Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveKaavya Kopparapu: On a mission to transform healthcare with AI

Kaavya Kopparapu: On a mission to transform healthcare with AI

Compiled by: Team GI Youth

(November 5, 2024) In a small clinic in India, Kaavya Kopparapu watched her grandfather struggle with diabetic retinopathy, an eye condition that can lead to blindness if left untreated. The waiting rooms were crowded, the equipment was outdated, and specialists were scarce. Observing the challenges her grandfather faced just to receive a diagnosis, Kaavya, then only a teenager, began to see how her love for science could make a difference. She wanted to address the limited access to healthcare that millions in rural and underserved areas endure. Driven by this purpose, she invented Eyeagnosis, a smartphone app that uses AI to detect signs of diabetic retinopathy from retinal images. Designed for affordability and accessibility, Eyeagnosis offered a way for local clinicians to catch early signs of vision impairment and refer patients for treatment. “The lack of diagnosis is the biggest challenge. In India, there are programmes that send doctors into villages and slums, but there are a lot of patients and only so many ophthalmologists. What if there was a cheap, easy way for local clinicians to find new cases and refer them to a hospital?” the Global Indian said in an interview.

Kavya Kopparapu

This early project set Kavya Kopparapu on a path of innovation that would soon lead her to tackle one of medicine’s toughest challenges: brain cancer. In 2017, when she was still in high school, she read about US Senator John McCain’s battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive and nearly untreatable form of brain cancer. She was shocked to learn that despite decades of research and advancements in medicine, glioblastoma patients’ prognosis had barely improved in 30 years, with most surviving only eleven months post-diagnosis. Kaavya was taken aback. “To me, that was really surprising because we know so much more about the brain now, and we have so many improved chemotherapy and surgery techniques. It blew my mind that, despite all of that, we haven’t gotten any better at improving patient quality of life and prognosis,” the Harvard educated said.

The Power of AI: Introducing GlioVision

Inspired, Kaavya developed GlioVision, a groundbreaking AI-powered system that analyses brain tumor images to predict the genetic profile of glioblastomas in seconds. Unlike traditional methods that can take days and cost thousands, GlioVision delivers its predictions with 100 percent accuracy and at a fraction of the cost. Kaavya explained, “Around 40 percent of glioblastoma patients have a genetic mutation that renders the standard treatment completely ineffective. So, these patients receive all the negative side effects of chemotherapy without any of the benefits of the treatment. That shows why genetic testing is so important.”

The impact of GlioVision was profound, earning Kaavya prestigious accolades, including the 2018 Davidson Institute for Talent Development Scholar Laureate, finalist status in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, and recognition as a U.S. Presidential Scholar. TIME magazine even included her in its 2018 list of “25 Most Influential Teens.” Now, Kaavya is a research engineer at DeepMind, Google’s AI research lab, where she continues pushing the boundaries of healthcare technology.

Her passion for science ignited in middle school when she witnessed two scientists conduct an elephant toothpaste experiment at a science fair. “Basically, it’s when two chemicals are poured into a beaker together, and you get this giant column of foam that shoots up through the reaction. Seeing that as a sixth-grader, I was like, ‘Woah, that’s cool. I want to do stuff like that as a job,'” she recalled in an interview. This was the start of her journey into the world of STEM, where her love for engineering blossomed and she began to realise its potential to create meaningful change in people’s lives.

Yet, Kaavya’s journey is not just about personal achievement—it’s also a reflection of the impact that young members of the Indian diaspora are making in the US. With over four million members in the US, the Indian diaspora has been instrumental in driving innovations that address pressing global issues. And Kaavya stands out as a role model who represents the determination and creativity that are common in her community. By addressing the problems of glioblastoma and diabetic retinopathy, Kaavya is helping future generations of Indian Americans to explore careers in STEM fields and make a positive impact in both India and the US.

Championing Diversity: The Girls Computing League

In addition to her groundbreaking research, Kavya Kopparapu is committed to promoting inclusivity in technology through her work with the Girls Computing League, a nonprofit she co-founded. Dedicated to empowering girls and students from low-income backgrounds, it aims to increase diversity in the tech field by providing access to advanced computer science education. “We’re really focused on teaching emerging technology to students across the world,” she states. The organization has made remarkable strides, operating in 15 U.S. states and even extending its reach to Japan. By organizing coding clubs, AI conferences, and teacher development workshops, the Girls Computing League encourages young minds to explore the potential of technology and innovation. “Being able to directly interface with the people that I’m impacting at our events has been amazing. They’re the whole reason that I do it.”

