Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveMaleesha Kharwa: The teenager from Mumbai slums who made it as a model

Maleesha Kharwa: The teenager from Mumbai slums who made it as a model

Compiled by: Charu Thakur

(June 25, 2023) “People say I live in a slum but I love my life! I hope to be a supermodel to help my family eat,” reads 15-year-old Maleesha Kharwa’s Insta bio. The teenager from Mumbai’s slum is already inching towards her dream as she featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan and is now the face of a luxury beauty brand Forest Essentials. This was all a dream for her who lived in a makeshift shanty made of sticks, but things took a turn for the better when American actor Robert Hoffman spotted her in 2020. Little did Maleesha know that the encounter was set to change the course of her life.

Maleesha Kharwa

It was in the spring of 2020 that Step Up 2: The Streets actor Robert landed in Mumbai for the shoot of a music video for which he was scouting for an authentic slum dweller. One of his friends told him about this beautiful girl living in a slum. That’s how he met Maleesha, then a 12-year-old with a “million-dollar smile” living on the streets of Mumbai. “I couldn’t believe she was in the middle of Mumbai living on the street yet nobody had discovered her. I came to realise this was because the Indian culture regards dark skin as unattractive. But I knew for sure the international beauty industry would see her differently, especially in tandem with her unforgettable levity and charm in spite of all else,” said Hoffman. What was meant to be a short trip ended up in a five-month long stay, owing to the lockdown and pandemic. Though the music shoot was stalled indefinitely, he knew he had found a gem in Mumbai.

In pursuit of stardom

When Robert approached Maleesha, she was living in a slum in Bandra with her family in a house made of sticks, which was often razed down by the municipality, and the family would rebuild it for the umpteenth time. When asked about her dreams, she revealed that she wants to be a model. Despite her situation, Maleesha dreamt big, and Universe somehow conspired to get her what she wished for. Then in sixth standard in a government-run school, Maleesha undertook odd jobs to make money. “Sometimes my family will go to TV and movie sets hoping to get picked as background actors. This is how I got interested in becoming a professional child model! There are many jobs like children’s clothing catalogues which I could potentially get cast in!,” she wrote on her GoFundMe page.

When Robert met her and realised her potential, he knew the next step was to speak to her father, of course, with the help of an interpreter, explaining to them the opportunity that had the potential to change her life forever. “We spoke at great lengths, so I could be sure they understood that modelling was neither a guarantee, nor something that could be counted on forever,” he told Better India, adding that after days of consultation, the family decided to let Maleesha give it a try.

The dawn of a new life

This gave Robert enough confidence to start an Instagram page, sharing Maleesha’s story. His goal was to help her connect with a supportive and reliable community of women who are trustworthy and professional. He wanted her to have a strong network of peers, influence, and accountability.

The story touched the hearts of many cheering her on, and soon earned her the moniker of Slum Princess, who now boasts of 332k followers on Instagram. While she found fame on social media, Robert had to figure out the legalities before letting her start her modelling career. “We began speaking to NGOs, the US consulate in Mumbai, entertainment figureheads, and unending voluntary consultants about how to craft Maleesha’s movement and the GoFundMe account for her ( which has amounted to $14,873 so far) in the most delicate way, considering her age and socioeconomic status,” he told the website.

Maleesha Kharwa | Robert Hoffman | Global Indian

Maleesha Kharwa with Robert Hoffman

The same year, she featured on the cover of Peacock Magazine, thus inspiring millions that “those who dare to dream often find a way to make them come true.” That was her big breakthrough, and soon more modelling projects starting lining up for the teenager. She even featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan‘s 26th anniversary issue in 2022. The money from the modelling assignments helped her rent a one-room flat in a tenement in Mumbai. “Earlier, we did not have proper electricity, we had to go far to fetch water but now we have a power connection, there is a ceiling fan, we have tap water,” she told a daily, adding, “The municipality would often demolish our huts but now we have a safer roof over our heads. My father is proud of me.”

Maleesha Kharwa on the cover of Cosmopolitan

However, Robert wants Maleesha to strike a healthy balance between modelling and leading a normal life, and has made it clear that her work hours would be limited. “Education would always come first, and that modelling stops if grades go down. Early on, it was decided that Maleesha would stay clear of pageants and mass-auditioning. In fact, Maleesha has yet to go to a single audition. Every job so far has come to her. The kid and her story are truly magic,” he added.

