Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveDancers Nidhi and Neha Ramanathan: Sharing the magic of Indian classical art forms

Dancers Nidhi and Neha Ramanathan: Sharing the magic of Indian classical art forms

Written by: Namrata Srivastava

(October 24, 2023) In a world where words often fall short, dance emerges as a universal language of expression. Nidhi and Neha Ramanathan, two sisters based in UAE, have harnessed this enchanting art form to convey their profound love for Indian classical dance. Despite residing far from their homeland, these siblings have managed to maintain an unbreakable connection with their cultural roots. The dancers started their journey at a young age, and have not merely excelled as choreographers but have also added their distinctive flair to classical dance forms. With each performance they deliver, they leave an indelible mark on the global stage, captivating audiences from all corners of the world.

Nidhi and Neha Ramanathan

“Sometime back a friend of ours told us that a couple of her University friends showed her our video, telling her that they are our followers on Instagram. Even today, when people recognise us it feels quite surreal. We don’t consider ourselves famous,” laughs Nidhi, as the sisters connect with Global Indian over a call, adding, “For now, we are working to hit 100K subscribers on our YouTube channel. Also, we would to do performances in Dubai and Chennai, and start conducting workshops for people, who would like to learn Indian classical dance.”

Passionate dancers

Born in India, and growing up in Dubai, the sisters were always passionate about dancing. However, it was their mother’s unwavering support and encouragement that ignited their passion and steered them in the right direction. “As kids, we loved to dance. Our mom saw how much we enjoyed it and signed us up for Bharatanatyam classes. Ever since then, our love for Indian classical dance has only grown. We’ve had chances to perform in Dubai, India, and on our YouTube and Instagram pages. What keeps us going is the happiness we feel when we dance and share it with people all around the world. Dance is special because it brings people together, no matter where they’re from, and that’s something we really love about it,” shares Neha.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nidhi and Neha (@nidhiandneha)

The sisters received formal training from distinguished dancers, Sri Sasi Kottakkal in Dubai and Smt. Lavanya Sankar in India. After having performed on various stages, the dancers created their YouTube channel in June 2017 and started making and uploading videos on Bollywood songs, semi-classical dance, and fusion dance. Talking about the creative process, Nidhi says, “A lot goes behind the scenes. First and foremost, identifying the right music for our dance is a thoughtful process, often tied to specific themes, festivals, or finding the perfect track that syncs with our choreography. Our friends and family shower us with suggestions and ideas. We then discuss where we toss out spontaneous dance moves and fuse our creative concepts. We also delve into the mesmerising performances of various artists, drawing inspiration from a wide spectrum of dance movements.”

But it’s not all play for these dancers. “With so many talented artists and dance content online, it’s tough to make our choreography stand out. Also, finding time to connect with our audience regularly can be a struggle due to our other commitments. But, when we see new creative stuff every day, it reminds us that creativity is always around, and that keeps us motivated,” shared Nidhi, adding, “There are many artists who inspire us, including Smt. Rama, Smt. Dakshina Vaidyanathan, Sri Parshwanath Upadhye, and Smt. Priyadarshini Govind.”

Spreading their wings

The dancers, who also manage their academics along with their dance career, have found that dancing has not only been their passion but also a source of relaxation. “Whenever we are stressed with any academic work, or have an examination, we love to take out some time and practice. That really helps us unwind and re-focus on the task at hand,” shares Neha.

But it’s not just that. The dancers share that their art has also impacted their self-growth. Crediting their parents for their success, Neha adds, “Our parents have always been incredibly supportive, motivating us to become better dancers and standing by us through it all. Our gurus have imparted not just the art of dance and the pursuit of perfection but also instilled in us a deep respect for this art form. We owe them a great deal for molding us into the dancers we’ve become. Additionally, the drive to keep improving with each dance session comes from within, spurring us to refine different aspects of our practice and technique.”

Motivated to inspire many young dancers in India and abroad, Nidhi shares that the duo feels everyone should keep their artistic side alive – no matter how busy they are. “We urge anyone passionate about Indian classical dance forms to follow their enthusiasm. It’s not just a path for exploring creativity, but also a means of preserving our rich Indian culture and heritage,” she says.

