Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveAgnishwar Jayaprakash: Making the drone industry soar

Agnishwar Jayaprakash: Making the drone industry soar

Written by: Darshana Ramdev

(October 1, 2022) On September 29, 2022, Garuda Aerospace received its DGCA approval as a remote pilot training organisation. It will enable the startup to train some 1 lakh drone pilots across 755 districts, a target it aims to meet by the end of 2025. It’s a huge leap forward, both in terms of technology and regulation. Founded by serial social entrepreneur and Global Indian Agnishwar Jayaprakash (Agni Foundation), who went from swimming to champ to entrepreneurship and studying in Harvard Business School, the startup received funding from MS Dhoni in June 2022.

Back in 2014, Francesco’s Pizzerias in Mumbai created quite the stir when it used an unmanned drone to deliver pizzas. Unfortunately, it also ruffled the feathers of the Mumbai police, who called it a security risk. The Indian government has been quick to catch on to the many uses of drones, from defense surveillance to mapping rural landholdings. The forest department also uses them to keep an eye out of poachers. By 2030, India’s drone industry is all set to hit a market-size of $23 billion and capture 25 percent of the global drone market, according to journalist Shereen Bhan on Young Turks.

With the government going full throttle on easing regulations, Garuda Aerospace, founded by serial social entrepreneur Agni Jayaprakash is the 31st RPTO to get the government nod since the regulations were eased on August 26 this year. Two months earlier, it burst into the limelight when cricketer M.S. Dhoni invested an undisclosed sum in the startup and became its brand investor. “I’m happy to be a part of Garuda Aerospace and look forward to witness their growth story,” Dhoni said at the time.

As for the young entrepreneur himself, he was over the moon about it. Growing up, Agnishwar was an award-winning swimmer, his eyes set on the Olympics. At 14, he became the youngest Indian to represent his country at the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2004. At 22, he brought home medals in six categories at the world Short Swimming Course Championship in Istanbul, becoming the youngest Indian to achieve the feat. By this time, he had stepped fully into his entrepreneurship role.

Inspired by former president APJ Abdul Kalam, Agnishwar founded Ignite-India, a nationwide platform to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in schools and colleges. The platform reached out to over 7000 schools and was recognised by the United Nations. “I started swimming at the age of three and it became a passion because I was getting really good at it,” he said, in an interview at Harvard Business School. “It was good, it let me travel the world, have many new experiences and meet new people. But it was very individualistic. All I thought about was what I could do for myself. Now, as an entrepreneur, the work I do impacts thousands of young people in India and South East Asia. It’s been a very satisfying transition.”

Agnishwar Jayaprakash

In 2019, he became Vice Chairman at Agni College of Technology in Chennai. “I wanted to leave a mark on the education system,” he told Guindy Times in 2020. “Our system has become rudimentary because our kids are just expected to reproduce content after absorbing it in class. We test our kids only on one aspect of intelligence. You score good marks but you’re not really learning.” Agnishwar stepped in with the intention to bring innovative and entrepreneurial learning into the education system. Their acceleration programme funds startups and works with the government to inspire children and students as well.

Seven years after its founding, Garuda Aerospace has “scaled to a 200-member team having the largest drone fleet in India with over 300 drones and 500 pilots operating in 26 cities,” Agnishwar said, in an interview with Industrial Automation India. “We have also expanded to Malaysia, Africa and South America.” The team aims to spearhead what Agnishwar calls a “Drone Revolution” with a “vision of manufacturing 1 lakh Made in India drones and cement the market dominance on 2 major multi-billion-dollar segments – Precision Agri Tech and Industry 4.0.”

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Currently, Garuda Aerospace manufactures around 30 different kinds of drones and offers over 50 types of services across a range of industries. This includes warehouse management and delivery for Flipkart, seed dropping, project monitoring and drone delivery of medicines for hospitals. They are also working with Swiggy which is looking to expand to drone delivery in Bengaluru and Delhi.

Back in 2017, his interviewer at Harvard Business School asked Agnishwar his views on failure. “It’s a cliche but it is a stepping stone,” he said at once. “I learned that as a swimmer. I wanted to be in the Olympics, but I couldn’t make it. With entrepreneurship, it’s always a hit-and-miss. I tell young entrepreneurs not to lose motivation and to remember that ideas can only be sustained with the right modules and strategy. All we see in the media are the success stories but never the failures from which we can truly learn.”

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Published on 01, Oct 2022

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Different Strokes: Teen tennis player and environmentalist, Dhruv Advaith spared a thought and made a difference

(October 24, 2022) Dhruv Advaith is a young man of many talents. The 12th grade student at Chinmaya International Residential School is a national level tennis player, an environmentalist, a climate counsellor and a travel enthusiast, who has visited over 15 countries already, and is looking forward to studying abroad soon. When the world went into the lockdown mode in 2020, Dhruv, like many others, spent time listening to music, on OTT streaming platforms, reading books or indulging in social media for recreational purposes. While he was at it, a random thought hit the teenager — What about the underprivileged? What recreation did they have in these dark times? [caption id="attachment_23378" align="aligncenter" width="713"] Dhruv Advaith[/caption] The book drive The thought propelled him into action. Dhruv, then 15, segregated a few books from his library, reached out to his friends to do the same, roped in an NGO and then made a few quick visits to orphanages to know, first-hand, what kind of books the children needed. It was a time when people were scared to step out of their homes. A couple of days later, Dhruv, while taking all Covid precautions, delivered dozens of books, bringing smiles to many faces.

friends to do the same, roped in an NGO and then made a few quick visits to orphanages to know, first-hand, what kind of books the children needed. It was a time when people were scared to step out of their homes.

A couple of days later, Dhruv, while taking all Covid precautions, delivered dozens of books, bringing smiles to many faces. As the world opened up, the teenager continued what he had started. “We ended up setting up libraries in six orphanages which have more than one lakh books,” smiles K Dhruv Advaith, during his conversation with Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_23379" align="aligncenter" width="775"] Dhruv during the Book Drive Project[/caption]

For his ‘Book Drive Project,’ the US-based People for Urban and Rural Employment (PURE), a not-for-profit organisation that works towards providing education to students from underprivileged backgrounds, recently selected Dhruv as their first ambassador from India.

While he cherishes those moments, what gives him immense satisfaction is that he was able to deliver books for preparation for NEET and JEE examinations, which many children were keen to have.

Tennis talk

The 17-year-old lights up as the conversation turns to tennis. Excitedly, he names his achievements, which make up a fairly long list, considering his age.

So how did tennis happen? It began with his mother, Dr Aparna, who is a scientist. “My mother was pursuing her PhD at Andhra University and her workplace overlooked the tennis courts on the campus. She used to drop me at the tennis court for a couple of hours everyday evening, under the supervision of my grandmother,” smiles the teenager. At first, he admits, he was more interested in collecting the balls than playing tennis.

He played his first tournament at the age of seven, after which his coach saw huge potential in him. What followed was intense training which refined his strokes. “By then, tennis had become more than just a hobby,” says Dhruv, who soon began competing in local tennis events in Visakhapatnam and later secured his AITA (All India Tennis Association) membership.

The AITA gave him a platform to compete in tennis events across the country. “I got a chance to travel all the way from Punjab to Kanniyakumari and Gujarat to Assam. Experiencing different cuisines and culture was an enriching experience,” smiles Dhruv.

A winning run

Dhruv has participated in the Road to Wimbledon Champion, the AITA Nationals, Khelo India Nationals and the Universal Tennis Rating match, among other prestigious events.

“My most memorable match was the qualifying event for the under-14 super series held at Bhubaneswar. It was so humid that both the match and racquet were slipping away from my hand. I lost the first set and was down on my serve in the second set. Then, I sensed an opportunity in my opponents over confidence and fine-tuned my game accordingly. I won the game,” says the tennis player, who learnt the most valuable lesson that day — tables can turn anytime and one has to be persistent and wait for the right moment.

Staying in a residential school with a packed schedule leaves him with little time to practice his favourite game. “My practice sessions are limited to an hour-and-a-half in the evenings with one hour dedicated to fitness in the mornings,” says the teenager, whose fitness regime includes a mix of cardio, strength and agility training.

“In a few years from now, I see myself playing in the US Open or playing for India in the Davis Cup,” says the budding tennis player, for whom Yoga and meditation is mandatory at his boarding school.

Champion for nature

Like tennis, Dhruv was introduced to nature and wildlife quite early in life. “I used to spend a lot of time with my grandfather, who was blessed with a green thumb. He had a kitchen garden at his farmhouse where he taught me the basics of gardening and tending to animals,” Dhruv explains, talking of how he became a nature and wildlife enthusiast. He also has seven dogs, with whom he is deeply attached.

[caption id="attachment_23382" align="aligncenter" width="556"] Dhruv featured on the Dettol Salute Campaign for Covid-19 warriors[/caption]

Keeping in mind the planet’s best interests in everything that he does, Dhruv makes it a point to purchase only sustainable and recycled line of products, be it his shoes or clothes.

World Robotics Olympiad

Dhruv’s participation in the WRO in 2016 was a proud moment. As a child, he had spent lot of time with Lego construction bricks and later ventured into Lego mindstorms (a collection of Lego) where one could build a robot and program it in order to complete a certain task.

“I started interacting a lot with a drag-and-drop software and built several robots, each with a unique function,” explains Dhruv, who is also the youth ambassador for International Centre for Culture and Education (ICCE) supported by UN.

Joining the green revolution

Having joined ICCE’s Green Revolution program as a volunteer, where he had to promote awareness about sustainability and conduct a workshop, he successfully completed the course as a topper with a gold medal. Later, he was selected as an intern and climate counsellor where he led a team of 25 active members.

“I plan to lead a more sustainable lifestyle, leaving zero carbon footprint. I intend to lead by example, encouraging all my peers, friends and family to do the same,” says the multi-talented Dhruv, who likes to read a variety of books, including fiction and financial literacy genres.

Reading Time: 5 mins

Avi Gupta: Indian-American teen revolutionises healthcare with affordable ventilator invention

(September 13, 2023) "I want to take you back to March 2020. The coronavirus had landed in the United States. Social distancing entered into our vocabulary. Schools were closed and store shelves were empty. Against this backdrop, Europe grappled with its first wave of coronavirus. One of the key shortages they faced - ventilators," that's how Avi Gupta opens his TedX speech. The Indian American from Portland reveals that the US, especially Oregon, too faced a similar situation with a shortage of hundreds of ventilators for the critically-ill covid patients. That's when Oregon Health Authority reached out for help from many individuals and companies, including INTEL. However, it didn't take the responsibility of designing and manufacturing a ventilator, instead the request was filtered down to the senior staff of the company, one of whom happened to be a manager of Avi at a former internship. That's how the Stanford University student joined a team of doctors, researchers, and fellow engineers to co-found LifeMech, a non-profit that builds low-cost ventilators. Such has been the impact of his work that he was awarded the Truman Scholarship 2022 for his commitment to public service. [caption id="attachment_24322" align="aligncenter" width="481"] Avi Gupta played a key

Avi Gupta played a key role in developing low-cost ventilator[/caption]

Then an 18-year-old, Avi helped design the ventilator's user interface, as amid the crisis, "rapid development and deployment of the technology were essential." Interestingly, he wasn't just the youngest member of the team but also the reigning Jeopardy Teen Tournament champion. "The original prototype which was fully functional was made in our garages. So, it's truly something that can be deployed worldwide," the Global Indian said in an interview.

Avi, who switched to Stanford to pursue his interests in artificial intelligence and public policy after a year of college at Columbia University's School of Engineering, knew that the prototype had to be scalable in both design and manufacture. But more than anything it had to be "low-cost and open source to be deployed in communities worldwide." "What it meant that anybody like a doctor or a non-profit in another country could download our designs and code and easily manufacture the ventilator with the parts available in their country," he added.

[caption id="attachment_24323" align="aligncenter" width="546"] Avi Gupta is currently studying at Stanford University.[/caption]

Though he found the process of designing the interface stressful, he also found it equally rewarding as it could have a direct impact on someone's health. Avi, who collaborated with his father, Dr Saurabh Gupta, a cardiologist for the making of the ventilator, said that the project epitomises the work that he wants to do - using technology to solve a bigger problem. "It's using technology to advance public service," he told the Stanford Daily. Later, the ventilator was approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and used widely during the ventilator shortage.

Apart from this, Avi is also involved in Public Interest in Tech (one of the groups on the Stanford campus) which focuses on fostering conversations around technology's role in society. Since his school days, Avi has been keen to make a change, so when he won the 2019 Jeopardy Teen Tournament, in honour of the host Alex Trebek, he donated a part of his winnings ($100,000) to raise awareness and fund early pancreatic cancer research. He partnered with OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to create and lead the #InspiredBy campaign, raising over $225,000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBFc0Lbek4w

It was in 2016 that he kickstarted his journey towards creating social impact when he founded Project 32, a student-run social startup that uses the power of education to tackle dental diseases in youth. Since its inception, Project32 has provided thousands of dental hygiene kits to children in the US, India, Guatemala, and Haiti.

In his free time, he loves to play chess and basketball and is a huge Portland Trail Blazers fan.

Follow Avi Gupta on Linkedin

Reading Time: 4 min

America’s Documented Dreamers: Pareen Mhatre leads charge for immigration reform

(October 10, 2024) As her twenty-first birthday grew closer, Pareen Mhatre began to panic. An accomplished STEM student at the University of Iowa, Pareen would call her parents, who also live in Iowa City and cry, overcome with worry about her future in the US. This was back in 2021 and Pareen's life has since been an unending flurry of visa applications and waiting on tenterhooks for the next portion of her stay to be approved by authorities. This sounds like the life of any foreign student in the US, and the anticipated stresses of going from an F1 (student) visa to a coveted H-1B. Pareen, however, has lived in the US since she was four months old. A midwesterner through and through, Pareen is one of around 200,000 youngsters all facing self-deportation, and being compelled to return to countries of origin that are completely alien to them. This is the story of America's Documented Dreamers - the children of immigrant who have entered the country on long term visas like H4, L2, E2, who fell through the cracks in a work visa policy that has not yet taken them into account. So, instead of landing the internships and living

ternships and living her best lifeon campus, Pareen is familiarising herself with the proverbial alphabet soup of visa categories to be able to stay on the country she calls home.

Long way home

"I have been in constant fear for the past five years," Pareen said at the House Judiciary Hearing in 2021. "Over the past 21 years my parents and I have received help and love from this country but our hearts break when we think of my immigration status." Although the US is the only place she has ever really called home, she says, "I am treated as a foreign student, on par with newly-arrived international students." After the 'ageing out' in April 2021, she applied for the F1 student visa and spent the interim in the States on a B2 visitor visa, which didn't allow her to take classes or apply for internships.

Every year, the visa policy decides the fates of thousands, who are compelled to self-deport or if they stay on, do so as illegals. Pareen Mhatre is among a handful who have found an avenue to spread awareness and has also testified before Congress at a House Judiciary Hearing, hoping to shed more light on the size and scale of the problem. It's a forgotten part of the American Dream, where immigrants make their way to the US to build a better life for themselves, but don't foresee the impact it will have on their children. She and her family discovered Improve The Dream, an organisation started by Canadian Dip Patel, which acts as a platform for children of documented immigrants. Pareen has not allowed the fear of self-deportation to overwhelm her – she is a strong voice for Documented Dreamers, has testified before the US Senate, been named in Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 and made sure that her cause resonates among the political class.

A Midwesterner through and through

"What I know of India is purely from trips to see my grandparents. This is my home. I'm a midwesterner," she said, during her address." Pareen was four months old when she first arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her parents. Shortly after, they moved to Iowa, where they studied at the University of Iowa on student visas. Pareen's mother, Sampada Mhatre, holds master's degrees in German, educaitonal psychology and business administration and works as an instructional services manager at the UI College of Nursing. Her father, Girish Mhatre, has a master's in computer science and is a senior application developer for UI Hospitals. Their visa processes were handled by the University itself and Pareen was listed as a dependent on her mum's visa.

Growing up, Pareen was aware that wasn't a citizen, but didn't really understand what that meant until the time came. Iowa City was home in every way - "I learned how to ride a bike about a mile from my current home. I have attended kindergarten through high school in the Iowa City Community School District," she told the Des Moines Register. She learned to read at the Iowa City Public Library and when she grew older, became a volunteer there. She also volunteered at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and witnessed first hand the "top-tier care" that staff were providing. She represented Iowa City West High at STEM and student journalism competitions at the national and state levels, bringing home several individual and team awards. At school, she served as the newspaper's online managing editor and photo editor and as a member of the student senate for three years, as well as on the principal's advisory committee. Now, Pareen studies biomedical engineering at UI, a sector that is full of opportunities for great social change through the integration of technology and healthcare.

The Documented Dreamers

Interestingly, she is not alone even in this respect. A large number of Documented Dreamers are high performers and STEM graduates, many from Asia, born to parents who living in the US on work visas. "At least 10,000 Documented Dreamers are ordered to self-deport every year," says Dip Patel, founder of Improve The Dream. Pareen found a ray of hope when she discovered Improve the Dream, and has become an integral part of the platform since. And all the while, the Global Indian is fighting for the right to live in the country she has always called home.

As her 21st birthday approached, Pareen applied for an F-1 student visa, along with a B-2, which is 'bridge' visa for visitors. The latter wouldn't allow her to either study or work, but at least it would keep her there until her student visa arrived. And surprisingly, actually having grown up in the US could hinder her case for a student visa, because she is unable to show ties to her country of birth. Her F-1 visa did come through and she will remain in the US until she graduates, after which she will join the long queue of immigrants from around the globe waiting for a H-1B.

Stuck in limbo

The family did get in line for a Green Card in 2012, which also involves a decades-long wait that might not ever end. The wait for Indian nationals is anywhere between 39 and 89 years due to visa caps and backogs. The process has left Pareen struggling - "I have been diagnosed with clinical depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder," she said, in her hearing.

High-performing children of documented immigrants are the only ones stuck in this limbo. Back in 2014, President Obama establised DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. However, this was designed only to help individuals who entered the US as minors without legal permission. They are given temporary protection from deportation and can work legally in the US for two years with the possibility of renewal. However, DACA failed to account for children of legal immigrants. As Pareen's mother, Sampada, pointed out in an interview, "We did everything right, and yet here we are."

In 2021, Pareen, who was in Washington to testify at the House Judiciary Committee hearing, meet with US Representative Miller-Meeks, an Ottumwa Republican. The efforts of activists like Dip Patel and Pareen Mhatre, along with political support, have resulted in the proposed American Dream and Promise Act of 2023, which will give people like Pareen some relief. It would allow people who moved to the US as dependents who have lived in the US for 10 years and graduated from a higher education institution, to obtain permanent residency.

Hope on the horizon

But all is not lost. The efforts of activists like Dip Patel and Pareen Mhatre, along with political support, have resulted in the proposed American Dream and Promise Act of 2023, which will give people like Pareen some relief. Pareen Mhatre has become a symbol of hope and resilience for immigrants in the US, who are constantly facing the threat of their families being torn apart after decades spent contributing to the country. She has channeled her anxiety into advocacy and continues to excel both as a student and as a mamber of her community.

Follow Pareen Mhatre on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Reading Time: 6 mins

London’s multi-Olympiad marvel, Aanya Goyal wins silver for India in informatics

(August 20, 2024) Indian-origin 17-year-old Aanya Goyal achieved another milestone by winning a silver medal for India at the European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI) held in July 2024 in the Netherlands. The Indian team registered its best-ever performance, securing one silver, two bronze medals, and one honourable mention. Aanya's silver medal was instrumental in leading Team India to such remarkable success. "I feel very proud to have won a silver medal for India at the Girls' Olympiad in Informatics at a time when competitive programming is emerging as one of the most popular sports all over the world," Aanya said after the win. It's not the first milestone for the Alleyn's School pupil from South London. Four years ago, at the age of 13, she made history by becoming the youngest schoolgirl to be selected for the UK team to compete at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). [caption id="attachment_38876" align="aligncenter" width="726"] Aanya Goyal[/caption] Competing against top coders The STEM enthusiast competed against the top coders from 50 countries at the prestigious European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics. She made use of her problem-solving skills to devise innovative solutions for the competition's challenges. The contest consisted of two five-hour sessions,

nya Goyal[/caption]

Competing against top coders

The STEM enthusiast competed against the top coders from 50 countries at the prestigious European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics. She made use of her problem-solving skills to devise innovative solutions for the competition's challenges.

The contest consisted of two five-hour sessions, each featuring four complex algorithmic design and coding challenges. "Five hours go by very quickly and is not quite enough time," she said, talking about the tough competition.

According to EGOI rules, the implemented code must pass a set of sub-tasks within two to four seconds, requiring participants to excel in mathematics, creativity, and efficient coding under high pressure.

"Once I made to the team, I was fortunate to be part of the best team in the world,” Aanya said dedicating her medal to Team India's coaching and support staff. "When you have such support, there is no choice but to prepare well and fight for the full 10 hours, from the first minute to the last." Sonia Garcha was the leader of the Indian contingent.

[caption id="attachment_38878" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Team India at 2024 European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics held at the Netherlands[/caption]

Finding support in her father

The maths-loving teen has always had the backing of her father, Amit Goyal, a former maths Olympiad winner. During the Covid-induced lockdown, Aanya used the extended period at home to focus on her passion for mathematical problem-solving. She undertook a series of exams conducted by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) to succeed in the tough selection process for the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). That year, EGMO was hosted partly remotely in Georgia.

Every year, over 600,000 secondary school students across the UK participate in the UKMT challenges, with only the top 1,000 invited to the British Mathematical Olympiad. From this premier group, the top 100 are selected to advance to round two of the British Mathematical Olympiad which involves a three-and-a-half-hour competition featuring four challenging problems. Aanya earned a distinction and ranked among the top four girls chosen for the UK team for the EGMO, also becoming the youngest ever, breaking the previous record held by a 15-year-old.

Multifaceted teen

It's not just the mathematics and informatics Olympiads that Aanya has participated in; she has also competed in the Linguistics Olympiad. Just as she prepared herself to solve the toughest combinatorics and number theory problems, she applied the same mindset to deciphering linguistics.

[caption id="attachment_38883" align="aligncenter" width="694"] Aanya Goyal Team UK at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad, held in Georgia in 2019[/caption]

“The Olympiad problems are all about being creative and digging deep. Sometimes, a problem can take many days to solve but it is all about not giving up easily and to keep coming up with new ideas,” she mentioned. With EGOI, she embraced a new challenge that extended beyond problem-solving to problem design and implementation.

In her primary school years, Aanya was heavily into puzzles, crosswords, sudoku variants, and kakuro. In secondary school, she indulged in codebreaking, cipher challenges, chess, and linguistics. All these activities have been instrumental in developing her competitive skills.

Future goals – to make impact with maths and computer science

The 17-year-old plans to study mathematics and computer science at university. While maths remains her primary interest, she looks at computing and other applications of maths as an opportunity to work on some of the world’s problems and make it a better place.

"This is serious business for me and not a cliché. I am keen to have a career where I can utilise my skills to make a real impact. I also feel a certain weight of responsibility as a girl doing well in maths and computing Olympiads because sadly, when it comes to elite competitions in these subjects, men still comprise 95 percent of the field; that needs to change," she remarked.

Challenging mindsets

At 13, after becoming the youngest female to be selected for the UK team to compete at the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO), Aanya had remarked, “Many students do not give maths a real chance.” Holding adults responsible for instilling this mindset in young students, she had mentioned, “Adults keep repeating that maths is tough, and that is what people my age have heard all their lives, so some of them adopt it as a reality.” She added, “In England, adults constantly joke about being bad at maths, creating low expectations, so many students think it is okay to be bad at maths.”

Her advice to youngsters has been to keep on practising because not only does maths become easier through practice but also starts appearing as more exciting and rewarding. “But if you approach maths without confidence and without a real heart then it can become pointless and cold,” she remarked.

[caption id="attachment_38886" align="aligncenter" width="365"] Aanya Goyal[/caption]

Chak De! India

The London teen sees herself as ‘a proud Indian’ and finds motivation in songs like ‘Chak De India’ and ‘Ziddi Dil’ from the Bollywood biopics ‘Chak De! India’ and ‘Mary Kom.’ She listened to these songs to stay motivated during competition preparation. “India winning the T20 cricket World Cup and then the Indian IMO team finishing fourth provided additional motivation,” she remarked after bagging a silver for India last month.

To encourage more girls to be involved in designing the technologies of the future, the passionate STEM enthusiast aspires to serve as a role model to overcome societal bias by harnessing her skills and achievements.

Follow Aanya Goyal on Twitter

Reading Time: 5 mins

Electroshoe to the rescue: How innovator Siddharth Mandala’s device keeps women safe

(April 23, 2022) He was 12 when the infamous Nirbhaya rape case shook the nation in 2012. People took to the streets asking for justice, and his mom was one among them. Curious about the protests and confused about the word rape, Siddharth Mandala joined his mom for one of the protests. “A 40-year-old woman came up to me, and told me not to be like rapists. I didn’t even know what rape meant back then. This was a catalyst for me. I ended up surfing the internet, asking my friends and teachers to get a grasp on this concept called rape. Understanding the gravity of the issue, I decided to do everything in my capacity to prevent sexual assault,” Siddharth tells Global Indian. This awareness led to the birth of Electroshoe, a small badge that can be clipped onto any footwear, or worn as a ring or pendant and can be easily activated during any threatening situation by pressing. “It pulls out two sharp pointers, mimicking stun gun’s mechanism, and pierces through clothing, and even skin to electrocute the attacker,” explains Siddharth who took two years to build a working prototype; and another three years to create a market-friendly

gh clothing, and even skin to electrocute the attacker,” explains Siddharth who took two years to build a working prototype; and another three years to create a market-friendly product by interviewing over 500 women across India and California.

[caption id="attachment_15377" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Siddharth Mandala[/caption]

The Hyderabad born and raised reveals Electroshoe activates an alarm sound to alert nearby police stations and sends location to family members. “It can even sense angst in a conversation, and can raise alarm,” adds the entrepreneur. With a built-in solar plate, it recharges itself when exposed to sunlight. “The idea was that it should be something that women can carry with them easily all the time,” adds the 21-year-old.

An incident caused a shift

Born in 2000 to a businessman father and a criminal lawyer mother (now a homemaker), Siddharth loved to build things as a kid. And he found time to pursue his interest in his growing years. But the Nirbhaya rape case pushed him to put his innovative side to better use, and that’s how Electroshoe came into existence. But it was an uphill climb with many obstacles in the path. He taught himself programming and coding with the help of mentors from Linkedin and social media. While his prototype failed 17 times, he also faced electrocution twice. But Siddharth never gave up.

But things started to shift when he moved to the US to pursue further studies. “I grew up reading about startups in the Silicon Valley and wanted to be a part of that environment. But I realised it was more about finance and investment,” reveals Siddharth. Around the same time, he met Zach Latta, founder of the hack club, who told him that San Francisco was the place to be for his startup. “I dropped out of my college in California and lived homeless to fundraise for Electroshoe. My parents sold their house in India to send me to college in America. Hence, I didn’t tell them. I used to go to meetups and pitches for free food, where I tried to convince as many people as possible to help me out," reveals the young innovator who didn’t find much support from investors.

[caption id="attachment_15372" align="aligncenter" width="847"] Electroshoe[/caption]

An uphill task

But that didn't deter Siddharth who tried making “shoe attachments from greeting card sound chips that make a sound when you step on them” and tried to sell them in San Francisco. But he didn't know where he could meet women. “I tried standing outside Starbucks and selling them to women. That did not work. I realised that only two types of people will listen to me: My parents, friends, and people who are interested in me. So I went on dating apps. I’d go on dates and somewhere in the conversation would show the product and sell it to them. This is where we found the first 50 users,” reveals Siddharth who returned to India and worked on his product.

Siddharth, who is pursuing a degree in international relations and computer science from Claremont Mckenna College, spent six years turning a prototype into a product “that has gone through almost 30 iterations.” It is no secret that electric shock can often cause internal damage, even leading to cardiac arrest or trauma. However, Siddharth reveals, “We spent years creating the exact amount of voltage to ampere ratio that electrocutes lethally but not enough to kill a person." But he had to face a blow ahead of its launch owing to the Covid 19 pandemic. “We were very close to partnering with Telangana police but Covid first wave kicked in,” says the boy who has branched out his personal safety company to real estate and crypto.

[caption id="attachment_15376" align="aligncenter" width="631"] Siddharth Mandala working on Electroshoe[/caption]

Innovator-turned-activist

Apart from being an innovator and entrepreneur, Siddharth is also an activist who started a nonprofit Cognizance Welfare initiative with his friend Abhishek to spread awareness about rape. “Together we filled over 50 potholes in Hyderabad, we made underprivileged children build inexpensive GPS trackers to track their younger siblings and prevent human trafficking, we even helped a California-based non-profit adopt a village called Kanigiri in Andhra Pradesh and helped them build libraries and infrastructure,” beams Siddharth with pride, adding, “We even built an education class module and spent three months travelling to different cities educating young children about sexual assault and how to detect it very early.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMck9K6D15o

Siddharth, who has come a long way, advices youngsters to “get started and build something already. Even if it’s broken, miscalculated, and consumes most of your time, do not worry. These things usually take time, however, the key is to put something out and let the world see it and show you the path.”

An innovator at heart, he has designed a hardware wallet and a mobile app that can protect people, and their funds safe in the crypto space. "When I was in California, people in the NFT and crypto space were being kidnapped and beaten to share their private crypto keys. Once shared, even police can't trace down the funds. So the wallet acts like additional security feature," concludes Siddharth who loves working out in his free time.

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