Kavya’s journey from a concerned granddaughter in India to a pioneering innovator in the U.S. exemplifies the transformative power of science and compassion. Her groundbreaking work in AI-driven healthcare not only addresses critical issues like glioblastoma and diabetic retinopathy but also serves as an inspiration for young people, particularly within the Indian diaspora, to engage in STEM fields.

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Published on 05, Nov 2024

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Nikita Tiwari and Harsh Agrawal: Leading the smart farming revolution with ‘Shool’ soil sensor

(May 9, 2024) In 2017, two engineering students, Nikita Tiwari and Harsh Agrawal, united for a college project. Together, they were gearing up for a big leap in Indian agri deep tech and smart-farming as they worked together to design Shool. Simply put, it's a smart sensor designed to the way farmers work, with its capacity to analyse soil health almost instantly. In 2019, they co-founded NEERX, a smart-farming app that helps farmers understand soil quality for targetted use of water, pesticides and fertilisers, using real-time data to deliver information within a matter of seconds. Now, with just their smartphones, farmers in remote, rural hinterlands can access data-driven insights into pest infestation, water and fertilizer retention and overall productivity. It's a crucial development, not just because it represents a deeper integration of technology and agriculture - it also sidesteps the traditionally time-consuming process that involves sending samples out to a lab, leads to a more sustainable approach to soil use, and can scale up profit and crop-yield per acre through a method that tech-driven and affordable to use. This year, the co-founders also made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 India list. How it began Now 26 years old,

>How it began

Now 26 years old, Nikita Tiwari was a BTech student in Electronics and Communications from NIT-Raipur when the idea for Shool first struck her. Harsh was an engineering student too, and was at NIRMA University, Ahmedabad. Their paths crossed during a summer school programme in IIM Ahmedabad in 2017. "We learned that information about soil health is not available to farmers, due to which many face crop failure. That is when NEERX was incorporated and we began research on a low-cost, handheld device which will help measure soil health parameters," Tiwari said. They presented the idea to ISRO scientists, who helped the duo understand what sensors they needed to measure these soil health parameters. Ensuring accuracy also meant an immense amount of on-ground work. Agrawal and Tiwari carried out intensive field campaigns across 15,000 data points and according to its creators, Shool has a proven accuracy of "more than 97%."

[caption id="attachment_33305" align="aligncenter" width="532"] Nikita Tiwari and Harsh Agrawal, co-founders, NEERX, are at the forefront of India's smart-farming revolution[/caption]

The development of Shool led to the young Global Indians founding NEERX in 2019. The company doesn't just make the high-tech sensor, it partners with organisations across the country to spread awareness among farmers and improve Shool's reach. And soil health is a concern that has only grown more pressing with time. In July 2023, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Delhi said that India's soil loss is around 15.35 tonnes per ha annually. This results in a loss of some 9 million tonnes of nutrients and crop productivity. Rain-fed crops also suffer an annual production loss of 13.4 million tonnes due to water erosion, as waterlogging causes salinisation and soil damage. In India, everything is a gamble, from the usage of fertiliser and pesticide, to water. Waiting two-three weeks for analysed samples to return from the lab is simply not feasible, making smart-farming solutions critical to sustainable agriculture in India.

How Shool works

One Shool device can analyse up to 2.5 acres. And in case you were wondering how farmers in remote rural areas have enough connectivity for their smartphones - Shool can be used without any internet, Tiwari explains. The sensors are planted in fields determined by crop type, land topology and reason. The data is sent to the smartphone app within seconds. "It’s not necessary that farmers have smartphones. A basic phone works fine as the data can be delivered over text messages as well," Agrawal explained. "With the sensor, farmers can know how much to irrigate and this helps in improving the quantity and quality of produce." SHOOL can be paired with a Bluetooth device, like a smartphone. It needs to be inserted completely into the soil, after which the mobile app can connect with the device.

