Global Indianstory Chess GrandmasterShreyas Royal: India-born chess player is UK’s youngest international master

Shreyas Royal: India-born chess player is UK’s youngest international master

Compiled by: Team GI Youth

(July 9, 2023) Shreyas Royal was just nine when he made the ceremonial opening move for the Viswanathan Anand-Magnus Carlsen game at London in 2017. This speaks volumes about his genius skills in the game of chess. London-based Indian-origin Shreyas is now 14, and it was in 2022 that he broke the UK record for the youngest ever grandmaster performance when he scored seven points from nine games at the Bavarian Open in Germany. He now aims to in the top 10 in the world or become a world champion by the age of 21.

Shreyas Royal

Life in London, and discovering chess

The Bengaluru-born was still a toddler when he relocated to South-East London in 2012 after his father got a job as an IT project manager in the UK. As young as three, Shreyas was introduced to chess, courtesy his dad Jitendra Singh, who noticed his son’s sharp memory and thought that any mind game as a hobby would be great for him for a start. This is how chess happened to Shreyas; however, the chess prodigy wasn’t instantly hooked to the game. “It took me some time, but I was curious. I started playing with other children at school, and I started winning. And that got me hooked. And playing chess has also helped me to develop a few other skills, like being more patient and sitting still,” he said in an interview.

When Shreyas was six years old, his parents signed him up at a local chess club in East Ham, East London, with a private coach, and his determination helped him win a tournament, thus leading him to become the world’s youngest “candidate master”. He even represented England in European Schools Chess Championships in Greece where he bagged a silver. In August 2017, he was ranked joint fourth in his age group at the World Cadets Chess Championships in Brazil. In a short span, he has won multiple awards. So much so that Chris Ward, a chess grandmaster and former British champion, described Shreyas as “the best prospect the country has ever seen”.

How Shreyas’ talent shaped his family’s future

However, things took a difficult turn when in 2018 Shreyas’s family was on the verge of packing up bags and returning to India owing to the expiration of his dad’s work permit. He was told that visa could be extended only if he earned £120,000 a year, which he did not. However, Home Secretary Sajid Javid intervened and made a personal decision to allow the family to stay in the UK, looking at Shreyas’s talent. “The UK is a country that fosters world class talent and Shreyas is one of the most gifted chess players in his generation. We have always been clear we want a world-class immigration system that welcomes highly-talented individuals from across the globe,” said Sajid Javid.

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The sigh of relief helped him focus back on the game, and he even began home schooling to focus more on the game.

Strategy is key

Before each game, he prepares well before going up against his highly skilled opponents by determining their strengths and weaknesses. “I check to see what openings he has struggled against in the past and also look at some of his statistics, how well he has fared against weaker opponents. Aiming for any type of an advantage with white and equality with black out of the opening are also very vital goals,” said the chess prodigy who went on to become the English U7 champion, British U8 champion, U8 European champion.

The teenager, who loves listening to music and watching cricket, has fallen in love in the chess, and it’s this fondness that brings him back to the board each time. “It is a very fascinating game in which I feel I have a lot more to learn,” he told Olympics.

The 14-year-old chess prodigy of Indian origin, has already etched his name in the archives of chess history. Breaking the UK record for the youngest ever grandmaster performance at the Bavarian Open is just the beginning of his remarkable journey. With unwavering determination, tireless hard work, and an unyielding love for the game, Shreyas has propelled himself to the forefront of the chess world. “For me, it’s not so much about the money, it’s about having fun playing chess. I just enjoy it.”