Encouraging Indian women to embrace natural beauty

In a country that’s obsessed with fair skin, the metrics are alarming as India Fairness Cream and Bleach Market Outlook report revealed that the market is anticipated to grow six percent CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) by 2027-28. However, Maleesha is on a mission to encourage women, especially youngsters to embrace natural beauty. “I see beauty in everything. Many people think that only light skin is beautiful … I just think it is silly. It is not how I see the world. Beautiful faces are nice but beauty is more important on the inside. I love my complexion and I feel perfect. I am very happy that I can share the message that there is no proper rule for girls and women to follow. They can do whatever they want to do. I am happy that I can inspire other girls and tell them that they are special,” she added.

Maleesha’s story is one of hope and faith. From scraping for food to finally getting a chance to follow her dreams, the teen has come a long way. “My journey is proof that nothing is impossible…you just need to keep trying.”

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Published on 25, Jun 2023

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The Yale scholar integrates Bharatanatyam with mindfulness

(October 14, 2022) Yale scholar Shruti Parthasarathy, who has been learning Bharatanatyam since the age of five, has introduced the ancient Indian dance form to the people of Middleton, Wisconsin where she grew up and now to students at Yale where she is currently an undergrad student. With cultural workshops and a new app launch she combines her love for dance with the growing need for mindfulness, helping people discover the spiritual potency of Bharatanatyam, which originated in India thousands of years ago. Shruti, who has performed at many concerts in the US and also a few in India, founded Mindful Kala to bring Bharatanatyam into the spotlight and make the ancient dance form’s cultural history visible through the lens of social well-being, the need of the hour in modern society. She has been collaborating with Yale University to expand the reach of this novel approach, using Bharatanatyam to reduce stress and mood disorders and mitigate the effects of increasingly sedentary lifestyles.The youngster has bagged several awards in dance competitions and volunteer work, including the President's Volunteer Service Gold Medal in US. She has also written a book to help children build an interest in the dance form. Bharatanatyam at

ale University to expand the reach of this novel approach, using Bharatanatyam to reduce stress and mood disorders and mitigate the effects of increasingly sedentary lifestyles.The youngster has bagged several awards in dance competitions and volunteer work, including the President's Volunteer Service Gold Medal in US. She has also written a book to help children build an interest in the dance form.

Bharatanatyam at Yale

Through Mindful Kala, Shruti offers small as well as longer intensive workshops at the Good Life Center at Yale, where she is enrolled as an undergraduate scholar. Her interactive app allows people of all ages to learn about the benefits of the integration through activities and informational slides.

“I aim to empower people through interactive and easily accessible educational tools to elevate well-being and foster inter cultural sensitivity through Indian dance forms,” says the youngster, who was introduced to Bharatanatyam by her mother, Hemalatha when they moved from India to Madison 15 years ago.

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A post shared by Mindful Kala (@mindfulkala)

Pupil in US, guru in India

While staying in Middleton, Shruti was trained in Bharatanatyam by her guru, Medha Hari, who lives in Chennai. The two communicated online using Skype video conferencing on their computers. Although they were sceptical about Skype as medium of learning, they learned to make it well.

Both student and teacher were extremely dedicated and together, managed to overcome the challenges of learning and teaching through a computer screen, as well as navigating the significant time difference. In the process the guru and her pupil developed a lifelong bond, from a distance of 8,400 miles away from each other.

The discovery…

As a middle-schooler, Shruti was frequently stressed. She would retreat to her basement and dance, finding that it brought her great relief. As she grew up, she noticed how many people around her are stressed and wondered if dance could help them too. She began teaching Bharatanatyam to both children and adults in her vicinity. “The dance form demands that every part of the body remain active at all times, from the facial muscles right down to the toes. It’s a good workout option as well,” Shruti says. Physical benefits aside, Shruti is a firm believer in the dance form’s capacity to offer mental calm, too.

Her initiative of integrating Bharatanatyam with mindfulness had taken off, even before she joined Yale. The university supported her efforts, helping her greatly increase her scale of reach. And to Shruti, giving back in some way feels like a personal responsibility. “It’s my identity and passion and I wouldn’t want to lose it for anything,” she tells. Shruti loves everything about the dance form, from the stories to the make-up and costumes.

Bharatanatyam findings published in health journal

When Shruti began her initiative in school, it worked well with students. This led her to turn her project ‘Calm with Kalaa’ into a larger study on decreasing cultural bias. She started an experiment with 46 freshmen at her high school and put them through an eight-week intensive program of learning what Bharatanatyam is and its connections with well-being.

