Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveSimone Sharma: Building opportunities for teens through YouthGrowYouth

Simone Sharma: Building opportunities for teens through YouthGrowYouth

Written by: Amrita Priya

(January 14, 2023) Growing up, student entrepreneur Simone Sharma dreamed of being a doctor. Life, however, had other plans. Along the way, she discovered that volunteer work could boost her CV and increase the odds of getting scholarships to good colleges. Although she wanted to give it a try, she didn’t know where to begin. The hunt for volunteering opportunities, however, sowed the seed for her own non-profit, YouthGrowYouth, which works with youngsters like herself.

Little did she know that in a short span of time, she would be able to reach out to more than 60,000 highschoolers, create a team of volunteers from across the globe and connect youngsters to several opportunities. This successful stint with social entrepreneurship has influenced the seventeen-year-old’s future plans, inspiring her to study business instead of medicine.

Simone Sharma

Through YouthGrowYouth, Simone has been helping youngsters discover a rich array of extracurricular options, and explore their career interests. The non-profit’s programmes range from helping youngsters with volunteering positions, internships, mentorships, exclusive Ivy League programmes and more.

“YouthGrowYouth has a team of 20 volunteers from India and places like Germany and Canada, who enable global online opportunities,” Simone tells Global Indian.

Impressive associations

Recently, the non-profit became affiliated with the United Nations Youth Council and has since expanded to promoting gender equality and mass literacy among vulnerable youth. “The UNYC affiliation has broadened our horizons as we get to be part of regional meetings and interact with board members,” remarks the youngster.

With Simone at the helm, YouthGrowYouth managed to get selected for the Crimson Youth Entrepreneurship Society’s 2022 cohort. “It’s a non-profit accelerator run by Harvard University students dedicated to help young founders create meaningful impacts in their communities and beyond,” tells Simone.

Excited about being part of such a significant cohort, chosen from amongst thousands of applicants, she says, “The selection process went on for three months. By the end of it, only 20 youth-led startups from all over the world were chosen. I am so glad we are one of them.”

The selection comes with the perks of resources for growth. “We are able to access many Harvard webinars, which aren’t otherwise available to the public. We also have access to Harvard-based mentors who groom us to make our startups better,” tells the young social entrepreneur.

Another interesting association has been YouthGowYouth’s selection for the first-ever Google Startup School India edition. Over the course of the nine-week online training programme, the early-stage startup founders were equipped with knowledge, tools and products that any growing organisation needs – all delivered by Google experts and unicorn founders.

The Bengaluru based teen is also one of the 120 participants selected out of 4,000 applicants for the YLC Leadership cum Entrepreneurship Conference. “In an online two-week programme, I was trained in a curriculum developed by Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School and Harvard Graduate School of Education on how to strengthen my organization’s presence,” she says.

Multifaceted teen

Social entrepreneurship, which Simone stumbled onto by chance, is not the only area in which the teenager excels. She has been a runner-up at the National Spelling Bee 2019. She has also tried her hand at pageantry and although she couldn’t earn the top spot in the Star Miss Teen India contest, she managed to earn the Miss Teen India Karnataka 2022 title as one of the finalists. There were other contestants representing the state.

“The contest was held at The Leela Palace, New Delhi. There were accomplished participants from across India. I managed to stand out in the talent round due to my poetry writing skills,” she mentions adding, ‘Though I stammered in nervousness when I was told to recite, losing my shot at winning the title, the days leading to the contest provided a holistic and growing experience for me.”

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Her poems are part of two anthologies published by a publishing house named Writer’s Pocket Publishing. The daughter of an army colonel, Simone is good at sports, and has represented her district and state in basketball tournaments.

“It’s ironic that although I want to pursue business analytics, I am studying science,” smiles the 12th grader of Jain Heritage School. The student entrepreneur aspires to pursue her college education abroad and expand YouthGrowYouth on campus there, to widen its horizons even more.