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Published on 09, Jul 2023

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Innovation in orbit: India’s space tech pioneers make their mark

(November 28, 2023) From launching Chandrayaan 3 in July, to sticking its perfect landing on the Moon's south pole, and launching a mission to study the sun - the Indian Space Research Organisation has just witnessed what we can safely call the most successful year. Although ISRO didn't have a traditional beginning and faced significant financial constraints, it has emerged as one of the world's most successful space agencies. Remarkably, this achievement has not only transformed ISRO but has also inspired countless aspiring youngsters who wish to take the Indian flag to space one day. In recent years, India's space technology startup ecosystem has experienced significant growth. Nevertheless, 2023 marked a milestone year as various private entities entered the scene by launching their own satellites. According to the most recent Economic Survey, India now boasts a total of 104 space startups and 368 space technology companies. With the industry poised to attract over $300 million in investments in 2023, Global Indian examines the prominent participants in India's space technology ecosystem. AgniKul Cosmos Their journey began at IIT Madras in 2017 with just ₹3 crores in seed funding. Back then, Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM had just one goal: to build

nvestments in 2023, Global Indian examines the prominent participants in India's space technology ecosystem.

AgniKul Cosmos

Their journey began at IIT Madras in 2017 with just ₹3 crores in seed funding. Back then, Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM had just one goal: to build and launch a space rocket within a few years. Although they faced many challenges over the last six years, these two young individuals successfully established India's first private launchpad and mission control center at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in November 2022. With a total funding of $34.5 million, AgniKul is now one of India's most respected space startups.

[caption id="attachment_26136" align="aligncenter" width="602"] Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM, founders, AgniKul Cosmos[/caption]

The facility at Sriharikota has a launchpad and mission control center. It's special because it has India's first rocket engine that was made using 3D printing. They built this facility in just two months. Soon, they'll use it to launch India's first private spaceflight into orbit. "We are trying to get the first few launches this year. These would be developmental flights (test launches). Then scale to a commercial launch in 2023," Srinath had said during a press interaction, adding, "There are going to be big breakthroughs in the Indian space industry in the next few years. The gestation period is a bit long, but I think we are already there. The government being upfront is going to encourage a lot of people to give it a shot. ISRO is helpful and it also has the attention of the Prime Minister’s Office. India will be among the top three in the next five years."

Skyroot Aerospace

One of India's most accomplished space companies, Skyroot Aerospace, has finally launched the Vikram-S after much waiting and several years of effort. This achievement is a big step forward for India's private space industry. The rocket, which is a single-stage design with a spinning motion and uses solid propellant, can carry a payload weighing about 550 kilograms. It's carrying three customer payloads, including one from a customer outside of India. This six-meter-long rocket was built in just two years and features a core structure made entirely of lightweight carbon fiber.

[caption id="attachment_26121" align="aligncenter" width="601"] Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, founders, Skyroot Aerospace[/caption]

Two friends, Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, founded a company in Hyderabad. Their goal is to become the world's leading provider for launching small satellites within the next five years. Speaking about their ambitions and plans, Pawan recently said in an interview, "2023 is just the beginning of an era of SpaceTech, which would be the next trillion-dollar industry. We are more like a cab to space, where we can offer dedicated rides to required orbits to satellite customers while companies like SpaceX are focused on building very large vehicles.”

Dhruva Space

In 2012, while ISRO was busy with the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), a man named Sanjay Nekkanti had a vision. He dreamed of creating India's first private satellite and enabling organizations to harness the potential of small satellites. This dream led to the birth of Dhruva Space, India's inaugural space technology company. Later, the founder was joined by his friends from BITS-Pilani - Abhay Egoor, Krishna Teja, and Chaitanya Dora. Fast forward to 2022, the company reached a significant milestone when it successfully deployed its satellite orbital deployer on the PSLV C53 in June, followed by the launch of its two Thybolt satellites on PSLV C54.

[caption id="attachment_26122" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Sanjay Nekkanti, founder, Dhruva Space[/caption]

This startup, which operates in both Hyderabad, India, and Graz, Austria, provides versatile satellite platforms that can be customized for various applications. Their goal is to make space access quicker, more dependable, and more affordable. Dhruva Space also offers a comprehensive solution, allowing clients to own and manage space-based assets in one place. Speaking to the press after launching two satellites in November last year, Abhay said, "We are looking to raise or invest about USD 20 to 25 million over the next two years where this amount of capital would be used to invest and build an infrastructure facility for assembly, integration, and testing of satellites up to 100 kg class. We are exploring setting up the same facility in Hyderabad. We are already in conversation with parties."

