Kanav Kariya: The Indian-origin entrepreneur in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(November 24, 2022) Like most Indian kids, Kanav Kariya too had an American dream. And taking the first step on the ladder, he enrolled himself in the University of Illinois for a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. Little did the Mumbai lad know that in a few years he would make it to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list. When he joined university, crypto was still an idea or a concept that people were speaking about at a few trading companies. But an internship with Jump Trading changed the course of Kanav’s life, as he was promoted to the position of President at Jump Crypto in a few years. This journey from intern to president speaks volumes about Kanav as an executive and an entrepreneur.
Ever since the company handed him the reins of its rebranded, 170-person digital assets division, Jump Crypto, “he’s overseen billions in investments in the crypto space and helped position the company as a major player in Web3,” according to Fortune, who reveals that Jump Crypto invested in more than 100 crypto companies in the last one year.
Kanav Kariya has been featured in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list
From coder to trader
However, when Kanav moved to the US at 18, he had no interest in trading. It was something that he picked up in the US while studying at the University of Illinois. “Jump Trading has a research lab at the University of Illinois where we work on all kinds of stock and research programs. So, collaborations with professors and Ph.D. students and undergrads is common. So, I ended up interning there during the course of my junior year, and the crypto effort was just being born as an early project. It was just the five-six of us who would excitedly spin chairs and talk about crypto and we were building a crypto trading infrastructure. That’s when I parallelly built my interest in both the fields – crypto and trading,” he said on the SuperTeam podcast.
For someone who was gradually immersing himself in the world of trading, working in Jump Trading was a novel experience. “I was coming into an environment where there was a bunch of really smart people – it was by the virtue of grinding and picking things up that I learnt a lot. We were doing coding but we kept talking about trading,” he added.
The crypto scene
Steadily, Kanav and his team members realised that building crypto was the real deal and that’s when the crypto effort, which started as an intern project began taking on a form of its own. “When I came into Jump Crypto, I was working on building the trading infrastructures that allow these predictions and executions to go into the market. After a point, I was working as the quant to build the predictions and executions. After a while, as we got more involved in crypto, we realised the more exciting opportunities were in building crypto,” said the Global Indian.
Kanav Kariya is the president of Jump Crypto
Kanav’s expertise in the field led him to become the president of Jump Crypto in 2021. “Jump Trading has spent decades focused on building the infrastructure for high-performance systems and technologies. We’re bringing that muscle to crypto and aim to meaningfully contribute to the construction of the ‘plumbing and the railroads’ necessary for widespread adoption of crypto,” the 26-year-old said in a statement.
And within a year, Kanav has made it to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list. As for future ambitions, Kariya tells Fortune that he wants Jump Crypto to be a “key infrastructure builder that is part of the furniture of the industry as it scales.”
(November 17, 2023) He was just 14 when Portland-based Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli embarked on a journey to cultivate his interest in social justice and human rights, especially focussed on advocating for the visually impaired. It began when he flew down to India for his Christmas break, and visited a blind school in a quaint little town of Kakinada where his parents volunteered. "It was then I realised I should also do my best to give something back to society, and do something for the underprivileged," he said in an interview. Upon his return to the US, the Indian-American, whose parents migrated from Vishakapatnam, was keen to make a change and soon organised a cultural night. From this, he raised $4200 which he used to start a non-profit The I Mission in 2016. Explaining the mission of the NGO, he said, "What we do is we gather many patients together and we do screening examines and we have eye camps to test whether they are ready to go through the cataract and retinal surgeries that our partners and the people that we work with offer." [caption id="attachment_34153" align="aligncenter" width="723"] Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli is an Indian-American changemaker[/caption] The next year, he returned
p-content/uploads/2023/11/vali2.jpg" alt="Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli | Global Indian" width="723" height="502" /> Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli is an Indian-American changemaker[/caption]
The next year, he returned to India with a vision to help the poor. It was with the help of Sankar Foundation Eye Hospital that he organised a couple of free eye camps in Vishakhapatnam, and also helped perform about 500 free cataract surgeries. Moreover, The I Mission also donated two Perkins mechanical braillers to a rural south Indian school in order to provide support for visually impaired female students in their pursuit of reading.
.Seeing the impact that his work was creating, he continued returning to India every year to help visually impaired people. On his next trip, The I Mission coordinated and funded a total of 48 cataract surgeries for underprivileged individuals, in addition to one retinal surgery. They also took on the responsibility of supporting three blind schools in the region. Initially, individuals in need of cataract or retinal surgery were identified through comprehensive screening tests conducted during eye-checking camps.
[caption id="attachment_34152" align="aligncenter" width="488"] Sai Hitesh Vavilapali is an Indian-American changemaker[/caption]
Beyond providing essential eye health check-ups and surgical interventions for visually impaired individuals in rural India, The I Mission also conducts educational workshops. These workshops are designed to empower students, enhance their mathematical skills for competitive platforms like MathCounts, improve their public speaking abilities, and develop their reading comprehension. The workshops are structured to be both enjoyable and educational, offering engaging activities tailored to the varying levels of receptivity among the students.
In the last few years, The I Mission has supported over 5,000 free eye screenings, 1,719 cataract surgeries, and 13 retinal detachment surgeries, besides adopting three blind schools in India. "To fund the camps, we not only conduct cultural events but have also tied up with brands like Nike and Intel. We intend to approach some more corporate firms in the coming years," he added.
Hitesh, who plans to become a doctor, is working with a professor as a research intern at Oregon Health Science University, with a focus on discovering potential remedies for cataract and other eye-related issues prevalent among the tribal communities residing in the Eastern Ghats of India. He plans to take the nonprofit to the next level in the coming years by spreading its wings across the world.
(March 12, 2022) At the age of 17, as most kids struggle with board exams, Indian teen scientist Snehadeep Kumar founded and continues to run The Aurora Academic Journal, a platform for students to publish. In October 2021, he founded the Nebula Space Organisation, the world's first space organisation run by students. It's an ambitious project, one that involves creating a floating settlement on Mars and caught the attention of Harvard University, resulting in a collaboration. He now has high aspirations of building the world’s smallest space telescope too. As he juggles his projects with his own research, the budding young Indian scientist is busy trying to decide at which University he can begin his scientific career. [caption id="attachment_12384" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Snehadeep Kumar[/caption] How a journal became the crux of knowledge When he said he wanted to reach out to the world’s top scientists to support The Aurora Academic Journal, Snehadeep was met with skepticism from friends and peers. He gave it a go anyway, dashing off emails to Bill Gates, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Peter Ratcliff, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, Fields Medal Winner Edward Witten, the
ld’s top scientists to support The Aurora Academic Journal, Snehadeep was met with skepticism from friends and peers. He gave it a go anyway, dashing off emails to Bill Gates, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Peter Ratcliff, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, Fields Medal Winner Edward Witten, the legendary anthropologist and primatologist Jane Goodall and Nobel Prize winner Dr Akira Yoshino, who developed the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery.
The initial response was as they feared – lukewarm. “We weren’t getting replies,” recalls the Indian teen scientist. In the end, persistence won the day. “I kept at it, I sent emails every day, telling them about our journal and what we hoped to do. One day, the responses began to arrive,” says Snehadeep Kumar in an interview with Global Indian. The celebrity testimonials are on display at the bottom of their website.
The Aurora Academic Journal takes entries from all over the world, across disciplines. Snehadeep stresses on the latter - there is more than just science. The website gets 500 hits a day, with interviews with Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, Nobel laureate in chemistry and Dr. Tom Welton, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
When science caught his fancy
Snehadeep's talent for science surfaced early - by the age of eight, in fact. His parents, keen to stoke his curiosity, subscribed to several student newspapers like Times NIE, which he read cover to cover. “I would read about science and scientific experiments and be completely fascinated by it all, also films like Interstellar and Inception, and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet inspired me,” says the Indian teen scientist. His father works at SAIL, and his mother is a homemaker.
In third grade, an astute science teacher at his school DAV Model School, Durgapur, Soma Ghosh, noticed Snehadeep’s inclinations and took it upon herself to encourage him. “She asked me to participate in a science competition - Intel IRIS,” says the lad who grew up in Durgapur, Bengal. With her help, he built a functioning electromagnetic circuit, connected to a bell. “She taught me how to conduct a project, and write about it,” he adds. In Class 9, another mentor, Sushmita Chandra, a science teacher, cemented his knowledge – he worked on three projects with her.