Meeting a critical need

"Low power consumption and proven accuracy of the device makes it ideal for monitoring and automation," Tiwari explains. With validation coming in from ISRO and the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, there was no looking back for NEERX and its young co-founders. The startup is being incubated at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India and won the NASSCOM Design4India 2019 award under the Digital Ergonomic Product category. NEERX has also branched out into building Shool Stations, solar powered stations that collect daily and hourly soil data along with weather data including air temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed.

[caption id="attachment_33306" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Shool, the smart soil sensor. Picture credit: www.neerx.in[/caption]

"Through these stations, farmers will get an analysed advisory and insights on waterlogging, deficiency, appropriate fertiliser quantity among others through the mobile app," Tiwari explains. "Our target is to install Shool Stations in each district of Gujarat and we are working with farmers for the same."

Far-reaching impact

Shool is currently in use in over ten states in India and five countries around the world. It has helped save 10,00,000 litres of water per acre each year and has helped result in a 25 percent reduction in CO2-eq. It has also enabled an additional profit of Rs 50,000 per acre per year. Affordability is a key aspect and the sensor is priced at Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000 for business-to-government and business-to-business customers. However, Agrawal adds, "sensors are also available on a subscription basis for farmers, wherein they can rent it for their harvesting season. That would cost them Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a month."

Follow Nikita Tiwari and Harsh Agrawal on LinkedIn and visit the NEERX website for more information on their smart-farming innovations.

Indian teen Swara Patel speaks on gender equality & reproductive health, period!

(January 13, 2022) We don’t talk about stigmas and taboos. Swara Patel does, and with immense conviction - Be it reproductive health, menstruation or sexual health. Founder and president of The Period Society, the undergraduate pre-medical student has made overcoming stigmas, and busting myths her raison de etre. And the outspoken straight talker does it impressively. The winner of the Diana Award 2021 for her resolve to further the cause of reproductive health and healthcare, she is also the Global Teen Youth Leader 2021. The Indian teen was just 16 when she started her society, and today, she has added the Talk Project to encourage open discussions on sexual and reproductive health. Right now busy in tomes of medical textbooks, Swara hopes to emulate her healthcare professional parents even as she breaks cultural barriers. Since The Period Society began in 2018, “It has served over a million periods, met monthly menstrual hygiene needs of over 30,000 menstruators for the next three years, and reached out to over 25,000 people through interactive sessions,” Swara Patel tells Global Indian. It has 20 youth-led chapters and four global initiatives today. From home to heart, what mattered most The Mumbai girl who moved to

d chapters and four global initiatives today.

From home to heart, what mattered most

The Mumbai girl who moved to the US in the fall of 2018 is a freshman at the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College.

Indian teen studied at Bombay Scottish School (Mahim) where she made incredible friends and had amazing teachers who challenged her, and instilled a deep sense of respect for hard work and discipline. And being in a family of healthcare professionals had added an insightful edge to her musings. “My parents are the most open and supportive people I know, though they might take some convincing. My mother is a role model as a healthcare professional who was always busier than dad, and never gave into the societal guilt of being a bad mother. It was primarily dad who parented me and showed me that women can truly have it all. My father is an extremely compassionate physician and seeing him go out of the way for his patients, especially pro bono has set a standard. I am an outspoken person, and feel comfortable thinking independently,” smiles Swara.

Her grandfather Dr Shanti Patel, a freedom fighter and leader for labour rights for ship workers, was “an extremely important influence growing up.”

Migrating from India to the US, the Indian teen studied at Herricks High School, (New York) at 16, where she faced a huge cultural change. Overwhelmed, the kindness of her new surrounds made her realise, “It’s okay to take your time, and feel anxious when making such shifts. I also realised that while there might be cultural differences, your work ethic and ambition can shine through.” Today, Swara’s philosophy has been strengthened by her mentor-teachers and professors.

“As a student of the humanities and biological sciences on a pre-med track, I am deeply invested in furthering reproductive rights and bridging healthcare accessibility gaps in low-income communities by combining my skills of leadership, knowledge of global health inequities, and passion for change making,” says the Diana awardee.

The Period Society is a huge step to help break stigmas. It conducts menstrual hygiene education sessions across India, distributes eco-friendly reusable menstrual hygiene products, and dispels cultural taboos, many of which Swara herself experienced in Mumbai.

The change was palpable

The Indian teen's “modern progressive” upbringing apart, Swara had to first tackle her parents’ menstrual taboo influences. “Changemaking begins at home - it was difficult to convince my parents that this was a cause that could be spoken openly about. I was exposed to period poverty as a volunteer in a paediatric oncology ward when the mother of a patient confided that she was struggling to live with dignity as the cost of treatment left her family unable to purchase ‘luxuries’ like period products. I remember bitterly arguing with my mother every Ganesh Chaturthi about being forced to stay home while my parents visited relatives as I was on my periods. Or my father asking me to speak about ‘girl things’ to mom. It took persistence, perseverance, and grit to change the attitudes within my house before I stepped out to change ideas within my world. By repeatedly reminding my father (a physician) that menstrual blood was not ‘dirty blood,’ and that he couldn’t choose to shy away from speaking about female reproductive health when he did rotations in the OB-GYN department, I eased him into speaking about periods,” smiles the daughter who managed (over two years) to change her father’s view so much so that he would drive her to the sessions, and even distribute kits.

Patel has personally conducted menstrual hygiene education sessions in red-light districts, at municipal schools, with urban slum communities, and in collaboration with NGOs since she started. In fact, Patel wants other like-minded youth to begin a chapter or a global initiative or even remotely join the team to help too.

The youth leader and progressive med student

Passionate about setting wrongs right, Swara also addressed the taboos surrounding sexual health with the Talk Project in 2018. “It was started to drive conversations surrounding sexual health and amplify access to reproductive health resources via youth led advocacy programmes,” says the Indian teen whose passion for public health, STEM, gender equality, and social justice is aimed at an intersectional social-centered trajectory. She is also deeply involved in Model United Nations, and has won accolades and chaired conferences by Harvard and UPenn in the US, China and India.

For a mere student to juggle diverse ideologies and social endeavours is what spurs Swara on. “I intend to use my skills, coursework, and genuine passion to translate my interests into measurable social impact to make a tangible difference in the lives of real people,” she adds.

Her volunteer work earlier with the Impact Foundation at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai opened her mind, as she helped children in paediatric oncology engage in arts and crafts or even with their homework!

The pre-med student has been exposed to healthcare across two very different countries and feels her understanding of health transcends borders. “I love biology and learning about clinical applications of biological concepts and at the same time I aspire to become an advocate for my patients and play a role in eliminating these disparities,” says the double major in the biological sciences as well as women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

In fact, she chose Hunter for its close proximity to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, Rockefeller Laboratories and Weill Cornell – which she hopes will be great resources as she furthers her medical studies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-mhoynuU1M

The outspoken straight talker now wants to be a physician who goes beyond treatment plans and advocates for the elimination of real-world disparities. Busy in college, Swara has the mindfulness to explore and understand medicine to realistically understand how to be a compassionate and effective physician.

In her free time, apart from juggling pre-med classes, she learns Bharatanatyam, loves to dive into a good book, and often takes a breather from the work she has set out to do to catch up with friends and just be an ordinary girl.

As the medical student is on her way to becoming the kind of physician she dreams of, Swara also sees herself integrating medicine with public health to care for marginalised communities and influence health policy.

Follow Swara Patel on Linkedin and The Period Society on Instagram

Reading Time: 6 min

Sustainable Smiles: Harsh P’s biodegradable toothbrush wins the 2024 iF Design Award

(October 6, 2024) Every day, millions of people use toothbrushes and toothpaste packaged in plastic tubes as part of their daily oral care routine. While these products are essential for oral hygiene, their environmental impact is severe. According to the British Dental Journal, “The UK uses 300 million tubes of toothpaste every year. Spread end to end, that's about 75,000 kilometres of plastic, almost twice around the world.” Now, consider the global scale of this problem, with billions of dental hygiene products contributing to plastic pollution worldwide. An estimated 1.5 billion toothpaste tubes are consumed each year globally, and more than 23 billion plastic toothbrushes are discarded annually across the globe. To play his part in addressing this issue, Harsh P, an IIT-Guwahati student pursuing Master’s in Interaction Design came up with the innovative solution of biodegradable single-use, water-soluble toothbrushes that are infused with toothpaste. His design tackles the growing plastic waste crisis in dental care, and earned him the prestigious iF Design Student Award 2024. Harsh travelled to Milan in Italy this June to receive the award. “I wasn't expecting it. I just entered the competition, and my innovation emerged the winner in the student category,” the 24-year-old tells

avelled to Milan in Italy this June to receive the award. “I wasn't expecting it. I just entered the competition, and my innovation emerged the winner in the student category,” the 24-year-old tells Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_39759" align="aligncenter" width="637"] Harsh receiving award from Uwe Cremering, CEO of iF Design Awards[/caption]