Pixxel

Back in 2019, while still in college, two 20-year-olds, Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal, made an unconventional choice. Instead of pursuing a traditional job, they decided to venture into something new. Although their decision might not have had unanimous support at first, the entire nation celebrated when these two young entrepreneurs successfully launched their satellites, named Shakuntala, into a low Earth orbit (LEO) using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in April 2022. Pixxel continued to make strides in the space industry by launching their second satellite on Isro's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C54 mission.

[caption id="attachment_26123" align="aligncenter" width="604"] Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal, founders, Pixxel[/caption]

Giving an insight into their company and its mission, Awais said, "Our one-line model is to make satellite imagery data useful. This is why we process the data once we have it beamed down from the satellites. Once the data is ready, there are a lot of companies that know how to analyse satellite imagery. There is Orbital Insight, there are precision agricultural companies and hedge funds that buy this data to extract insights from this. They are going to be our customers. We will be working with banking institutions, agriculture, mining companies, oil and gas companies, and defence organisations. All of them are going to be our customer base."

Bellatrix Aerospace

It took a while for them to establish themselves in the space technology sector, but once they grasped the dynamics, they've been excelling in every aspect. Founded by two young entrepreneurs, Rohan M Ganapathy and Yashas Karanam, the Bengaluru-based company, Bellatrix Aerospace, is gearing up to conduct tests on their propulsion technologies, which are responsible for directing satellites to their intended locations, in 2023. Their ambitious plan includes launching a "space taxi" service by 2024.

[caption id="attachment_26124" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Rohan M Ganapathy and Yashas Karanam, founders, Bellatrix Aerospace[/caption]

The startup has introduced a cutting-edge facility to accelerate its prototyping and model production, complementing its testing lab affiliated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). In an intriguing move, the company is set to invest $76 million in the establishment of a local Research and Development (R&D) center and manufacturing plant in Bengaluru. This new facility is anticipated to produce a variety of thrusters, including the hall thruster, microwave plasma thruster, nano thruster, and environmentally-friendly propulsion systems.

Reading Time: 6 mins

Entrepreneur Alishba Imran is engineering a better tomorrow for all

(May 7, 2024) Growing up in Toronto, Alishba Imran carved a space for herself in the world of machine learning, robotics, and blockchain at the very young age of 18. About four years back, Alishba, who had zero knowledge about programming or coding back then, enrolled herself to join her school’s robotics team. While she faced several issues, her focus on learning, earned her the position of the lead programmer on the team. And there has been no turning back since then. A few years after this incident, while on a service trip in India, the entrepreneur learned about the lack of medication in various rural parts of the country. To come up with a solution for this, Alishba taught herself blockchain coding and launched Honestblocks, a platform that tracks counterfeit medicine in the supply chain. Her codebase for the initiative has since been integrated into IBM and used globally. She then co-founded Voltx to accelerate the development of renewable energy storage devices using machine learning and physics models to accelerate the lab to commercialisation process for electrochemical devices. “The biggest thing you can optimise for in life is people. Spend time exploring your interests, what you’re good at, and

2024/05/ALishba_BAIR.jpg" alt="Entrepreneur | Alishba Imran | Global Indian" width="552" height="368" />

“The biggest thing you can optimise for in life is people. Spend time exploring your interests, what you’re good at, and what brings you energy. I think the best things to work on are at the intersection of what you're good at, what you enjoy, and are a way for you to create value for the world," explained the Global Indian, who was recently named among Teen Vogue’s annual 21 Under 21 list of “changemakers, influencers, activists, and artists who have made a substantial impact in both their communities and the world.”

