand the city and navigate through it."

The land of the rising sun

Even though he learned a lot during his time in Moscow, the scientist shares that Russia wasn't so technologically advanced to put his thoughts into action. "My professor encouraged me to look for a research facility in Japan, where the technology was substantially more developed, and also introduced me to one of the faculty members at the Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. I proposed my idea of wireless electricity and they were quite impressed. I pursued a doctorate in engineering, in aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering," shares Dr. Baraskar, who also has a postgraduate diploma in GIS and remote sensing laws from the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), in Hyderabad.

[caption id="attachment_35382" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Scientist | Dr Aditya Baraskar | Global Indian Dr. Baraskar with the Japanese Space Solar Power Society 2021[/caption]

Eventually, the scientist developed his idea further and started working on developing a technology for the same. "Currently, satellites implement a traditional method for power generation using the solar panel and radioisotope generator (RTG) with battery storage capacity. Such a system increases the weight, cost, and valuable space. And it can be lowered by 15-25 percent by introducing Energy Orbit (E-Orbit), the concept of laser power transmission to customer satellites in LEO with 1600 Energy satellites (E-Sat). E-Sat will also provide multiple services like energy transfer, orbit transfer, and de-orbiting to LEO-based satellites. Hence, customers will save much money after accessing services from E-Orbit and generate new economic value with space sustainability. The project has an entrepreneurial side to it, and just last year we participated in the Asia-Pacific round and won the Specialised Sponsor Award," says the scientist, who has spent nearly a decade working on this technology.

[caption id="attachment_35383" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Scientist | Dr Aditya Baraskar | Global Indian Dr Baraskar with Hayabusa 2, ISAS-JAXA Japan[/caption]

There's more as Dr. Baraskar is also looking to solve the space debris issues, which can destroy hundreds of millions of dollar's worth of satellites in space and disrupt life on Earth as well. "I am a part of the team which is testing the use of satellite-mounted lasers to remove space debris, and manoeuvre satellites to avoid any collisions and accidents. A satellite collision is bound to have grave consequences, and no country would want that. So, we are using a laser beam to nudge debris toward the atmosphere. The technology behind it, called laser ablation, is widely used in electronics and cosmetic surgery," shares the scientist as he signs off.

Follow Dr Aditya Baraskar on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 7 mins

Aditya Mhatre: Transforming the immigration experience in Canada

(June 20, 2024) It is just 9 a.m. in Toronto, but Aditya Mhatre is already settled in at work, attending calls and taking stock of his in-work tray. "I tend to start early," he tells Global Indian, adding, "I have the school drop-off run in the mornings." Affable and armed with a smile, it takes a while to sink in that he is the co-founder of a fintech startup and has had a stellar career across different industries. But then, the 43-year-old wears his success easy, and it is this agility that has enabled a trajectory that started as a student at Panvel in Mumbai and took him across the world. As the co-founder of Beacon, a platform that is transforming the immigration experience in Canada, Aditya is doing what he has done throughout his career: leveraging technology with a human touch to provide out-of-the-box solutions for customers. [caption id="attachment_52485" align="aligncenter" width="453"] Aditya Mhatre[/caption] Driven, passionate, and tenacious, the entrepreneur's biggest strength remains adapting to the environment around him, which has ensured success at every step. Early Learnings Growing up in Panvel, then a small town where everyone knew everyone, Aditya had a childhood typical of 80s and 90s India,

o provide out-of-the-box solutions for customers.

[caption id="attachment_52485" align="aligncenter" width="453"] Indians in Canada | Aditya Mhatre | Global indian Aditya Mhatre[/caption]

Driven, passionate, and tenacious, the entrepreneur's biggest strength remains adapting to the environment around him, which has ensured success at every step.

Early Learnings

Growing up in Panvel, then a small town where everyone knew everyone, Aditya had a childhood typical of 80s and 90s India, where he got around on a cycle, played cricket with friends, and had a leisurely childhood. Things changed when he went to Belgium for a year as a teenager as an exchange student. He recalls, "I had to live with a family that spoke only French, and I remember when I first went to their home, they served me a meal of bacon with lettuce, which I had because I could not refuse their hospitality."

It is also where the innate flair of Aditya to thrive in unexpected circumstances came to the fore. Within three months, he learned French, adapted to the new surroundings, and soaked in all the experiences the international exposure accorded him.

Once back, he pursued his degree in commerce, and one thing led to another before he went to Carnegie Mellon for his master's degree. While a commerce graduate applying for a technology degree was an anomaly, it was a time when the IT companies in India were coming of age and piqued by the phenomenon, Aditya taught himself to code (by learning books; no YouTube tutorials back then!) and soon found himself at one of the best universities in the world.

[caption id="attachment_52486" align="aligncenter" width="774"] Indians in Canada | Aditya Mhatre | Global indian Aditya Mhatre with his team[/caption]

He recalls, "The talent at the university was surreal. As most of the students were from a science or math background, I was among the few who were not and had to work doubly hard to ensure that I made the grade." Grade he did make and life at the university also taught him other pertinent life lessons, such as the importance of networking and building a community.

Exploring and finding himself

In 2005, in an attempt to stay in touch with his roots and happenings in India, Aditya, along with his friend Abhishek, started the podcast Indicast. One of the first Indian podcasts, it still runs strong, touching upon a variety of topics, including current affairs, sports, and Bollywood.

"Podcasts were quite the flavour of the season back then, with Wired magazine putting them on its cover and Apple I-Tunes just getting popular," he notes and adds, "We were one of the early adapters, and it was a time when many engineers from IT started to move abroad in large numbers, so we had a great captive audience."

Aditya then moved to India and worked with Reliance Jio (which was still in its formative stages), where he was employee number 10, and the company basically operated from a conference room. It was there that he worked with Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who mentioned in a meeting that "What you don't write, you cannot manage!"— an advice Aditya follows till date!

Moving abroad, again

After working in India for a while, Aditya moved to Canada to pursue an MBA from the University of Toronto — something he calls one of the best decisions he made. It was an email to Vijay Shekar Sharma, the founder of Paytm, that changed the trajectory of his career.

"I emailed Vijay, evincing an interest in working with him as Paytm just launched its operations in Canada, and got a reply within 15 minutes. I joined the company the next day," he smiles. His role in the initial days was all encompassing; from ordering toilet paper to drafting the HR policy and conducting an internal audit, he did everything that came his way.

[caption id="attachment_52487" align="aligncenter" width="528"] Aditya Mhatre with co-founder of his startup, Beacon[/caption]

After the Paytm launch in Canada in 2017, when they added over 300,000 users to the system, opportunity came calling to Aditya in the form of a move to Japan to oversee Paytm operations in the country. Never one to say no to a challenge, Aditya moved along with his family to Japan, once again finding himself in a new country and starting all over again.

In Japan, where 78 percent of the payment was still in cash, the entrepreneur had his hands full building the team and encouraging an entire economy to transition to digital payments. Delivering on objectives and launching key products, Aditya managed to build a QR-based mobile payment system that helped a seamless transition to online payment.

Back to (second) home

After a stint in Japan, Aditya felt it was the correct time to return to Canada, as it was the right move for the family. When he moved back to Canada at the tail end of COVID, when immigration had spiked, Aditya noticed the challenges and discrepancies in the system that immigrants had to face. From opening bank accounts or applying for credit cards to getting information from the government, everything was a challenge.

It was to address this challenge that he co-founded Beacon, a start-up aimed at transforming the immigration experience in Canada through a comprehensive platform that simplifies their financial and informational needs. He explains, "We use the power of technology to solve real-world problems. Be it getting a telecom provider or finding accommodation, it is a one-stop shop for those coming to Canada for the first time. The premise of Beacon is simple: how can we make the first 100 days easy in a new country?”

As a true global Indian who has worked in different countries, Aditya says that it is important to understand and adapt to local cultures. “What works in one country will not work in another. The nuances are specific to each country. As more Indians are moving abroad, it is imperative to understand that soft skills matter and the strength of building relationships.

[caption id="attachment_52488" align="aligncenter" width="757"] Indians in Canada | Aditya Mhatre | Global indian Aditya Mhatre with his team[/caption]

When not working, the entrepreneur loves spending time with his wife, Prachiti Mhatre, and 10-year-old son Kaivalya (or Kai as he is lovingly called), celebrating Indian festivals and playing golf with his friends.

While Aditya prepares for his busy day ahead, it is easy to understand his mantra in life: to always be a student and seek knowledge, which helps him succeed. Be it learning Japanese to assimilate into a new culture, upskilling himself with coding or ensuring that he does not lose touch with his roots, he is the perfect example of a new-age Indian, one who is comfortable in his skin in any country.

Aditya suggests three things that every Indian moving abroad should keep in mind:

As you grow older, building relationships might be difficult. But talk to people around you, form bonds, and ensure that you make enough social connections.
Nothing replaces hard work, and the truth is that immigrants definitely need to work harder than locals.
Pick up new skills, learn new languages, and understand the dynamics of the country you move to. It always helps to grow, both personally and professionally.

Follow Aditya Mhatre on LinkedIn

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