Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveInduced AI to Karya: AI startups to look forward to in 2024

Induced AI to Karya: AI startups to look forward to in 2024

Compiled by: Team GI Youth

(January 3, 2024) In the fast-changing world of tech and new ideas, young Indian entrepreneurs are making waves with their cool AI startups. These startups are getting attention for using artificial intelligence to do good things. These smart young minds are using AI to solve big problems our society faces and make things better. Now, in 2024, these startups are showing a new era of clever ideas. They’re not just proving how talented young Indians are in tech, but also showing they want to use AI to help our communities and the whole world. These startups are like guiding lights, giving us hope and making us excited about a future where AI does good things for everyone.

Karya

“Karya brings dignified, digital work to economically disadvantaged Indians, giving them a pathway out of poverty. We empower individuals and communities with fair economic opportunities through completing high-quality data annotation services for AI/ML clients. We envision an ecosystem of ethical data usage; a world where data can both financially and technologically empower individuals,” reads Manu Chopra’s LinkedIn profile.

Manu Chopra with members of Karya

Launched in 2021 by Manu Chopra, a Stanford graduate who himself grew in a basti (slum) in Delhi, saw poverty first hand. While studying computer engineering at Stanford, the idea of tech-for-good inspired him and he was keen to explore ways to tackle poverty by giving the poor access to dignified, digital work. With almost everyone having access to a mobile phone, he decided to use Indian languages to unlock economic value for rural India. “The idea in my head was, what if we could bypass skilling? Can we give people a livelihood and money for skills they already have? What is the skill that rural India already has? Their language,” Manu said in an interview.

The AI startup has already helped 30,000 rural Indians earn ₹65 million so far.

Follow Manu Chopra on LinkedIn

Delv.AI

2023 saw 16-year-old Pranjali Awasthi make headlines as her venture Delv.AI, that offers services linked to data extraction for research, raised $45000 (₹3.7 crore) at a valuation of ₹100 crore. For someone who has been learning coding from the age of seven from her dad, things shifted when she moved to Florida a few years ago. She began interning with the Florida Internal University lab that was working on machine learning, and her daily tasks included searching, data extraction and generating literature reviews.

Pranjali Awasthi, the founder of Delv.ai

2020 came with a massive opportunity when OpenAI released its ChatGPT-3 beta version. “I knew we could use it to make extracting and summarizing research data easier,” she said. The very next year, she was accepted into an accelerator program, and in 2022, she launched the beta version of Delv.AI on Product Hunt, a platform that allows people to share software for free. “As more content gets uploaded online, it’s getting harder for people to find the right information, especially when that information is very specific. Delv.AI helps researchers leverage AI to find exactly the information they’re looking for,” she wrote on her blog on the website.

Follow Pranjali Awasthi on LinkedIn

Induced AI

Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak became overnight entrepreneurial stars as the teenager’s AI startup is backed by none other than Open AI co-founder Sam Altman. In 2023, they raised $2.3 million in funding for their startup – Induced AI, which empowers businesses to imput their workflows in plain English, instantly transforming these instructions into pseudo-code for handling repetitive tasks, typically managed by back offices.

Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak, the founders of Induced AI

It all began with cold emailing and a few trips to San Francisco to meet some of the Bay Area’s tech and VC titans. That’s when they met Sam Altman, and a few meetings and emails later, he decided to backup these two Indian teenagers. Induced AI enhances business workflows efficiently. “It’s not meant to book a flight ticket or write an email. It’s designed for specific processes and tasks, like generating leads at 9 am every day, or collating insurance claims,” Aryan said.

Follow Aryan Sharma on LinkedIn

Kroop AI

Deepfake menace created quite a havoc in 2023, and now Kroop AI has come up with a potential solution as the startup aims to help detect manipulated videos online. Dr Jyoti Joshi, the co-founder of Kroop AI which was launched in 2021, says, “The problem is very niche and in the Asia Pacific region, there are no companies (dealing with it). The threat is new and so is the whole set-up around its detection.”

The co-founders of Kroop AI

Kroop AI has an API as well as a website where one can upload a piece of media, a file or a folder to scan the potential manipulation. The website offers a simple probability assessment for video manipulation, whereas the tool provides a comprehensive analysis, specifying the percentage of manipulation and detailing the aspects of the video that have been altered. Users are charged an average of $1 per minute for the video analysis service.