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Published on 14, Jan 2023

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Arshdeep Singh: How this 14-year-old wildlife photographer of the year captured two owlets, a treetop douc, and more

(December 29, 2021) His Instagram page is a gateway into the wilderness. If the beautiful dusky leaf monkey of Malaysia stares right back with those distinctive eyes in one capture, the other has a stunning diademed sifaka revelling in his natural habitat in Madagascar. That’s Arshdeep Singh for you - a teenager behind the phenomenal snapshots that have earned him a credible place among the wildlife photographer fraternity. And he is just 14 years of age. It was a splendid snapshot of a treetop douc that earned this boy from Jalandhar the tag of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020. “When I started, I never expected to gain so much recognition at such an early age. I am happy that my photos are loved by millions,” says Arshdeep in an interview with the Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_8986" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Arshdeep Singh's award-winning picture of a treetop douc[/caption] Born in Jalandhar to a businessman father and a homemaker mother, Arshdeep’s fascination for Nature and the wildlife translated into a passion for capturing them on his lens early on. He was all of five when his dad Randeep Singh gifted him a DSLR on his birthday, after seeing his young son’s raw

r and a homemaker mother, Arshdeep’s fascination for Nature and the wildlife translated into a passion for capturing them on his lens early on. He was all of five when his dad Randeep Singh gifted him a DSLR on his birthday, after seeing his young son’s raw talent. “My dad loves photography and pursues it as a hobby. When I was three, I would often see him holding large cameras, and that sight enthralled me. I wanted to do the same,” recalls the boy, who got tips from his father and learnt from YouTube videos.

His first camera forays were capturing snapshots in his grandmother’s backyard, which impressed his father immensely. Soon he started accompanying his father to the outskirts of Kapurthala to birdwatch. “Dad has been my teacher. His love for wildlife rubbed on to me and I started learning photography from him,” reveals the Apeejay School student.

[caption id="attachment_8988" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Arshdeep Singh[/caption]

Following the trail

An avid wildlife enthusiast, Singh loves to explore the fauna across the world. From the tropical forests of Malaysia to Madagascar’s enchanting woodland, the class eight student has explored wildlife across continents. On a trip to Vietnam in 2020, he came close to the red-shanked douc langur which won him the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. On his father’s business trip to the Son Tra nature reserve, Vietnam’s last coastal rainforest, and a habitat for the langur, he captured the mercurial creature. After reading about the endangered species, Arshdeep, waited for more than an hour to capture the douc. “I took more than 1,000 pictures but was unable to get that perfect shot of the treetop douc. After more than an hour, I found the perfect one. If you look at the langur, he looks like he is wearing a grey coat and black-brown pants – that’s what makes this photo so incredible,” says the teenager, who won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 in the 11 to 14 year category.

[caption id="attachment_8987" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Owl in pipe[/caption]

The accolades, they keep coming

His passion and love for photography have earned him accolades internationally though the teenager still has to battle fiercely against his family and school to earn respect. “Only my father was supportive of my decision to pursue photography. My mom and grandparents were quite unhappy with my choice. Like every family, they wanted me to focus on studies. Even my school was against it as I was missing classes,” divulges Arshdeep.

However, his accolades and a great body of work have helped change perspectives. “My mom is super proud and so is my school. I now strike a balance between my passion and studies. I mostly indulge in photography during vacations or weekends,” says the boy, who is greatly inspired by Vijayan Thomas, a renowned wildlife photographer.

Wanderlust through his lens

Singh loves Nature and often travels to the hills of Himachal with his Nikon D500 in search of impeccable shots. “Between landscape and wildlife photography, I prefer the latter. While the landscape hardly changes, there is always a thrill in clicking wildlife as nothing is certain. However, it does need a great deal of patience,” he reveals.

