Shahan Ali Mohsin becomes the first Indian to win FIA Formula 4 car racing Indian series
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(December 23, 2023) When most kids of his age were glued to cartoons on television, Shahan Ali Mohsin would watch motorsport racing. But his visit to the Indian Grand Prix changed it all for the teenager. Looking at the fast-speed cars, he knew he wanted to be on the track driving one. And now a few years later, he has become the first Indian to win the FIA Formula 4 car racing championship. The 19-year-old, who represents the Hyderabad Black Birds team, picked up the trophy at Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur, a town panchayat some 35 km away from Chennai.
It’s nothing short of a dream come true for the teenager who has spent a considerable amount of his life on racetracks. It was in 2011 that he first visited Indian Grand Prix, and was determined to make a career in motorsports. Seeing his passion, his father Shahroo Mohsin, a shoe exporter based in Agra, did some research and soon enrolled Shahan at the Meco Motorsports Karting Academy in 2012. He adapted to it pretty soon. “In my first time driving a go-kart I was already pretty fast. Mr. Ebrahim (Akbar Ebrahim) coached me over the years, which helped me learn racecraft. In the first year itself, I was in the top five. And by the end of my first year in the national championship, I already had a podium. By the second year I was already in the top three, and I was leading the championship for a brief while as well,” he said in an interview.
The very next year, Shahan began competing in the Asian Rotax Championship. By the second season, he already managed a few podiums. At the age of 12, he won the Asian Championship’s Micro Max category and even had his first race in Europe at the Rotax Grand Festival. “In 2018, I returned to Europe to do the Central European Championship. I got one podium, a second place, there. I did the Rotax Grand Festival in 2017 as well, finishing fourth that year,” he added.
In 2018, Shahan faced a major setback while racing (Trofeo Andrea Margutti) in Italy when he felt a sudden pain in his ribcage. Upon his return to India, the MRI revealed a fracture in his left rib, which was caused by an injury in 2017 when he had a crash in the national championship. The injury kept him off the tracks for four months which Shahan describes as a difficult time. “I had to stay away from racing. I couldn’t do anything. There was no gym, no fitness, which was very boring for me. But in the first race after the injury, I was already on the pace. And the second race after that I won,” he revealed.
It was in 2019 when Shahan turned 15 that he switched from karting to single-seater with MRF F1600, making him the youngest single-seater driver in India. “The transition was difficult, but I adapted to it in one or two races. You’re moving from a kart of 80kg to a single-seater which is 500kg. It’s a big difference. And then you have aero, suspension, etc. Plus, in karting, you’ve got 30bhp, and in single-seaters you have 140-150bhp. It was a big difference in terms of engine and power. Then there was the gearbox. It took some time, but I adapted to it. There was a lot to learn,” he said in an interview.
Shahan credits his dad for the journey that he has been able to undertake in motorsports. The racer says that his dad always had a blueprint helping him navigate the course for the next few years. “He always had a plan, and he built me up from scratch. He moved me from the Indian national scene to Asia, then to Europe, and then to single-seaters,” added the teenager.
For the next three years, he kept clinching awards that have cemented his position in the world of motorsports. In 2019, he was awarded Best Driver of the Year and in 2021, he won the Indian National Car Racing Championship followed by becoming the first Indian to race in the Indian Racing League in 2022. And now, he has become the first Indian to win the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) Formula 4 car racing championship.
The F4 cars, sanctioned by the FIA, are imported from France and are equipped with turbocharged Renault engines, allowing them to attain speeds of up to 250 km/hr. The Indian F4 Championship comprises a field of 12 drivers, including three from India, as well as representatives from various countries such as Australia, the US, Tasmania, England, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and a female driver from India.
“I have set a goal to make India proud by giving my best in the remaining races of the championship,” Shahan said.