Making a difference

Born in a desi family, Alishba has always been connected to her roots. A brilliant student, the entrepreneur launched an app that uses blockchain to improve supply chain transparency to end counterfeit medication in developing countries when she was just 14. "As a child, I was always very curious and asked a lot of questions about how things work. From appliances around the house to vehicles and computers. At a young age, I found engineering and computer science very interesting because of how it technically challenged me and the vast applications to solve tangible problems," the entrepreneur shared, "In middle school, I learned how to code and was one of the first girls to join the robotics team. That was really my first glimpse into learning about building something real. I was really excited because I would travel to global competitions to meet other people from different countries who were just as interested in technology and engineering as me."

There are a lot of people in the tech industry trying to build the next big social media or note-taking app that will attract millions of dollars from big investors and bolster their company’s value," said the entrepreneur, adding, "But I don’t think the end goal of any company should be based on its monetary value, but rather the value it brings to society."

Addressing several major issues plaguing third-world countries, Alishba believes in using her skills to make a difference in society. "There are many urgent problems that need to be addressed in the world. The greatest challenges of our time — climate change, health care reform and finding ways to create sustainable energy sources. As young students and innovators, I think we have to continually ask ourselves: How do we put our talents and passions toward working on these hard problems?," she said, "Finding the answer to that question, personally, has been a great motivation for me to dive deeper into my interests. And that has been a journey that has taken me around the world."

Creating a better world

When she was just 17, Alishba founded her first company, Voltx, before which she worked with Tesla on research that could speed up the time it takes to manufacture battery cells using machine learning and physics models. "I moved to San Francisco to work full-time with my co-founder to find ways to scale the storage of batteries for solar panels and other applications, like electric vehicles (EV). I raised a pre-seed round of over $1 million for Voltx through venture capital investors. I am still continuing to build on this technology and research as a second-year student at Berkeley," said the entrepreneur, who was also named among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, in 2023.

[caption id="attachment_37640" align="aligncenter" width="555"] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recognised Alishba for her work[/caption]

Speaking about her current projects, the entrepreneur said, "I’m currently co-authoring a textbook for O’Reilly Media, Machine Learning for Robotics with my colleague PG Keerthana Gopalakrishnan. Our aim is to make more accessible the processes of using deep language learning models to build robotics that can change the way we live."

Follow Alishba Imran on her website

Reading Time: 5 mins

Digvijay Singh: Teen chocolatier making indigenous fruits popular with his homegrown brand

(January 12, 2024) Chocolates with exotic fruits, nuts or liquor have caught the fancy of chocolate lovers for decades now. But have you ever had chocolate with falsa (sherbet berry) or sitaphal (custard apple) or kulfi? Homegrown brand, Saraam, the brainchild of a 19-year-old Udaipur resident Digvijay Singh, is bringing indigenous berries and fruits into the conventional world of chocolate making. Started in 2021, Saraam - which produces chocolates from bean to bar - has till now sold two tonnes of chocolate to thousands of people across India. It was during the pandemic when the world was locked indoors and trying new things, Digvijay too was keen to channelise his energy into something productive. After trying his hand at a lot of things, the then 16-year-old decided to give chocolate-making at home a try. That one step led him to start Saraam, which got its first order in 2021. [caption id="attachment_35192" align="aligncenter" width="484"] Digvijay Singh is the founder of Saraam[/caption] ‘Out of the box’ mindset Born and raised in a middle-class family in Udaipur, Digvijay wasn't academically inclined, instead chose to explore drama, games, and the innovative side of things. "I would always be looking for innovative ideas and things

h is the founder of Saraam[/caption]

‘Out of the box’ mindset

Born and raised in a middle-class family in Udaipur, Digvijay wasn't academically inclined, instead chose to explore drama, games, and the innovative side of things. "I would always be looking for innovative ideas and things to do that were ‘out of the box’. In school my teachers always supported this innovative side of my brain," he said in an interview. His innovative side got a push during the pandemic when he explored varied things, and being a chocolate lover himself, he decided to try his hand at chocolate making. "I shared this idea with my cousin Mahaveer Singh and he was enthusiastic to join me. However, back then I did not have a plan of action. I didn’t even know how to make chocolates," he added.

With YouTube's help, he learnt the art of chocolate making and started distributing the end result among his friends and family for tasting. While it began as a hobby after getting positive feedback, he decided to turn it into a business. "I started making chocolates in my bedroom, which turned into my studio; day in and day out, I lived and slept in the aroma of chocolates. Even before I got into the business of white labelling, I was teaching myself about cacao beans, roasting, grinding, etc. I was experimenting, doing small batches." While brainstorming about possible customers, he realised that they received a box of chocolates last year when his dad brought a brand-new car from a showroom. Upon inquiry, he found that the showroom sold 60 cars in a day, and it gave him the idea to contact hotel owners and car showroom owners to sell his chocolates. In 2021, he got his first order of 1000 chocolates and launched his brand Saraam.

Creating desi chocolates

Around the same time, he came across an article that talked about a wide variety of indigenous fruits becoming extinct. "There were mentions of fruits that I had never even heard about and I was very shocked. For us fruits mostly mean the mainstream apples, mangoes, bananas, and grapes," he said, adding that this gave him the idea of putting these fruits in chocolates.

After doing some research on indigenous fruits like kokam, ice apple et al, he tried them to see which worked best with chocolate. "In the culinary world, we don’t go beyond exotic berries, cherries, and oranges. I have never seen a brand that puts anything else beyond the known few fruits. I wondered if there is a market for such chocolates and decided to take a leap of faith," he said. Keen to put these fruits on the global map, he put them in his chocolate. Starting with ber (jujube), and he later experimented with saffron and cardamom, bael, amala, jamun, kokam, and rose apple. "The ber chocolate and the white chocolate with saffron seem to be a great hit among people and are one of our best sellers, revealed Digvijay.

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A homegrown brand Saraam sources its cacao from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and fruits from different parts of the country. In just two years, he has turned it into ₹1 crore business, giving indigenous fruits a fresh lease of life.

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Swetha Kannan: Empowering cancer patients and caregivers with mental health support

(August 2, 2023) She remembers sticking her head out of the school bus window on her way home, to catch a glimpse of the HCG in Bengaluru, the oncology hospital that came up with cyberknife technology and hormone therapy to cure cancer. Such was Swetha Kannan's passion for cancer research, that in Grade 7, she decided to become an oncologist. "The disease was so mysterious; there's so much you don't know about it. I was curious as to why we don't have a definitive cure for cancer," Swetha tells Global Indian. But little did Swetha know that a few years down the line, the deadly disease would come knocking on her door. Her world came crashing down at the beginning of 2018 when her grandmom was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Being her primary caregiver, Swetha understood the importance of psychological well-being in cancer patients. This prompted her to start the Lalitha Foundation (named after her grandmom) in 2019, dedicated to the betterment of the lives of cancer and post-sepsis patients. The initiative, which has positively impacted hundreds, won her the Diana Award 2023. "I thought I was daydreaming. It was a pleasant surprise," she smiles. [caption id="attachment_32352" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Swetha

leasant surprise," she smiles.

[caption id="attachment_32352" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Swetha Kannan is the founder of The Lalitha Foundation[/caption]

A personal experience led to her purpose

Having personal experience with mental health struggles, Swetha recognises the lack of awareness and the struggle of opening up, especially in India. "I have anxiety and panic disorder. For me, it was living through these experiences that taught me how important it is for you and the people around you to know what's happening to you, and know that there is support," says the changemaker, who spent three months with her grandmom while the later went through umpteen tests and a surgery.

Those months were taxing not just physically but mentally for both Swetha and her grandmom. "Part of my panic and anxiety disorder arises from the fact that my body went through so much physically and mentally in such a framed period. I was taught to give her blood thinning injections after the surgery, and I thought I was infecting my grandmother and it's not okay. The worst part was that we didn't know what stage the tumour was." Understanding the problem, she founded the Lalitha Foundation with the mission to create awareness around both cancer and mental health widespread across communities in India, especially among underprivileged people. "The second was to find ways to make access to care more equitable."

She realised that one essentially needs to be in an urban setup to either get cancer treatment or be screened for mental health. "The mortality rate of cancer in rural India is double that of rural India, even though the incidents of cancer in urban India are much higher. The statistics rang alarming bells because people don't choose what community or social status they are born into. Having someone have to fight so much harder for something so basic as healthcare based on factors that they didn't even choose for seemed unfair," adds Swetha. This nudged her to make awareness reach places that they needed to. "The mission was to let people know that having cancer or mental illness is not the end of the world. You need to know your symptoms and take action for your good."

Swetha, who a few months after her grandmom's surgery interned at HCG Bengaluru, came across patients from rural areas who were at the mercy of doctors and had no idea about the right treatment or awareness about the disease. "Simple things like awareness about the disease can go massive miles in improving or stabilising one's psychological wellbeing in the long term. You know what's happening to you and you feel in control."

How a teenager transformed lives

In 2019, Swetha was elected to be a fellow of the Clinton Global Initiative in LA. Only nineteen at the time, she began the Lalitha Foundation, to create awareness on mental health and cancer. She began by reaching out to medical students and doctors and using YouTube and WhatsApp to spread the word. "Within a few weeks, I had 300-400 sign-ups," she smiles. The next step was to impart training to the volunteers. Her mentor at The Clinton Foundation suggested creating a Google classroom with training materials including videos, podcasts, and reading. There were assignments to gauge the understanding of the issue on the part of the volunteer. "I can't have a volunteer talking to a patient who has no idea what he's saying." Later, the very few specialists in mental health like therapists and psychiatrists were recruited to train generic healthcare professionals like nurses, and general practitioners on the basics. "As volunteers, their job is to educate patients and tell them to access support, but they can't mediate support," says Swetha who has volunteers in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal.

Changing lives

It's been over three years since the Lalitha Foundation came into existence, and the nonprofit has created awareness on mental health and cancer, trained volunteers, done in-person programs with the support of the Clinton Foundation, and raise funds to provide free psychotherapies. "More than the impact in the commercial sense, I have seen families being more supportive and patients talking openly about mental health to their oncologists. That's the kind of impact we have made. We have created shared and safe places for people to open up. It's about telling people that your health is not a one-dimensional entity," says the 24-year-old changemaker who had a profound conversation with Sri Sri Ravi Sankar. "He said, 'A strong mind can withstand even the weakest of body but a weak body can't withstand even a very strong body.' And I couldn't agree more."

The Lalitha Foundation which currently operates in India is planning to expand in Africa, with a focus on countries like Uganda and Tanzania. "The stigma for mental health in India stems from different socio-cultural aspects than one in Africa. So, currently, we are in the process of understanding what the mental health situation in Africa is like," adds Swetha, who is pursuing a PhD at University of Cambridge. Ask her about her thesis, and pat comes the reply, "My project is looking at tumour immune interactions in Burkitt's lymphoma. It has two subtypes - Endemic which is more common in Africa. It's a paediatric cancer and kids with this cancer almost always die as they don't have access to intensive care. While sporadic is more common in kids in developed countries like Europe and the prognosis is okay but kids who relapse almost always die. It was only last year that I realised that paediatric cancers are extremely under-researched and also underfunded for research." Before her Ph.D., she did her BSc (Hons) in Immunology from the University of Edinburgh and her MPhil in Medical Sciences from the University of Cambridge.

Dealing with her grandmom's cancer to starting The Lalitha Foundation, Swetha calls it a transformative journey. "As a 19-year-old when my grandmom was diagnosed, I used to think Why Me? I was disconnected from reality as I was working like a machine and wasn't processing anything on an emotional level. In retrospect, it was the most transformative part of my life. If not for this, forget Lalitha Foundation, I wouldn't have grown as a person," she says, who has now translated her passion into purpose in the field of oncology.