Follow Nidhi and Neha Ramanathan on YouTube and Instagram

Name*

Email*

Name*

Email*

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Published on 24, Oct 2023

Share with

ALSO READ

Aditya Chaudhary: Indian teen’s innovative device can help turn thoughts into text

(October 15, 2023) Having spent all of his afternoons with his grandfather after returning from school, Aditya Chaudhary formed a beautiful bond with him. With working parents, Aditya would spend hours with his grandfather listening to stories. But chinks in the quality time started appearing when his grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and soon it advanced to a stage where he had difficulty in communicating and started imagining things. Being the primary caretaker, Aditya would see his grandfather struggle with communication and often wondered if there was a way that he could comprehend his grandfather's thoughts. However, that couldn't happen as he lost him shortly but the ache to do something for patients of Parkison's led the Delhi-based teen to come up with a solution in NeuroSight, a non-invasive headset that could help paralysed and neurological patients convert their thoughts into text. [caption id="attachment_33578" align="aligncenter" width="613"] Aditya Chaudhary[/caption] An innovation for the patients of Parkinson's "My grandfather's condition nudged me to think about other patients with Parkinson's. While I was always interested in STEM, it was after this that I started getting more interested in the neurological aspect, and it motivated me to start a startup Grey Horizon, a venture

ink about other patients with Parkinson's. While I was always interested in STEM, it was after this that I started getting more interested in the neurological aspect, and it motivated me to start a startup Grey Horizon, a venture into low-cost neuroimaging," Aditya tells Global Indian, adding, "We created a device NeuroSight that can convert thoughts into words."

In India, more than 7 million people currently suffer from Parkinson's and Aditya was keen to find a solution, that was low-cost and effective. The idea stemmed from his grandfather's condition, and for months, he did research to understand but it was in 2022 that Grey Horizon and NeuroSight came into actualisation. Aditya explains that the research behind neuroimaging has been happening since the 1950s, however, it hasn't translated into anything concrete that can be put into daily use. "However, Elon Musk's Neuralink is one of the breakthroughs that has happened in this space recently, however, it is invasive where you surgically implant electrodes in the brain that reads the data that your brain is firing. However, we wanted something non-invasive, portable, and in real-time. So, we opted for EEG and merge it with the AI and ML, and use the technology in the form of a headset," adds Aditya saying that while searching for electrodes for EEG, he came across many which costs between ₹30,000 to ₹1 lakh. "We decided to come up with our headset under the budget of ₹5000." With the help of the sensors and electrodes, it collects data from the patient's brain and relays it to an app used by the patient's family member or caretaker. "The data from imaginary cortex and visual cortex is mapped out on a graph, and try to read them through AI and ML in real-time."

It was in early 2023 that Aditya started working on the prototype, which is in the process of fine-tuning. "We are now working on getting the data converted into text in real-time - as in the same second that the thought arises in the patient's mind." He reveals that it began as a research paper - which won acclaim from The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences - and later turned into hardware with NeuroSight. Now, Aditya and his team are trying to take this a notch higher by converting thoughts into actions, using prosthetic/robotic arms. "We wanted to focus on functionality as well since you can't control your muscles in Parkinson's because of the involuntary muscle movement. We recently pitched the robotic arm at one of the innovation and science fairs. We are now looking for mentorship in regards to advanced research behind neuroimaging that can validate our technology and work with people who can help convert the hardware into a minimum viable product."

Personal setbacks led to the formation of a platform

However, it wasn't an easy road for Aditya as he had to face many rejections to reach where he is now. "I started late, and that's a regret that I have. I could have done much more, but it took me a while to figure out, and now I am putting the pedal on the gas and accelerating the progress," says the teen, who had a hard time figuring out the right opportunities during his school time.

Being the one who learned the hard way, he was keen to help aspiring innovators who, like him, didn't know where to begin. This led him to start Kalam, a platform to help students access meaningful opportunities where they can convert their ideas into innovations. "We started it as an opportunity access but now plan to see it as a Y-combinator for high school students where they can convert ideas into actual startups," says Aditya, who is keen to make "a genuine impact."

Though the NeuroSight prototype is still undergoing a handful of upgradations, Aditya wants the technology to reach the maximum people, once it becomes a viable product that can be placed in the market. Moreover, he is keen to expand the horizon by integrating the technology for gaming purposes. "You can control the gaming outplay with your thoughts. NeuroSight can move to other commercial aspects as well like mindfulness app," reveals the teen who is in talks with a bunch of accelerators pitching his ideas.

Aditya, who calls himself a cinephile and a bibliophile, has a personal library of over 100 books that he has collected over the years from book markets. Along with innovation, storytelling is close to his heart, and an area that he wants to explore shortly.

The teen, who passed out of school early this year, is using this year to explore more opportunities before applying for MIT and the California Institute of Technology next year. "Engineering students have only one dream - to crack JEE. But I don't want to restrict myself and explore as many possibilities as I can. I am giving my all to leave a mark in the world of innovation," he signs off.

Reading Time: 5 min

Shifting the goalpost: Ananya Kamboj spreads awareness through football

(February 4, 2023) "Man up!" Footballer Ananya Kamboj would bristle everytime her coaches hurled the phrase at the girls' team. Were they implying that girls are inferior, she would wonder. Kamboj, the first Indian to be selected at the FIFA U17 global Football for Friendship (F4F) in 2017, decided veiled prejudice would not be taken in her stride. Today, she's an author, a goodwill ambassador for BRICS and addressed the United Nation's ECOSOC Youth Forum in September 2020. Now 17 years old, Ananya is part of various projects for gender equality, including Girls with Impact, Girl Up, Learn in India, She Mercedes and SDGs For Children. She has also been part of three Guinness World Record events, including most nationalities in a football training session in history (2019, the most users in a football video hangout (2020) and the most visitors at a virtual stadium (2021). For three years after her selection, the young Global Indian continued to represent India as a young journalist at the F4F, a programme aimed to unite children of different physical abilities from around the world. "The goal is the development of children's football, fostering tolerance and respect for different cultures and nationalities," she says.

continued to represent India as a young journalist at the F4F, a programme aimed to unite children of different physical abilities from around the world. "The goal is the development of children's football, fostering tolerance and respect for different cultures and nationalities," she says. "The key values that the participants support and promote are friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions and honour."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ananya Kamboj (@kambojananya)

The debutante author

When she returned from the Football for Friendship programme in Russia in 2017, her father suggested she write her memoirs. By this time, the teenager had a strong value system in place and was determined to work for equality within the sporting ecosystem around the world. That led to her debut book, 'My Journey from Mohali to St Petersburg', in which she shares the lessons she has learned. "If you are looking at famous sports professionals, don't look at the records they break or the games they win; instead, try to learn some valuable lessons from their approach and their lives too," she writes in her book.

Born in Mohali, Chandigarh, the first turning point in the young changemaker's life came in April 2017, when she happened to spot a FIFA U17 World Cup poster on her way to the bank in her neighbourhood. The poster announced a contest for young journalists, asking students to report on the Gazprom's Football for Friendship Championship in Russia. Applicants were asked to write an inspiring story on football, in under 200 words. That year also happened to mark India's first time participating in a FIFA World Cup and Ananya decided to give the contest a shot.

Incidentally, one month earlier, Ananya Kamboj, a footballer herself, had met Gurmangal Dass Soni, founder of the Youth Football Club at Lake Club, Chandigarh. "Soni is involved in a global campaign to stem out the increasing use of drugs among the youth in Rurka Kalan and surrounding areas. I found Mr Soni's story fascinating and inspiring. He is an ordinary person who has done extraordinary things," she writes. She knew that his story was the one she wanted to tell.

Leading herself to lead others

Her goal, she admits, was only to participate. When she got the call telling her she was the winner, Ananya was "completely surprised." She would be one of 64 participants to go to St Petersburg, Russia, for the social program sponsored by FIFA and Gazprom. In the meantime, she was also trained by Ranjit Bajaj, the owner, founder and executive director of Minerva Punjab Football Club, where she was provided leadership and motivational training.

Once quick-tempered and by her own admission, "prone to losing control when angry," the first lesson Ananya learned on her path to leadership was to rein in her own emotions. Also a shy person by nature, she learned to face up to her playground bullies, stand by her teammates and grow as a writer."

Rendezvous with Russia

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ananya Kamboj (@kambojananya)

A twenty-three hour journey later, Ananya stepped out into the biting cold of a rainy day in St Petersburgh, where she was welcomed by the F4F team, who told her, to her alarm, that this was summertime. "The warm, cramped streets of Mohali were left far behind," she writes. This was her first time so far away from home and she was nervous as she met her fellow Ambassadors from Armenia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Iceland, Slovenia, South Africa and South Korea. Ananya was making history that day - she was the first Indian to participate in FIFA U17 F4F.

For the next three days, Ananya Kamboj learned what it meant to be part of a team, braving the cold to spend hours out on the field. The 'Yellow Team', of which she was a part, made it all the way to the semi-finals, where they lost 4-3 to the Orange Team, who went on to win the championship. "Sports teaches us to take both defeat and victory. We eventually shook off our understandable disappointment," she says. She was also there as a reporter and contributed a number of articles for the daily F4F Newsletter and anchored the Football for Friendship video digest.

"The journey brought about a positive transformation, instilling confidence in me - the confidence to address a crowd over 1,200 people as one of the keynote speakers of the programme," she recalls. "I kept the Indian flag flying high at the F4F Social Programme at St Petersburg."

In 2018, she was invited to hold the world premiere of her book in Moscow. The book was released by Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors as part of the 6th Season of the F4F. She was also awarded the best young journalist award for her efforts.

[caption id="attachment_27177" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Ananya Kamboj is the first Indian to participate in the FIFA U17 F4F programme[/caption]

United Nations - and Guinness

In 2019 and again in 2020, Ananya was invited by ECOSOC Youth, to speak at the Youth Plenary in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the UN. The idea was to offer a platform for youth to engage with Member Nations, advocate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.

At the same, she participated in three Guinness World Record Events. "I feel proud, honoured and happy to have achieved something that on the one hand is rather rare, but on the other is simply the result of my passion for football as something that makes me whole," Ananya told the Hindustan Times.

Follow Ananya on Instagram

Bend it like Bhuta: US footballer Mia is kicking winning goals

(December 16, 2022) As the FIFA fever reaches its peak, let us introduce you to a young footballer who has carved a niche for herself in the sports world at a very young age. Pittsburgh-based Mia Bhuta, recently scripted history by becoming the first Indian-American footballer to represent the USA in a FIFA World Cup game at any level. "I am an Indian girl living her dream and the girls here need to believe in themselves 100 percent. like I do. I want to do everything possible to inspire them to follow their dreams," says the 16-year-old footballer, who dedicated her first international goal to her grandfather, who is, according to Mia, "her biggest supporter." [caption id="attachment_25416" align="aligncenter" width="554"] Mia Bhuta first Indian-American footballer to represent the USA in a FIFA event[/caption] The footballer, who is also the current co-captain of the USA team, is one of the most experienced players on the team and has been playing the sport since she was quite young. Inspired by the Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, the youngster is currently pursuing a science course at the prestigious Stanford University, and hasn't made up her mind if she wants to become a professional footballer going

was quite young. Inspired by the Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, the youngster is currently pursuing a science course at the prestigious Stanford University, and hasn't made up her mind if she wants to become a professional footballer going forward.

[caption id="attachment_25417" align="aligncenter" width="632"] Mia and her team after winning the cup[/caption]

Mia's father, who was born in Mumbai and grew up in Rajkot, Gujarat, was a passionate tennis player, who moved to the USA at an early age to explore more opportunities. Speaking about her father, the young footballer said, "My father grew up in Gujarat, and moved to the USA as he was a keen tennis player and wanted to get better coaching. He was 16 years old at the time." Interestingly, Mia found herself in her ancestral country soon after turning 16, to play in the World Cup held in Odisha. "For me to be here in India at 16 following my dream to be at a World Cup - it is special to me," the Global Indian said.

Making it big in the soccer world

She was merely five when during an FC Barcelona match, she heard her father cheering for the GOAT, Messi. Completely mesmerised by the football legend, Mia started following him too and would try to copy his moves with her ball in the house's backyard. When her father noticed Mia's enthusiasm for the sport, he enrolled her in a local academy, where the youngster learned the nuances of the game. "Messi was the first soccer player that I looked up to. I was passionate about the game, but my parents are one of the main reasons why I've been able to make it here. They've sacrificed so much for me to be here, and honestly, if it wasn't for them, I know I would not be here. My parents have done so much just to help with my development," she said during a press interaction.

Interestingly, the young footballer made her FIFA debut against India’s U-17 team as the two sides are in Group A of the World Cup. However, India, the host nation, never stood a chance as the U.S. poured on goal after goal in an 8-0 rout. The midfielder scored the eighth and final goal in the 62nd minute, making her the first Indian-American to also score for the nation at any World Cup. "Playing for the World Cup is any player's dream, and I am so excited that I was also able to score in my first match itself. The feeling was incredible, and the crowd was amazing. That goal was extra special to me. My grandfather couldn’t be here tonight because he just had a bypass surgery, and he’s recovering in the hospital," the champion said after winning the match.

Speaking about her opponent, the Indian team, she said, "India has so much potential. There's so much talent here. The world needs to invest in it more. They need to believe in young girls and give them opportunities to succeed. And I think they can go far. I hope to be an inspiration for the Indian team and all the young girls here. I hope that when they come to see us play, they can recognise the potential for their own story. I want them to dream big and know that if they work hard and have a real passion, they can achieve anything in their lives regardless of what society may say.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbMWipQ5bSM

Still connected to her roots, Mia also shared that her life journey has been heavily inspired by her ancestral connections. “I think that the Indian culture has had a real influence on me and my life. When I heard the stories of my father and other Indians who wanted to achieve more in life, the values of hard work, commitment to education and sport as well as the entrepreneurial spirit came out again and again. My Indian heritage taught me to have these values deep inside me and I think that this is the reason why I was such a dreamer, and I believe that regardless of where I’m from or what the circumstances are, I can achieve anything," the footballer said.

Follow Mia Bhuta on Instagram

Reading Time: 5 mins

Best of both worlds: Meet Vaibhav Mohanty – an accomplished scholar and musician

(January 25, 2024) At 15, when most kids were in school and still working on deciding their career path, Vaibhav Mohanty was already accepted to Harvard. By 2019, the youngster had graduated from the University with a master's degree in chemistry (theory) and a bachelor's degree summa cum laude in chemistry and physics. But, if you think he is just another brilliant nerd, you are wrong. The young scholar is also quite an accomplished musician - a composer, arranger, pianist, saxophonist, and music theorist, who has performed across the United States and on international stages. "I am passionate about music and science," shares the scholar as he connects with Global Indian, adding, "My current goal is to extend my physics-based theories of evolution to understand how molecular-level structural changes in proteins can induce changes in evolutionary fitness of viruses and cancers." A student of Harvard Medical School and MIT, where he is pursuing medical training as well as a second Ph.D. (in chemistry), Vaibhav is the recipient of the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. "It’s an honour. It will help me connect with several other scholars who are working in the same field as I am

ncers." A student of Harvard Medical School and MIT, where he is pursuing medical training as well as a second Ph.D. (in chemistry), Vaibhav is the recipient of the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. "It’s an honour. It will help me connect with several other scholars who are working in the same field as I am and gain so much more knowledge from them," he says.

A beautiful mind

Born to Bidyut and Sangeeta Mohanty in Charleston, South Carolina - who moved to the USA in the early 90s - Vaibhav began learning piano at the age of four. "I wrote my first piece for solo piano in memory of a late elementary school teacher when I was nine years old," shares the scholar who loves watching old Bollywood movies with his parents. "Eventually, I began composing works for concert bands as well as chamber ensembles. I also performed in concerts as guest conductor for the premiere of my first symphonic work when I was about 12 years old." In fact, throughout and after high school, Vaibhav taught music at the summer SMAART programme of the Charleston County School District. Additionally, he taught music theory at a private music studio in Charleston as well.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vaibhav Mohanty (@mohantymusic)

Vaibhav has earned national recognition for his large wind ensemble and chamber works, which have been published by esteemed entities such as JPM Music Publications (Missouri), Lighthouse Music Publications (Ontario, Canada), Radnofsky-Couper Editions (Massachusetts), and C.L. Barnhouse Publications (Iowa). His compositions are widely distributed and regularly performed in the United States and various parts of the world. The scholar is also an active jazz pianist.

A brilliant student, who has often been the youngest one in his class, Vaibhav started working on gaining his footing both in the music world as well as the scientific world quite early in life. But ask him how such an accomplished musician turned to chemistry and medicine, and he quips, "Music and science happened in parallel for me. One of the main reasons why I was motivated to pursue a career in medicine is because of my own experience of being hospitalised, when I was nine. It was a short hospitalisation, however, I still clearly remember how amazed I was by all the technology present around me, especially the scanners. But what really convinced me was a high school thesis project, for which I was trying to understand when should a pregnant woman take ibuprofen or any other types of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, and how can it negatively affect the embryo," shares the scholar.

[caption id="attachment_35437" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Vaibhav presenting the study he did for his senior thesis[/caption]

Speaking about his project further, Vaibhav adds, "So, I was doing very basic research using the chicken embryos, which were fresh out of the egg. I learnt that we can use different animal model systems to try and understand how this might have a negative impact on humans. That made me realise that I would like to contribute to this field and help people recover from illness or advise them through challenging times in their lives."

For a noble cause

After graduating from high school, Vaibhav joined Harvard University to pursue a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics, with a minor in music. "While at Harvard, I was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honour society as part of Harvard's Junior 24 and received a 2018 Barry Goldwater Scholarship for his physics research. As an undergraduate and master’s student, my published research papers spanned several interdisciplinary topics across the sciences and even music, including diffusion MRI physics, time-dependent quantum mechanics of graphene, and mathematical and geometrical models of voice leading in music theory," shares the scholar.

In 2019, the youngster received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship, which allowed him to pursue a PhD in theoretical physics at the University of Oxford’s Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics. "I must mention that it was one of the best experiences thus far. I got to work with the Condensed Matter Theory group with Professor Ard Louis to use statistical physics and spin glass theory to investigate fundamental properties of biological evolution," expresses the scholar, who earned his first Ph.D. (DPhil) in 2022, having submitted his dissertation titled “Robustness of Evolutionary and Glassy Systems” in under two years, at the age of 22.

So what next? "Right now I am quite busy with my research and hospital schedule at Harvard. I aspire to develop novel therapeutic approaches to combat diseases subject to evolution on fast timescales and to treat patients with such diseases. But, I want to continue my musical journey as well. I plan to perform around the US and other parts of the world," the scholar says.

Follow Vaibhav Mohanty on Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud, and his website

Reading Time: 6 mins

Subhadeep Purkayastha: The Diana awardee batting for environmental sustainability

(July 16, 2022) Mounted on a small boat, the 21-year-old environmentalist Subhadeep Purkayastha was making his way among the submerged homes to provide relief supplies to the people of Silchar, his hometown in Assam, which was the worst hit by floods, when he heard about winning the Diana Award 2022 for his humanitarian efforts. Calling the piece of news "exciting" and "a great validation", Subhadeep continued helping the 1000 people in the flood-affected urban areas of Silchar in Assam through his organisation, Eco Alarmist. June brought with it the torrential rains in Assam, and Silchar was one of the most-affected areas. With each home in the district having its own story of bejaan jol or the big flood, individuals came to help each other in the need of the hour. And Subhadeep along with his team of 50 volunteers is never far behind. "We started by taking SOS messages from people who weren’t getting help from the district administration and tried to send immediate help through people and NGOs present in their location. We, then, moved on to drinking water and food distribution drive, where we handed over these items to more than 1000 people in flood-affected areas," Subhadeep tells

ected areas," Subhadeep tells Global Indian. The changemaker also reached out to rural areas with ration kits as soon as the water started to recede. "We provided ration kits to flood-affected tea garden tribes of Rosekandy Tea Estate and supported an animal rescue organisation to feed animals affected by floods," adds the Ashoka Young Changemaker whose work has impacted over 50,000 people till now.

[caption id="attachment_19330" align="aligncenter" width="552"] Subhadeep Purkayastha providing relief packages to people of Silchar.[/caption]

Seeking change as a kid

While the environmentalist is currently up in arms to help his people fight a crisis, the seeds of making a change were planted as a teenager. Learning about terms like global warming, climate change, and sustainable development was a part of his school curriculum, but he saw "no real steps were being taken involving the youth." Things started to shift in 2016 when he participated in the National Science Project Challenge and presented a model on 'Sustainable City 2050'. "One of the judges pointed out that our model consisted of styrofoam which is not eco-friendly. At that moment, I couldn't think of any other alternative but realised that if I wanted to achieve sustainable cities by 2050, I have to start changing these small things which will ultimately add up."

This journey towards sustainable solutions led to the launch of Eco Alarmist in 2017. At 16, he started his work on environment conservation by "adopting simple measures to transform how businesses work and people lead their lives by making their actions more ecologically sustainable." In the last few years, the work of Eco Alarmist has expanded across Silchar and Guwahati, wherein it works with "small businesses and startups to incorporate sustainability in their operations, conducts workshops on climate crisis with school students, and sustainable donation and plantation drives."

[caption id="attachment_19331" align="aligncenter" width="720"] The team of Eco Alarmist[/caption]

The uphill task

However, the keenness to make a change came with its share of challenges. Being brought up in an "underrepresented part of India where having interest in activities beyond the curriculum isn't encouraged", Subhadeep took his time to find a balance. The environmentalist distinguished himself through his service to the community. "In my teen years, I understood and acted on a very important problem and influenced people around to support my venture. I contributed through a new perspective where I learnt more about the environment by working at the grassroots level," says Subhadeep who learned a great deal about the challenges faced by women and children due to the climate crisis.

“Assam is extremely vulnerable to climate change due to its geographic location and poor socio-economic conditions. It gets annual floods and frequent droughts, and the severity has only risen due to adverse climatic conditions. Climate change is a planetary phenomenon that will impact everyone, but it disproportionately affects women and children. That’s because women are more likely to live in poverty than men, have less access to basic human rights like the ability to freely move and acquire land, and face systematic violence that escalates during periods of instability. These gender inequalities define what women and men can do and cannot do in a particular context of climate change,” says the founder of Eco Alarmist whose organisation is working with these “vulnerable communities” to create awareness on climate crisis and sustainable living. However, Eco Alarmist has a simple strategy to make an impactful change – “adopt simple measures so that it doesn't burden people or they don't feel a sudden behavioural change.”

[caption id="attachment_19332" align="aligncenter" width="681"] Subhadeep Purkayastha[/caption]

Leading the way in Covid crisis

During the 2020 lockdown, the Eco Alarmist team put a screeching halt on their regular work and dived into providing Covid-19 relief. It allowed the team to adapt to new challenges.

"Eco Alarmist reached out to over 1,500 daily wagers' families who lost employment opportunities, including 2020 Assam flood victims, providing them with ration kits, sanitation kits, and pre-loved clothes," says the environmentalist. When things got serious in the second wave, the team came up with a portal for Covid response, which provided the right information and helps to all the north-eastern states. "The portal consists of services like oxygen, contact numbers of doctors and ambulances, RT-PCR test facilities, mental health helplines, medicines, logistics services, etc. One just needs to enter the portal to get access to more than a thousand verified numbers of the COVID essential services, depending on their state and city/town. We recorded 50k+ footfalls in the helpline portal."

Eco Alarmist took it upon themselves to supply groceries, and medicines and run errands for Covid patients and their quarantined families. "Items worth US $10,000 were delivered to around 1000 Covid patients with 500 USD worth of delivery charges waived off for Covid patients," he adds. Moreover, Subhadeep helped organised blood donation drives, free oxygen concentrators, and plasma donation. "It was a huge relief for those in the need," the environmentalist adds.

The vision – to create change

As soon as the pandemic situation started to ease, Subhadeep returned to working for sustainability. "Our mission is to make urban and rural areas ecologically sustainable and create more awareness on the climate crisis. Our vision is to create a community of aware and conscious citizens and ultimately achieve sustainable cities."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbFH7ju5MQ0

What began as an initiative has now turned into an organisation, and Subhadeep is hopeful that it will change how non-profits work. "Especially in Northeast India by empowering them with technology and making the non-profit/impact space in India one of the most sought-after," he adds. Subhadeep, who is currently studying Agriculture Engineering at Assam University, has plans of working in the agri-tech space shortly. When he is not busy with his work or studies, he finds his "escape zone in music." The environmentalist, who also loves writing songs, calls out to fellow youngsters, "we are the first and the last generation to have the choice to be proud or guilty before our future generations."

Follow Subhadeep Purkayastha on Linkedin and Twitter

Reading Time: 6 min