(March 4, 2022) Did you know that IT’s top brass like Larry Page, Bill Gates, and Steve Dorsey were all coding prodigies before they launched ground-breaking tech conglomerates? Not too long ago, coding was considered the forte of computer geeks, an intimidating concept to many. Yet, that seems to be changing with coding clubs mushrooming across the country. And one such Indian coder looking to change how coding is perceived is Krish Samtani. The 19-year-old student of UC Berkeley launched 0Gravity coding, a non-profit startup, back when he was a school student in Bengaluru. The free coding club encourages students as young as 10 to learn the nuances of coding to explore a world of innovation and problem solving. Today, the teen, who received the Leadership Award Scholarship by the alumni association of his college, has educated over 1,500 children, including the children of sex workers. Incidentally, Krish is also an Ashoka Changemaker for creating social impact through his venture. When tech called, Krish answered Born in New Jersey, Krish, the elder of two siblings, moved to Bengaluru when he was eight-years-old. Both his parents – Gunjan and Dimple – work with leading financial service companies, and Krish was always
Born in New Jersey, Krish, the elder of two siblings, moved to Bengaluru when he was eight-years-old. Both his parents – Gunjan and Dimple – work with leading financial service companies, and Krish was always encouraged to push his boundaries and go beyond the ordinary. As he schooled at the International School Bengaluru, Krish found himself drawn to the world of technology when he attended a summer camp as an eighth grader at Johns Hopkins University.
“That summer camp was one of the first times I got the opportunity to learn an applied style of education, where I did some basic mathematical modelling using coding for climate change,” Krish tells Global Indian, adding, “As opposed to the heavily theoretical curriculum I was studying back in India, this style of learning gave me a chance to build my knowledge on a practical level, rather than being confined to a textbook. As such, my passion for applied coding grew stronger over the years.”
[caption id="attachment_11806" align="aligncenter" width="505"] Krish with his family[/caption]
Inspired by this applied education, Krish was looking to attend such a class back home in Bengaluru. Unable to find any, he founded a movement to teach other children applied computer science. “That’s how 0Gravity came about in 2017. The purpose was to spark an interest and a vision amongst children that education goes far beyond the classroom, by making the sessions fun and interactive,” this Indian coder says.
Unscrambling the code
Since its inception, 0Gravity has had executives and professionals from leading technical industries deliver lessons, and talks to students. The idea, says Krish, has been to impart knowledge that can give students a glimpse of the opportunities the workforce offers. “We organise workshops that last three months, with around 20 students per batch. We have managed to educate 1,500+ students, including 700 girls in the five years since 0Gravity launched,” says the young coder, who is now a sophomore at University of California, Berkeley, where he is studying applied mathematics with a concentration on data science.
[caption id="attachment_11807" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Krish with his 0Gravity batch of students[/caption]
On how he’s connected with students at 0Gravity as a mentor, he says, “The premise of 0Gravity has always been to create an enjoyable, inclusive, and immersive learning environment. Although I was responsible for mentoring students and in growing the movement across companies, I was certainly learning a lot about myself, the students, and the growing importance of technology in the process. In addition to coding fundamentals, some of the things I picked up in my 0Gravity journey were communication (speaking with different audiences), time management, working with a team, and the various stages involved in starting an organisation.”
A ‘firm’ knowledge
Krish has partnered with several firms to establish 0Gravity programmes in three countries – India, US and England. “The firm that has been the most crucial to our expansion globally is Saggezza Inc, with whom we have set up programmes in Bengaluru, Chennai, Sunderland, and Chicago,” reveals the coder, who says that the world is becoming increasingly digitised in every facet of life and the industry. “Coding is as important a skill as reading and writing in our contemporary lives. In order to build strong foundational bases, it is important for children to hone their coding skills,” says Krish, whose father Gunjan has been the backbone of his journey with 0Gravity.
