Anika Chebrolu: Indian-American young scientist working on Covid-19 antiviral drug
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(February 19, 2023) For someone who found her inspiration in Marie Curie, Texas-based Anika Chebrolu was always interested in science. It was in fifth grade that she first learnt about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, and it made her interested in “drug discovery, viruses, and pandemics” at a very young age. All of 10, she started doing extensive research and found about the in-silico methodology for drug discovery. “I was amazed at how we can use computational methods like software and databases to find potential anti-virals against viruses and diseases. That’s when I decided to combine my knowledge of influenza virus and the in-silico method for drug discovery to find a potential anti-viral against the virus,” the Indian American told Forbes, a few months after winning the 2020 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her work using the in-silico methodology for drug discovery to find a molecule that can selectively bind to the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus in an attempt to find a cure for the coronavirus pandemic.
Anika Chebrolu
The pandemic was at its peak, and all of 14, Anika was busy working on drug discovery. She started with the influenza virus, about four years ago. She got the idea for drug discovery using computational methods and over time that progressed from an idea to an actual potential discovery. That’s when she signed up for the 3M Discovery Education Young Scientist Challenge. However, seeing the way the pandemic was altering the lives of people across the globe, she along with her mentor Dr Mahfuza Ali decided to shift the research from influenza to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. “I found a molecule from a database of 698 million compounds that can bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV 2 virus, and potentially change the function of the spike protein and inhibit the virus from infecting the cells,” she added.
Her discovery of a novel antiviral drug that can bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 created ripples at a time when the world was looking for a solution. Still, in its initial stage, it has a long way to go before it can make it to the market. “Drug discovery is a long and tedious process, and we want to create the best drug with the best potential and with the least or no side effects. One of the first methods in medicine is to not harm the patient. Before we take the drug to the market, there are a lot of stages that we need to go through. It would be the next stage to see how it works on the human body,” the Independence High School student revealed.
Having worked on the project at a time when the world was under lockdown, the Global Indian had to face her own set of challenges. Being just 14, age did come into play at times for her as people didn’t trust someone as young as her to be working on drug discovery. However, she continued being focussed on finding solutions. One of the biggest challenges was gaining access to the software as most of them have academic licenses or evaluation licenses, and this is where her mentor helped her, along with John Pastor from 3M, who is a computer specialist.
Anika, who wants to be a medical researcher and professor in the near future, began her journey in science at a young age. ” I was in six or seventh grade when I started looking at the world, and its problems and how I can use my knowledge of science to solve those problems,” said the teenager who says that age is just a number for anyone who is enough motivated to reach their goal.
The Indian-American, who loves to paint and learn Bharatnatyam, has found a support system in her parents, friends, and mentors. Her advice to fellow young scientists is to “never underestimate yourself because you are special. You have that motivation and potential in you, so bring that out by asking questions and keeping your curiosity.”
(September 13, 2024) When 19-year-old Josh Roy presented his AI-implemented solution for the genetic modification of whiteflies, at the 2024 TKS Focus Hackathon, it emerged as the global winner, beating over 400 competitors from 300 cities and 80 teams. His solution aims to combat the devastating impact of Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) on cassava plants, an essential food staple in the tropics, and address food insecurity. This groundbreaking project, validated by leaders such as the Global Head of Data Science at GSK, was showcased at London Tech Week 2024, which attracted over 45,000 attendees. It also earned Josh a scholarship to the prestigious Villars Institute's inaugural ecopreneurship program. Josh is in active discussions with researchers, NGOs, and technology companies to bring his solution to market and positively impact millions of lives. This November, the US-based youngster would be flying to West Africa to receive the prestigious Global Entrepreneurs Award. “I am due to collect the award in-person in the world's first entrepreneurship village in Akure, Nigeria, where the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu and billionaire Mrs. Folorunso Alakija would be present as guests of honour,” he tells Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_39224" align="aligncenter" width="508"] Josh
would be present as guests of honour,” he tells Global Indian.