The pilot study provided evidence of improvements in emotional and physical health of adolescents. A statistical decrease was found in anxiety, fatigue, depressive symptoms, and pain intensity. There was a significant statistical increase in body appreciation, embodiment, peer relationships and mindfulness.

The findings of her study were published in the Advances in Global Health and Medicine Journal. She later presented her findings at the Academic Consortium of Medicine in 2021, receiving state and national media attention. She was also thrilled to find a decrease in bias in the students who were part of her study.

More experiments at Yale

Once Parthasarathy joined Yale, she continued to grow her organisation Mindful Kala and its initiative collaborating with the Good Life Centre, there. She got in touch with various cultural organizations and other clubs at Yale to scale up her initiative. Shruti has held virtual and in-person workshops with hundreds of students since then.

With help from her professors and psychology researchers, Dr Laurie Santos and Dr Elizabeth Goldfarb, Mindful Kala is conducting a randomized control trial of 53 students and educators at Yale. They are participants of a four-week Mindful Kala intensive course to study the levels of increase in well-being, mindfulness and anti-bias notions in them.

Integrating technology with art

Shruti and her team of experimenters at Yale have created an app to help people of all backgrounds get an insight into the ancient Indian dance form as well as into the principles of mindfulness. They are hoping to make an impact not just in the US but around the world. At the moment, the app is being offered as a campus initiative programme from the Yale Student Mental Health Association.

Transforming research into innovation

The ace dancer plans to take up cognitive science and sociology as a double major. She has deep interest in researching the psychosocial underpinnings of the relationship between mental wellbeing and interdisciplinary movements. She aims to translate her research into innovation so that accessibility to mental health resources increases and there is greater sense of intercultural sensitivity to a diverse array of communities.

Some of Shruti’s Bharatanatyam performances have been at:

Tamil Sangam (WITS), Madison
Dance Festival, Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Chicago
Hindu Temple, Fitchburg
Lawrence University, Appleton
Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai

Follow Shruti Parthasarathy on Facebook, LinkedIn and her website

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Rupa Bayor in India, her coach in Korea: How an Arunachal athlete became an international Taekwondo star

(September 22, 2024) Ranked 11th globally and second in Asia, Rupa Bayor boasts an impressive track record, having won multiple medals at prestigious events such as the South Asian Games, Australian Open, Croatia Open, and various other international competitions. This year, Rupa made history by winning a bronze medal at the 8th Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championship in Danang, Vietnam, marking India’s first-ever medal in the Senior 1 individual Poomsae (a defined pattern of defence-and-attack forms) event. "I want to thank my coach, Abhishek Dubey, who inspired me to dream big and achieve this milestone," she said after her win. Rupa’s list of achievements includes a gold medal at the World Taekwondo President Cup Europe 2023, where she became the first woman to medal in the Senior-1 Taekwondo Poomsae category at a WT grade 2 ranked event. She also won silver medals at the Oceania Open WT G2 in Brisbane, Australia, and at the World Taekwondo President Cup Oceania, as well as a bronze at the Australian Open. [caption id="attachment_39402" align="aligncenter" width="593"] Rupa Bayor and Abhishek Dubey[/caption] Rupa’s coach, Abhishek, a medal-winning athlete himself, has represented India in multiple sports events and is now involved in managing major events and elite

com/youth/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Rupa-Bayor-and-Abhishek-Dubey-1024x1010.webp" alt="Indian athletes | Rupa Bayor and Abhishek Dubey | Global Indian" width="593" height="585" /> Rupa Bayor and Abhishek Dubey[/caption]

Rupa’s coach, Abhishek, a medal-winning athlete himself, has represented India in multiple sports events and is now involved in managing major events and elite athletes from his base in Seoul.

Athlete in India, coach in Korea

Abhishek’s most recent assignment has been as an organising committee member of the South Korea’s 'Gangwon 2024' Winter Youth Olympic Games serving as a communications/NOC services manager. He has been coaching Rupa online, helping her secure medals and become the first Indian athlete to break into the top 15 of the World Taekwondo rankings.

"My coach is helping me in every way possible," Rupa said in an interview. "He lives in South Korea but still manages to find time in his busy schedule to train me remotely. He can't leave his job and come back just to train me, so I train online. Both of us are giving our best. I believe if my coach were with me, I would have performed even better," added the athlete who considers her coach her biggest strength. “I trust him more than I trust myself. If he says I can defeat an opponent, I can do it. Without him, I don’t think I would have achieved much."

From obscurity of Arunachal Pradesh to international stage

Rupa’s journey to becoming a Taekwondo champion has been inspiring. Starting with little knowledge of the sport, she has risen to prominence through her talent, dedication and hard work. Despite the challenges of training remotely with her coach, she has consistently excelled.

She is associated with the Indo Korean Taekwondo Academy in Mumbai which was founded by Abhishek Dubey in 2007. He has trained numerous Taekwondo aspirants since then.

Since Rupa lacked proper training facilities in Arunachal Pradesh, she moved to Mumbai in 2021 to train at his academy. However, the high cost of living in Mumbai made it difficult for her to make ends meet. It was then that Abhishek offered her a scholarship through his academy, which Rupa describes as life-changing.

Later, with the support of Mumbai headquartered Indian conglomerate Welspun World, her journey took off, starting with her participation in the Croatia Open as her first international event. Winning a medal there boosted her confidence immensely, and she has been grateful for Welspun’s support ever since.

[caption id="attachment_39401" align="aligncenter" width="785"] Rupa Bayor[/caption]

Aimed for a constable job, became a world champion

Reflecting on her humble beginnings, Rupa who took up the sport at the age of 15 shared, "I had never heard of Taekwondo. It’s not well-known in the villages.” Like other children in Arunachal’s village Sippi, she spent most of her childhood farming with her mother. Her father had passed away when she was a child. As a single parent, her mother worked hard to raise Rupa and her siblings.

Her uncle, who is a district Karate master, encouraged her to take up Karate initially. Later he encouraged her to switch to Taekwondo as he felt that the sport has more potential. Within a short period of time, Rupa started showing good progress, and her mother sent her to Itanagar for training.

“I started Taekwondo thinking that if I won a medal, I could secure a constable job. That’s the mindset in my area—no one had gone far in the sport, so they didn’t know much about it. I never thought I would become a professional in Taekwondo," the athlete remarked.

Her first tournament was at The National School Games in Pune. Although she lost the tournament, she gained exposure, which helped her in honing her skills.

Her first international competition was the Kim Un Yong Cup in South Korea, where she faced defeat due to her lack of experience on the global stage. Later that year, she participated in the South Asian Games, securing a silver medal. However, the pandemic caused a two-year hiatus in her playing career.

Mumbai proved lucky

In February 2021, Rupa relocated to Mumbai to improve her performance at the medal-winning coach Abhishek Dubey’s Indo Korean Taekwondo Academy. Her initial plan was to move to Mumbai for two months, but realised that it was insufficient time to practise as learning is a continuous and massive process to become a top athlete at the international level.

She is thankful to her coach Abhishek Dubey and Welspun World’s Super Sport Women Program for providing support to extend her training period.

“I made sure to do justice to my coach's efforts by training six days a week for approximately 12 hours a day for more than 15 months at Indo Korean Taekwondo Academy,” she shared. This led to her several medal-winning performances representing India internationally.

[caption id="attachment_39404" align="aligncenter" width="721"] Rupa Bayor[/caption]

Arunachal’s pride

On her short visits home, the athlete receives a lot of love and attention from the people there. “They are happy to see a woman representing their village and Arunachal Pradesh on a national and global scale.

Coming from a humble background, the girl who once aimed to win medals just to secure a constable’s job now dreams of bringing more laurels to India. She hopes to promote and teach Taekwondo to children in her village, aspiring to create champions for India, just as her coach helped her become one.

Follow Rupa Bayor on instagram
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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

How India’s coding clubs are changing the game for kids who’re starting young

In our pursuit of unique tales about the Indian diaspora, GI's new series documents trailblazing ideas and phenomenons across the globe (November 24, 2021) Not too long ago, coding was considered the forte of computer geeks only. It was an intimidating concept best left to experts. IT’s top brass Larry Page of Google, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Dorsey of Twitter were themselves coding prodigies before they started ground-breaking tech conglomerates. Coders like Indian Canadian Tanmay Bakshi whose AskTanmay is the world’s first web based NLQA system was built using IBM Watson’s cognitive capabilities. The 19-year-old Indian-origin Harsh Dalal in Singapore started Team Labs that is valued at $25 million. Today children in India as young as five and ten are creating waves. US-based Samaira Mehta, 12, is behind CoderBunnyz which makes coding fun for kids. It was only apt that coding clubs sprang across India to create a new generation of innovators of the future. Technology everywhere “Technology has and will continue to expand rapidly, claiming spaces in almost every professional industry,” says Krish Samtani, founder of 0Gravity, a free coding club for school children in India, who adds, “Coding seem slightly intimidating at first, but it offers children the chance to apply their knowledge in a real-world context.”

almost every professional industry,” says Krish Samtani, founder of 0Gravity, a free coding club for school children in India, who adds, “Coding seem slightly intimidating at first, but it offers children the chance to apply their knowledge in a real-world context.”