[caption id="attachment_11808" align="aligncenter" width="695"] Krish with his professors at University of California, Berkeley[/caption]
As a student in the US, Krish has been involved in various clubs and college activities including the data science and entrepreneurship clubs. “Learning here has been a pleasure too. A lot of my professors are Noble laureates and I’ve had the opportunity to meet many new people,” says the coder, who doesn’t mind bridging the time difference to continue conducting 0Gravity workshops. “I enjoy attending sessions on weekends, and value those couple of hours highly.”
(June 30, 2024) Indo-Canadian actor Pavia Siddhu has been traveling from one festival to another with the cast and crew of the film Dear Jassi, which had its US premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California this year. Last year, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it won the Platform Prize. Since then, it has been screened in multiple locations across Canada, India, London, Hong Kong, Sweden, and other places. Garnering international acclaim, the film is based on the real love story of a Canadian girl and a young auto rickshaw driver from Punjab. "I am happy that people are discussing Jassi and the true story from 30 years ago," remarked the debutant actor Pavia who portrays the title character in the movie. [caption id="attachment_38452" align="aligncenter" width="461"] Pavia Sidhu[/caption] Inspired by real life heart-wrenching love story Directed by filmmaker Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, the film's story is set in the 1990s. During a visit to her extended family in Punjab, Indo-Canadian Jassi - played by Pavia Sidhu - meets auto rickshaw driver Sukhwinder - played by Yugam Sood, who lives down the street. The sweethearts fall deeply in love, but when Jassi sees
Directed by filmmaker Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, the film's story is set in the 1990s. During a visit to her extended family in Punjab, Indo-Canadian Jassi - played by Pavia Sidhu - meets auto rickshaw driver Sukhwinder - played by Yugam Sood, who lives down the street. The sweethearts fall deeply in love, but when Jassi sees her family lashing out at one of her cousin’s suitors, she realises there’s no easy way to pursue their relationship, and secretly marries Sukhwinder in a gurdwara.
After returning back to Canada, she kept the marriage hidden from her family while continuing to communicate and support Sukhwinder financially. A year later, her family discovered the marriage and disapproved because of the stark difference in social status, and the fact that Sukhwinder belonged to the same Sidhu clan, making the marriage traditionally forbidden.
Jassi’s family tried to persuade her to divorce Sukhwinder by offering material possessions and then resorting to physical violence. When those attempts failed, they coerced her into signing false criminal accusations against Sukhwinder, under the pretence that it would help him come to Canada. Finding out their true plans, Jassi later contacted Indian officials to retract the false accusations, explaining that she was forced to sign them.
[caption id="attachment_38453" align="aligncenter" width="758"] Pavia Sidhu and Yugam Sood in a still from the movie 'Dear Jassi'[/caption]
With the help of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Jassi escaped and flew to India in May 2000, to reunite with Sukhwinder. In June the same year, they were kidnapped by hitmen hired by her mother and uncle. While Sukhwinder was beaten, Jassi was taken to an abandoned farmhouse and murdered. Her mother and uncle were arrested in 2012.
Although it’s a heavy story, the film has its share of humour that audiences have enjoyed, along with the good storytelling and nuanced performances of the debutant actors. "I loved getting into the character. I think it made me a better person because she (Jassi) was full of love and full of light. I had to really tap into that version of myself, and I really enjoyed that. I loved the character," Pavia said after one of the screenings of the movie.
From law to acting
Pavia began college at the age of 15 through the Robinson's Gifted Program, graduating as the second-highest ranked student in her class. At 18, she enrolled at UCLA School of Law, graduating in 2022 as its youngest student. During this time, she also won the Miss Sunfair Competition, a notable beauty pageant.
“I was focused on pursuing law,” she mentioned in an interview following the Red Sea Film Festival in Canada. Despite having acting experience in some shows, the Indian-origin actress never imagined landing a role in a film that would gain international recognition.
[caption id="attachment_38454" align="aligncenter" width="497"] Pavia Sidhu at UCLA LAW public affairs discussion as Miss Sunfair in 2022[/caption]
However, her mother always believed in Pavia's potential in acting and sent an audition tape of hers to India upon learning that filmmaker Tarsem Singh Dhandwar was seeking talent from Canada for the role of Jassi. Looking at Pavia's tape, Dhandwar engaged in phone conversations with her and ultimately cast her as the lead.