That year, he began looking into trapping excess water from the soil. “Roots don’t absorb all the water, so where does the rest go? Can we save it? I placed a device that comprised a filtration tank, and a containment tank - water goes into the container, then into the filter for purifying,” says the Indian teen scientist, of the filtration tank which contained moringa seeds, a natural purifier. “We tested the water, and it was fit to drink. SRM University funded the project. I also began thinking of publishing this in a journal,” he adds. Another project involved creating electricity out of carbon monoxide released from cars – creating a rechargeable hybrid battery. He wants to work on it more but being an expensive process – he hopes to continue it at university..
[caption id="attachment_12393" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Snehadeep with the project that started it all[/caption]
When experiments need publishing
Getting published is tough, the Indian teen scientist found out. He approached Nature.com and Scientific American, and was turned down. “I also learned that we need to pay to have our articles published. Besides, journals like Scientific American accept submissions only from PhD candidates, or people with undergraduate degrees,” the Indian teen scientist says.
By this time, Snehadeep was already in communication with some of the world’s top scientists - Dr Tom Welton, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London and the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gerard ‘t Hooft, who, “likes to chat with students. He would send me practice papers to solve,” smiles the Indian teen scientist, adding, “I have always been interacting with scientists, Nobel Laureates, to discuss problems in maths and physics. I spoke to Dr Welton about studying abroad and my prospects at the Imperial College, London too.”
The venerable halls of Cambridge, Oxford and the Imperial College, London, are his deepest desire but “there are financial issues,” he admits. Even Ludwig Max Institute of Technology in Germany, known for its physics research in the fields of atomics and astrophysics, is on his coveted list.
When research led to discoveries
In 2021, Snehadeep met other scientifically inclined children through his favourite social media platform, Discord. “I decided to start my own journal to help brilliant kids with original research who cannot afford to pay for publishing, get a fillip,” explains the Indian teen scientist. Reaching out to friends across the globe through Discord, soon he had a team in place. The Aurora Academic Journal, an interdisciplinary online magazine for students to publish research, was born. “We have 63 members in all, and 10 on the executive team,” he smiles.
[caption id="attachment_12394" align="aligncenter" width="680"] The Moon, August 13, 2021. Shot by Jasa Rebula for the Nebula Space Organisation[/caption]
In October 2021, Snehadeep co-founded the Nebula Space Organisation, the first space organisation run entirely by students. “We would like to build the world’s smallest, functional space telescope. If all goes well, we would like to launch it by 2023-24,” says the Indian teen scientist. The team is also studying the Milankovitch Cycles (changes in climate caused by the Earth’s movements), and hopes to apply its principles on Mars. “We’re looking into what it will take to create a floating settlement on Mars,” he explains. The Nebula Space Organisation is now collaborating with Harvard University, working with students and faculty from various departments.
Always on the lookout for new programmes to do, new things to learn, normal teen activities are much too passe for him. “I received an acceptance from the Oxford summer programme but won't be able to attend because of dates,” he mulls. The Indian teen scientist is also part of the Asteroid Search by Nasa’s Astronomers Without Borders, an initiative through which citizen scientists get the chance to make original astronomical discoveries.
Teen-tastic achievements
Received a Rs 56 lakh scholarship from Lifology, to pursue a bachelor’s degree from select universities across the world.
Top 10 from India by Environcentre Foundation in 2021, for his project “Coagulated water filter and purifier.”
Silver medal in the SRM University Mission Invention. The country's biggest science fair
A Young Fellow of Harvard’s CYES. The Harvard's Entrepreneurship Society, with a very selective procedure
Immerse Education Cambridge Summer Camp in 2020 and Oxford Summer Camp in 2022
A young member of the prestigious New York Academy of Sciences, which selects 1,000 students from over 2 million entries.
(January 28, 2023) The fundus camera, an instrument used in opthalmology for to capture colour images of the inner surface of the eye, can set one back by anywhere between INR 1.5 lakh and INR 5.25 lakh. In low-income countries, the prohibitive cost of devices used in diagnostic and rehabilitative care makes access a challenge. According to the World Vision Report, prepared by WHO, over 2.2 billion people worldwide are visually impaired and nearly half that number live with treatable or preventable conditions because they cannot get the care they need. The second-leading cause of blindness is glaucoma, with an estimated 57.5 million people around the world affected by primary open-angle glaucoma. In 2020, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, this number rose to 76 million. Among those tackling the problem head-on is Ontario teen Hardit Singh whose innovation is a step towards better healthcare for all. Speculor: A Comprehensive Teleopthalmology Platform for People Centered Eyecare fetched seventeen-year-old Hardit the top prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in 2021. Using a portable imager and AI algorithms to screen for disease, Speculor, which has been field-tested in India, can detect glaucoma for the very-affordable sum of $300. The Global
the Canada-Wide Science Fair in 2021. Using a portable imager and AI algorithms to screen for disease, Speculor, which has been field-tested in India, can detect glaucoma for the very-affordable sum of $300. The Global Indian, who also won second place at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, intends for the device to be used by international NGOs working to bring equality in eyecare.