[caption id="attachment_39224" align="aligncenter" width="508"] Josh Roy at the London Tech Week[/caption]
There’s more to Josh’s personality. A passionate musician and host of The CapitalTycoon Podcast, where he engages with successful innovators, he was also the first student in the UK to complete a music GCSE in tabla. 'Tabla is one of the main focuses in my life alongside entrepreneurship. If you think about it, the two go hand in hand, as both require the ability to think creatively,' he remarks.
Dabbling in AI-powered innovation, music and podcasting
The British-born innovator describes himself as ‘a design engineer at the intersection of business, tech, and product design’ and is passionate about creating solutions to make the world a better place. As the developer of AI-powered innovations, he also identifies as an AI ethicist and is working on an AI-powered tabla tutor prototype designed to train students at all levels, aiming to revolutionize tabla education.
When asked how he balances his academics, music and other interests he smiles, “I don't know if I balance it well, and I'm not sure I'm at the stage to offer advice on how to find balance in my work. As my mentor John Spence told me, "If you genuinely enjoy and are obsessed with what you're working on, that's what you should be doing." I believe it's this sense of enjoyment I get from these projects that keeps them from feeling tedious or time-consuming."
Josh looks at each aspect of his life as complementary rather than separate. For instance, he looks at his podcast as an avenue to explore new ideas while engaging with successful innovators who provide insights that often benefit in his own entrepreneurial ventures.
The Indian-origin innovator who was born and brought up in the UK, received training in Tabla by Kuljit Bhamra MBE. “My passion for the tabla offers a creative outlet that recharges me mentally, which is essential when juggling high-pressure projects,” he remarks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xxT7frsjtE
He has chosen an alternative education path through The Knowledge Society (TKS), where learning is deeply integrated with hands-on, real-world problem solving. “This flexible approach has allowed me to dedicate time to all my passions,” he mentions.
Josh got the opportunity to enroll in the two-year TKS programme after bagging the Unicorn Scholarship, which is only awarded to 20 students annually. He ranked in the top 0.06% of the 31,298 students who applied in the most recent batch. Its acceptance rate is far lower than that of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Combatting Cassava Mosaic Disease to address food insecurity
It all started with an upbringing that focused on seva. Even before he turned 10, Josh started volunteering with food banksand distributing meals to underprivileged elderly people. This sparked his commitment to tackling food insecurity. While he was still in school, the opportunities to attend tech conferences opened his eyes to technology’s potential. Later, a few Hackathon victories fuelled his desire to work on the problem of food insecurity all the more, and he came up with the AI-optimized tool for the genetic modification of whiteflies - engineered to combat the devastating impact of Cassava Mosaic Disease that has potential to benefit35 million Nigerians.
Cassava is a calorie-rich vegetable and the third-largest source of carbohydrates in food in the tropics, after rice and maize, making it an important staple. In African Cassava Mosaic Virus is a plant virus that infects cassava plants, causing mosaic symptoms on leaves and leading to significant yield losses in regions where cassava is a major food source. It is primarily transmitted through infected cassava stem cuttings and by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. When Josh came to know how millions of people in Nigeria suffer from food insecurity due to the Cassava Mosaic Disease, the AI enthusiast got drawn to solve a solution to the problem, and came up with an AI-driven gene editing solution for the genetic modification of whiteflies that cause the Cassava Mosaic Disease.
[caption id="attachment_39225" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Josh during the Villars Institute's mentorship programme[/caption]
Later, the week-long mentorship he received from ecopreneurs and scientists — pioneers in their respective fields — as part of his scholarship to the prestigious Villars Institute broadened his horizons. “With guidance from experts like Sofia de Meyer and Sofia Khwaja-Horekens, I've refined my food insecurity project, focusing on key stakeholders. Meeting people like the chief economist of Mars Inc. Bruno Roche and my mentor Jini Sebakunzi was an honour, and the experience deepened my connection with nature, and problems in its realm,” he says.