The iF Design Award

In 2024, the iF Design Award, presented by the non-profit iF Design Foundation, received nearly 11,000 submissions from 72 countries across both student and professional categories. The foundation aims to highlight design's significant global influence through this initiative.

Harsh competed in the product design category of the awards which spanned across various fields, including packaging design, communication design, interior architecture, and service design, among others. The entries were judged by a jury of members from around the globe.

To win the award, participants had to go through a two-stage selection process where their designs were evaluated by renowned design experts. “When I received the award in Milan, I felt very humbled by this honour, as I was sharing the stage with many famous designers,” says Harsh, who received the award from Uwe Cremering, CEO of the iF Design Awards initiative.

Although the award does not come with any monetary benefits, receiving this global recognition is a significant achievement for professionals and students. Harsh says his parents, peers and professors are proud of this accomplishment.

[caption id="attachment_39773" align="aligncenter" width="769"] Finger-based and tongue-based oral care biodegradable products designed by Harsh[/caption]

The innovative solution - Zero Brush

“I saw how plastic is affecting our environment, oceans and earth, so I thought let's change small things that can have huge impacts,” tells Harsh about his biodegradable toothbrush which he has named Zero Brush.

Zero Brush addresses the global problem of discarded toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes through two innovative designs - finger-based and tongue-based brushes, ideal for accessibility.

These single-use, water-soluble brushes are infused with toothpaste and made from semolina, corn, agar, and mint extracts. Unlike conventional brushes that contribute to plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, Zero Brush biodegrades naturally. “It’s unique UNO bristles and projections gently clean teeth and massage gums, while being vegan, sugar-free, and affordable,” tells Harsha. “I want everyone to join the fight against plastic and unleash a wave of sustainable smiles.”

[caption id="attachment_39760" align="aligncenter" width="574"] Harsh P at Milan[/caption]

In the world of designs

After completing his bachelor’s degree in electrical, electronics, and communications engineering from the Government SKSJT Institute in his hometown, Bengaluru, Harsh joined IIT Guwahati for his masters.

Talking about his decision to pursue design at the master’s level, he shares, "During my engineering studies, I had a great mentor who ran a research and innovation lab at my college. That experience exposed me to various fields, including design, which sparked my deep interest in it."

In addition to the biodegradable toothbrush that earned him the prestigious international award, Harsh has also developed other innovative products, such as a road profiler and a smart switch, among others.

“My future plan after completing my masters is to make better designs that reach and benefit the people of India and ultimately be beneficial to the whole world,” he says.

[caption id="attachment_39802" align="aligncenter" width="557"] Harsh P[/caption]

Relishing the trip to Europe

When Harsh travelled to Milan to receive the award, it was his first trip abroad. “The Milan experience was amazing. I explored new places and immersed myself in a different culture during my week-long stay,” says the young designer, who travelled solo.

His trip to Milan coincided with a three-week student exchange program in France. “I was selected by the French embassy in India for the French+Science course,” he tells. On his way from Italy to France, Harsh spent two days in Switzerland, as it was en route, exploring the region's beautiful landscapes.

The iF Design Award and the experience of travelling to multiple locations in Europe not only broadened the youngster’s horizons but also deepened his appreciation for international collaboration in design and education.