[caption id="attachment_26981" align="aligncenter" width="488"] Source: World Vision Report[/caption]
The vision
Born and raised in Waterloo, the idea took root around three years ago, when a friend from the Cameron Heights Collegiate in Kitchener, where Hardik studied, suffered from retinal detachment, where the retina begins to peel off the eye. "He went to three different opthalmologists and experts and was misdiagnosed all three times for different reasons. He went almost blind because of it," Hardit said in an interview for the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Luckily, doctors managed to detect it before the damage became irreversible. It made Hardit wonder - if such misdiagnoses can happen in a place like Waterloo, what could conditions possibly be in rural or low-income areas, where there is little proximity to healthcare facilities?
By this time, the then 13-year-old Hardit was already building classification algorithms and had a basic understanding of AI from previous projects. He hit the books, learning from YouTube, books and just "trying things out, playing around until it works. That works for hardware, you tinker until you understand what happens. It's the same with optics. I learned until I had enough to build what I wanted."
He began cold-emailing professors, eventually hearing back from the University of Waterloo's Department of Optometry. Hardit began working with a group of grad students, going to them with questions or when he was struggling. The hardware had to be built, the software coded and the two integrated. He worked in the lab, testing the device on a model eye in controlled conditions.
Speculor worked smoothly in the lab and Hardit decided to roll out his prototype. When he tested it on the field, however, "everything failed," he admits. He had made one fundamental mistake - he hadn't geared the device for less than optimal conditions. "I had designed the prototype to work in perfect condtions but in poor lighting, when the patient is moving around, the device wsn't working at all. The AI had the same problem." The AI sensor was used to very high-quality images, taken by devices, Hardit says, that cost USD 25,000 and up. "My device can't produce such images and it was throwing the AI off."
"I was frustrated. I had put in so much effort and the device didn't work at all. But my mind was already working on how to fix it." With the hardware, his moment of revelation came through integrating cross-polarisation, a technique used in more expensive fundus cameras but rarely in more affordable devices. "It worked really well to ensure there was no glare on the fundus images," he said. He tried a number of solutions with the AI, but nothing worked, until he developed his own training method. The AI was trained to study low quality images, account for poor lighting and movement and detect anomalies under these parameters.
Hardit Singh sent the device for testing once more, this time to an opthalmologist in India. The feedback was far more promising. "The second time, the images turned out really good. It was amazing because I still wasn't expecting it to work, I only had acess to a model eye. This was a Hail mary move for me, sending a protype to India blindly without a test."
[caption id="attachment_26983" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Source: The Record[/caption]
Always a work-in-progress
Hardit's eventual goal is to commercialise the device, pricing it within reach of international NGOs and organisations, to improve healthcare in rural and underserved areas around the world. The cost is currently dominated by the lens, which is about $250. He is also working to improve the design, after a judge from the CWSF remarked that it was "too boxy."
Hardit Singh also wants to expand the scope of his device, which is now mainly used in glaucoma detetion. "I can reapply the same model over different diseases by changing the paramters," he says. He also wants to make it easy to understand, to aid doctors as they make a diagnosis.
Hardit has also published a paper on AI in the Journal of the Optical Society of India. His other interests include computer science, AI, optics, medicine and sports.
(April 15, 2022) "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me..," said legendary American animator, Walt Disney, on the many challenges he overcame on his journey to success. For the 21-year-old Aditi Gera, early life wasn't uncomplicated either. The founder of Empowerette, Aditi recalls dealing with her share of hardships in school. "We were all girls but there was a lack of support and immense toxicity, with people competing with each other," says she in a conversation with Global Indian. Her initiative to bridge gaps in accessibility and opportunity for young, marginalised girls led her to win Diana Award in 2020. She has also been recognised as Ashoka Young Changemaker, and has been conferred Lead Like a Girl fellowship from Shenomics. [caption id="attachment_15033" align="aligncenter" width="592"] Aditi Gera, founder, Empowerette[/caption] Rising above adversity "There was an air of negativity and the absence of empathy, not just among students but from the teachers as well," says the young changemaker. With Empowerette, she wants to establish a sense of sisterhood that she found sorely lacking. "Women should lift each other up, instead of pulling one another down," says she. Aditi saw many women being forced to
There was an air of negativity and the absence of empathy, not just among students but from the teachers as well," says the young changemaker. With Empowerette, she wants to establish a sense of sisterhood that she found sorely lacking. "Women should lift each other up, instead of pulling one another down," says she.
