Indian American entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt

Global IndianstoryBaiju Bhatt: The Indian-American entrepreneur who revolutionized the US brokerage industry to become a billionaire

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Baiju Bhatt: The Indian-American entrepreneur who revolutionized the US brokerage industry to become a billionaire

Written by: Global Indian

(October 21, 2021) Nine years ago two young men shook up the world of investing in America with the launch of their app Robinhood. The investment app, geared towards the millennials, wanted to equalize the world of investing through a unique no-brokerage stock trading model. The concept caught on and pretty soon Robinhood was the go-to app for most Americans when it came to trading in stocks. Before the turn of the decade, it was valued at over $6 billion, was racing towards an IPO and its founders were catapulted into America’s big league. One of them is Indian-American billionaire entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, who is credited as the creative one with a focus on product development.

As it successfully listed on Nasdaq, it also made Bhatt the latest entrant in the Forbes 400 list for 2021 with a net worth of $2.9 billion. Today the app has over 21 million active users and is valued at over $40 billion and continues to enjoy popularity among America’s younger investors and traders who enjoy the fact that they can invest in some of the country’s top stocks of major companies in an otherwise seemingly intimidating stock market.

Indian American entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt

The Indian connect

Born in 1984 in a Gujarati family to Indian immigrant parents, Bhatt grew up in small town Poquoson, Virginia as an only child. His parents migrated to the US when his father was accepted into a PhD program in theoretical physics at University of Huntsville, Alabama. Bhatt followed in his father’s footsteps and went on to study Physics at Stanford University. He stayed on at Stanford to do his Master’s in Mathematics and it was during this time that he met and befriended Vlad Tenev, his roommate and future co-founder. In an interview with Life Hacker, Bhatt said, “In college, I met Vlad Tenev, who at the time was a long-haired, string-bean kid with a quirky sense of humor and a penchant for late-night games of chess. The two of us would become the best of friends and go on to co-create two companies in New York together before starting Robinhood in California.”

Like Bhatt said, he and Tenev together launched two companies in New York: high-frequency trading company Celeris in 2010 which they closed in 2011 to create Chronos Research to sell low-latency software to trading firms and banks. By 2013, the duo co-founded Robinhood, a disruptive new trading platform that let people trade easily in some of the country’s top stocks and with no-brokerage costs involved. They struck gold with Robinhood and a funding round in 2018 increased the company’s valuation to $6 billion, making both Bhatt and Tenev billionaires.

Baiju Bhatt with his co-founder Vlad Tenev

Protests that inspired

Bhatt’s idea for Robinhood stemmed from the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests; offering no-brokerage stock trading, the app cut out the high fees charged by stockbrokers, which otherwise made investing in stocks feel like an intimidating experience for those with low funds. They also moved back to California to launch Robinhood (named after the legendary outlaw who stole from the wealthy to give to the poor) with the mission to democratize finance for all.

What made Robinhood also click was its efficient and frictionless interface that made trading in stocks feel like a game to the younger investors. It offers an expansive range of investments, including stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies. Given that there are no commission fees involved, Robinhood makes revenue from back-end payments. So popular was Robinhood’s no-brokerage model that it forced other major brokers to eliminate commissions as well. The app opened the door to trading to millions of people, mostly millennials. Bhatt estimates that nearly half of all new US brokerage accounts in the last few years are by Robinhood accounts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only helped the app see a surge in users and business with millions of first-time investors signing on. However, in 2020, this Global Indian decided to step down as co-CEO of the company as it headed towards an IPO and decided to focus on product development.

A focus on self

Over the years, Robinhood has been battered by controversies, most of which it has managed to emerge from and Bhatt continues to ride the wave. The 37-year-old, who is married to Adrienne Sussman with whom he has a son, is an avid runner who’s participated in several half marathons over the years. He told Life Hacker, “I run outside almost every day of the week. I’ll usually step out during lunch for an hour-long jog around the neighborhoods of Palo Alto and through Stanford campus. It helps me clear my head and put all the things I’ve been thinking about back together in creative ways. Also, by the time I get back, I’m energetic and generally feeling awesome.”

Baiju Bhatt with his father

What keeps him ticking is his strong willpower, which he says has helped him overcome several challenges over the years. “A personal but very important example comes from my childhood. As a kid, I had always struggled with being overweight. When I was a sophomore in high school, I decided I wanted to change that once and for all. That spring, I started exercising every single day, and by the time I started junior year, I had lost nearly 70 pounds. I looked and felt like a completely different person.”

That same willpower is what helped this Indian American entrepreneur launch Robinhood, disrupt a centuries-old industry and see it through its share of rough patches.

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Published on 21, Oct 2021

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How racism and alienation fueled British Indian writer Sunjeev Sahota to scale literary heights

(July 28, 9:50 am) "I've got more interested in the form, the artistry, and wanting something new - not just in my writing, but also when I'm reading. I get very bored when I read novels that have nothing new in them. So, that's probably what drives me about what I write next. I try to reach beyond what's already illuminated, those darker kinds of places, through my writing." That's how Sunjeev Sahota, a longlisted author for the 2021 Booker Prize, describes the process of choosing stories for his books. In less than a decade, the Indian-origin British novelist has become a name to reckon with in the literary scene with just three books to his credit. For someone who started reading his first novel at the age of 18, and began writing one at 25, Sahota has impressed critics and book lovers with his poignant tales. His novellas are centered around the experiences of immigrants who struggle with a sense of belonging in their adopted homelands. https://twitter.com/CEOAnneFrankUK/status/1419552961945030658?s=20 His books weave in his Indian roots and resonate with a wide audience. With his second Booker Prize nomination for China Room, Sahota has yet again proved his mettle. Here's the inspiring

ker Prize nomination for China Room, Sahota has yet again proved his mettle. Here's the inspiring journey of this novelist.

The Asian in a white-dominated school

Sahota's grandparents emigrated to the UK from Punjab in 1966 and settled in the Normanton area of Derbyshire. It was here that Sahota was born 15 years later. Being brought up in a close-knit Sikh community, Sahota felt a sense of belonging among his people and his culture. But when he was 7, his father bought a convenience store in Chesterfield, and everything changed for a young Sahota. He went from being a part of an extended kinship network to being the only Asian in his secondary school. He became an easy target for racism.

In a conversation with the Guardian, he revealed,

"I remember in my first year when I was 11, there were a few fifth-years who seemed to target me. It only became physical once or twice, but there was lots of blocking in stairways. People don’t think of blocking as physical but it’s very invasive, and the worst thing is how much it makes you aware of yourself and your difference. Walking down the street, or into a room, you think, how are people going to react? What are they going to see first?"

Being away from his community and people, Sahota felt a sense of alienation and struggled to identify with white people.

It was an undergraduate course in mathematics that brought Sahota to Imperial College in London, which turned out to be an antidote to his lonely experience of growing up in Chesterfield.

https://twitter.com/ScurrRuth/status/1419928113862123521?s=20

Love affair with books

It was around the same time that Sahota's love affair with books and literature began. With three popular books to his credit, it's hard to believe that it wasn't until 18 that he started reading. It all began with his trip to India to meet his relatives in Punjab. At the airport, he picked up Salman Rushdie's Midnight Children which lured him into the world of literature.

"I don’t know how much I really understood on that first reading. But it did feel like a dam bursting. I felt quite overtaken by a sense of storytelling as a way of spending your life. And then I became a heavy, avid reader very quickly," he told BookPage.

This love for fiction fuelled Sahota's desire to write a novel. "I knew I wanted to write a big book partly because I wanted to do homage to the books that made me fall in love with reading, those big, immersive novels that I first got myself lost in," he added.

Sunjeev Sahota's book has been shortlisted for the 2021 Man Booker Prize

7/7 bombings and his debut book

Though Sahota had a deep desire to pen a book, he chose the insurance industry for his day job. For many years, he worked in the marketing department of insurance major Aviva. However, it was the 7/7 tube bombings in London 16 years ago that crystalized the concept for his debut book, Ours Are The Streets. The novella was a poignant and powerful story of Muslim radicalization with a British Muslim bomber at its center. Sahota found common ground between his feelings of alienation and that of the suicide bombers.

"There was an idea of belonging that seemed to connect with what I was feeling in my late teens – not that I would ever have gone down that route. But given a certain time and place, and given who you think your people are and what might be happening in the geopolitical sphere, a set of circumstances could trigger that sense of not feeling connected to the country. The biggest factor is not feeling English inside."