Follow Dr Jyoti Joshi on LinkedIn

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Published on 03, Jan 2024

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From quantum biology to being a voice for child rights, social entrepreneur Mannat Choudhary does it all

(May 17, 2022) "It all started when I was 14," announces Mannat Choudhary, all smiles as she logs in for her interview with Global Indian. The vivacious teenager, now at home preparing for her Class 12 board exam, is fairly relaxed about the upcoming exam - she's already an incoming freshman at the University of Cincinnati, she says. A social entrepreneur at 17, she is the founder of Change In Us, which works towards protecting child rights in her home state, Chandigarh. Mannat has been recognised for her work in the same field by the government of Punjab, having served as the Ambassador for the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR). She was also awarded by the government of India as a student mentor. On National Girl Child Day, Mannat was among a group of twenty girls handpicked from across the country for the National Girl Child Award. Now, she's all set to begin her studies in quantum biology, paving the way for what she hopes will be a career in research. In September 2022, she will also be part of the Civics Unplugged Fellowship, for future Gen Z social entrepreneurs, run by Duke University. "I'm also a

er 2022, she will also be part of the Civics Unplugged Fellowship, for future Gen Z social entrepreneurs, run by Duke University. "I'm also a summer trainee at Girls Who Code," says Mannat, who can code in C, C++ and is also learning Python.

"Entrepreneurs aren't made in a day," says the young social entrepreneur, who is a member of the Harvard Crimson Youth Entrepreneurship Society and a fellow under the Global Citizen Year Academy, run by alumni from the Stanford and Harvard business schools. "I got a full scholarship for the latter," Mannat says, proudly. Her early forays into social entrepreneurship were, no doubt, the reason for Mannat's entry into some of the top entrepreneurship societies. To her, however, it means a great deal more, a question she answered in her application for Global Citizen Year Academy.

Student topper and ambassador for child rights

Returning, however, to where her story began - Mannat, who was a tri-city topper in the Class 10 board exam in 2019-20, found herself briefly in the spotlight. "I was published in the newspaper then, for the first time ever," she says. Soon after, she received a call from the CCPCR, telling her she had been nominated to be an ambassador for child rights for the state government. "There were three of us and the other two were, coincidentally, both fencers," says Mannat. "I was the only one from the academic side of things."

Taking over as ambassador for child rights, Mannat quickly became involved with the government's Girls India project. The project, aimed at bringing opportunities to those who don't have them, opened Mannat's eyes too, in ways she never expected. "I never knew I had this quality," she remarks. "I didn't know I had it in me to actually reach other people."

Bridging disparities through the Girls India Project

The Girls India Project, which was aimed at bridging the gap between private and public schools, found great success under Mannat's participation.

"When we talk about things like MUNs, public debates and leadership programmes - these opportunities are only available to private school students. Their government school counterparts know nothing about them." Mannat began building collaborations between private and government schools in Chandigarh.

"The private school students would train government school kids in debate skills, how to speak in public and learn about international relations as well," says Mannat. When they found that disparities aren't limited to opportunities, Mannat also began organising trips for private school students to visit government schools and understand first-hand what was lacking. "I wasn't sure if it would work on not," Mannat admits. "But it worked so well that the schools continued collaborating even outside the MUNs."

Despite the success of the project, there was no denying that it had taken nearly two years to implement. "Girls India was launched in 2019 but came into effect in 2021," says Mannat. "It took so long that I began to think, 'there must be a more efficient way than this'." Mannat quit her role as Ambassador in March 2022 but continues to work with the CCPCR.

On the frontlines of the pandemic

Not long after Mannat had assumed her role as Ambassador in 2020, the pandemic closed the country down. Mannat, who had just finished her Class 10 exams at the time, was determined to use every moment - she collaborated with Studio Matrix, an organisation working on ground to link people with Covid-related needs to those who could fulfill them.

"I was on ground collecting data all the time," Mannat says. She recalls working all the time, often besieged with panic calls late into the night. Calls which never, as a matter of principle, went ignored or unresolved if she could help it. "Even if we got a call at 1 am with someone saying 'ki Mannat, 20 oxygen concentrators ki zaroorat hai', I would help them get it done. I wouldn't sleep until I resolved it," she explains.

Change in Us

Watching their young ambassador in action, CCPCR Chairperson soon decided to felicitate Mannat. "I was awarded by the governor of Punjab as the 'best ambassador'", says Mannat. "The first award was for CCPCR and the second for the Girls India project." All this was in 2021, as Mannat entered her sixteenth year. By this time, she had already founded Change in Us, in tandem with her responsibilities as CCPCR ambassador.