“I wasn't sure what I was landing into when I boarded the flight from Canada to India for the two-month shoot,” she remarked. Upon arrival in India, she met the film's cast and crew for the first time and quickly bonded with them. “Exploring Amritsar, one of India's greatest cities, was an experience that I can’t express in words,” she added, talking about the best part of the shoot.
The wilderness is her office, Nature, a constant companion. The first Indian to win the coveted Wildlife Photographer Award in 2020 for her photograph on fireflies Lights of Passion (chosen from 50,000 entries from 80 countries) Aishwarya Sridhar’s entry held pride of place in the august halls of the National Museum of History in London at one time. For a girl who grew up in the hustle and bustle of Panvel, the outdoors entranced her as she pranced along with her father on treks – who as a life member of the Bombay Natural History Society instilled a love for wildlife in her. Spotting a colourful dwarf Kingfisher or awed at the luminous glow of fireflies flitting in the Western Ghats, Sridhar found the power of the medium, with a conservationist spirit. “Every day is a new adventure. I look forward to spending time in the wilderness,” says the preservationist, who cherishes all those moments in verdant landscapes but feels most fortunate to have seen a tigress training her cubs to hunt in the wild. Sridhar is also the winner of Sanctuary Asia’s Young Naturalist Award, the Princess Diana Award, and is a Jackson Wild summit fellow (considered the Emmy
mbay Natural History Society instilled a love for wildlife in her. Spotting a colourful dwarf Kingfisher or awed at the luminous glow of fireflies flitting in the Western Ghats, Sridhar found the power of the medium, with a conservationist spirit.
“Every day is a new adventure. I look forward to spending time in the wilderness,” says the preservationist, who cherishes all those moments in verdant landscapes but feels most fortunate to have seen a tigress training her cubs to hunt in the wild. Sridhar is also the winner of Sanctuary Asia’s Young Naturalist Award, the Princess Diana Award, and is a Jackson Wild summit fellow (considered the Emmy of wildlife filmmaking).
[caption id="attachment_13810" align="alignnone" width="1080"] An eagle clicked by Aishwarya Sridhar.[/caption]
The intuitive soul
This Global Indian is now working on a two-part TV series showcasing the survival stories of the seven endangered primates of India and the folk that protect them.
Each project engulfs Sridhar into a verdant world and its creatures. Straddled with a Canon 1Dx mark ii and Canon 5d mark iii, she sees wildlife with an intuitive soul. Queen of Taru, a film she researched, scripted and directed started off as a passion project in pursuit of the wild Bengal Tigress Maya in the forests of Tadoba, and her struggle of survival in a male dominated world. “After six years of tracking her, I finally gave her a celluloid salute. I learnt that animals are capable of strategy just like humans, and they are capable of feeling emotions, When I got to know that Tiger Queen of Taru would be airing on Nat Geo WILD, that felt fulfilling, I was grateful,” says Sridhar.
[caption id="attachment_13805" align="alignnone" width="1080"] A tiger in the wild.[/caption]
Art with a cause
Going into unexplored territory led her to Panje, a wetland she has been visiting since childhood. Witnessing a gradual loss of habitat at Uran, her connect with the local fishing communities helped her in research which she presented in a 14-minute documentary on DD. “The most interesting finding was that the so-called ‘illiterate’ (local tribals) know the value of our ecosystem and its role in our survival more than the educated who so easily give orders for destruction. The film and photo-story helped bring a Bombay High Court Order protecting Uran, thus saving the livelihoods of around 2,500 fishermen. The Panje wetland is now recognised as a satellite wetland, and will soon receive the status of a ‘conservation reserve’,” says the eco warrior, who is also an emerging fellow at International League of Conservation Photographers, working towards policy-level protection for the wetlands in Mumbai.