Work in progress
“The next steps involve collaborating with agricultural institutions in Nigeria and across Africa to conduct field trials of the modified whiteflies. This will help demonstrate the tool's effectiveness in real-world conditions. We are also working on partnerships with government bodies and NGOs to create awareness and ensure smooth adoption of this innovation. Once proven in field tests, scaling the technology will involve aligning with policymakers, farmers, and supply chain partners to ensure it reaches the 35 million Nigerians who stand to benefit,” tells Josh.
For the youngster, the goal is to not only combat CMD but to create a sustainable model that can be replicated across different regions suffering from crop diseases, ensuring long-term food security.
“My Father was my support for me from the beginning of my unconventional path and encouraged me going against cultural expectations by working to solve humanity's biggest problems through entrepreneurship or should I say, ecopreneurship,” he remarks.
Other projects
Josh has worked onother AIprojects like Project Dynamo while pursuing a consulting challenge with The Knowledge Society (TKS). “It's an initiative I launched to train NGO students in climate change problem-solving and systems thinking, partnering with SOS Children's Villages, India. This project also leveraged AI to translate educational content into regional languages, making it more accessible across diverse communities,” he informs.
Additionally, he has worked alongside Google for another TKS Challenge in AI-driven initiatives, for addressing problems like information overload that its employees face.
Josh Roy understands the importance of quality mentorship and has actively pursued it from business leaders.
Determined to reach out to John Spence, the Chairman of Karma Group Global, the youngster tried over 100 email variations until he successfully connected with Spence. “I was inspired by the experience he created at Karma so I was determined to get his mentorship for entrepreneurship. I tried 100 different variations of emails with trial and error as it was hard to find, until his personal hotmail email worked when I found it through a chrome extension,” he says.
This persistence led to a year and a half of valuable email exchanges, culminating in a phone call. “Since then, Spence has been reading my monthly newsletter where I update him and my other mentors on my personal growth. I consider him and his philosophies an influence in my projects and business endeavours. Persistence won at the end,” remarks Josh who loves speaking opportunities.
In addition to Spence, Josh has built strong relationships with other mentors like Kabir Mathur CEO and co-founder, Leen and Manoj Thacker, entrepreneur, and ambassador of Innovaud Swiss. He connected with Kabir during a family trip to Egypt and with Manoj through a friend's introduction. “Both mentors have been instrumental in guiding my journey, with Kabir even nominating me for The Diana Award and supporting my case for an O-1 visa in the US,” he says. Josh’s persistence to seek guidance have earned him mentorships that continue to shape his entrepreneurial path.
In the shoes of a mentor
One of the youngster’s moments of pride has been getting into the shoes of a mentor of 300 youngsters at Toronto in AI and gene editing for 1517 Fund's annual summit.
“I got the opportunity to mentor alongside a panel of 15 other mentors consisting of Zach Laberge (18-year-old founder of Frenter, who raised over three million CAD), Danielle Stratchman (co-founder, Thiel Fellowship) and Michael Patrick-Gibson (author of Paper Belt on Fire),” tells Josh adding, “I recall a Neuralink intern, Kyrylo Kalashnikov, attending the office hours I was hosting. Gaining exposure to some of the brightest minds in North America was both humbling and inspiring. It felt like they were the true mentors, even though I had the label of mentor for a day!”
[caption id="attachment_39228" align="aligncenter" width="497"] Josh during 1517 Fund's office hour[/caption]
The migration story and future
Born in Tooting, London Josh hails from a family with roots in Kolkata. He was raised in Ascot for most of his life, as well as in Lambeth. His mother is a singer-songwriter who was born in London, and did schooling both in India and the UK. His father is a corporate professional who was born and raised in Kolkata. This March, the youngster moved to the US along with his father who got a new job posting. “I decided to relocate with him and pursue my entrepreneurial dreams in the US,” he says.
In the short-term, Josh’s priorities are clear and twofold: "Radical collaboration with agricultural engineers, scientists and farmers to refine and implement my solutions, ensuring credibility and scalability. Secondly, to earn my O-1 Visa that will allow me to better pursue my entrepreneurial endeavours in the US." He is happy that he received his OCI last month.