As technology takes over every aspect of life and industry, coding is now an essential life skill. Employers are willing to pay a premium for coders. Manan Sharma, founder, Tokens.com, agrees. Sharma has been employing coders to spur his business that spans 20 years (Indiamart, IGP and now Tokens). “Earlier, we would hire coders to create the entire coding done for our sites, but now with pre-coded sites like Shopify available, there are templates to work with. Yet, the need for coders persists as businesses look to customise sites,” he tells Global Indian, adding, “As sites get bigger, automated software can only do so much.”

Tykes can code

As increased businesses rely on technology to drive operations, it is essential to understand what goes into the making of codes and applications to run successful businesses. Which is where coding clubs like Indian Girls Code, Code Club, and 0Gravity deliver. They encourage kids to understand the seemingly complex world of coding and technology from an early age, bust fear and encourage them to create and innovate.

[caption id="attachment_16610" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Aditi Prasad of Indian Girls Code[/caption]

Founded by Aditi Prasad and her sister Deepti in 2013, Indian Girls Code takes coding to schools to encourage girls to create technology. Through programmes, they encourage girls across Chennai schools – private and government – to use technology to solve real world problems. Aditi and Deepti believe in using a hands-on approach to teach children the nuances of coding – even using drag and drop to create fun projects using coding language. In 2015, the team launched Phiro Robots which are now used by educators, globally. The robots use Lego compatible toys that can be coded using Scratch to create anything - programming a robot to sing a birthday song to performing specific functions.

Coding to innovate

Ed-tech startups like WhiteHat Jr offer classes on coding, and Karan Bajaj, CEO wants to convert them from passive consumers of technology to builders and creators of the future. A notion that Madhukar Varshney, founder, CEO, NimbleQ wholeheartedly supports. The biomedical engineer who lived in the US for 20 years chose to return to India to found NimbleQ to help students apply the knowledge acquired. “Sure, coding is an essential skill, but it is not enough. One should know how to apply this skill to solve real-world problems. We have a lot of well-qualified professionals who 20 to 30 years down the line are directors and VPs. But why not founders? Why not innovators?” he questions, adding, “It’s because our education system does not encourage one to think like a creator. At NimbleQ, we encourage our students on using coding to problem solve. We teach them to understand business, entrepreneurship, and money.” Varshney hopes this will encourage creators of technology.

Krish, who launched 0Gravity at the age of 14 in Bengaluru is now a second-year student at UC Berkeley, California. His tryst with coding began at a summer camp at John’s Hopkins University. “I was very inspired by the applied education, and that made me want to attend a similar class back home (India). However, I was unable to find any, which led me to start the club to teach children applied computer science,” he says, adding, “So far, we have educated 1,500 plus children across India. The latest batch of 0Gravity was comprised of the children of abandoned sex workers.”

[caption id="attachment_16612" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Krish Samtani during one of the 0Gravity sessions[/caption]

The club teaches children from the ages of 10-18 in courses that typically last three months with classes on Saturday. During the pandemic, they switched to online and now Krish wants, “to inspire a spark in children to chase their dreams.”

Manan Sharma avers that one of the main advantages of learning to code early is the fact that it takes away the fear of intimidation. “My nephew is studying coding and I know that he is no longer intimidated. He knows the application of code and that will hold him in good stead,” he says, concluding, “The opportunities are limitless. Coding can be used across industries and sectors. You never know what innovations these children will produce.

Why code?

According to The Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, it is predicted that 65 percent of children entering primary school today ultimately work completely new jobs that do not even exist yet.
According to the Annual Employability report by Aspiring Minds, 80 percent Indian engineers are not fit for any job in the knowledge economy and only 2.5 percent possess tech skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In India, only one in 10 kids learn to code when compared to one in three abroad.
Over two-thirds developers are partly self-taught, HackerRank data shows.