The girl, who sings and writes poetry to unwind, says that her biggest learning in the journey has been to trust the process and let go. "The things that don't work are just distracting you from your bigger goal and the role you have to play in this world."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-3jjohf8WU

The Lalitha Foundation gave her a purpose, and Swetha is on a mission to transform the lives of cancer patients and their caregivers. "We teach people to love themselves and be kinder to themselves. You don't fight cancer but you heal from it, and you can only do it with love and kindness along with the treatment. Things might not be okay right now but some day things will be better," she signs off.

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Follow The Lalitha Foundation on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 7 min

Aishwarya Sridhar: The 24-year-old documentary filmmaker who became the first Indian to bag the Wildlife Photographer Award

The wilderness is her office, Nature, a constant companion. The first Indian to win the coveted Wildlife Photographer Award in 2020 for her photograph on fireflies Lights of Passion (chosen from 50,000 entries from 80 countries) Aishwarya Sridhar’s entry held pride of place in the august halls of the National Museum of History in London at one time. For a girl who grew up in the hustle and bustle of Panvel, the outdoors entranced her as she pranced along with her father on treks – who as a life member of the Bombay Natural History Society instilled a love for wildlife in her. Spotting a colourful dwarf Kingfisher or awed at the luminous glow of fireflies flitting in the Western Ghats, Sridhar found the power of the medium, with a conservationist spirit. “Every day is a new adventure. I look forward to spending time in the wilderness,” says the preservationist, who cherishes all those moments in verdant landscapes but feels most fortunate to have seen a tigress training her cubs to hunt in the wild. Sridhar is also the winner of Sanctuary Asia’s Young Naturalist Award, the Princess Diana Award, and is a Jackson Wild summit fellow (considered the Emmy

mbay Natural History Society instilled a love for wildlife in her. Spotting a colourful dwarf Kingfisher or awed at the luminous glow of fireflies flitting in the Western Ghats, Sridhar found the power of the medium, with a conservationist spirit.

“Every day is a new adventure. I look forward to spending time in the wilderness,” says the preservationist, who cherishes all those moments in verdant landscapes but feels most fortunate to have seen a tigress training her cubs to hunt in the wild. Sridhar is also the winner of Sanctuary Asia’s Young Naturalist Award, the Princess Diana Award, and is a Jackson Wild summit fellow (considered the Emmy of wildlife filmmaking).

[caption id="attachment_13810" align="alignnone" width="1080"] An eagle clicked by Aishwarya Sridhar.[/caption]

The intuitive soul

This Global Indian is now working on a two-part TV series showcasing the survival stories of the seven endangered primates of India and the folk that protect them.

Each project engulfs Sridhar into a verdant world and its creatures. Straddled with a Canon 1Dx mark ii and Canon 5d mark iii, she sees wildlife with an intuitive soul. Queen of Taru, a film she researched, scripted and directed started off as a passion project in pursuit of the wild Bengal Tigress Maya in the forests of Tadoba, and her struggle of survival in a male dominated world. “After six years of tracking her, I finally gave her a celluloid salute. I learnt that animals are capable of strategy just like humans, and they are capable of feeling emotions, When I got to know that Tiger Queen of Taru would be airing on Nat Geo WILD, that felt fulfilling, I was grateful,” says Sridhar.

[caption id="attachment_13805" align="alignnone" width="1080"] A tiger in the wild.[/caption]

Art with a cause

Going into unexplored territory led her to Panje, a wetland she has been visiting since childhood. Witnessing a gradual loss of habitat at Uran, her connect with the local fishing communities helped her in research which she presented in a 14-minute documentary on DD. “The most interesting finding was that the so-called ‘illiterate’ (local tribals) know the value of our ecosystem and its role in our survival more than the educated who so easily give orders for destruction. The film and photo-story helped bring a Bombay High Court Order protecting Uran, thus saving the livelihoods of around 2,500 fishermen. The Panje wetland is now recognised as a satellite wetland, and will soon receive the status of a ‘conservation reserve’,” says the eco warrior, who is also an emerging fellow at International League of Conservation Photographers, working towards policy-level protection for the wetlands in Mumbai.

Sridhar was selected to feature on My Place on Earth – a digital series by BBC Earth in 2021, and is ecstatic about the episode filmed online with some on-field content pre-shot by her. A self-taught photographer, her initiation with the camera began with her father showing her the basics. A course by acclaimed wildlife photographer Sudhir Shivaram added context, though she giggles saying, “every trick I have learnt is from YouTube and by experimenting.”

[caption id="attachment_13808" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Aishwarya Sridhar[/caption]

A multi-hyphenate

Even with filmmaking, Sridhar learnt by watching films on National Geographic, Discovery and Animal Planet. She has since self-taught, edited, presented, and directed an eight-part web series for World Wildlife Fund India. She also did a film for the state forest department and the Deccan Conservation Foundation on the unique and endangered wildlife of the Deccan Plateau. “During the lockdown, I ideated on inculcating the love for Nature in children using origami for WWF-India. I brought Nature indoors with the series titled Fun-Crafts with Aishwarya (digital),” says the shutterbug, whose series helped further with a collaboration with Discovery Channel. It partnered in another unique live show that focused on spotlighting endangered species in India through interesting conversations with India’s top wildlife photographers, filmmakers, and scientists. “I am one of the youngest presenters to have hosted a live show on Discovery,” says the girl, who loves to write poetry in her free time, no doubt inspired by her lush office.

Her upbringing has instilled a deep conservation mindset with focused hard work. “From the age of eight, I have explored India’s wilderness. My parents have always encouraged my curiosity, and raised me with a lot of outdoor exposure which helped immensely,” she says, thrilled that she finally has incredible mentors.

[caption id="attachment_13807" align="alignnone" width="1080"] A wasp clicked by Aishwarya Sridhar[/caption]

Believing staunchly in the power of self, her transition from photography to filmmaking was game-changing. “I never thought of becoming a wildlife filmmaker initially. As I got older, I knew I would never be happy at a desk. So, I chose mass media for graduation though Mumbai University doesn’t offer any filmmaking specialisations. It was daunting. But I worked on myself every day, and still do so,” says the filmmaker, who now wants to try filming with 360-degree VR.

A path peppered with milestones

Each award is a milestone leading her to the next. For instance, for the “BBC Wildlife Your Shot Competition, the pictures of a bonnet macaque alpha male, flamingos in Navi Mumbai and a baby lion-tailed macaque with its mother were winners. Each picture is special, and documents a moment in nature that is otherwise overlooked”, she explains.

A part of the award-winning podcasts Eyes on Conservation now titled Earth to Humans, by the Wild Lens Collective, connecting with natural history storytellers from around the globe enthuses her. “I hope to start my own natural history media outlet in India in the next decade,” says the 24-year-old, who is hugely inspired by award-winning filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert, whose Big Cats Initiative and films have her enthralled.

[caption id="attachment_13806" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Flamingoes of Mumbai, clicked by Aishwarya Sridhar[/caption]

Even though the pandemic has upended much travel, it is slowly opening up. Back to her wilderness address, Sridhar has some great filmmaking projects in the pipeline. She feels travel and Nature teaches one adaptability and patience. “With every animal/bird you photograph the strategy changes. You should be able to adjust to extreme weather conditions and be physically fit to get the maximum out of your trip. Being a Gen-Z kid, I expected instant gratification, but wildlife photography teaches you persistence. There may be times when you don’t see the animal/bird, and you may not get the photograph you have in mind, but it’s important to never lose your calm in these situations,” she advices.

Mother Nature has been her constant teacher, and she hopes humans learn to protect their habitats. “Whenever Nature gets hurt, she repairs herself and continues on. In the same way, I try to be positive and keep working hard,” she says.

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