With prestigious awards, recognitions, scholarships and mentorship the youngster is confident of making his entrepreneurial dream in America come true.
(August 30, 2022) Toxic relationships are not very uncommon these days. As a 25-year-old, Priyal has seen many of her peers in such relationships for years, ultimately seeking professional help and support to come out of it. What finally triggered her to launch StandWeSpeak, her SexEd tech platform, was the incidence of abortion of a young acquaintance who was also mentally and physically abused in her relationship. It has been just nine months into the venture and Priyal’s startup has taken her places. From being invited to promote social and gender equality at the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2022 to being approached by UNDP to share her journey, her initiative has garnered attention at the right places. The Diana awardee is now stationed in South Korea for a three-and-a-half months’ accelerator program. StandWeSpeak has been selected as top 60 in the K-Startup Grand Challenge, a global accelerator startup programme by the Government of South Korea as part of solution for the country’s problems. [caption id="attachment_21410" align="aligncenter" width="679"] Priyal Agrawal, founder, StandWeSpeak[/caption] Priyal appears excited about the opportunity as she connects from Seoul. “It’s not just a great opportunity but huge validation of my efforts that the government of South
Priyal appears excited about the opportunity as she connects from Seoul. “It’s not just a great opportunity but huge validation of my efforts that the government of South Korea is supporting and helping to establish my company here,” Priyal tells Global Indian. “This motivates me to do better as we got chosen amongst thousands of applications received globally,” she says.
The purpose
“As a society, we are not allowed to discuss relationships openly and that is why it takes longer for people to end abusive relationships,” says Priyal. Her initiative equips people with life-skills required to take care of their well-being, relationships, mental and sexual health. It empowers youngsters to make informed decisions. “It’s a 21st century sexual health ecosystem for millennials and Gen Z,” she tells.
Through an anonymous chatbot, Talk to Mae, an AI-driven sexual and reproductive health expert, youngsters seeking help can get accurate medical and legal answers. The platform offers knowledge on vital issues through informative videos, bio-degradable menstrual hygiene and sexual health products, and judgement-free, consultancy service from gynaecologists, counsellors, sexologists, intimacy experts and lawyers.
Journey so far
“I did not register my organisation as an NGO because when something is provided for free, people do not value it enough. I did not want that to happen to my initiative,” says the entrepreneur, who works from Goa. In the course of nine months, StandWeSpeak has handled 15,000 chatbot interactions and has conducted workshops of 10,000 youngsters in schools and colleges.
[caption id="attachment_21411" align="aligncenter" width="857"] Priyal Agrawal in a school workshop[/caption]
“Youngsters are able to find anything and everything about love, gender, intimacy, relationships, sexuality, consent, and much more,” says Priyal, who enjoyed short stints as psychological first aid provider in Tihar jail, Delhi and as a counsellor at Samaritans, a suicide prevention helpline in Goa before starting her venture.
Hiccups along the way…
The psychology graduate from Mumbai’s Sapphire College is the first entrepreneur in her family and it took quite a bit of convincing. By then, she had tried a number of things, from preparing for IIT and trying her hand at architecture for a year before ultimately studying Psychology.
“As a young woman in India, starting a venture is not easy. People do not accept the idea readily. It is considered a passion or side project until the time the girl gets married,” says Priyal. “People advised me to go for a masters first or think of something else as I didn’t have experience or expertise of running a company.”
Also, the domain that she chose to work does not get recognised as important or considered in a need of a solution. “India is conservative of talking about sexual health, wellness and providing sexual education to youngsters,” she rues. However, to be recognised at global platforms has added immense strength to her confidence in her choice of venture.
More inclusivity in future
“The need exists and young people are looking for solutions,” says Priyal. She was confident about it looking at the youngsters around. Starting with a bootstrap budget, she learned to design the initial version of the platform. Later, when her team expanded, it interspersed AI with counselling of the gender inclusive platform that is being used even by members of the LGBTQ community.