Sridhar was selected to feature on My Place on Earth – a digital series by BBC Earth in 2021, and is ecstatic about the episode filmed online with some on-field content pre-shot by her. A self-taught photographer, her initiation with the camera began with her father showing her the basics. A course by acclaimed wildlife photographer Sudhir Shivaram added context, though she giggles saying, “every trick I have learnt is from YouTube and by experimenting.”
Even with filmmaking, Sridhar learnt by watching films on National Geographic, Discovery and Animal Planet. She has since self-taught, edited, presented, and directed an eight-part web series for World Wildlife Fund India. She also did a film for the state forest department and the Deccan Conservation Foundation on the unique and endangered wildlife of the Deccan Plateau. “During the lockdown, I ideated on inculcating the love for Nature in children using origami for WWF-India. I brought Nature indoors with the series titled Fun-Crafts with Aishwarya (digital),” says the shutterbug, whose series helped further with a collaboration with Discovery Channel. It partnered in another unique live show that focused on spotlighting endangered species in India through interesting conversations with India’s top wildlife photographers, filmmakers, and scientists. “I am one of the youngest presenters to have hosted a live show on Discovery,” says the girl, who loves to write poetry in her free time, no doubt inspired by her lush office.
Her upbringing has instilled a deep conservation mindset with focused hard work. “From the age of eight, I have explored India’s wilderness. My parents have always encouraged my curiosity, and raised me with a lot of outdoor exposure which helped immensely,” she says, thrilled that she finally has incredible mentors.
[caption id="attachment_13807" align="alignnone" width="1080"] A wasp clicked by Aishwarya Sridhar[/caption]
Believing staunchly in the power of self, her transition from photography to filmmaking was game-changing. “I never thought of becoming a wildlife filmmaker initially. As I got older, I knew I would never be happy at a desk. So, I chose mass media for graduation though Mumbai University doesn’t offer any filmmaking specialisations. It was daunting. But I worked on myself every day, and still do so,” says the filmmaker, who now wants to try filming with 360-degree VR.
A path peppered with milestones
Each award is a milestone leading her to the next. For instance, for the “BBC Wildlife Your Shot Competition, the pictures of a bonnet macaque alpha male, flamingos in Navi Mumbai and a baby lion-tailed macaque with its mother were winners. Each picture is special, and documents a moment in nature that is otherwise overlooked”, she explains.
A part of the award-winning podcasts Eyes on Conservation now titled Earth to Humans, by the Wild Lens Collective, connecting with natural history storytellers from around the globe enthuses her. “I hope to start my own natural history media outlet in India in the next decade,” says the 24-year-old, who is hugely inspired by award-winning filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert, whose Big Cats Initiative and films have her enthralled.
[caption id="attachment_13806" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Flamingoes of Mumbai, clicked by Aishwarya Sridhar[/caption]
Even though the pandemic has upended much travel, it is slowly opening up. Back to her wilderness address, Sridhar has some great filmmaking projects in the pipeline. She feels travel and Nature teaches one adaptability and patience. “With every animal/bird you photograph the strategy changes. You should be able to adjust to extreme weather conditions and be physically fit to get the maximum out of your trip. Being a Gen-Z kid, I expected instant gratification, but wildlife photography teaches you persistence. There may be times when you don’t see the animal/bird, and you may not get the photograph you have in mind, but it’s important to never lose your calm in these situations,” she advices.
Mother Nature has been her constant teacher, and she hopes humans learn to protect their habitats. “Whenever Nature gets hurt, she repairs herself and continues on. In the same way, I try to be positive and keep working hard,” she says.