Working under the guidance of CCPCR, Mannat went on to launch Change In Us, her own organisation designed to make a positive impact in the lives of children. The project did so well, Mannat expanded to Meerut and other parts of UP. Work mainly involved educating kids on child rights, in collaboration with schools, through webinars and other sessions. "As a child, what are my rights," says Mannat. "That's what I want my peers to know. We hold quizzes and other activities in schools to acquaint students with the rights they have in society."

Mannat would also accompany her mother, an employee with the social welfare department in Chandigarh, as she visited slum areas in the city. "These kids were stuck at home but unlike us, they didn't have phones to attend online classes," says Mannat, who roped in a friend to visit the slums every Sunday with her to take lessons for the kids there.

Access to mental healthcare for students

Mannat is currently working with a friend, Ananya Jain, from Georgia Tech. The goal? To create an app-based platform for young people to discuss their mental health. It will also offer guidance to budding young entrepreneurs, customised advice on goal preparation and career goals as well as the importance of civic engagement. "We're planning to launch this soon after our board exams," Mannat says, adding, "We want it to be free, because we're catering to students who might not be able to afford to pay."

Finding her own path

The journey hasn't always been smooth sailing. Apart from the guidance she received from a handful of mentors, Mannat discovered that the Indian education system isn't geared for those who want to break out of the mould. She was told often to give up on attending science fairs and concentrate on her studies instead. At home, however, her exacting parents, both government employees, have fuelled her motivation to excel. "My mum has done a lot for me and worked so hard to make sure I do well," Mannat smiles. "They will never be fully satisfied with me though and it gives me the zeal I need to do better because I want to please them."

Follow Mannat Choudhary on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 6 min

The purpose driven: Meet 5 changemakers driving social change

(February 24, 2023) "You are never too small to make a difference." These words by Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg hold true for hundreds of changemakers who are up in arms to create a purposeful change, and young Indians are not far behind. From period poverty to water crisis, they are holding the torch for almost every problem, and showing them the out gate through their incredible ideas and consistent efforts. Global Indian takes a look at five such changemakers who are making a difference at a young age. Amika George "Girls Too Poor to Buy Sanitary Products Missing School" - this headline on the BBC website in 2017 was the starting point of a revolution that was set to change the course of the education system in the UK. Behind this tectonic shift was a then 17-year-old Amika George, who stumbled upon the fact that period poverty was a startling reality in not just India or Kenya, but the UK too. One in ten girls in the UK was unable to afford sanitary products. Many girls were forced to miss school every month for the lack of access to menstrual products - this shocking truth led the activist to set

ls were forced to miss school every month for the lack of access to menstrual products - this shocking truth led the activist to set up Free Periods, to campaign against period poverty.

[caption id="attachment_23569" align="aligncenter" width="726"] Amika George is the founder of Free Periods.[/caption]

It was on Instagram that the movement took off in April 2017 and soon turned into a peaceful protest outside Downing Street with a turnout of 2000 people including big names like Suki Waterhouse and Adwoa Aboah. "I was shocked and decided to start a campaign to lobby the government, urging them to give free menstrual products to children from the lowest income families. I found support quickly and globally. So many people outreached to offer support, with many telling me that this was something they were going through and needed to be addressed." she told Pink Parcel.

Ensuring equal access to education for all children, irrespective of their sex was the foundation of the Free Periods movement which later turned into a legal campaign against the UK government "Period poverty is a situation many girls and women find themselves in when they cannot afford costly period products. Globally, period poverty intersects with other forms of disadvantage, including poverty and geography. It costs young girls their education. It impacts their ability to fulfill their potential and affects their ability to secure decent jobs and lift their families out of poverty. Period poverty is an issue of gender inequality," she wrote for UN Women. The activism carried on for almost three years, which translated into a big win in January 2020 when the British government decided to provide schools with free sanitary products.

Garvita Gulhati

The drought crisis in 2015 left 330 million Indians affected - a number that made the then 15-year-old Garvita Gulhati frantically look for answers. Keen to find a way to conserve water, she started Why Waste? - a youth-led initiative to educate people on preserving water and changing their mind set on water wastage. In the last seven years, it has impacted over six million people and has saved over 10 million litres of water. A feat that has helped the now 21-year-old changemaker to make it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and has won her the Diana Award.

"At Why Waste? our main goal is to let each individual understand the importance of water resources and join hands with us in protecting and conserving this natural resource," reads the official website.

Shreya and Sahana Mantha

The last wish from their dying grandmother, who was then battling pancreatic cancer, played a catalyst for Charlotte residents Sherya Mantha and Sahana Mantha in starting Foundation for Girls (FFG) in 2014 - a nonprofit to help underprivileged girls and women. The journey into social service began early for the Mantha sisters who were raised by their mom to help those in need.

[caption id="attachment_23775" align="aligncenter" width="688"] Shreya and Sahana Mantha co-founded Foundation for Girls[/caption]

While FFG has impacted over 2500 homeless mothers and their girls through coaching, workshops, and care packs, it began with Shreya tutoring sex trafficking survivors and school dropouts when she was in Class 8. "The most important thing our mom taught us was 'treat them as just regular girls your age, and barriers will break down,' and that has how it has always been. So, our foundational principles of inclusivity and equity have much to do with how we live and lead," Shreya told Global Indian.

Arjun Deshpande

One balmy afternoon at a medical shop in Thane, the then 16-year-old Arjun Deshpande witnessed an unpleasant scene. An old man, deep in debt, profusely pleaded with a shopkeeper to pay a hefty medicine bill later. The shopkeeper refused. “His wife had cancer and his son, who was an auto driver, was the sole breadwinner. They had spent a lot on treatment, and were finding it hard to manage money for medicines daily. He was helpless, and felt guilty. I saw how a common man was burdened with paying bills for necessities like medicines. This made me determined to bring about a new era in the world of pharma,” says Arjun who started Generic Aadhaar in 2019 to help provide medicines to the aam junta at low cost. Arjun is on a mission to eliminate middle-chain costs and provide medicines from manufacturer to end customers directly through a pharmacy-aggregator business model.

[caption id="attachment_13569" align="aligncenter" width="635"] Arjun Deshpande is the founder of Generic Aadhaar[/caption]

In four years, Generic Aadhaar has a presence in all states, and has opened over 1,800 stores across India. Such has been the vision and mission of the startup that even Ratan Tata invested in it. “We share the same mission and want to serve people. When he saw the same vision and determination to work for the people, he spontaneously supported Generic Aadhaar,” Arjun told Global Indian.

Sia Godika

The hard, cracked and worn-out feet of construction workers’ children in Sia Godika’s locality stirred this Bengaluru girl into action. "It broke my heart to see them running barefoot on the streets. I rushed home to find some pairs of shoes that I could give them. Seeing my shoe rack, it dawned upon me that I had so many pairs stacked up which I wasn’t even wearing anymore". Upon research, she found 1.5 billion people worldwide don’t have shoes to wear, and around 350 million pairs of shoes are discarded each year. This led the Diana Award winner to start Sole Warriors initiative.

[caption id="attachment_27793" align="aligncenter" width="467"] Sia Godika[/caption]

It was in the fall of 2019 that Sole Warriors took a life of its own after Sia decided to help the needy by collecting used shoes, refurbishing and donating them. In just two years, the 16-year-old’s initiative has created a global movement - donating 21,000 pairs of shoes to the disadvantaged.

Reading Time: 5 min

Zooming past podiums: Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy is racing’s new rising star

(August 5, 2023) Growing up, he loved watching racing sports on his TV. Recognising his love for the tracks, his father would take him to go karting parks and in 2017, Yuven Sundaramoorthy made a shift from karts to cars. While it has just been six years since then, 20-year-old Indian American racer has been making waves in the world of racing cars. And now, embarking on his journey towards the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the young racer has inked a deal with Abel Motorsports, providing him with a golden opportunity to experience the INDY NXT by Firestone action while steering the No. 57 Dallara IL-15. The racer is all set to team up with Abel Motorsports for three INDY NXT events in the upcoming calendar. "I’m really excited to get the call from Abel Motorsports to drive the No. 57 Dallara in the INDY NXT by Firestone Championship. The team has really been coming on strong lately and showing that they have the pace to compete, so for me, this really gives me an opportunity to show what I can do in this series," the Global Indian said during a recent press conference. Inspired to dream Born in 2003, to

has really been coming on strong lately and showing that they have the pace to compete, so for me, this really gives me an opportunity to show what I can do in this series," the Global Indian said during a recent press conference.