Aditi saw many women being forced to compromise on their ambitions and passions while remaining within the patriarchal and hierarchical societal structure that reigns in India. "My grandmother had roots in Pakistan. She came from an economically backward family with many siblings. She was married off at 12 and my grandfather was almost thrice her age," she mentions.
It was deeply disturbing when the youngster came to know about it. In contrast, at age 12, Aditi was playing state-level basketball. "It changed my perspective on how women are positioned in our society," she says.
The young changemaker describes her mother as a "highly intelligent, ambitious and smart woman. I have always looked up to her." She compromised on a career in the field of medicine in order to stay home and raise the kids. "To her, it seemed like a natural transition but I feel she could have done a lot more in her life."
Building a sisterhood
"A few years ago, I saw niece of my househelp being married off to a person who was nearly double her age. Clearly, things haven't changed much since my grandmother's time. It compelled me to start Empowerette," says the changemaker.
She and her team execute a one-on-one mentorship program enabling young girls in government schools to build their own identities and perceive themselves as leaders. "The programme is designed on a cohort-based model where we focus on developing leadership, confidence, communication and other career skill sets while paying attention to every individual's emotional well-being," Aditi explains.
After graduating as a finance major, Aditi has been working as a senior associate at Razorpay since the last four months. While enjoying the exposure at her maiden job, she devotes her weekends to Empowerette.
The empowerment journey
Aditi began Empowerette with four friends who were aligned with its vision. To carry forward the activities, they identified a government girls' school in their town, Ujjain. The pupils of this school are from rural areas and stay at the school hostel. However, convincing school authorities to believe in a bunch of nineteen-year-olds who wanted to add value to their students was an uphill task. The hostel warden, however, stepped up and made an effort to understand the intent behind their initiative. She also got the school management to agree to the proposal.
Today, Empowerette has grown to a team of seven, with plans to bring a couple of paid interns on board as well. All seven members have supported the cause as volunteers.
Mentoring young students
Empowerette is associated with two campuses catering to 120 girls in all. Around three hours every weekend are devoted to working with them. The process involves personality development with a focus on their leadership skills, improving communication skills and encouraging their curiosity and ability to dream.
The girls are taught societal norms and values to give them an informed vision so that they can contribute to society. They are also taught subjects like politics, healthcare, economic development and made aware of issues like climate change, and women's rights. "The girls themselves asked if they could be taught English, so we made that part of the Empowerette curriculum as well," Aditi says.
Motivation is key
"The idea is to maintain an engagement with these girls for as long as possible because changing a mindset takes time and cannot happen in a matter of weeks or even months," Aditi maintains. The team did not compromise on communication with the girls even during the pandemic. They conducted regular sessions over the phone to keep track of their growth and emotional well-being.
"Since the Empowerette team works voluntarily, keeping their excitement alive is paramount. The curiosity of the mentees also needs to be constantly stoked. Learning and developing new qualities is never easy considering the fact that the girls have been born into hardship. It's not a cakewalk to make them believe that the world is waiting for them," Aditi says, "If only they are able to present themselves to it."
On the personal front
Aditi wants to take up both business as well as social entrepreneurship in future. Her father, a businessman, is fully supportive of his daughter's dreams. The young changemaker also sees herself advocating for women's rights in the future and draws huge inspiration from women who have made a difference. “I really admire women in politics and those who have fought for the rights we now enjoy. One such person is Savitribai Phule. Girls in India are able to access basic education because she fought for these rights,” says the youngster.
[caption id="attachment_15036" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Aditi with her mother[/caption]
Aditi is an avid reader with a special inclination toward poetry by Tony Morrison, Mary Oliver, and the likes. With formal training in guitar and keyboard, she uses the instruments as a medium of rejuvenation. Though basketball has been her passion, a sudden interest in tennis is keeping her on toes, literally. In active support of a more equal world, Aditi is keen to take Empowerette to great heights by widening its reach.
(July 26, 2024) A 23-year-old from Chandigarh, who is a rising star in Indian esports, has scripted history by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the FC Pro 24 World Championship. In a thrilling play-in match, Charanjot Singh emerged victorious with a 5-4 scoreline against “JP Sleator,” securing his place among the top 32 players in the world. This achievement followed his impressive third-place finish in Gathering D, solidifying his spot in the main competition. The FC Pro World Championship 24 stands as the pinnacle of eFIFA competition, hosted in Berlin, Germany, with an impressive $1,000,000 prize pool. Charanjot’s historic qualification marks a monumental moment for Indian esports, yet his journey is far from over. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Charanjot Singh (@charanjot12) His love for esports began with casual gaming at his friend’s place during weekends, while growing up in Chandigarh. “I did not have a console at that time. I used to play during my summer vacations or in weekends,” said the boy who loved Fortnite, Call of Duty among other games. But it was FIFA that he like the most owing to his love for football. He remembers watching 2010
His love for esports began with casual gaming at his friend’s place during weekends, while growing up in Chandigarh. “I did not have a console at that time. I used to play during my summer vacations or in weekends,” said the boy who loved Fortnite, Call of Duty among other games. But it was FIFA that he like the most owing to his love for football. He remembers watching 2010 FIFA World Cup as a seven year old, and was instantly hooked. However, things took a serious turn in 2019 when he participated in his first esports competition in Chandigarh. “That was the start of my competitive chapter in e-sports,” he said in an interview.
He cultivated his passion for FIFA through local tournaments, where his skill and dedication eventually propelled him to the forefront of Indian esports. “During the lockdown, I began playing professionally for the first time. In 2020, I signed my first eSports contract,” he added. Two years later, he represented Bengaluru FC at Indian Super League. But the big break came when he represented India at the 2022 Asian Games held in September 2023 in Hangzhou in China. It was in 2018 that esport was first introduced as a demonstration sport in 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang.
In a short span, Charanjot has become popular in the world of esports with even Korean players recognising him. “The pressure of being the favorite makes me perform better,” he had said.
However, it hasn’t been an easy journey for Charanjot who had a hard time finding sponsors since it’s esports and not sports. Since mobile games are quite popular in India, those esports tournaments gather much viewership than FIFA. “That’s because FIFA is a console game. Getting consoles in India is a costly affair. For mobile games you can get any mobile and start playing games but for console games you need to spend ₹40,000-50,000 at least. Then you have to buy games every year. You get sponsors… but you have to really convince them,” said Charanjot, who is BA Final year.
Charanjot, who plays three-four hours every day, focuses on enjoying the game rather than feeling the pressure. “If your opponent is sitting near of next to you, it gets intimidating. But the best players are those who are able to deal with the pressure,” he added.
The young player is glad that e-sports has now found international recognition, and wants more parents to support their kids who aspire to pursue esports. “It is not just being a gamer. You can also consider the content side. If you can create good content then you can sign with the e-sports teams. There is a lot of money in e-sports for sure. But I will not advise you to stop studies and just play e-sports. It is easy and hard money together. If you are winning tournaments then you feel making money is easy. But once you start struggling, it becomes difficult.”
But he does feel that presence of more tournaments such as ESL will have a positive impact as the popularity of FIFA and football has surged, especially with the recent rise of football in India. “However, the growth of the game is still in a learning stage, similar to the dormant stage, and the cost of the console is prohibitive. I believe that it is difficult for people to access FIFA in eSports due to the console’s cost, which is approximately ₹50,000.”
Charanjot will be seen playing it up at FC Pro 24 World Championship in July this year, and is keen to become the best FIFA gamer in the world. “I want to continue playing as long as my body allow me to do so … as one ages the reflexes get slower.” This prestigious event gathers top players worldwide for intense one-on-one virtual football competition. His participation not only highlights his talent on a global stage but also sets a benchmark for Indian esports, inspiring others to pursue international recognition.
Sai Hitesh Vavilapali is an Indian-American changemaker[/caption]
Snehadeep with the project that started it all[/caption]
The Moon, August 13, 2021. Shot by Jasa Rebula for the 
Source: 
Hardit Singh[/caption]
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Aditi with her mother[/caption]