Apart from the expansion plans in South Korea, Priyal is planning to make StandWeSpeak more inclusive so that even people with physical disabilities can access the services through features like voice search option. She is looking at producing informative videos which would also have the sign language component so that it can reach a wider audience. Having multilingual services in India is also one of her plans. Priyal wants to promote her services worldwide someday but for now, is taking things one step at a time.
(Jun 4, 2023) Three years ago during the time of lockdown when shooter Tilottama Sen’s father had introduced the idea of shooting to her, she had thought he was talking about film shooting. He wanted the then eleven year old to stop ‘wasting time’ in mobile games and cartoons. Since he had tried his hand at shooting during his college days in Nagaland, he thought that it would be a productive way to keep his daughter engaged. “When he said shooting, I thought that movie-wala shooting and I was like 'no way! I don't know how to act!" Tilottama said laughing during an interview. In just three years from then, the youngster has come a long way. This year she won a bronze medal for India at the women’s 10mn Air Rifle competition, at International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. [caption id="attachment_30628" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Tilottama Sen[/caption] Getting introduced to shooting "The only time Tilottama had picked a gun before her father introduced the idea of shooting to her was at an event at his office where the employees’ families were also invited. Along with other fun activities, there was a balloon-popping competition which Tilottama had enjoyed
Indian Sports | Tilottama Sen | Global Indian" width="700" height="842" /> Tilottama Sen[/caption]
Getting introduced to shooting
"The only time Tilottama had picked a gun before her father introduced the idea of shooting to her was at an event at his office where the employees’ families were also invited. Along with other fun activities, there was a balloon-popping competition which Tilottama had enjoyed and had even won.
During the lockdown when her father took her to the shooting range in Bengaluru’s Electronic City she found it interesting but was not very hooked.
"In my first six months, I was still not serious about the sport. I used to go, I used to come back," she said. "But then I got my first kit, then I moved onto a better [range] rifle. Slowly, I saw the improvement."
After six months of training the youngster watched an interview of Olympian Apurvi Chandela who said she was training under coach Rakesh in Bengaluru. Since Tillotma hails from the city she got in touch with Rakesh who helped her hone her skills further.
Tilottama made rapid strides thereafter. Her win at International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Cairo stands as a testimony to her hard work and dedication under the guidance of her coach.
The impressive journey
Though her father Sujit had thought of shooting as ‘just a nice experience for his daughter’ the more she started getting engrossed in it, the more he realised it’s a costly game. The TechMahindra employee had to dig into his provident fund and retirement savings to invest in Tilottama's equipment. Just the rifle cost was ₹2.65 lakhs. Added to that there were other expenses like a new kit (including shoes and gloves), and new pellets. But he kept on investing, looking at how his daughter’s scores were shooting up one event after another.
[caption id="attachment_30630" align="aligncenter" width="607"] Happy after a good performance[/caption]
Tillotama got so immersed in the love of the game that her daily training increased from an hour to six hours a day.
In her first state meet in 2021, she shot a 396 (out of 400). In her pre-national south zone meet she shot 398 out of 400. The same year Karnataka association conducted another state meet and Tilottama upped her performance with 400/400. "It was amazing," she remarked.
Breaking grounds
In 2022 the shooter performed well at nationals - selection trial 1 and selection trial 2 earning entry into the senior Indian team and winning a silver in the National Games.
However, her journey is not just about spectacular wins but heart-breaking setbacks as well. At her first nationals in 2021 Tilottama had finished 63rd, unsettled by the travel and the newness of the game. At her first international tournament, a Junior World Cup, she had finished 43rd. But during her setbacks she learnt her lessons and surged ahead with the learnings.
The heights that she has reached in her short career so far has been due to her ability to learn from her mistakes and to remain dedicated. "I used to watch my seniors' videos a lot. I have seen the videos of all the Indian team players from 2017-19," she said.
The first international win
Talking about winning Bronze at ISSF World Cup in Cairo the young shooter said, “"I think I managed it really well (in the face of a challenge).”