“I know a lot of people say that kids are the future, but I want to spread the message that we are here now, and we can make a difference.” - 11-year-old Gitanjali Rao in 2017 Meet Indian American teen scientist and TIME’s First Kid of the Year, Gitanjali Rao. She is wise, confident, knowledgeable, self-assured and loves reading Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s websites. A chat with her is refreshing: Lucid thoughts flow almost as if scripted. It’s hard to fathom how a 4 foot something girl with sparkling eyes oozes such clarity. Picture a pre-teen walking into the Denver Water Treatment plant with a lab coat over gummies, and holding forte among science professionals. https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1356357624376287233?s=20 In an exclusive interview with Global Indian, She radiates poise as she speaks on her first prototype in use – Tethys, which detects lead contamination in water and shares that information through Bluetooth. Her occasional giggles make this child scientist more endearing. Today, at 15, she has 11 innovations to her name, of which three are in the prototype stage with one released. Innovation-driven by empathy Gitanjali, named after Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s famous book of poems, has an altruistic sense of scientific purpose that takes one aback. In 3M’s Not the Science Type docuseries, she says: “All of us can make a difference. It’s just about finding that one thing
, She radiates poise as she speaks on her first prototype in use – Tethys, which detects lead contamination in water and shares that information through Bluetooth. Her occasional giggles make this child scientist more endearing. Today, at 15, she has 11 innovations to her name, of which three are in the prototype stage with one released.
Innovation-driven by empathy
Gitanjali, named after Nobel laureateRabindranath Tagore’s famous book of poems, has an altruistic sense of scientific purpose that takes one aback. In 3M’sNot the Science Typedocuseries, she says:
“All of us can make a difference. It’s just about finding that one thing you want to change, and changing it. I want to use science to inspire kindness. Find yourself with it.”
A weighty quest for science guides the toothy teen scientist. She is described as a Forbes 30 Under 30,America's Top Young Scientist,TEDx Speaker,STEM Promoter,TIME Top Young Innovator, author and student. Moreover, she is a proficient glider, pianist, classical dancer, fencer, and a (self-proclaimed) average cook. This quest started with her proclivity to ask questions. Years on, those very questions led her to solutions. First, she tackled water scarcity and contamination that led to the Tethys prototype at just 11.
[caption id="attachment_5592" align="aligncenter" width="426"] At the age of 15, Gitanjali Rao has 11 innovations to her name.[/caption]
The technology, Rao says, can be easily enhanced to other contaminants. “More students, especially in the recent Regeneron Science Talent Research, Stockholm Junior Water Prize, etc have taken the same technology and enhanced it for other contaminants or water purification with doped nanotubes. Arsenic, Mercury and Cadmium are a few,” she tells Global Indian in an exclusive interview. Further, she has provided some Brazilian students her solution for further research.
“I am in the process of working with American Water Works Association to explore influencing state and federal policies on water testing,” says Rao.
Rao became fixated with another question – how to address the opioid crisis - when a family friend was prescribed opioids after an accident. She developed Epione – a tool to diagnose prescription opioid addiction using an ELISA-based protein detection method. Epione works on a fluid sample and uses protein expression from the mu-opioid receptor gene to find out if a patient is at the onset of addiction. “The device uses standard colorimetry processes to identify addiction status. Results on a mobile app show the status of addiction, and includes a map of the nearest addiction centre,” Rao adds about this early-stage research.
[caption id="attachment_5611" align="alignnone" width="852"] Gitanjali Rao enjoys talking about science with kids.[/caption]
Parental guidance
Rao feels her upbringing - thinking, trying and ideating differently were encouraged - made problem-solving a habit. She probably inherited intellectual rigor from her parents - Rama and BharathiRao, who migrated from Mangalore to the US and have strong academic credentials. Her parents instilled the freedom to choose and that she says taught her to be resourceful and take risks.
“If I felt like learning to fly a glider, I had to earn it, find a scholarship. If I wanted to attend a space camp, I had to search for scholarships and apply. To learn more about a concept, they would help me search for an expert, article or professor. They ensured I was safe, and allowed me to take risks.”
Today, she has a student’s flying license and can fly a glider.
[caption id="attachment_5593" align="alignnone" width="1010"] Gitanjali Rao learning how to fly.[/caption]
The Raos knew they were raising a special kid very early on. As a 10-year-old, a parent can expect the kid to ask for a new video game or a toy but the Raos had to service a carbon nanotube request.
'Kindly' to prevent cyberbullying
Among the other technologies that Rao has developed is Kindly, where she started with the question of how to prevent cyber threats. Kindly is an anti-cyber-bullying app that detects words related to cyberbullying using machine learning and natural language processing. As trailblazers go, her meeting with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella helped guide her with the initial prototype for Kindly. In an awe-inspiring meeting, Nadella was “kind enough to meet a 13-year-old, listen to her ideas and support,” she says.
Kindly has a Beta standalone app and browser extension now, and she has partnered with UNICEF to roll this out as a product that can be used worldwide to measure the number of preventable cyberbullying events.
Promoting STEM education through innovation workshops
A three-time TEDx speaker and winner of the US President’s Environmental Youth Award, Rao is hoping to solicit new innovators to address the world’s problems through her innovation workshops. She has already reached about 50,000 students in 26 countries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBEPYDLD3vg
“I hope to reach out to 50,000 more by 2021-end in partnership with MJP Foundation for schools in Cambodia, Royal Academy of Engineering for students in the UK, Transformation Ghana, and individual schools in India,” says the girl, who is now working on parasitic water contamination detection using genetic engineering. The key is to inspire girls to be unafraid of science and technology and help them connect it to real impact. But challenges abound. A workshop for girls in Gaza was canceled due to security issues. In Afghanistan and Chile, her struggle was to help people understand her accent.
“In a refugee camp in Kenya, some students had to walk 45 minutes just to listen, and had to leave before dark.”
“Schools in India that reach out and facilitate are much easier, though I have to tune my message for kindness, empathy, and collaboration.”
The TIME accolade has amplified her voice to influence and introduce innovation into the early education system. Since April 2018, Gitanjali has been working with UNICEF and was recognized as one of America’s Top Youth volunteers by Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Sheeven donated to UNICEF’s India COVID-19 response.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_li_TNwOEk
A family girl
She is often teased by her family that she might be “Kid of the Year” but she still has to do her chores and clean her room. Her friends can’t fathom how America’s top kid scientist forgets adding key ingredients like melted butter while baking.
Her Indianness comes out in glimpses - eating hotbhajiyas on a rainy day. Or sipping on borrowed chai from her mom with a Parle G biscuit or rusk. Due to the pandemic, Gitanjali missed her yearly visits to India to see her maternal grandparents in Navi Mumbai and paternal grandfather in Hyderabad. But she’s thankful they are in the US now.
Mentored by icons
Having good mentors is an important crucible in any Global Indian’s journey. Rao speaks of being under the tutelage of Dr Kathleen Shafer from 3M (Tethys), Dr Selene Hernandez (Denver Water), and Dr Michael McMurray who guided her on genetic engineering concepts. Moving forward, her goal is to reach out to the US Department of Education to bring innovation into daily curriculum, which means innovations in education.
[caption id="attachment_4066" align="alignnone" width="425"] When Global Indians meet: Gitanjali Rao with 3M's chief science advocate Jayshree Seth in 2018[/caption]
Marvel’s hero project
Gitanjali was featured in the web series Marvel’s Hero ProjectasGenius Gitanjali for her valuable contributions to society.
“I think that being a scientist is like being a superhero, because superheroes save people, and want to do what is best for their society – scientists do the same exact thing,” she earlier told Google.
(October 1, 2022) On September 29, 2022, Garuda Aerospace received its DGCA approval as a remote pilot training organisation. It will enable the startup to train some 1 lakh drone pilots across 755 districts, a target it aims to meet by the end of 2025. It's a huge leap forward, both in terms of technology and regulation. Founded by serial social entrepreneur and Global Indian Agnishwar Jayaprakash (Agni Foundation), who went from swimming to champ to entrepreneurship and studying in Harvard Business School, the startup received funding from MS Dhoni in June 2022. Back in 2014, Francesco's Pizzerias in Mumbai created quite the stir when it used an unmanned drone to deliver pizzas. Unfortunately, it also ruffled the feathers of the Mumbai police, who called it a security risk. The Indian government has been quick to catch on to the many uses of drones, from defense surveillance to mapping rural landholdings. The forest department also uses them to keep an eye out of poachers. By 2030, India's drone industry is all set to hit a market-size of $23 billion and capture 25 percent of the global drone market, according to journalist Shereen Bhan on Young Turks. With the government going
s them to keep an eye out of poachers. By 2030, India's drone industry is all set to hit a market-size of $23 billion and capture 25 percent of the global drone market, according to journalist Shereen Bhan on Young Turks.
With the government going full throttle on easing regulations, Garuda Aerospace, founded by serial social entrepreneur Agni Jayaprakash is the 31st RPTO to get the government nod since the regulations were eased on August 26 this year. Two months earlier, it burst into the limelight when cricketer M.S. Dhoni invested an undisclosed sum in the startup and became its brand investor. "I'm happy to be a part of Garuda Aerospace and look forward to witness their growth story," Dhoni said at the time.
As for the young entrepreneur himself, he was over the moon about it. Growing up, Agnishwar was an award-winning swimmer, his eyes set on the Olympics. At 14, he became the youngest Indian to represent his country at the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2004. At 22, he brought home medals in six categories at the world Short Swimming Course Championship in Istanbul, becoming the youngest Indian to achieve the feat. By this time, he had stepped fully into his entrepreneurship role.
Inspired by former president APJ Abdul Kalam, Agnishwar founded Ignite-India, a nationwide platform to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in schools and colleges. The platform reached out to over 7000 schools and was recognised by the United Nations. "I started swimming at the age of three and it became a passion because I was getting really good at it," he said, in an interview at Harvard Business School. "It was good, it let me travel the world, have many new experiences and meet new people. But it was very individualistic. All I thought about was what I could do for myself. Now, as an entrepreneur, the work I do impacts thousands of young people in India and South East Asia. It's been a very satisfying transition."
In 2019, he became Vice Chairman at Agni College of Technology in Chennai. "I wanted to leave a mark on the education system," he told Guindy Times in 2020. "Our system has become rudimentary because our kids are just expected to reproduce content after absorbing it in class. We test our kids only on one aspect of intelligence. You score good marks but you're not really learning." Agnishwar stepped in with the intention to bring innovative and entrepreneurial learning into the education system. Their acceleration programme funds startups and works with the government to inspire children and students as well.
Seven years after its founding, Garuda Aerospace has "scaled to a 200-member team having the largest drone fleet in India with over 300 drones and 500 pilots operating in 26 cities," Agnishwar said, in an interview with Industrial Automation India. "We have also expanded to Malaysia, Africa and South America." The team aims to spearhead what Agnishwar calls a "Drone Revolution" with a "vision of manufacturing 1 lakh Made in India drones and cement the market dominance on 2 major multi-billion-dollar segments - Precision Agri Tech and Industry 4.0."
Currently, Garuda Aerospace manufactures around 30 different kinds of drones and offers over 50 types of services across a range of industries. This includes warehouse management and delivery for Flipkart, seed dropping, project monitoring and drone delivery of medicines for hospitals. They are also working with Swiggy which is looking to expand to drone delivery in Bengaluru and Delhi.
Back in 2017, his interviewer at Harvard Business School asked Agnishwar his views on failure. "It's a cliche but it is a stepping stone," he said at once. "I learned that as a swimmer. I wanted to be in the Olympics, but I couldn't make it. With entrepreneurship, it's always a hit-and-miss. I tell young entrepreneurs not to lose motivation and to remember that ideas can only be sustained with the right modules and strategy. All we see in the media are the success stories but never the failures from which we can truly learn."