He wrote the book over a period of three years at his parents' home over weekends and evenings while keeping his day job. "Being brought up in the British Sikh community where shame and honor play such a big role and you don't air your dirty laundry, I felt I was exposing a lot, which is probably why I wanted to write it quite privately."

Released in 2011, Ours Are The Streets received a warm reception. So much so that poet and critic John Burnside called it a "moral work of real intelligence and power." Two years later, the author saw himself on Granta's Best of Young British Novelists list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GehBAZu9RmY

The journey to Man Booker Prize nomination

It was in 2015 that Sahota's second book The Year of the Runaways hit the stalls. Based on the experience of illegal immigrants in Britain, the novel soon caught the fancy of many. Such was its effect that it earned Sahota his first nomination for the 2015 Man Booker Prize (now called The Booker Prize).

Sahota's novels have been a mirror to his ideology, emotions, and feelings that formed over the years in the UK.

"I'm a child of immigrants so inevitably that informs how I look at the world. I'm also from working-class stock, so class, too, is always somewhere in my mind. Those two things — the immigrant and the working class — are in all my novels to date because they're the two 'identities' that have most impacted my life and my life chances. Of the two, I'd argue that class has had a bigger effect on my life than race or my immigration status," he told the Indian Express.

While his first two books came at an interval of four years, his third novella, China Room, took five years to see the light of day. Taking inspiration from family folklore about his great grandmother, Sahota set China Room in the 1920s Punjab. The book revolves around Meher and her grandson - who are separated by time and space - but their stories are interconnected.

"I never felt I needed to draw stories out of people. I think because I am so interested, and such a lover of India, and because I speak the language idiomatically, there’s a way in," he told The Guardian.

Within two months of his release, Sahota's China Room has been longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize for its "brilliant twist" on the immigrant experience.

"All my novels to date feature protagonists yearning for freedom and connection, for a sense of self-worth and a place to belong, and no doubt this draws on my own vexed connection with the land of my birth," he wrote in a column for Literary Hub.

Editor's Take

Immigrants never have it easy in any country - they feel the conflict of being sandwiched between different cultures at home and at school/work. Booker Prize-longlisted author Sunjeev Sahota hits the head on the nail when he talks about the feeling of "not feeling English inside" as a teenager. A second-generation immigrant of Sikh parentage, the 40-year-old has been a voice of the immigrant working class in the UK through his three distinguished books. With each of his novella, he peels a layer that gives an insight into the world of immigrants. We wish him the very best for The Booker Prize countdown.

Reading Time: 6 mins

Of ‘Paramount’ importance: Filmmaker Shriya Rana works with Hollywood’s big names

(May 23, 2022) Sometimes, the smallest decisions can change the course of life forever. That holds true for filmmaker Shriya Rana. In her second year MBA, while others were bracing themselves for campus placements, Shriya was itching to do something creative. All that it took to realise her goal in life and pursue it wholeheartedly was her decision to do a brief internship with a local filmmaker in her home state of Himachal Pradesh. A few days into her internship, filmmaking captured her imagination and she wanted to be part of the whole thing, from conception to completion. With no contacts in the film world, she quickly reached out to former students of the New York Film Academy, asked them many questions and got an understanding of how things worked in Hollywood. Come 2017, she moved to the US to study filmmaking. [caption id="attachment_24770" align="aligncenter" width="544"] Shriya Rana[/caption] Five years of struggle and challenges later, Shriya made her mark in Hollywood, by writing and directing eight short films and producing 10 more -- all in different genres, most of which have been screened in over 30 film festivals across the globe. "That (internship) changed my life. The experience taught me

eight short films and producing 10 more -- all in different genres, most of which have been screened in over 30 film festivals across the globe. "That (internship) changed my life. The experience taught me two major things - first, how to market and sell yourself as well as your property and second, that a movie is made thrice, first when it’s written, second when it’s made, and third, during the post-production time," smiles Shriya, in an exclusive chat with Global Indian.

Her recent release Ayesha turned out to be her most successful film, for which she bagged five Best Director awards and secured over 20 official selections. Not only did she receive the Audience Choice Award at the prestigious UCLAxFilmFest 2021 for the film, which is about a young woman who struggles to lead a normal life in a homophobic society, it was also showcased at Marina Del Rey Film Festival and Capri Hollywood Film Festival.

From Himachal Pradesh to Los Angeles

Born in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Shriya's father Dr Raj Kumar is an economics professor and mother Saroja Rana, a school principal. Her younger brother is an officer with the Indian Air Force. "Since I don't come from a film background, I did not have anyone to look up to. Even though I was curious about the filmmaking process, I never thought about the filmmakers," she says.

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In school, while her peers were more focussed on academics, Shriya was doing things she loved -- painting, dancing and singing. "I was doing well in academics, and could never think of a career as an artist. Now when I look back, it’s strange that art was what I loved," says Shriya, who studied at Lords Convent School and later went to the Himachal Pradesh University Summer Hill, Shimla.

The internship helped her find her inner calling, and without further ado, she moved to LA in 2017 after doing some research on the best filmmaking schools. Initially, she took up a brief course at New York Film Academy (NYFA) which enabled her to understand that direction was her true calling. Subsequently, she enrolled at the University of California, LA for a course in same. During those days, she started working as a Gallery Ambassador at UCLA’s Hammer Museum in the mornings, and attending school in the evenings, which not only helped her monetarily but taught her customer service, discipline and duty.

Spreading her wings

"Once I landed in LA, there was a clear cultural clash. It was a different lifestyle, something I wasn’t accustomed to at first. It took me a while but I prepped myself and brushed up my cursory knowledge to face this new world," smiles Shriya, who landed her first job at the CBS Post and later interned at Brett- Morgan’s Public Road Productions. "I socialised, explored, networked, met more people and finally made movies with them," informs the filmmaker, whose parents supported her throughout.

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A post shared by Shriya Rana (@shriyarana)

Shriya, who has made films like Drifting Darkly (2018), Waiting (2018), Serena Calling (2019), False Notion (2019), Ayesha (2021), says, "Making simple stories impactful is the hardest thing to do." Currently working as the production coordinator with Paramount in LA, she distributes their shows and movies to their partners (Apple, Amazon, Hulu, Fandango, Comcst, Vudu and many more) and formats and publishes their content on Paramount Plus website.

Having worked on primetime and late-night shows like The Good Wife, Equalizer, The Amazing Race, Twin Peaks, NCIS, Young Sheldon, she has a great body of work to her credit. "I had the opportunity to work with the best team and contribute to the launch of Paramount Plus and Grammy’s 2021. Working on the launch of Paramount Plus will always be the highlight of this job," smiles the filmmaker, who is a big fan of horror movies but loves a good story irrespective of the genre.

"I like stories that resonate with people. Regardless of the genre, I like stories that make you think, real stories about real people. I received a great response for Ayesha and I have been working on developing it into a feature," she informs.

So what’s next in store? "I’m working with a credible crew of filmmakers on various projects, both in film and TV. Most of my projects are in development and I hope to see my projects in production by the end of the year," reveals the filmmaker, who is also skilled in script coverage, screenwriting and video editing.

Filmmaker | Shriya Rana

Bollywood vs Hollywood

When it comes to Hollywood and Bollywood movies, Shriya feels both industries are very different. "In LA, people talk about the filmmakers, cast and studios. But in India, it's more about the actors and directors. Filmmakers in India don’t get enough credit," she feels. Although films like Andhadhun have set a trend for unique plots and concepts with commercial success at the box office, films like Tumbbad, Bhavesh Joshi, Panga, Pataakha, Soni still haven’t been recognised, she believes.

"We still don’t talk about directors like Ashwini Iyer, Anand Gandhi, Ivan Ayr. Also, the content here is very original. We have so many talented filmmakers in India but sadly their work doesn’t reach the masses as they don’t get enough theaters. I hope to see things getting better for people behind the camera in India," says Shriya, who admires Basu Chatterjee and Shekhar Kapur in the Indian film industry. Her current favourites are Mike Flanagan, Quentin Tarantino, Emerald Fennell and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. When not busy with filmmaking, Shriya loves to dance, watch films and visit art galleries.

Follow Shriya Rana on Instagram and LinkedIn

Reading Time: 6 min

Mississippi Masala to The Green Knight: How Sarita Choudhury wowed the West

(September 18, 2021) Mira Nair launched a new girl, one who worked with the great Italian director Federico Fellini, opposite Denzel Washington in the 1991 romantic drama Mississippi Masala. But little did this girl know that she would soon be going to wow the entertainment industry with her sheer talent. When Sarita Choudhury erupted on the big screen with her debut film, critics across the globe couldn't stop raving about this new talent. And now three decades later, the 55-year-old is still making the right noise with her choice of work. It was in college that Choudhury fell in love with acting, and knew that this was the course to be followed. While the journey wasn't all sunshine and rainbow for her, she kept delivering her best. Here's the story of this Global Indian who wowed the West with her stunning performances. College resurrected the dream of acting Born in London to an Indian father and an English mother, Choudhury was raised in Jamaica, Mexico and Italy as her dad was a scientist and had a moving job. Living her initial life literally out of the suitcase, Choudhary made a stop over in Canada for a while to complete her

was raised in Jamaica, Mexico and Italy as her dad was a scientist and had a moving job. Living her initial life literally out of the suitcase, Choudhary made a stop over in Canada for a while to complete her graduation in economics from Queen's University in Ontario. When Choudhury arrived on the campus in the fall of 1986, she had plans of becoming an economist. But Queen's helped her live her childhood dream of being an actress. It was here that she became interested in film studies and began experimenting with acting by making appearances in the films made her by her classmates. This exposure was enough for Choudhury to feverishly pursue a career in acting, and it was one of her professors at Queen's who played the perfect catalyst in bringing her closer to her dream.

"Prof. Frank Burke from Film Studies had written a book about Federico Fellini, the great Italian film director, and he gave me a letter of introduction. When I told my mother this, she said, 'Well, let’s get in the car and go see him.’ I thought she was crazy, but away we went. The address Frank Burke had given me was at Cinecittà Studios, in Rome. When I knocked on Fellini’s door, not only did he see me, he gave me a job translating scripts," she told Queen's Alumni Review.

The big break with Mira Nair

This opened up a sea of opportunities for a young Choudhury who made connections in the industry that led her to auditioning for film roles. One such audition helped her land her first big role in Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala alongside Denzel Washington. The film on interracial romance between a South African American man and an Indian woman became an art house hit and got Choudhury some rave reviews for her performance. Despite a grand start, Choudhury didn't find the landing she was looking for in Hollywood. So the 55-year-old focused on finding diversity through her work across theatre, television and films.

[caption id="attachment_10660" align="aligncenter" width="495"] Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury in a still from Mississippi Masala.[/caption]

If she played a Pakistani singer in Wild West (1992), she essayed the role of a Chilean maid in Bille August's adaptation of The House of the Spirits. After five years, Nair once again collaborated with Choudhury for Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Seashell award at the 1996 San Sebastián International Film Festival. It was by the late 90s that Choudhury added a touch of Hollywood to her repertoire with films like A Perfect Murder (1998) and Gloria (1999). Simultaneously, Choudhury found interesting scripts on the small screen. Be it NBC drama Kings or Homicide: Life on the Street, the actress pulled off each character with elan.

Diversity in Hollywood

Choudhury kept going strong at a time when diversity was something that Hollywood completely ignored. It was her faith in herself and her hard work that worked in her stride. "How the business perceives us is something I’ve never concerned myself with. I just try to beat the odds of rejection by preparing a lot for auditions, and hopefully changing someone's mind. Minds and the gate keepers have to change. It's an exciting time, it’s still slow, but we're all part of this change," she told Hindustan Times in an interview.

[caption id="attachment_10662" align="aligncenter" width="502"] Sarita Choudhury as Mira and Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson in Homeland.[/caption]

This same grit got her roles in films like Lady in the Water, Midnight's Children, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and The Last Photograph. But it's her film A Hologram for the King with Tom Hanks that she is most proud of. "It took me to another level," she told Mint Lounge.

Choudhury, who paved the way for many South Asians in Hollywood, is truly a global icon. She has worked with the best talent in the industry and has some very powerful roles to her credit. But for her, being a global actor has never been her intention. In an interview with WION, she said, "As actors we don’t really have any intent to be perceived globally in a certain way. But if that is the result of following your dream no matter what the obstacles that is amazing. My dad had seen Satyajit Ray’s films in India when he was young, my mum had seen the same films in England, I saw them in Canada when I was at university. That's global! And (that) makes me proud."

Despite two decades of good work to her credit, Choudhury is unstoppable in her 50s. After making heads turn with her performance in fantasy film The Green Knight, the actress has now grabbed a plum role in Sex and the City reboot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcOHajVcl44

Indian at heart

Choudhury is a popular actress in the West but her heart is still in India. " I feel like if I don’t go to India once a year, I lose my sense of roots. I have an Indian father, and when you grow up in a house with an Indian father, culturally that’s what becomes dominant in the house. So that’s the tradition we grew up with. And it’s not a coincidence that my dad retired and moved back home to Calcutta. So, no matter which country my brother and I grew up in, we would come home to my father. And that stayed with me, that’s my heart," she told Times of India.

Choudhury is one of those rare South Asian actresses who made a mark in the West at a time when diversity wasn't the focus point of Hollywood. However, with her determination and grit, she kept breaking the stereotypes and wowing the global audience with her stellar performances.

Reading Time: 6 min

Kumar Nadesan: A Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee’s tale of transformations

(September 22, 2023) I had the pleasure of meeting Thiru Sivakumar Nadesan, more popular as Kumar Nadesan, on a pleasant afternoon at the Business Club of Taj Samudra, Colombo. The Indian cricket team was coincidentally staying at the same venue for the Asia Cup. Although their presence was unrelated to the essence of our encounter, their proximity added an enchanting touch to the ambience. Taj Samudra Colombo radiates a deep affection for Indians in Colombo, and amidst the opulence of the surroundings, Kumar Nadesan's arrival only heightened the vibrancy of the atmosphere. Nadesan, the recipient of the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2023, is widely recognised as the print magnate of Sri Lanka. He holds the position of Managing Director of Express Newspapers (Ceylon) (Pvt) Limited, a prominent print and web media organisation. It publishes Virakesari, one of Sri Lanka's foremost Tamil daily newspapers, amongst other publications. Founded in August 1930, Virakesari stands as the oldest and largest circulating Tamil newspaper in Sri Lanka at 93. [caption id="attachment_45216" align="aligncenter" width="798"] Kumar Nadesan receiving Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2023 from President Droupadi Murmu[/caption] “When Gandhi came here, he advised the Indian community to come up with a publication as he found

st 1930, Virakesari stands as the oldest and largest circulating Tamil newspaper in Sri Lanka at 93.

[caption id="attachment_45216" align="aligncenter" width="798"] Indian Origin | Kumar Nadesan | Global Indian Kumar Nadesan receiving Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2023 from President Droupadi Murmu[/caption]

“When Gandhi came here, he advised the Indian community to come up with a publication as he found that the diaspora lacked voice in the country at that time. This is how Virakesari started,” Nadesan told Global Indian. Over the years, the publication has diligently catered to Tamil speaking individuals irrespective of nationality and religion.

Apart from being at the helm of all the other publications of Express Newspapers which caters to a wide audience, Nadesan is the director of the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, and chairman of Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI). Established and operated by the media industry SLPI provides structured training for journalists, encourages self-regulation within the print media sector, and champions a free and responsible media environment in Sri Lanka. Talking about its uniqueness he shared, “We are the first in the world to have people with diverse outlooks all sitting together at one table. Our group includes working journalists, media activists, editors, and publishers, each with their unique perspectives."

As the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka, a self-regulatory mechanism of the media industry, Nadesan heads a simple, non-legalistic system by which people with a genuine grievance about the press can gain quick and easy redress, without hassle.

The Attorney at Law Sri Lanka, has played a major role in addressing the drug menace in the country as the Chairman of Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association. The man of many hats loves being busy and is also the President of the Sri Lanka chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). He has been the president of the Sri Lanka India Society in the past.

Unfazed by his accomplishments

When I extended my congratulations to him for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award that he recently received, Nadesan displayed remarkable humility, stating, "I was, of course, pleasantly surprised to receive it, but I am uncertain about the reasons for my selection." As Chairman of the major print media regulatory bodies his efforts to enhance professionalism within the Sri Lankan media industry is unquestionable and quite evident.

In his tenure as president of the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association, his dedication to the cause has been nothing short of tremendous, reflecting his unwavering commitment to the betterment of the community and the country, which is his home. Despite his impressive accomplishments he remained grounded as he spoke.

[caption id="attachment_45221" align="aligncenter" width="762"] Indian Origin | Kumar Nadesan | Global Indian Kumar Nadesan with Sri Lanka's PM, Dinesh Gunawardena and the High Commissioner of India, Gopal Baglay[/caption]

After returning from the Valedictory Session and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards Ceremony in Indore, where he received the award from President Droupadi Murmu, his friends threw him a surprise party in Colombo. They had invited the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dinesh Gunawardena and the High Commissioner of India, Gopal Baglay as special guests to honour him. When I mentioned the event to Nadesan, he humbly remarked, "I would have never allowed that if I had known my friends were planning something like that."

Bond with India

Despite being a fourth-generation Indian in Sri Lanka, Nadesan’s ties with India are deep-rooted. His initial connection with India was forged during his undergraduate years at Loyola College, Madras which he fondly recalled as ‘some of the most cherished days of his life’. “I even served as the student union president during those carefree days,” he said, talking about his tryst with India in the 1960s.

His bond with his country of origin grew stronger, particularly when all four of his sisters were married off to India. His late wife, who was a doctor by profession, also happened to be from India. Nadesan met her while they were students in Madras.

From law to publishing industry

After completing his bachelor's degree in commerce from Madras, Nadesan went to the United Kingdom to pursue law. Upon his return to Sri Lanka, he was a practising lawyer for two decades, accumulating valuable experience in the legal field.

However, a significant turning point occurred when he transitioned into the publishing industry. His involvement with the Express Newspaper, a position influenced by his family's business stakes in the publication house, marked a notable shift in his professional journey.

[caption id="attachment_45218" align="aligncenter" width="684"] Indian Origin | Kumar Nadesan | Global Indian Kumar Nadesan at a media event[/caption]

This career transition was driven by his belief that through the media, he could wield greater influence and potentially challenge government actions when they are unjust. “Newspaper is an ideal platform to expound whatever ideas you have and help the society,” he says.

Commitment to combat drug menace in Sri Lanka

Talking about his initiatives as the president of Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association, he shared “I am a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo for more than 50 years. Anti-drugs initiatives started off as part of the Rotary project. In 1982-83, we found that drugs were infiltrating Sri Lanka, with young people being the primary target, and realised that something needs to be done to curb the menace.”

The drugs entered the country through the sea, as the fishermen who wondered whether they will ever afford to build a house got into the lure of bringing drugs into the country to earn money. A single consignment of the size of a jam jar of drugs could yield the resources to build more than two or three houses – a tempting proposition.

Considering the future of the country and the well-being of its human resources, it seemed imperative to Kumar Nadesan and his fellow Rotary members to initiate discussions about anti-drug programmes and take action in the sphere. “We conceptualised the idea of fostering human development because, even though drug-related issues may seem minor in scale, perhaps around 1 percent, the impact they create, including robbery and theft, is substantial,” he remarked “Our prisons have been overflowing with individuals unable to pay fines for drug-related offences,” he adds.

[caption id="attachment_45217" align="aligncenter" width="732"] Indian Origin | Kumar Nadesan | Global Indian Kumar Nadesan at a Rotary function in presence of President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe[/caption]

Under Nadesan’s leadership, the initial initiative of the Rotary project proved to be highly successful. Soon after, the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association was established reflecting his commitment to addressing drug-related concerns in Sri Lanka. The association has done a commendable job over the past few decades. Nadesan received the 'Service above Self' award from Rotary International for his tireless efforts.

Purpose – to bridge heritage and history

Nadesan is in the process of envisioning a museum that will encapsulate the rich tapestry of Indian ethos, and the opulent flora and fauna of Sri Lanka. With the museum he aims to serve as a knowledge base of Sri Lanka’s natural beauty, promote the local artisans of the country through a handicraft bazaar and also create a tangible connection to the ancestral homeland for the younger generation of Indian-origin diaspora. Many of them often identify their roots with the picturesque towns in Sri Lanka's upcountry where their forefathers were brought to work as tea plantation workers.

“The intention is to guide them on a journey back to their origins, immersing them in the rich cultural history, and the earnest pride that once defined the lives of their great-grandfathers in the villages of India,” he remarked.

[caption id="attachment_45215" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Indian Origin | Kumar Nadesan | Global Indian Kumar Nadesan[/caption]

Kumar Nadesan’s family originates from Trichy in Tamil Nadu. His forefathers were brought by the British to Sri Lanka from India as tea plantation workers. Over the generations, becoming one of the well-known figures in the country is an inspirational success story that Kumar Nadesan exudes.

Reading Time: 5 mins

Alka Joshi : Re-imagining India as a debutant novelist at 61

(Sheryl Dixit, April 6) Alka Joshi, 63, is a citizen of the United States, born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and currently residing in Pacific Grove, California. Her journey is highlighted by her transformation from an advertising entrepreneur to a best-selling novelist and brand ambassador for India at the age of 61. She holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from the California College of Arts and runs an advertising and marketing agency. Joshi's Global Indian Quotient is marked by her debut novel, "The Henna Artist," which offers a fresh perspective on India to western audiences. The novel has been translated into 23 languages, with a TV adaptation in the works. Additionally, she impacts the literary community by mentoring fledgling authors and serving as an Author Advocate for 'Room to Read,' a US-based non-profit organization focused on children's literacy. Alka Joshi honestly thought of herself as a ‘hack’, a writer of mini-stories. That was before she won international acclaim for The Henna Artist, her New York Times bestseller that encapsulates a young woman’s drive for self-sufficiency after escaping an abusive marriage and battling conspiring factors that threaten her ingenuity. The San Francisco Chronicle calls it “An amiable and entertaining debut

debut novel about an important theme — balancing family with personal ambition — that allows readers to escape into a fantasy teeming with sensory pleasure.”

Alka says The Henna Artist is bringing India to the world: It’s being serialized by Miramax, and the second book The Secret Keeper of Jaipur is due for a mid-year release.

Alka’s a great example of pursuing your dreams and pushing the boundaries: she was 61 when the book launched. Starting her career as a copywriter and later advertising agency promoter, Alka created campaigns for TV and radio. Over three decades she became adept at crafting themes with dialogue in a very short timeframe. Then Alka’s husband motivated her to try writing long-form fiction. “He said: You’re always telling stories about people and situations just to entertain me,” she recalls. Taking up the challenge Alka completed a two-year writing course at the California College of Arts, and came away with a Masters and a draft of her book.

Alka’s Indian heritage complimented her natural creative flair as a wordsmith. “Hard work is an Indian ‘thing’ because we are determined to succeed,” says Alka.

In 2008 after a gap of 40 years, Alka traveled back to India with her mother. Exploring her ancestral roots in Rajasthan not just transformed her into an Indophile, but set the scene for Alka’s book.

“I had no expectations of a land I barely remembered. But what a trip that turned out to be,” says Alka. India embraced its prodigal in a fulfilling and kaleidoscopic reunion. Alka’s senses were wonderfully overwhelmed: Colourful saris gracefully draped, enticing foods to delight the palate, aromas of wood fires, warm jelabies and henna drying on hands were visuals that eventually found expression in the book. “The markets, handicrafts, monuments...I saw India through my mother’s eyes and rediscovered my heritage. I was proud. I felt that I could breathe again.” says Alka.

Alka has lived in the US since 1967 when the family joined her father Ramesh in the US to do his doctorate. Determined that his children should have the best education, the family lived in mostly white neighborhoods with good schools. Alka and her brothers were the only brown kids and their school friends only knew India as an underdeveloped, starving, illiterate nation. At the impressionable age of 9 Alka started to feel ashamed of her origins, so she simply disassociated herself from the Indian stereotype.

But the trip to India changed everything. Also, the book’s title protagonist and henna artist evolved as Alka uncovered her mother Sudha’s traditional veneer that masked an independent and quietly assertive spirit. Sudha motivated her children to make their own choices, while her life remained embedded in convention, one in which she still cooked chappatis for Alka’s dad every night.

Alka is a spirited feminist having faced racism, sexism and wage disparity throughout her career. “I am all about women’s rights and choices. I hired only women (in her advertising agency) so they could gain confidence and experience. We were successful and we had fun,” she says.

Grateful for her privileged life, Alka pays back by supporting disadvantaged women and girls, and mentoring fledging authors.

That’s why she loves being Author Advocate for ‘Room to Read’, a US-based global nonprofit for children's literacy and girls' education. She represents them across geographies, encouraging kids to read, write, find and develop their talents.

Reading Time: 7 mins