"The cheek piece on the rifle had broken and the screws in the butt piece (which is at the shoulder of the shooter) had come loose (in the transit)", she said. “I was not able to understand what to change (in the first round).” However later she was able to identify the problem and address it. But due to the initial hiccup she had to be satisfied with a bronze.
[caption id="attachment_30629" align="aligncenter" width="824"] Tilottama Sen after winning bronze in ISEF World Championship[/caption]
Help from Reliance Foundation
The Sen family has managed to get help from Reliance Foundation. Tilottama was the only one in the senior team without a replacement gun in Cairo. A new secondary rifle has got sponsored by the foundation recently.
The foundation has helped in other ways too, taking care of all round development of the athlete under the guidance of experienced coaches, dieticians and psychologists.
Tillotama is all set to make her country proud in the upcoming Asian Games in September. Her ultimate aim is to perform well at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Only three years into the game her journey has just begun.
(September 14, 2024) "Nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future," wrote Jon Krakauer in his iconic biography, Into the Wild. Just like his protagonist, Chris McCandless, young conservationists have turned their back on what is tried and tested, seeking their fulfillment in the heart of India's forests instead. From working with the little-known fishing cat, like Tiasa Adhya, to getting up close and personal with leopards as Shaaz Jung does in Bandipur forest, Global Indian takes a look at India's conservationists and the people helping to protect India's treasury of forests and wildlife. Tiasa Adhya View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tiasa Adhya (@tiasaadhya) Growing up, Tiasa would run home excitedly to her rooster, Nontu, and his many wives, all cared for by Tiasa and her brother. 'Home' had been transformed into a menagerie, with many pigeons, rabbits, fish and the family dog and cat. These experiences were the first seeds of Tiasa's desire to be in wildlife conservation. Tiasa says in an interview that her coach, Partha, led her to the field. Today, she's one of India's young conservationists, and is part of the Fishing Cat
Growing up, Tiasa would run home excitedly to her rooster, Nontu, and his many wives, all cared for by Tiasa and her brother. 'Home' had been transformed into a menagerie, with many pigeons, rabbits, fish and the family dog and cat. These experiences were the first seeds of Tiasa's desire to be in wildlife conservation. Tiasa says in an interview that her coach, Partha, led her to the field. Today, she's one of India's young conservationists, and is part of the Fishing Cat Working Group to protect the under-appreciated Fishing Cat.
She has worked with Dr Shomita Mukherjee, the country's only small cat specialist, to study the species. The team also works to preserve the animal's natural habitat and to collaborate with local communities to reduce negative interactions.
Members of the International Fishing Cat Working Group also work in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to provide global guidelines to protect the fishing cat.
In 2019, conservationist Ayushi Jain was living in Kanathur village, Kerala, searching for the rare Cantor's giant softshell turtle. The matter had come to light due to unusual, mass fish death and the Cantor, which can grow up to one metre in length, was suspected as the cause.
Ayushi began working with the Cantor giant softshell turtle back in 2016, during an internship at the Turtle Survival Alliance in Lucknow. After finishing a course on Herpetology at the Indian Institute of Science, she began studying the distribution and mapping of turtles at ATREE, Bengaluru. In 2018, she was selected as a Distinct and Globally Endangered Fellow by the Zoological Society of London. She believes that the most effective conservation efforts involve working with the local community.
A group trip to Eaglenest in Arunachal Pradesh when she was an undergrad student at St. Xavier's College, would change Nandini Velho's life. She would go on to be part of the team that organised the first-ever Arunachal Bird Festival at Eaglenest and is the author of The Eaglenest Memory Project, based on interviews with the Bugun and Shedukpen tribes.
One of India's most important conservation voices, Nandini holds a PhD from James Cook University in Australia. In order to understand policy, she worked as a Policy Fellow at the Ministry of Environment and Forests with then-environment minister Jairam Ramesh, with the forest department and local community leaders.
Malaika Vaz
Even as a child, Malaika Vaz was captivated by the great outdoors. She is the youngest person to reach the Arctic and the Antarctic with the students at the Ice Foundation. Early on, she learned windsurfing, and sailing and is a professional diver. As she grew older, though, she felt she needed more than just adventure. Having witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by unsustainable tourism, illegal trade, and climate change on the marine ecosystem. And she decided to do something about it.
She was swimming in the Maldives the first time she spotted a manta ray - "I saw a beautiful black shadow coming out of nowhere. It was curious about me. I was frozen, I wasn't expecting this giant cloud to come up to me. It was poetic. Ever since then, I have been obsessed with them."
"I realised that while I loved being on camera, shaping the stories and bringing in new perspectives and narratives that hadn't traditionally been seen on television was what I liked best," she said. She turned to other roles - she has been a director, writer, and producer, apart from presenting. She is also the founder of 'Untamed Planet', a production company that seeks to make an impact in the conservation world.
It's easy enough to see why Shaaz Jung has over a million followers on Instagram. His brand of wildlife photography is raw, captivating and filled with the fury of the jungle.
Shaaz Jung's role as a conservationist is unconventional - he spends his days studying and photographing wildlife and has become known for his affinity for big cats. He has also helped establish eco-friendly wildlife camps in South India and also in East Africa.
Having studied economics at Utrecht University, Shaaz left the corporate world to follow his passion instead. He now runs his camp, The Bison and is closely affiliated with African Under Canvas, where he leads wildlife and photographic expeditions.
He was 12 when he caught his first snake and looking back, he attributes his sense of adventure to his grandfather, who introduced him to the wonders of wildlife when he was still a child. Soon, Nirmal and his friends were called upon if there was a snake in the neighbourhood, which they would trap and release into the wild.
A wildlife rehabilitator by the time he was in his teens, Nirmal became Goa's youngest Honorary Wildlife Warden at 18. At 21, he led a team of 200 on a nature conservancy project in Chorla Ghat. Working with Captain Nitin Dond, the conservationist's team team restored 800 acres of de-forested land and converted it into a diverse, private nature conservancy.
Kulkarni is now the chairman of a research centre and director of a wildlife nature resort. As a qualified herpetologist, he spends the monsoon months in the Western Ghats and heads off to the Northeast in April and May.
(August 24, 2023) Five years ago, Nitish Sood and his brother, Aditya were at the mall with their mother. Bored, the two boys stepped outside for a game of frisbee. A homeless woman sat by the entrance, as people walked past, all of them either pulling out their phones or checking their watches to avoid making eye contact with her. "We were kind of troubled by that," said Nitish Sood, who co-founded Working Together For Change, a student-run organisation that works for homeless people. "Our frisbee landed near her so we ended up striking up a conversation," said Nitish. They asked the obvious question - how did this woman come to be homeless? She responded with a question: "What do you want to be when you grow up." A doctor, Nitish said at once and to his amazement, the woman pulled out a medical degree. Just before she was placed into a residency, she returned to Atlanta to help her brother, who had been involved with gang violence. "She lost that residency. Medical school bills started piling up and suddenly, she was homeless," Nitish explained. "My brother and I learned that nearly everyone is just a step away from homelessness.
y from homelessness. We decided to do something about it."
[caption id="attachment_25031" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Nitish and Aditya Sood[/caption]
Working Together For Change
That's how Working Together for Change was born. "We wanted to interact with other homeless folk, the people we tend to avoid by checking the time or looking at our phones." They realised that they had been wrong about the average homeless person. "We seem to think of middle-aged men, maybe drunk, doing drugs and sleeping on a park bench. Mostly, we believe him to be lazy, uneducated and unambitious. But that is as far away from reality as you can possibly imagine."
Now a student at the Medical College of Georgia, Nitish Sood is doing his residency in Opthalmology. His brother, Aditya, is a junior biology and social major at Alpharetta and an MD candidate at the Emory School of Medicine. Both brothers are highly accomplished in their own right- Aditya is a black belt in karate and does research at the Neuroplasticity lab at Georgia State University. Nitish is a Presidential Scholar at Augusta University, a Coca Cola Scholar - he was awarded a $20,000 scholarship for exemplary leadership and social activism. He's also a National Merit Scholar. Both boys were born in India and moved to the US with their parents.
Currently, Working Together for Change has touched over 3,000 lives. The organisation has also raised some $1,20,000 for its cause, has mobilised some 600 volunteers and over 17,000 volunteer hours. They have organised over a dozen medical camps that screen homeless people for vision trouble, cholesterol and diabetes. WTFC even organises 'sleep-outs', to give people a taste of what it's like to sleep on the streets. All that began with the back-pack-a-thon, their first initiative.
[caption id="attachment_25033" align="aligncenter" width="2016"] Working Together for Change volunteers at their first backpack-a-thon in Augusta in 2018. Photo: Facebook[/caption]
Life on the city streets
Nearly 3000 people are homeless in Atlanta. The fact is, as Nitish and Aditya also discovered - many more people in American cities are at risk of homelessness. A shortage of affordable housing, limited employment opportunities and not enough social welfare schemes are all possible causes. According to the Atlanta Mission, some 58 percent of this homeless population reports reports symptoms of trauma and 57 percent have a chronic medical condition. The brothers were also alarmed to learn that average homeless person is under the age of 18 and that the fastest growing demographic is under the age of nine.
The Soods got into action immediately. They rallied their friends for a 'backpack-a-thon', distributing backpacks filled with essentials like hygiene products, water and socks. Through this, they also hoped to create interaction between students and the homeless community.
Setting up medical camps to building a house in Tijuana
They also created programmes for school students to interact with homeless kids in housing centres. "We gave them a chance to meet. Everyone should have the chance to have some fun," Nitish remarked.
Still, they knew that raising awareness just wouldn't do. So, they decided to host a medical camp. They didn't have doctors, locations, volunteers or work out the logistics of it, but they began work, scouting for locations, visited homeless shelters and told them that they had doctors and volunteers ready. The Soods also asked their friends to sign on.
The big day arrived with a distressing phone call. The bus ferrying the homeless people had broken down. They had doctors and volunteers waiting at the camp and no patients in sight. "We called every adult we knew to use their minivans to ferry the homeless to the camp," Ntisih said. It worked. "In the end, nobody left feeling dissatisfied. Today, we host medical camps every four months." The WTFC teams even went to Tijuana to build a house from the ground up. "It's not feasible for us to do this but WTFC represents the idea that we must do everything we can to help those in need."
[caption id="attachment_25034" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] WTFC-YMCA-MoreHouse Medical Fair 2015. Photo: Facebook[/caption]
The root of the matter
As the years went by, Working Together For Change made a significant impact, crowdfunding thousands of dollars and setting up student chapters across the state. Still, the brothers felt that all this was addressing only the symptoms, not the disease itself. True change would mean getting the homeless people off the streets. They collaborated with United Way Ventures, setting up camps to help reintegrate them into the job market. They also set up coding camps for teens.
The journey hasn't been easy. "It has meant sleepless nights, passing up sleepovers and not being able to hang out with friends," Nitish said. "But when my brother and I started this, there was a fire lit within us. None of what we did felt like work. We were doing what we loved."
Follow Nitish and Aditya on LinkedIn and Working Together for Change on Facebook
Josh Roy at the London Tech Week[/caption]
Josh during the Villars Institute's mentorship programme[/caption]
Josh Roy[/caption]
Josh during 1517 Fund's office hour[/caption]
Priyal Agrawal, founder, StandWeSpeak[/caption]
Priyal Agrawal in a school workshop[/caption]
Happy after a good performance[/caption]
Tilottama Sen after winning bronze in ISEF World Championship[/caption]
Nitish and Aditya Sood[/caption]
Working Together for Change volunteers at their first backpack-a-thon in Augusta in 2018. Photo: 
WTFC-YMCA-MoreHouse Medical Fair 2015. Photo: