Global IndianstoryAnu Acharya: The Indian entrepreneur pushing genomepatris for better health

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Anu Acharya: The Indian entrepreneur pushing genomepatris for better health

Written by: Global Indian

(October 5, 2021) From a major in physics to a pioneer in genomics, Anu Acharya’s journey has traversed quite the trajectory over the years. The IIT-Kharagpur alumnus, who founded Mapmygenome over 20 years ago, has been pioneering genomics in the country ever since. The company’s flagship product Genomepatri helps you discover your genetic predisposition by building your gene profile. This in turn, helps you understand your susceptibility to different diseases and work towards preventing them.

Having been at the forefront of genomics for over 20 years, Acharya has been working to make personalized and preventive healthcare available to the masses. With a vision to touch 100 million lives, she established Mapmygenome back in 2013, heralding the advent of improved healthcare through genomics-based medicines in India and other neglected populations. In the recent past, the company has also been at the forefront of Covid testing with two approved labs in Hyderabad. With her work taking her places, Acharya was named in the 2018 W-power trailblazers list by Forbes and in 2011 was conferred the Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Acharya was also named by Red Herring Magazine in their list of 25 Tech Titans under 35 back in 2006.

We met with the dynamic hon minister @KTRTRS garu as part of the Covid kits(DirectDetect) donation drive along with @ZymoResearch.
I thought it apt for the witty & knowledgeable minister to be presented with a T-shirt #curiosityisinmyDNA. @mapmygenome @MinisterKTR pic.twitter.com/ledorLT2xy

— Anu Acharya (@anuacharya) October 2, 2021

The girl from Bikaner

Acharya was born in Bikaner and spent most of her life in Kharagpur, where her father worked as a Physics professor. As she spent her days in her father’s lab, Acharya was drawn to the subject and chose to obtain her Bachelors in Physics from IIT Kharagpur. In an interview with YourStory, she said, “I would hang out with my father in his physics lab and most of the people kept talking about science and technology. There was nothing else I could even think of. We didn’t have TVs or mobile phones; we only read and our birthday gifts were either books or a science kit.”

In 1995, she moved to the US for her Masters in Physics and MIS (Management Information Systems) from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her shift to Information Systems happened as it combined her love for computer science and management studies. “When I was a child, I wanted to be a physicist. But by time I was in my second year in IIT, information systems seemed more exciting – it was a mix of business acumen and computer science,” she said.

Indian entrepreneur Anu Acharya

She began her career as a team leader at Mantis Information, a Chicago-based startup, before moving on to SEI Information, a tech consulting firm, as a consultant. For Acharya those were exciting times as she spent days and nights brainstorming and coming up with and running codes.

Engineer turned entrepreneur

By early 2000 this Global Indian had moved back to Hyderabad in India and decided to launch her own company. She decided to team up with her husband Subhash Lingareddy and a relative Sujatha Pami, a relative with a background in genomics, to launch Ocimum Bio Solutions. Though registered in the US, it operated out of Hyderabad. This was the time the human genome was being sequenced and Acharya was in the thick of all the action. Building the team though was a whole other ball game for not many were qualified at the time for genomics and bioinformatics. So, what Acharya and her co-founders did was tie up with University of Michigan and University of Alabama to create certificate courses.

Indian entrepreneur Anu Acharya

As things took off, Ocimum competed with MNCs like Accenture, and the team would pull all-nighters to finish products for clients in less than a third of the time. Some of their products such as Oppgene, which optimizes the genes that you are looking at, are used by several companies even today. Soon Ocimum was also taking over other smaller companies. In an interview with Humans of Data, Acharya recalled how they made their first takeover. “This happened in 2005, we were a small company, not even a million dollars in revenue. We were in the process of acquiring a customer who would have given our revenue a big boost. Suddenly, they went through some financial trouble, and one day I got a call from their CEO asking whether we would be interested in buying their company. It was a strange shift, from pitching for their business to being in a position to buy them out. On that phone call itself I said, ‘Sure, that sounds great’. That one decision had a big impact on the company. It’s not the way small companies make such decisions, but I did it. On the other hand, because we were a small company, we could jump at that opportunity. A larger company would have taken much, much longer. Though I should tell you, in the end the numbers also made sense!”

Ocimum was essentially a software company that built bioinfomatics and sequence analytics software. It soon became one of the largest service providers in the space in the world, however, most of the data it collected was of Caucasians. Since India didn’t have the same access as the West, the amount of data available on the Indian genome was rather limited. That is when Acharya decided to set up Mapmygenome in 2013.

The company started off with different markers, writing algorithms for risk prediction, genetic components etc. Gradually, they also began getting research material for Indian data sets and that’s how Genomepatri came about. Today, the product detects over 100 conditions; when they first started, they would do 30 to 40. Mapmygenome has now tied up with several hospitals and laboratories.

Today, the company is a leading molecular diagnostics company that leverages state-of-the-art DNA sequencing and SNP Genotyping technologies coupled with latest research to screen for genetic predisposition and diagnose complex genetic disorders. Some of its popular products include Genomepatri, MedicaMap, Myfitgene, BRcaMap, Whole genome and BabyMap Mapmygenome.

Pandemic warrior

Acharya, who was recently conferred the Pride of Telangana award, has been ensuring that Mapmygenome has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 testing with two approved labs in Hyderabad. Recently, the company also handed over one lakh COVID test kits to the Telangana government as part of their initiative with Zymo Research. The initiative aims to donate one million such kits across the country. The kits include the new DNA/RNA shield – Direct Detect reagent which makes testing for covid and collecting samples safer and significantly reduces testing time as well.

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Published on 05, Oct 2021

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Meet Jonathan Iralu, the Naga-origin doctor who has a day dedicated to him in New Mexico

(July 29, 2021; 5.45 pm) Back in March 2020, even before the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in US' New Mexico state, an Indian-origin infectious disease specialist was hard at work setting up a drive-in testing facility outside the Gallup city hospital. His reasoning: If every person with cold symptoms was brought up the building, they ran the risk of infecting everyone. His outdoor testing model was soon replicated throughout New Mexico and made a huge difference in pandemic care. This year, Dr Jonathan Iralu was one of the eight healthcare heroes honored by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. She also dedicated July 19 as Dr Jonathan Iralu Day. To avoid putting all patients at the Gallup Indian Medical Centre at risk, Nagaland-born Dr Iralu and his team had pitched tents outside the hospital where they began doing nasal swabs. This was weeks before New Mexico even recorded its first confirmed case of COVID-19. According to a statement from the governor’s office, 60-year-old Dr Iralu had been proactive in taking measure to protect people right from the outset and throughout the pandemic he worked to deliver timely patient care. [embed]http://twitter.com/Neiphiu_Rio/status/1416789278642761729?s=20[/embed] His Indian roots Born to an Indian father and American mother, Dr Iralu is

ong>60-year-old Dr Iralu had been proactive in taking measure to protect people right from the outset and throughout the pandemic he worked to deliver timely patient care.

[embed]http://twitter.com/Neiphiu_Rio/status/1416789278642761729?s=20[/embed]

His Indian roots

Born to an Indian father and American mother, Dr Iralu is a third-generation doctor from Khonoma village in Nagaland. His grandfather, the late Dr Sevilie Iralu was a well-known doctor in Nagaland in the 1920s. His father Dr Vichazelhu Iralu, a parasitologist, moved from Khonoma to the US in the 1940s for work. It was there that he met his wife, and Dr Iralu’s mother Tefta, a microbiologist.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Dr Iralu said, “My grandfather was one of the first doctors (a general practitioner) in Nagaland trained in Dibrugarh under the British in the 1920s. He was a passionate man who was very good to his patients, and that is what has inspired me.”

Dr Iralu grew up on the East Coast and studied at Harvard University. He moved to New Mexico in 1994 after the Hantavirus outbreak in 1993.

“Something about the work — and the place —fascinated me and I stuck on,” he said.

Dr Iralu is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School and serves as a senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Global Health Equity in Boston, Massachusetts.

[embed]http://twitter.com/IHSgov/status/1417138456736804869?s=20[/embed]

Challenges along the way

While the infectious diseases specialist makes it a point to visit Nagaland every two years, he hasn’t been able to since the outbreak of the coronavirus. According to him, this pandemic has been one of the most challenging phases in his career. He told Indian Express,

“It felt a little bit like the beginning of HIV in the 1980s when we were faced with a new disease, we didn’t have treatment, had barely any diagnostic tests. We had to learn as we go in treating that condition. But of course, Covid is a much more contagious illness.”

[embed]http://twitter.com/IDSAInfo/status/1290749868051488768?s=20[/embed]

New Mexico, which has a large Native American and Hispanic population, was hit pretty hard by the pandemic, Dr Iralu’s efforts along with those of other doctors from the state helped it overcome the worst of it. The state has one of the highest vaccination rates in the US with over 72% of the adult population having received at least one dose.

According to Dr Iralu, what helped the medical fraternity in New Mexico was supported by strong local leaders, an important aspect in tribal communities. One of the largest concerns of the pandemic, he said, was the vaccine hesitancy.

“Vaccines are true life savers. The benefits outweigh the risks and that’s my message to people back in Nagaland – when it becomes more widely available, one should not be afraid to take it.”

Reading Time: 5 mins

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

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

Dr Nikhila Juvvadi and her team at the 122-bed Loretto Hospital in Chicago had their task cut out when Covid-19 engulfed the US last year. At one stage, Chicago's 60623 zip code had the highest number of people dying in the pandemic. 32-year-old Juvvadi – also Chicago’s youngest Chief Clinical Officer and head of Loretto’s Covid task force – worked round the clock to tackle the pandemic head-on and save lives. Dr Nikhila Juvvadi became the face of the city’s pandemic management efforts. In December 2020, the self-confessed “in-betweener” also became the first to give Covid-19 jabs to frontline health workers. "As an Indian American, administering the first vaccine was the most amazing moment. The entire experience was surreal. To see a light at the end of the tunnel was wonderful," Hyderabad-origin Dr Juvvadi told Global Indian in an exclusive interview. The historic moment was celebrated both in the United States and back home in India. African Americans, Asian Americans and Latin Americans from the city community were the first recipients of the vaccine. The reason: Loretto wanted to send out a message that every section will be catered to equitably through the vaccine roll-out process, says Dr Juvvadi, also the hospital’s internal medicine physician and vice president of operations. But convincing people (especially from disadvantaged communities) to get their first jab wasn’t easy in the early days. "Listening and answering queries helps,” she says. [caption id="attachment_3858" align="alignnone" width="750"] Dr

derful," Hyderabad-origin Dr Juvvadi told Global Indian in an exclusive interview. The historic moment was celebrated both in the United States and back home in India. African Americans, Asian Americans and Latin Americans from the city community were the first recipients of the vaccine. The reason: Loretto wanted to send out a message that every section will be catered to equitably through the vaccine roll-out process, says Dr Juvvadi, also the hospital’s internal medicine physician and vice president of operations. But convincing people (especially from disadvantaged communities) to get their first jab wasn’t easy in the early days.

"Listening and answering queries helps,” she says.

[caption id="attachment_3858" align="alignnone" width="750"] Dr Marina Del Rios reacts as she receives Chicago's first COVID-19 vaccination from Dr Nikhila Juvvadi on Dec 15, 2020.[/caption]

Journey of an “in-betweener”

Dr Juvvadi has had a unique journey: She was born in Chicago but her family moved back to Hyderabad when she was 11. She went on to study at Nasr Girls School, Kakatiya Junior College and Bhaskar Medical College. In order to fit into her new surroundings in Hyderabad, she learned both Hindi and Telugu.

“I was made fun of for my accent. People at that time could not relate to my experiences or perspectives. I then moved back to the US after college and did the same thing in reverse. For a long time, I was an in-betweener,” she says.

But those experiences helped shape her as a person who now integrates both her American and Indian side in every walk of life. And that makes her a Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_3861" align="alignnone" width="1400"] Loretto Hospital | Dr Nikhila Juvvadi Loretto Hospital: Where Dr Juvvadi practices.[/caption]

"I would not be who I am today if my journey was not complicated and unique. I can relate to people wherever in the world they are from. Importantly, I am more confident, outgoing and have a belief that I can achieve anything," she says. A piece of advice she has for those embarking on a journey: Expect the unexpected and keep one’s eyes and ears open for new learnings from unexpected quarters. "Anyone can teach you things that will be of use to you on your journey, so always engage them and be kind," she says. One thing that Dr Juvvadi always carries with her is books. "My books stayed with me throughout which made me escape to a make-believe world, especially in those such as The Lord of the Rings."

[caption id="attachment_3870" align="alignnone" width="365"] Dr Nikhila Juvvadi With her proud parents.[/caption]

Indian-ness

Ask her to name one Indian-ness that remained throughout, pat comes the reply:

"My Indian-ness is who I refer to as my family. I am very close to all of my extended family, and they are my support structure."

Engaging with her folks in Chicago and Hyderabad gives her maximum joy as she can connect with them through shared memories.

Indian Americans who inspire

Dr Juvvadi counts Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, as her favorite Global Indian. Murthy had also co-chaired US President Joe Biden's Covid-19 advisory board from November 2020 to January 2021. She believes that Global Indians are breaking every glass ceiling and there is no limit. "Brand India has evolved dramatically," she signs out.

Reading Time: 6 mins

Dr Aparna Hegde: The maternal health champion among Fortune’s 50 greatest global leaders of 2020

(July 26, 2021; 6.30 pm) As a medical resident in a Mumbai hospital, Dr Aparna Hegde had been witness to many pervasive systemic problems that often led to disastrous consequences. One incident remains fresh in her mind. It was a long night in the Emergency ward when a 25-year-old woman was brought in with serious childbirth complications. The woman had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and her baby was too large to be delivered normally, leading to the baby being stuck in the birth canal. Despite the team’s best efforts, they weren’t able to save the mother. “Her death will forever stay with me. Not only because she died a most horrible death, but also because it was preventable… She had gone for her first antenatal visit but she had not been counseled about the remaining visits, danger signs, and potential complications. If only she had been…” writes Dr Hegde on the ARMMAN website. It was incidents such as these that made the urogynecologist question the systemic problems present in maternal healthcare which included the lack of access to critical preventive healthcare information and services. She launched ARMMAN in 2008; the NGO helps minimize the preventable morbidity and mortality of mothers and children in

he lack of access to critical preventive healthcare information and services. She launched ARMMAN in 2008; the NGO helps minimize the preventable morbidity and mortality of mothers and children in India. Dr Hegde also decided to make information more easily accessible to pregnant women through the mMitra project in 2014. Under this project, the NGO calls women with recorded messages twice a week throughout their pregnancy and continues to follow up with them till their babies turn a year old.

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEM902F0tNo[/embed]

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, ARMMAN adapted its extensive technology platform and expertise within a week to launch intervention programs to support pregnant women, children, and health workers. Their pan-India virtual OPD helped over 14,000 women and children with free consultations and over 300,000 women living in urban slums were sent automated weekly calls and messages on COVID-19 related information in the local language. The NGO also sent critical information through calls/text messages to 800,000 health workers, in partnership with the government.

In recognition of her work, Dr Hegde has this year been listed by Fortune as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders; she ranks number 15 and is one of the only two Indians on the list which features achievers who stepped up during the pandemic. The list includes the likes of New Zealand PM Jacinda Arden and activist Malala Yousafzai.

From Mumbai to the US and back

[caption id="attachment_6043" align="aligncenter" width="514"] Dr Aparna Hegde: The maternal health champion among Fortune’s 50 greatest global leaders of 2020 Dr Aparna Hegde with her patient[/caption]

Raised in the Pant Nagar chawl in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, Hegde realized early on that she wanted her life to center around three pillars: science, service, and research. She has spent her career making that happen. After she completed her residency at Sion Hospital, Dr Hegde went to the US to study at Stanford University and then did her fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. She decided to return to Mumbai and began working with hospitals in the country’s financial capital. She is Associate Professor of Urogynecology and is setting up the upcoming Department of Urogynecology at Cama Hospital, Grant Medical College, Mumbai, India’s first comprehensive Center of Excellence in the field. She is also the Founder and Director of the Center for Urogynecology and Pelvic Health, Delhi and Consultant Urogynecologist at Global Hospital, Surya Hospital and Women’s Hospital, Mumbai.

This is apart from her work at ARMMAN, which she founded while completing her medical studies in the US. Dr Hegde had her share of sceptics; it took her five years to get any external funding. Today, her NGO which partners with the government and other NGOs in 17 states, represents one of the largest mobile health programs in the world and a lifeline for women in India. ARMMAN has reached more than 24 million women and has trained more than 170,000 local health workers.

Of long, fulfilling days

A typical day for Dr Hegde, who was also chosen as last year’s TED Fellow, begins at 4 am with about three hours of research work. This is followed by a spot of exercise and breakfast after which she gets ready for work at Cama Hospital, where she reports by 8 am. Here she usually sees patients with pelvic floor problems for free. In an interview, she told Forbes India,

“I always found it absurd that the higher you go, the more inaccessible you become to poor patients. I didn’t want that to be the case, so I serve at Cama Hospital, every day.”

She helped set up the hospital’s COVID-19 ward, and spends time every day here examining prenatal and post-natal patients. After work at Cama, she usually heads to her private practice.

[caption id="attachment_6041" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Dr Aparna Hegde: The maternal health champion among Fortune’s 50 greatest global leaders of 2020 Dr Aparna Hegde[/caption]

Giving Back

In an interview with Vogue, Dr Hegde spoke about the many hats she juggles. “I’m lucky to be in a field which is an amalgamation of all my passions, and allows me to give back to the community. Through my experiences as a resident at Sion Hospital, I saw first-hand that women were dying of many preventable causes. I realised that when you start digging beneath the surface of society, there is extreme indignity. The poor deserve to have access to dignified treatment. The quality of women’s lives matter,” she says.

She adds, “For every woman that dies, 30 others suffer. Ninety percent of these deaths are preventable. I knew that if I had to make a difference, I could only do that if I went into the community.”

Reading Time: 8 mins

Guinness World Record holder Saurabh Bothra is redefining wellness through Habuild

(April 18, 2024) ‘We build habits. Habits build you’ – with this winning mantra Saurabh Bothra has been transforming the lives of lakhs of people through his health and wellness venture Habuild that he co-founded with Anshul Agrawal and Trishala Bothra. The startup, which has just completed its eclectic four-year journey, boasts two million members across 38 nations. “It is a celebratory yet humbling feeling. The responsibility has increased, but so have the blessings,” Saurabh tells Global Indian. Going from humble beginnings to creating a global impact, with a Guinness World Record under its belt, Habuild has been working towards improving the fitness levels of people, guided by its IIT alumni founders. [caption id="attachment_50787" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Saurabh Bothra, CEO, Habuild[/caption] In January of this year, Saurabh Bothra and his team at Habuild organised a 21-day online yoga challenge, which attracted 4.5 lakh yoga enthusiasts from 92 countries. During the challenge, on January 12th, the wellness platform achieved an incredible milestone by setting the Guinness World Record for the highest number of viewers in a single session, comprising 2,46,252 yoga enthusiasts. “Working for the world record was not just a personal endeavour, it was an opportunity to inspire and motivate people

l Indian " width="640" height="640" /> Saurabh Bothra, CEO, Habuild[/caption]

In January of this year, Saurabh Bothra and his team at Habuild organised a 21-day online yoga challenge, which attracted 4.5 lakh yoga enthusiasts from 92 countries. During the challenge, on January 12th, the wellness platform achieved an incredible milestone by setting the Guinness World Record for the highest number of viewers in a single session, comprising 2,46,252 yoga enthusiasts. “Working for the world record was not just a personal endeavour, it was an opportunity to inspire and motivate people to embrace a healthier lifestyle,” remarks Saurabh.

The Nagpur-based wellness entrepreneur and government-certified yoga trainer also describes himself as a content creator. “I love to create YouTube videos to share my thoughts and expertise on health and wellness, all with the goal of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to explore,” he remarks. In his videos he unleashes health secrets in easy-to-implement ways to make people achieve their fitness goals. His YouTube Channel now has surpassed 800K subscribers.

Habuild – Helping people cultivate fitness

In 2020, when Habuild was established, it had just three eager students and a small team. Today, it boasts a thriving community of two million people on the path to cultivating healthy habits. The technology-enabled platform, which helps people build sustainable habits, now employs over 200 employees.

“I host live Yoga classes for our community every day and I am also deeply involved in looking out for better ways to serve our members through different health and wellness programs. In the past year, we have organised and hosted over 150 events for our community, all aimed at improving their health in all aspects,” Saurabh remarks.

[caption id="attachment_50788" align="aligncenter" width="749"] Health | Saurabh Bothra | Global Indian Saurabh Bothra conducting an offline yoga session[/caption]

Habuild offers its community members a bouquet of programmes like Yoga Everyday, Ayurvedic Detox, Mindful Journaling, Marma Healing, Her Health Matters (sessions on Women's wellness), Kitchen Gardening, and more for their fitness and well-being.

The wellness model

The platform operates via a messaging automation tool integrated with WhatsApp. One of the favourites of the Habuild community is the daily WhatsApp reminders. These reminders set the tone for their day and help them integrate the habit of making healthy choices into their routine.

“At Habuild, we firmly believe that taking small, consistent steps towards a healthier lifestyle can lead to significant positive life changes,” says Saurabh. Each user’s journey is personalised on WhatsApp with lessons tailored to their health needs. Attendance tracking is also implemented to keep users active and motivated, with automated texts sent to provide details on missed classes.

Monthly challenges are hosted regularly to emphasise the importance of habit building. Participants can join between 6:30 am to 7 pm according to their schedule, engaging in various asanas of yoga or exercises from the comfort of their homes.

https://youtu.be/iPus54eHptk

“We are constantly seeking new ideas to improve our users' experiences. Moving forward, we want to make our members' journeys more personalised,” says Saurabh adding, “Exciting things are happening, like introducing a new yoga batch just for kids. Plus, we are splitting batches into Hindi and English groups to make our programs accessible to everyone.”

In its monthly membership plan, Habuild offers chat support to users, addressing inquiries on general health, yoga, and physical ailments. Users can access complimentary consultations tailored to the nature of their inquiry, with a team of experts, which includes specialists in yoga, nutrition, and physiotherapy.

It started when…

Saurabh, an alumnus of IIT BHU, has always been a fitness enthusiast. In 2020, when people worldwide were confined to their homes due to lockdowns, he began offering lessons on Zoom and YouTube from his hometown, Nagpur.

Along with his friend Pramod Yadav, he conducted 45-minute sessions every morning, guiding viewers through simple breathing exercises, Surya Namaskar, and various asanas targeting different muscle groups for upper body, lower body, core, and flexibility.

Initially, it was just his way of contributing to the community. He didn't anticipate its rapid popularity, leading to the establishment of a startup centred around the wellness idea. Collaborating with other IIT alumni, Trishala Bothra (his sister) and Anshul Agrawal (his batchmate), he laid the foundation of Habuild, which now boasts members not only in India but also in the United States, Canada, Dubai, and Singapore.

[caption id="attachment_50789" align="aligncenter" width="584"] Health | Saurabh Bothra | Global Indian Saurabh Bothra[/caption]

Love for creating change

Working towards bringing about change in his community had always been part of Saurabh’s personality. During his time at the IIT BHU campus, he initiated two initiatives that were positively embraced by his college community. He co-founded the ‘Let's Read’ club, providing fellow students with the opportunity to exchange books and engage in a culture of reading and knowledge sharing.

Additionally, he spearheaded the ‘Satvik Mess’ on campus, which quickly became a student favourite. 'We managed to offer Satvik food choices that led to a close-knit community,' he shares.

As a former mechanical engineering student at IIT Banaras, Saurabh was awarded a Special Mention Award for his contributions to the campus, which included organising a successful cultural fest.

[caption id="attachment_50790" align="aligncenter" width="727"] Health | Saurabh Bothra | Global Indian Habuild Team got successful in earning a Guinness World Record[/caption]

“I did not turn out to be an engineer after IIT, but my college experience taught me the problem-solving skills crucial for my entrepreneurial journey. Every day in business, I use the lessons I learned during those special years,” he signs off.

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