Inspired to dream

Born in 2003, to a young Indian-American couple in Wisconsin, Yuven was quite an enthusiastic child, who loved to be more outdoors than indoors. His family relocated to China and resided there for six years before returning to the United States, settling in upstate New York. When he was back in the US, the young racer would visit the go-karting parks, but shared that he didn't venture full-time into the sport until his teens. "I actually started fairly late compared to most racers my age. I didn't start racing cars until I was about 13 years old - which is still young, but many racers start before that age,” said the young racer.

However, the road wasn't an easy one. His parents had to walk the extra mile to support this young racer pursue his passion. "My dad had to make several sacrifices to get me on the tracks. He was in a corporate job, and to support me he quit his job. He would take me to various races and keep up with my schedule - especially when I was too young to go anywhere by myself. He had been my pillar of strength throughout my journey. My mother is still working hard to keep the finances going, supporting not just me but my entire family. I am pretty sure that I wouldn't be where I am today without my parents supporting and nurturing my dreams," the racer said during a recent interview.

But if you were thinking that racing is the only sport this champion excelled at, you couldn't be more wrong. Growing up, Yuven was a part of several teams at his school, and wouldn't shy away from taking part in various sports competitions during any event. Despite having a very busy schedule, the racer still finds time to indulge in other sports he loves. "When I am not on the racing track, I am always snowboarding. In fact, I am a snowboarding instructor, and love being up on the mountains," Yuven shared.

Going beyond his dreams

After shifting karts to cars in 2017, the young racer was quickly picked up by Pabst Racing. His real breakthrough, however, came in 2021, when he was moved up to compete at the Indy Pro 2000 Championship with Pabst Racing. In that season, the racer had three podiums and end up finishing 10th in the standings. Speaking about this change from karting to racing cars, he said, "The car that I am driving now is about three times heavier than what I am used to. I am very thrilled though, and hoping to make some progress soon enough. Communicating with my pit crew and driving instructor hasn't really been different from what I used to do. But I am having so much fun here. I am used to not being able to see more than two corners on the track, so it’s really great to be able to see the whole track from one spot."

Currently competing at the ongoing 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship with Exclusive Autosport and in the 2023 Indy NXT with Abel Motorsports, the racer is looking to broaden his horizon beyond his dreams. " I know the learning curve is going to be there switching to a bigger car with more power, but I think having the teammates I do with me at Abel Motorsports will help shorten that curve. I can’t thank S Team Motorsports LLC, One Motorsports Management, and OMP enough for their help and partnership in making this happen," he recently said after finishing the podium at Indianapolis.

While many in his place would have already set huge future goals for themselves, this humble champion believes in building his empire one stone at a time. Working on getting the techniques correct, the racer is focussed on setting short-term milestones to ensure his future victories. "My aim, right now, is to just work on my skills and improve. I want to explore my opportunities. I am very young in this career and have some room to move and various ways to guide my journey. So, I really want to see where I stack up," the racer explained.

Follow Yuven Sundaramoorthy on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and his website

Reading Time: 6 mins

Creating impact: Meet the 5 young Indian innovators driving change

(January 21, 2023) "Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things." These words of Theodore Levitt stand true for the brigade of Indian teen innovators who are helping solve the biggest issues, one problem at a time. From saving the earth to creating social impact, this new generation of precocious youth is solving the problems of today with ambitious, ground-breaking technology. Global Indian turns the spotlight on such young innovators who are breaking the glass ceiling with their innovations. Zain Samdani As a 15-year-old visiting India from Saudi Arabia, Zain Samdani had no idea that this family vacation was set to change the course of his life. A meeting with his partially paralysed distant maternal uncle left him “shocked.” In the era of technology, seeing his uncle dependent on others for every small thing was nothing short of a horror. That encounter nudged this robotics enthusiast and innovator to develop Neuro-ExoHeal, an exoskeletal hand rehabilitation device that utilises neuroplasticity and Azure technology to help patients with neurological damage recover faster at an affordable price. The innovation not only left Google CEO Sundar Pichai impressed but also made the 21-year-old win Microsoft 2022 Imagine Cup World Championship, which is

ly left Google CEO Sundar Pichai impressed but also made the 21-year-old win Microsoft 2022 Imagine Cup World Championship, which is considered as the ‘Olympics of Technology’ with more than 10,000 participants from 160 countries.

[caption id="attachment_17917" align="aligncenter" width="587"] Zain Samdani[/caption]

"Having been interested in robotics from a very young age, I started working with prosthetic designs in 2013. But I realised that a cosmetic prosthetic hand could cost between ₹1-₹2 lakh while a robotic prosthetic hand was available anywhere between ₹40-₹50 lakh. I knew that affordability was the key. But the meeting with my uncle only strengthened my passion to find an affordable solution," Zain told Global Indian. The earliest prototype made him one of the 16 global finalists at the Google Science Fair in 2016, and later the advanced version recreated the magic in 2019. "My uncle could feel the sensation on the very first day of using Neuro-ExoHeal. It’s something that otherwise takes weeks or months to achieve."

Follow Zain Samdani on Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram

Jui Keskar

India is home to 0.58 million persons living with Parkinson's disease, and Pune-based inventor Jui Keskar's abode was no different. Having seen her uncle battle the illness for the past nine years with incessant rounds to the hospitals, she was keen to help him. But how? The question gnawed away at her, until the 2020 lockdown came as a blessing in disguise for the teenager, giving her the time to dive into research and find a potential solution to helping her uncle. While scrolling through heaps of data on the internet, the innovator realised that the medication depended on the tremor history, and there was no device to measure them.

[caption id="attachment_20519" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Jui Keskar[/caption]

That was a turning point for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 recipient as she decided to develop a wearable device to measure tremors and analyse data to chalk out a customised medication for the treatment. After months of hard work, the innovator nailed the solution in JTremor-3D, a wearable device that enables the tracking of tremors every 1/10th of a second in a person's body, and stores the data in a Cloud database, which is then sent to the doctor after the information is processed. Embedded with sensors and accelerometers and gyro meters, this device helps in producing the data that can help determine the course of action for a patient.

Follow Jui Keskar on Linkedin

Nikhiya Shamsher

A hospital visit for her project, Compassionate Clowns, changed Nikhiya Shamsher's life forever. She was just 14 when she saw a man who had had half his jaw removed due to oral cancer. Upon inquiring about him, the nurse affirmed that he was one of the few lucky ones to survive. Unable to get the ghastly image out of her head, she began researching on oral subject and found staggering statistics. Five people die every hour because of oral cancer, and India itself accounts for almost one-third of the cases in the world. It's the late diagnosis that accounts for high mortality rate.

[caption id="attachment_20379" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Nikhiya Shamsher receives Diana Award for Prince Williams and Prince Charles[/caption]

Perturbed by the condition of the patients, she found her eureka moment in QuitPuff - a diagnostic device that could help early risk detection of oral pre-cancer and cancer. Explaining the process of its functioning, the innovator told Forbes India, "It is a simple principle, it detects a biomarker present in the saliva, and changes colour. The more the biomarker, the darker the colour will be, which means the higher the risk of developing oral cancer." The device contains QuitPuff reagent which changes colour after an individual spits in it and heats it for 15 minutes. One can compare the colour to the colour chart to understand the risk stage. Priced at ₹38, QuitPuff has already been tested on more than 500 patients.

Follow Nikhiya Shamsher on Linkedin

Siddharth Mandala

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. After surfing the net, he understood the gravity of the issue and decided to do everything in his capacity to prevent sexual assault. 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 the mechanism of a stun gun and pierces through clothing, and even skin to electrocute the attacker,” explains Siddharth. He 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="574"] Siddharth Mandala[/caption]

The 21-year-old 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,” the entrepreneur told Global Indian. 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."

Follow Siddharth Mandala on Linkedin

Vinisha Umashankar

"We have every reason to be angry. But I have no time for anger. I want to act. I am not just a girl from India. I am a girl from Earth and I am proud to be so.” These words of the 15-year-old innovator and environmentalist Vinisha Umashankar received a thunderous standing ovation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. The teen from Tamil Nadu, who was the only school student to earn a spot among the finalists for The Earthshot Prize 2021, was invited by Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, to speak at the World Leaders’ Summit at the COP26 in November 2021.

[caption id="attachment_17446" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Vinisha Umashankar with her solar-powered ironing cart.[/caption]

At 12, the teen innovator started the idea of inventing a solar-powered ironing cart while accompanying her mother to deliver ironing clothes. Seeing six ironing vendors in her neighbourhood, she realised how charcoal burning is a threat to the environment. She found her eureka in solar power which effectively substitutes charcoal. The innovation won her the Children's Climate Prize in 2020 helped her get a slot as a finalist at The Earthshot Prize in the Clean Our Air category in 2021. “I was happy that environmental innovations like a solar ironing cart got due recognition. It can play a crucial role in reducing environmental damage and climate change. I hope my innovation motivates students to innovate on products that could help protect the environment for future generations. I am happy that the solar ironing cart is my little contribution towards an ambitious goal," she told Global Indian.

Follow Vinisha Umashankar on Linkedin and Twitter

Reading Time: 5 min

Priyanka Yoshikawa: Proudly holding on to her Indo-Japanese identity

(April 23, 2023)Priyanka Yoshikawa (addressed as Yoshikawa Purianka in Japanese) became the second multiracial beauty pageant contestant to hold a winner’s title in Japan. She was crowned Miss World Japan in 2016. Born to a Bengali father and a Japanese mother, the twenty-nine-year-old is a master of many trades. Before holding the beauty pageant title, the youngster worked as a Japanese interpreter with a license in elephant training. The avid kickboxer and art therapist is now an entrepreneur helping people feel confident in their skin. [caption id="attachment_29470" align="aligncenter" width="607"] Priyanka Yoshikawa at the Miss Japan pageant[/caption] It was a teary trail-blazing triumph when Priyanka got successful in claiming the top title in Japan’s beauty pageant. The critics were completely against her participation. They felt that the title holder should have been a ‘pure’ Japanese rather than a ‘haafu’ - the Japanese term for ‘half’, often used to describe people from a mixed race in Japan. Priyanka’s predecessor Ariana Miyamoto was the first ‘haafu’ to hold the title in 2015 serving as her role model. “Ariana is an inspiration for showing me and showing all mixed girls the way," Priyanka had remarked after her win. Though the youngster who can fluently

[caption id="attachment_29471" align="aligncenter" width="462"] Priyanka Yoshikawa with her parents when she was small[/caption]

Being different seemed to be more challenging in Japan than in the US and India. “I had the darkest skin out of anyone I knew. I stood out, and in Japan, that wasn't considered a good thing. The experience made me question my identity and opened my eyes to what that concept means,” she remarked.

A rich family legacy

The youngster’s great-grandfather Prafulla Chandra Ghosh served as the first chief minister of West Bengal. Priyanka has grown up listening to stories of how Ghosh welcomed Mahatma Gandhi for a two-week stay at their home in Kolkata. Sharing her disappointments in dealing with racism, Priyanka remarked in an interview, "We have problems, we've been struggling, and it hurts,” adding “When I came back to Japan, everyone thought I was a germ.”

However, instead of being bogged down by the discrimination hurled at her, Priyanka chose to be strong and vowed to challenge the attitude of people. Participating in the pageant was a step in this direction. Winning the Miss World Japan title was a big win for her because it led her to rise against the odds, particularly when it was her appearance that had been a matter of ridicule.

[caption id="attachment_29472" align="aligncenter" width="479"] Priyanka during a family wedding in Kolkata[/caption]

"As Miss Japan, hopefully, I can help change perceptions. The number of people with mixed race is only going to increase, so people must accept it," she remarked.

Celebrating diversity through entrepreneurship

Although it wasn't easy for Priyanka to face discrimination in Japan, her experiences catalysed her wanting to help people accept and embrace the way they were.

In this effort, she launched MUKOOMI, a wellness and skincare brand in 2020. Derived from the Japanese words ‘mukou’ meaning ‘beyond’, and ‘miru’ meaning ‘to see’, the brand is dedicated to making people confident of who they are and celebrates diversity.

“MUKOOMI is my life's ambition, bottled. It represents who I am, and what I want to share with the world,” mentions Priyanka in her message on the company’s website.

“MUKOOMI is a call to action. It means to see beyond typical beauty expectations and see beyond divides physical or metaphorical. New and exciting things are born from when we come together, and infuse our experiences, our journeys, share understanding and appreciation for one another,” she adds.

[caption id="attachment_29473" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Priyanka Yoshikawa[/caption]

The multifaceted youngster is dedicated to creating a successful business and has been interspersing her cause of inclusivity and respect for diversity to it. “MUKOOMI is based in Japan, but it goes beyond nationality, identity, gender, or skin type. It's for you!” is the strong message that Priyanka conveys to her fast-growing clientele.

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