Follow Harsh P on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 5 mins

From UP’s Barnawa to Cannes in France: Nancy Tyagi’s journey of dreams

(June 7, 2024) Among the numerous top international celebrities who walked the Cannes red carpet this year was an unusual debut by Nancy Tyagi, from Barnawa village in Uttar Pradesh. The 23-year-old turned heads with her self-made pink gown at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, becoming an overnight sensation. With 2.5 million followers on Instagram, she boasts several brand endorsements and has garnered popularity and appreciation from even the celebrities. The Delhi-based influencer captured hearts after representing India on the global stage at Cannes 2024, showcasing her self-designed and self-stitched outfits. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ELLE India (@elleindia) “Stepping onto the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival as a debutant feels surreal. I poured my heart and soul into creating this pink gown, which took 30 days, 1,000 meters of fabric, and weighs over 20kg,” Nancy shared with her fans soon after her Cannes debut. “The journey has been intense, but every moment was worth it. I'm overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the love and support from all of you. This is a dream come true, and I hope my creation dazzles you as much as your support has inspired

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ELLE India (@elleindia)

“Stepping onto the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival as a debutant feels surreal. I poured my heart and soul into creating this pink gown, which took 30 days, 1,000 meters of fabric, and weighs over 20kg,” Nancy shared with her fans soon after her Cannes debut. “The journey has been intense, but every moment was worth it. I'm overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the love and support from all of you. This is a dream come true, and I hope my creation dazzles you as much as your support has inspired me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!” she added.

Stumbling into dress designing

Nancy had never imagined her life would turn into such a fairy tale when she decided to move to New Delhi from her hometown with the goal of clearing the UPSC exams. While moving from her small town of Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, all her relatives and neighbours told her parents that the money they were investing in her coaching could be better used to marry her off. However, her parents did not pay heed to such advice. Nancy’s mother and younger brother joined her, while her father stayed back to take care of their cab service business.

Life took an unexpected turn, when the lockdown interrupted her UPSC preparations, and the savings meant for her education started getting used up for everyday expenditures. Her father had given the family three lakh rupees for studies and rent, and was in no position to send more with his business being affected by the lockdown at the time. Her mother found a job in a factory, which was exhausting. Every evening, when she would return home covered in coal dust, Nancy's heart would break.

The arts graduate and her brother even worked at a call centre for a month and left the job when they were not paid any salary. However, the unpleasant circumstances opened a new door, one that led to her true passion - dress designing. Despite lacking formal training or a fashion degree, Nancy began creating outfits from scratch using an old sewing machine that was gifted to her mother at the time of her wedding.

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A post shared by Nancy Tyagi (@nancytyagi___)

“When we had just about a lakh of savings left, I decided to quickly buy a camera and start making videos and reels for Instagram to showcase my talent in dress designing. I thought that even if my plan didn't work out, I would have no regrets about not trying.”

Inspired by influencers, she wore her dresses to showcase the designs while her brother directed and shot her videos. They hoped their content creation endeavour would be successful someday, leading to brand deals and earning opportunities, so that they could give their mother a break from her unhappy job.

Getting success – an uphill task

For one year, they struggled to increase their views, which remained in the mere hundreds. Nancy decided to try something different and started adding dance elements to her videos, even though she didn't know much about dancing.

To increase her following, she began recreating dresses of celebrities and influencers using clothes bought from local shops. Through trial and error, she crafted elaborate outfits inspired by icons like Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and many others. "I have never learned stitching," she says. "When I was a child, I used to stitch my dolls' clothes. I had bags full of clothes for my dolls. Using the same steps I started stitching my own clothes."

She modelled the outfits herself and danced to Bollywood numbers to make the videos interesting. People initially found her content weird and started making memes. She faced harsh trolls and body shaming. Relatives called to scold her, saying, "Look what you have done. People are making fun of you."

[caption id="attachment_38135" align="aligncenter" width="515"] Nancy Tyagi[/caption]

Undeterred, Nancy continued. Gradually, her follower count started increasing as she and her brother got into the groove of content creation. Once she started gaining popularity, people stopped body shaming her and calling her "skinny," and began appreciating her designs. "Complaining relatives stopped calling. Now I call them to share my success," she said in an interview.

“Earlier, I didn’t have the money to purchase a better sewing machine, but now I have got used to using it for two to three years. Even though I have the money now, I don’t think I need to buy a new one immediately,” she said. However, she made some purchases with her own money - something she couldn’t have imagined a few years ago - such as an iPhone.

The Cannes charisma

Brut India, a fast-growing digital video publisher, took notice of the rising star and promoted her talent by sharing her story with their audience. They even gave her a life-changing chance to be part of the Brut India Squad at Cannes.

Due to visa issues, her brother's plans to fly to Cannes were stalled at the last moment. It was the first time she was on a professional venture without her brother Manu. However, managing well without him gave her confidence that she could handle things on her own. “I had not gone anywhere without Manu but went straight to France without him,” she smiled.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nancy Tyagi (@nancytyagi___)

Flying abroad to one of the fashion world’s most prestigious events to showcase her couture, and that too on a business class ticket, has been an unbelievable experience that has filled Nancy with new energy. “Now I don’t want to copy or recreate. It will be my designs only,” said the designer upon her return. Many people including fashion icon Sonam Kapoor have asked her to design something for her. Nancy is more than happy.

Nancy Tyagi's journey from Barnawa to the Cannes red carpet epitomises the power of passion, determination, and resilience. Despite financial struggles, societal pressures, and harsh criticism, she transformed her dreams into reality through courage and creativity. Her success as a self-taught fashion designer, and journey to the global stage, highlights that with the courage to follow one's passions and the resilience to overcome challenges, anything is achievable. Nancy's story inspires to remain focussed on one’s dreams and steadfast in the face of adversity. Her story proves that true dedication can lead to extraordinary accomplishments.

Follow Nancy Tyagi on Instagram

Reading Time: 5 mins

Akash Manoj: Innovator develops revolutionary device for silent heart attack detection

(December 9, 2023) At 13, Akash Manoj lost his grandfather to a silent heart attack. Despite being a diabetic and someone with high blood pressure, he was a healthy person. But seeing him collapse and die, owing to a silent heart attack is one of the most heart wrenching moments for him. "Silent heart attacks happen to people who have underlying conditions like diabetes and these patients have nerve damage that blocks out all the alarm signals that the heart is sending," Manoj explained in an interview. That's when he began research in the space as he decided to go on war against a deadly killer as it becomes fatal for patients without any noticeable symptoms. Moreover, the silent heart attacks account for 50 percent of all heart attacks across the globe, and more than 8 million people die each year due to silent heart attacks. "I took time off to read as much as I can on the heart during my school. I was just wanting to find a solution." This prompted him to work for three years with varied government and private labs to come up with a skin patch that can detect a silent heart attack six

Akash Manoj | Global Indian" width="754" height="424" />

This prompted him to work for three years with varied government and private labs to come up with a skin patch that can detect a silent heart attack six hours before it happens. His breakthrough innovation – which could revolutionise healthcare – won him an award at Intel ISEF 2018 and has received clinical validation from the Tokyo University of Science, London’s Royal Society of Medicine and Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

"It is a watch-like device that you wear around your wrist and place a patch near your chest. The non-invasive device will identify the alarm signal your heart is sending through a unique bio-electric system that I have developed so you don’t need a blood test at all," Akash, who is the President’s Gold Medal recipient, had told in an interview.

The patch work emits a small amount of positive charge, which attracts the negatively-charged FABP3 protein, a biomarker for heart attacks. If analysis shows an increased level of the protein, a heart attack is underway.

[caption id="attachment_34516" align="aligncenter" width="457"] Akash Manoj receives Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar[/caption]

Akash, who calls himself a cardiology researcher, uses a cardiac biomarker called heart-type fatty acid binding protein in his preventive technology "which is released up to six hours before a heart attack, thereby giving us a way for early detection. If the levels are beyond the recommended threshold, that would mean you are at risk of a potential heart attack, so you need to rush to the doctor for immediate medical care".

The student at medical school in Prague, Czech Republic began studying on the subject in school after his grandfather's death. He was in eighth grade when he started visiting the library at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, which is quite from Hosur, his hometown in Tamil Nadu. But he was determined to understand more about the heart and find a solution. "Journal articles are expensive, so visiting the libraries was the only way I could do it. Otherwise, it would have cost more than a crore (of rupees) for the amount I read. I was always interested in medical science and I liked reading the journals…cardiology is my favourite," he told a daily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blQpT50WW9s

After years of research, he made a breakthrough with a non-invasive device which is inexpensive, portable and wearable by at-risk patients at all times. "It requires no blood test and works 24/7 collecting and analysing data at preset intervals, he said in a TedTalk.

The device is being tested on patients with health issues. "We have seen positive results so far, but any tangible conclusions can only be made after the study has been completed," Manoj said, adding that the device might be available in the market in the next few years. "I am also working with key stakeholders in the wearables industry to integrate this system into watch-like wearable devices," he said.

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