Reading Time: 7 min

Meet Maya Neelakantan, the 11-year-old ‘rock goddess’ from America’s Got Talent

(July 25, 2024) To rephrase a line from the Academy Awards, the year American Beauty was nominated, ‘A ten-year-old will never be viewed as just a ten-year-old kid ever again!’ Making India proud, and the world sit up and take notice of her talent, is now 11-year-old Maya Neelakantan who was ten when she performed earlier this year on America’s Got Talent [AGT]. Maya Neelakantan tells Global Indian about music, her performance on AGT, and plans for the future. Resplendent in a brocade maxi dress with a matching dupatta pinned across, and traditional Indian jewellery including a waistband, bangles, jhumkas, a bindi and multiple braids in her long hair, Maya’s Indian appearance belied the music she played on stage. Starting with a Carnatic raga, the Natabhairavi, the audience was confused initially as is visible in the now viral reel. But, what followed had everyone roaring in approval. She effortlessly transitioned to heavy metal, playing her version of Last Resort, by the band Papa Roach. She kept improvising, leaving even the judges stunned with her performance and added Carnatic gamakas, metal, rock and blues highlights to finish to a standing ovation. Overnight, Maya became a global sensation with everyone sharing her AGT performance,

to a standing ovation.

Overnight, Maya became a global sensation with everyone sharing her AGT performance, Simon Cowell calling her a rock goddess, and Anand Mahindra calling her a rock goddess from the land of goddesses.

A Self-Taught Child Prodigy

However, Maya was amazingly composed when she spoke to Global Indian over the phone. Born to a Tamilian father and an Australian mother, both entrepreneurs, Maya recalls, “My appa [father] used to play music in the car. He played Carnatic and heavy metal and I loved both genres. When I was six, I started learning the songs I liked online. I was learning vocal Carnatic music also but I have stopped going for those classes. So yes, I am self-taught but I can’t read music because I didn’t go for normal classes.” Maya is currently receiving formal training online from Guitar Prasanna, a well-known New York-based guitarist since the past two years.

Maya’s passion and talent with the electric guitar have made her idols sit up and take notice of her. Adam Jones from the band TOOL was her first follower on Instagram after he watched her rendition of his song 7empest. This heavy metal band composes complex songs that are longer than the norm. He even sent her a guitar from the US which, for Maya was the ultimate recognition of her music. She even met Danny Carey from the same band who gifted her a signed drum head.

Other metal greats she has met and is in touch with include Alex Skolnick of Testament and Gary Holt (Slayer) who gave her an autographed guitar after they had a jam session together. Testament’s Eric Peterson too gifted her an autographed amplifier. Maya met Jessica Pimentel of Orange is the New Black through Adam Jones and Jessica trained her via Zoom. Maya reveals, “Jessica taught me how to improve my movements. I was anxious but she helped me gain a lot of confidence. For me, she is like my big sister. They all are my gurus and constantly talk to me.” Maya even got to play on the most legendary guitars made by Gibson, when Cesar Gueikian, the CEO invited her to visit the Gibson Garage in Nashville.

[caption id="attachment_38778" align="aligncenter" width="552"] Maya Neelakantan with Cesar Gueikian, CEO of Gibson[/caption]

Devoted to her Passion

Considering that she is all of 11 and regularly interacts with legends of rock music, how does she stay level-headed through it all? “I stay grounded through the 45 minutes of meditation that I do every morning. It helps me remember where I started from.” Wise words from a child who taught herself to play the guitar through YouTube videos. And now has a channel of her own.

Maya studies at an online school because the family travels frequently. She loves to read and watch documentaries on animals with her younger brother Rudhra. But music is the primary passion she avers. “I practice for six hours a day, longer on days I don’t have school.”

Watch her reels on Instagram; you can see her face radiant with incandescent joy as she plays the electric guitar. She played on the AGT stage with similar emotion. She admits, “I was nervous though I had rehearsed it so many times. But I also wanted to have fun and treated it like it was a party. AGT had called and asked me if I was interested in performing. This is not something that happens to everyone and there are so many talented people around. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I decided that I was going to enjoy it.”

[caption id="attachment_38780" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Maya Neelakantan with her guru, Guitar Prasanna[/caption]

Maya believes she still has a long way to go and plans to delve further into the music she loves. Whether it is the Carnatic ragas or the thrash metal hits, she is clear about her future goals. She says, “I want to create my own genre of music where I combine thrash metal and Carnatic music complete with the alapana and ragas. I want to go deeper into both forms of music.”

She has been contacted by the folks at Mahindra Group for her to perform at their annual blues music festival and talks are on. Whatever the future holds for this talented young girl with AGT and beyond, one hopes her passion leads her to unsurpassed creative milestones. A talent like hers merits nothing less than greatness.

You can follow Maya Neelakantan on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook