Coimbatore-born Subashini Iyer is the backbone of NASA’s ambitious Artemis mission that will take humans to the Moon and planet Mars

Global IndianstorySubashini Iyer : The India-born engineer who will give wings to NASA’s ambitious deep space project

Indian Origin

Subashini Iyer : The India-born engineer who will give wings to NASA’s ambitious deep space project

Written by: Global Indian

(Our Bureau, June 14) Coimbatore-born Subashini Iyer is the backbone of NASA’s ambitious Artemis mission that will take humans to the Moon and planet Mars. Subashini, who is a Spacecraft Engineering Integrator at Boeing, has been associated with Space Launch System (SLS) for two years. She is responsible for the core stage of Artemis I which will take the spacecraft, Orion, into deep space. Subashini was one of the first women to graduate in mechanical engineering from her college VLB Janakiammal College in 1992. She is now leading a diverse team of mechanical and electrical engineers to support NASA once the core stage is built and handed over to the space agency.

Subashini Iyer

In an interview with the Times of India, Subashini said the SLS is the most powerful rocket in the world and she is responsible for building the rocket’s core stage which contains propulsion and electronic systems. It is designed to reach a height of 530,000 feet before breaking away and Artemis I is slated to launch in November this year.

Sole woman in the batch

Incidentally, when Subashini first enrolled for her engineering class she was the only woman in her batch; she was asked to find another woman “for safety” and had to convince a friend to join the course with her. She now heads a diverse team with several women in it. “My manager, the director of production, test and launch is a woman and so is her boss. The NASA SLS launch director and core stage element leader are also women. It has been great seeing more women in the field,” she told ToI.

“Involved with the SLS launch is a diverse team … I also have the pleasure of leading women and people from different countries.”

Later this year, @NASA_SLS will send our @NASA_Orion spacecraft around the Moon during the #Artemis I mission.

🤔 You might be wondering… how do we assemble the world’s largest and most powerful rocket?

Let us break it down for you: https://t.co/uWe67KshKA pic.twitter.com/sLnhW4y5TY

— NASA (@NASA) June 11, 2021

The @NASA_SLS #Artemis I core stage has been lowered down onto the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at @NASAKennedy. Teams are continuing work to secure the core stage to the solid rocket boosters for @nasaartemis I. pic.twitter.com/cINDCwDP7V

— NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) June 12, 2021

Artemis project details

The lunar exploration program uses new technologies and systems to explore the moon and NASA’s new rocket SLS will send astronauts to the moon and beyond, 50 years after humans last stepped on the lunar surface. The space agency will fly two missions around the moon to test its deep space exploration systems: Artemis I is an uncrewed flight to test SLS and Orion, Artemis II will test SLS and Orion with the crew. According to NASA’s website, when the SLS rocket takes off it will produce a maximum thrust of 8.8 million pounds, more power than any rocket in history.

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Published on 14, Jun 2021

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Yogendra Puranik became Japan’s first Indian-origin politician. Here’s how

(July 21, 2021; 5.30 pm) Back in 2016, Tokyo’s Edogawa ward was contemplating the creation of a Singapore-like Little India in Nishikasai, an area that boasts a sizeable Indian population. A banker, Yogendra Puranik was the only Indian from a professional background at the meeting; everybody else was a restaurant owner. The imbalance wasn’t lost on Puranik, who also found that the Little India model was not socially healthy or sustainable since it didn’t factor in the community’s daily needs. Puranik strongly felt that public opinion should also be factored in since the plan involved an Indian street with at least 50 to 60 establishments spanning restaurants, groceries, and clothing along with a temple, and hospital. He told Japan Times that he didn’t think the plan was financially viable and had plenty of other ideas to put forth; but they were met with resistance. “My suggestions to the city councilor turned into an argumentative debate,” which spiraled out of control - the councilor threatened to have Puranik thrown out of Nishikasai. That was a turning point for him and he decided to join politics himself. Three years later, Puranik, who is popularly known as Yogi, was a councilor; the first person of Indian origin

nancially viable and had plenty of other ideas to put forth; but they were met with resistance. “My suggestions to the city councilor turned into an argumentative debate,” which spiraled out of control - the councilor threatened to have Puranik thrown out of Nishikasai.

That was a turning point for him and he decided to join politics himself. Three years later, Puranik, who is popularly known as Yogi, was a councilor; the first person of Indian origin to be elected to office in Japan. “I wanted to join the other side of the table so I could take the opinion of the foreign community to the city administration.” A naturalized Japanese citizen, Puranik announced his candidacy in the regional elections that were to be held in April 2019. The Indian-origin politician and member of the Constitutional Democratic Party won by a huge margin.

[caption id="attachment_5646" align="aligncenter" width="592"] How Yogendra Puranik became Japan’s first Indian-origin politician Yogendra Puranik after he was elected as councilor[/caption]

From Ambarnath to Tokyo

Born in 1977 in Ambarnath in Mumbai to Rekha, a teacher, and Sharad, a machinist in the Ordnance Factory, Yogendra Puranik studied at the Kendriya Vidyalaya School. When the family relocated to Pune, he transferred to the school’s Pune branch. He graduated from Sir Parashurambhau College in Science and also studied languages like Japanese and German from the Foreign Languages Department of Pune University. In 1997 he was awarded the Study Tour award, a scholarship from The Japan Foundation and that is when his interest in Japan began to develop. He then pursued a Business Management program from IIM-Calcutta with a focus on strategies for doing global business.

[caption id="attachment_5644" align="aligncenter" width="639"] How Yogendra Puranik became Japan’s first Indian-origin politician Yogendra Puranik with his mother Rekha and son Chinmay[/caption]

While he began his career in 1996 with a small-scale IT firm called Sutra Systems, he moved to Japan in 2001 where he worked with companies such as Infosys, Fujifilm and Polaris before switching to the banking sector in 2010 as vice president of operations strategy at Mizohu Bank. His last position was at Rakuten Bank as vice director of corporate planning before he took the plunge into politics.

In summer 2001 he married his Chinese girlfriend and they had a son together, Chinmay. However, the couple divorced shortly thereafter and ever since Puranik has raised his son as a single parent with help from his mother, who now runs an Indian restaurant in Kasai.

Giving Back

Puranik moved to the Nishikasai area in 2005 for the sake of his son’s cultural education and because he needed support from the Indian community as a single parent. He eventually became involved with both the Indian and Japanese communities through cultural festivals and voluntary activities. As a result, he became a sort of liaison between his Indian and Japanese neighbors.

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZvxmdbu8mA[/embed]

When the earthquake struck Tokyo and devastated northern Japan in 2011, Puranik and other volunteers stepped in to help neighbors and victims of the disaster. “We also started a helpline for Indian people and I shared my personal phone number,” he told Japan Times. Within a few days he had answered over 200 calls about radiation, food and water safety. His work here cemented his standing as a social volunteer.

It was shortly after this that he decided to settle down in Japan and got citizenship. Puranik also runs the Edogawa India Culture Center, which hosts free classes on yoga, languages, cooking, art, and music.

Three years after the Little India incident, Puranik is a councilor; the first person of Indian origin to be elected to office in Japan.

“I want to be an assemblyman who can connect everyone regardless of nationality, age, or even disabilities, through my 20 years of living in Japan.”

Reading Time: 8 mins

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

EastEnders to Tenet: How Indian-British actor Himesh Patel took over Hollywood

(September 28, 2021) Who would have thought that a boy from the small English village of Sawtry would get to work with Hollywood biggies like Danny Boyle and Christopher Nolan? But that's Himesh Patel for you. A British-Indian actor who broke into the white industry, first with his TV stint and later with a glorious film debut. The 31-year-old, who has been smashing stereotypes with each of his appearances, has become a champion of inclusivity and diversity. But getting to where he is has been a long journey for Patel. For someone who began working as a teenager in a British soap operas, this Global Indian took a leap of faith into filmdom and in no time has become a breakout star. A teenager hero Born in a typical Gujarati family in Cambridgeshire to postmasters, who owned a newspaper-and-magazine shop, Patel loved watching television as a kid and soon began impersonating his favorite TV and film characters. It was while attending Prince William School in Northamptonshire that he was cast in a school play at the age of 11. The play turned out to be a game changer for this kid as his teacher saw potential in a young Patel and

g>Prince William School in Northamptonshire that he was cast in a school play at the age of 11. The play turned out to be a game changer for this kid as his teacher saw potential in a young Patel and asked his parents to sign him up to a local theatre group, the Key Youth Theatre in Peterborough. This love for acting and theatre helped him secure a seat at The Young Actors' Company in Cambridge, where he took film classes too. Living in a small village, drama school was his weekly refuge from isolation. "My weekly haven, to go and have some fun and just learn all the different things that go into being an actor," he told Gentleman's Journal in an interview.

His talent was talked about far and wide, and at the age of 16, he received a call for an audition for the British soap opera EastEnders through an agency in The Young Actors' Company. Patel was able to impress the casting director with his acting prowess, and soon won the part of Tamwar Masood and made his first appearance on Eastenders in 2007. In 2011, Patel won his first Inside Soap Awards with Meryl Fernandes for Best Wedding in EastEnders. The same year, he co-wrote episode one of series three with co-star Charlie G Hawkins. Such was the popularity of the show and his character that in 2013, he filmed an internet spin-off of EastEnders titled Tamwar Tales - The Life of an Assistant Market Inspector.

[caption id="attachment_11710" align="aligncenter" width="583"] Himesh Patel in a still from Eastender.[/caption]

While Patel continued to cast his spell in the series for nine years, he simultaneously worked in short films to broaden his horizon. His 2014 short film Two Dosas won many awards at international film festivals including Best Short Comedy at the London Short Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Aspen Film Festival.

In 2016, Patel returned to the television with Channel 4 sitcom Damned and the next year brought with itself a new show titled Don Juan in Soho. The same year, his fans saw him in an episode of BBC comedy Climaxed.

The breakout role

It was while doing a play in New York Patel received a mail that was set to change the course of his life with his smashing film debut. But an oblivious Patel didn't know it at that time. The mail was from his agent for a Danny Boyle film with a musical element asking him to tape a monologue from a play and a performance on a Coldplay song. Though performing in front of Boyle and Richard Curtis was scary, but Patel knew he had to give his best shot. In an interview with Curzon Blog, he said, " It felt very daunting. It was scary when I knew I was going to meet Richard and Danny; it was probably the most high-profile audition I’d had at that point, so the stakes were high. But I didn’t want that to overwhelm me to the point where I didn’t enjoy it. It’s a privilege to get to walk into a room with those two so I just enjoyed it as much as I could and I think that did me well in a way because its what’s channeled through their music, that joy."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3VeHyedL1U&t=74s

A champion of diversity

His role of Jack Malik in Yesterday, a struggling singer-songwriter waiting for his big break, struck the right chord with the audience. His warmth and charm won over the people across the globe in a film that was about The Beatles. The film was not only a turning point for Patel but all South Asians in Hollywood as the film took a major step towards diversity and inclusion. "The fact that we can finally pass as regular Americans and play mainstream roles without highlighting our individual cultural or ethnic background is a strong step towards the right direction,' he told HT Brunch.

Patel, who grew up at a time when inclusivity was also invisible in Hollywood, found it confusing to not see any Indian faces in mainstream pop culture. "My parents spent most of their childhood in India and came to the UK in their early 20s. I was born in the UK. You live in two worlds and you try to share one with the other. But it is never easy. It was a challenging and confusing time. I definitely faced the gap,' he added. But things have started to change for the better for South Asians, and Patel himself in a true example of it.

[caption id="attachment_11712" align="aligncenter" width="470"] Himesh Patel with Robert Pattinson and John David Washington on sets of Tenet. (Image Courtesy: The Times)[/caption]

The super success of Yesterday landed Patel a role in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi Tenet. Working with a stalwart like Nolan was a great learning experience for this British-Indian actor who was on his toes training under a visionary filmmaker. If Patel's Tenet was minting money at the box office, his small tube appearance in The Luminaries got him a huge thumbs up from critics and fans alike. The 31-year-old, who fell in love with acting as a child, has carved a niche for himself in Hollywood.

Follow Himesh Patel on Instagram and Twitter.

Reading Time: 6 min

Pastor to MasterChef Australia winner: Justin Narayan’s incredible journey to victory

(July 14, 2021; 5.35 pm) It was a room full of anticipation and anxiety at the MasterChef Australia with three finalists, their families, and the judges waiting with bated breath to crown the season 13 winner. The moment of truth arrived when Fijian-Indian Justin Narayan beat his competitors Kishwer Chowdhury and Pete Campbell with a perfect score and picked up the winner's trophy. The 27-year-old's incredible win made him the second person of Indian descent to clinch the title after Sashi Cheliah in 2018. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin Narayan (@justinnarayan) Celebrating his win, an elated Narayan said, "I just won MasterChef season 13. What the heck! It's a surreal feeling. It's going to take a while to sink in." View this post on Instagram A post shared by MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau) But not many know that Narayan was almost on the verge of leaving the competition after his dad was admitted to the hospital. "He got sick during the filming and ended up in ICU for a few days, and it was touch and go if I would continue on with the comp or not, but he ended up getting

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A post shared by Justin Narayan (@justinnarayan)

Celebrating his win, an elated Narayan said, "I just won MasterChef season 13. What the heck! It's a surreal feeling. It's going to take a while to sink in."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau)

But not many know that Narayan was almost on the verge of leaving the competition after his dad was admitted to the hospital.

"He got sick during the filming and ended up in ICU for a few days, and it was touch and go if I would continue on with the comp or not, but he ended up getting better and got out of the hospital," Narayan told TV Week.

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A post shared by Justin Narayan (@justinnarayan)

A pastor by profession, Narayan hails from Perth in Western Australia. Born to Fiji-Indian parents, Narayan started cooking at the age of 13, drawing inspiration from both cultures. "I like being able to be versatile and I like cooking different cuisines," he said in a video charing his journey at MasterChef Australia.

He calls his mother his biggest inspiration and the best cook he knows.

Being the eldest among the three siblings, he has always been close to his grandparents and watched cooking shows with them.

In 2017, he travelled to India and instantly fell in love with its culture, history, people, and food.

Justin, who was working as a youth pastor to create a fun and safe community for teenagers, quit his job to pursue his culinary dreams and participated in MasterChef Australia. It was his fiancee Esther (now his wife) who pushed him to follow his dream of becoming a chef.

After winning big at MasterChef Australia, Narayan has plans of opening his own restaurant one day. "I would love to create some food content, which I am working on at the moment and hopefully get some experience in the kitchen, and work towards opening my own place, and that would be really cool," he added.

Narayan is a man on a mission as he plans to use some profits from his future restaurant to helping feed children living in the slums in India.

Indians were well-represented in this year's edition of MasterChef Australia with contestants like Depinder Chhibber who became a favorite with the judges. The Delhi-born Australian put delectable South Asian cuisines on the table, fully representing her Indian heritage.

Editor's Take:

Food has the power to transport you to a place or a country. The taste, the texture, the spices, the smell are enough to take you on a culinary journey. And this is exactly what Justin Narayan did when he cooked up a storm at MasterChef Australia season 13. The 27-year-old pastor with Fijian and Indian roots put delicious food on the platter week after week. He wowed the judges with his versatility but it was the Indian influences that worked wonders for him on the show. From Indian chicken tacos to pickle salad to Indian chicken curry, he put Indian cuisine on the global map.

Reading Time: 4 mins

Supermodel to Emmy-nominated TV host: How Padma Lakshmi became a brand in herself

(August 26, 2021) The 80s was a different era for a teenager of Indian origin to find a footing in America. With deep-rooted colorism and cultural bigotry, things weren't too rosy. But Padma Lakshmi wasn't the one to bow down to any of it. She not only became the first Indian supermodel to walk for some of the biggest names in the fashion industry across the globe but also authored her first book in her 20s. In the following years, the 50-year-old maneuvered from modelling, acting, and writing to hosting, and the multi-hyphenate has become a brand of sorts in herself in the last few decades. Here's the story of this Global Indian who stood against racism and made peace with her scar that finally led her to a life of vanity. Chennai-New York-Chennai: A childhood between two cultures Born in Chennai in 1970 into a Tamil Brahmin family, Lakshmi's parents divorced when she was just 2. To escape the stigma and hostility, her mother Vijaya moved to the US, while Lakshmi stayed behind under the care of her maternal grandparents for two years. At four, when she reunited with her mom in New York, little did this kid know

moved to the US, while Lakshmi stayed behind under the care of her maternal grandparents for two years. At four, when she reunited with her mom in New York, little did this kid know that her baby steps into a new country would open up a world of possibilities. She spent most of her young life traveling between the US and India, existing between two cultures.

However, growing up as an Indian in a white country in the 80s wasn't easy for a young Lakshmi. In her memoir, Love, Loss, and Where We Ate, she mentions that India was mostly perceived as a third-world country back then and she gradually learned that for many Americans her skin color was associated with stinky food, strange clothes and malaria-infested third-world slums. Such was the pressure to fit in that it made her change her name temporarily from Padma to Angelique during the four years of her high school.

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A post shared by Padma Lakshmi (@padmalakshmi)

In a conversation with the People, Lakshmi said,

"I think everyone has experienced feeling like an outsider. And it’s something that I’ve carried with me – it’s like this invisible shadow that’s there because I was always flitting between cultures, so I was never really at home in one, and never really an outsider in the other."

The accident that left a scar

At 14, she underwent a life-changing moment when her family found itself in a horrific car accident. Though the three of them survived but not without scars. With a fractured hip and a shattered right arm, the accident left a seven inch long scar on her arm. For the longest time, Lakshmi harbored the dreams of becoming a model but the scar cast a shadow on her goal, or at least she thought so.

"Now that I had a caterpillar of scarred skin crawling down my arm, it seemed ridiculous to imagine that any agency would be interested in such an imperfect specimen. It angered me that people saw me as a ruined beauty," she told The Guardian.

Lakshmi was so conscious of the scar that she would often cover it up with makeup.

It was while studying in Spain in the 90s that she caught the eye of a modelling agent at a Madrid bar. He made her meet celebrated photographer Helmut Newton, and that was beginning of her modelling career. Newton was someone who helped Lakshmi get comfortable in her skin, and especially with her scar. It was the same scar that singled her out and made her a star in the modeling business.

[caption id="attachment_8396" align="aligncenter" width="404"] Padma Lakshmi scar The scar that made Padma Lakshmi conscious initially[/caption]

Modelling: The new beginning

Lakshmi was among the first Indian faces to model for big brands like Armani, Versace, Roberto Cavalli and Ralph Lauren. She soon found herself on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar and Allure. "I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York. I'm the first one to admit that I was a novelty," she told Evening Standard Magazine. Modelling assignments took her around the world and helped her pay off her student debt from her time at Clark University. While her popularity grew with each of her modelling projects, she felt that her career wasn't personally rewarding. "I know that my looks are really the alchemy of my parents' genetics and have little to do with me or my accomplishment of my own," she said.

The branching out of a fledgling

It was then that she branched out into writing when she got her first publishing contract in her 20s. It was the inquisitiveness of the people about what a model eats that led to her first cookbook, Easy Exotic: A Model's Low-Fat Recipes from Around The World. A compilation of recipes and short essays, the book got Lakshmi the best debut award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

For someone who was already modelling and had a book to her credit, Lakshmi dipped her toes into acting with Italian pirate movies like The Son of Sandokan and Caraibi. In 2002, she made a special appearance as a princess in TV series Star Trek: Enterprise and a few years later, she appeared in ABC's Biblical TV series The Ten Commandments.

Along with her acting career, Lakshmi donned the hat of a host for shows like Padma's Passport and Planet Food where she whipped up dishes from across the world. But it was Top Chef that changed the game for Lakshmi. In 2006, Lakshmi replaced host Katie Lee Joel, and the show's ratings shot through the roof helping Top Chef earn an Emmy nomination. The very next year, she cemented her position as a chef when she came out with her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet. Interestingly, Lakshmi's food career arose from her modelling career and not a culinary school. On her travels, she would often explore the local vegetable markets and ask waiters at the five-star restaurants for recommendations. That's how she fell in love with food.

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Giving Back

Lakshmi is more than a brand that's about glamor and gloss. The 50-year-old is also an activist who is involved in spreading awareness about women's reproductive health. In 2009, she co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America, a non-profit organization that's focused on increasing awareness, education, research and advocacy against the disease. Her foundation was instrumental in the opening of the Centre for Gynepathology Research.

"I suffered from endometriosis all my life and was never treated for it properly. When I got better and saw how normal women lived during the periods, it got me terribly angry inside. It made me realize that there is misogyny even in healthcare," she told Hindustan Times. Her foundation educates boys as well as girls.

"They need to understand the disease too, You cannot just educate half the population and expect overall change. The basic problem today is that girls have become liberated, but boys have not caught up," she added.

Apart from this, Lakshmi is also the American Civil Liberties Union ambassador for immigration and women's rights. In 2019, she was appointed United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador to shine a spotlight on inequality that can affect the people in rich and poor countries alike.

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From being a glamor girl to a multi-hyphenate star, Lakhsmi's journey has been one of self-discovery. From someone who hated her scar as a teenager to making it big in the world of fashion to authoring books to hosting an Emmy-nominated reality series, Lakshmi has come a long way. The model, actor, author and host is a perfect example of anything is possible till you follow your dreams and take every chance that comes your way.

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