[caption id="attachment_8989" align="alignnone" width="1080"] A picture clicked by Arshdeep Singh[/caption]

Patience helped him earn the award-winning shot of owlets peeping through a pipe. Then a 10-year-old, Arshdeep spotted a pair of owlets in a pipe one balmy Sunday morning (2018) on his way to Kapurthala for birdwatching. “I remember it was 6.30 am when I saw the owlets, and asked my dad to stop the car. Though dad was sceptical as owls are nocturnal birds and not easily spotted in the day, I was sure. We patiently waited for an hour after which both the owlets peeked up at the pipe, and I got a picture-perfect shot,” smiles Arshdeep about the photo that won him the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018. “It was such an amazing moment that I couldn’t sleep the entire night,” reveals the wildlife buff.

A Nature lover, he has travelled to over 15 countries, and is keen on creating a greener world. “I have planted trees in my backyard, and would like more people to take the initiative. It’s high time we maintain the ecosystem and help wildlife enjoy their habitats,” affirms Singh.

[caption id="attachment_8990" align="alignnone" width="1080"] A photo of butterfly clicked by Arshdeep Singh[/caption]

Accolades aside, Arshdeep wants to help people learn photography. “I am keen to launch a course for amateur photographers. It’s important to give back, and I wish to do so with my course,” Singh signs off. Photography changed his life, and he now wants to help others do so too.

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Reading Time: 6 min

A ‘Rebba’rence to the downtrodden: How Dhruv helps underprivileged and pandemic-stricken

(March 24, 2022) An eighth grader, Dhruv Rebba landed in India from the US to visit his father's village - NP Kunta in Andhra Pradesh. The experience was a life changer – as he started a non-profit at the age of 14. The teenager from Illinois was startled by the gap in the standard of living between the US and India, and couldn't wrap his head around it. “It astonished me that the difference in the quality of life between two parts of the world is so stark — in a week, I experienced polar realities on two completely different continents," Dhruv tells Global Indian in an interview. Universal Help, an organisation that helps improve people's quality of life, began with this earnest need to bridge the gap. That relentless work for the underprivileged, and contribution to stem helped him bag the 2022 4-H Youth In Action Award for Stem. The stem lover is also the youngest amateur radio operator in the US, who obtained his license at just nine. [caption id="attachment_13196" align="aligncenter" width="433"] Dhruv Rebba[/caption] When stem became his be all Born in Dallas in 2004 to immigrant parents, Dhruv's inclination towards stem began as early as age six.

obalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dhruv2.jpg" alt="Stem Lover | Dhruv Rebba " width="433" height="541" /> Dhruv Rebba[/caption]

When stem became his be all

Born in Dallas in 2004 to immigrant parents, Dhruv's inclination towards stem began as early as age six. “I would play with electronic snap circuits (DIY kits) where anyone can put together a circuit while following a guide, and can build Led lights, fans, and various systems with ease,” says the Class 12th student. It was in fourth grade that he came across stem opportunities that 4-H, a youth development and mentoring organisation, had to offer. “I joined the 4-H robotics club where I was taught by older 4-H members, which led to my interest in stem,” adds the Normal Community High School student who initially felt lost but soon picked up pace.

“We began with NXT Robots, which are lego-based robots, and soon started making line followers. Moreover, we made the robot function through line, ultrasonic and touch sensors. This cemented my interest in the field of robotics,” says the 17-year-old who is currently a part of a 4-H based FRC team, MetalCow Robotics that builds 120-pound robots from scratch.

Dhruv also launched 4-H robotics clubs in elementary school to “create more opportunities for younger kids to get involved in stem.” “I teach third to fifth graders the basic fundamentals of robotics, coding and engineering,” reveals the Normal resident.

Radio ga ga

In third grade, Dhruv attended the Dayton Hamvention, an international ham radio convention, thanks to his dad who has been a ham radio operator for over 25 years. “I was inspired by the convention, and took an FCC exam to obtain an amateur radio license when I was nine years," says Dhruv who got a place in the Limca Book of Records for being the youngest person of Indian descent ever to earn a general class license.

This love for ham radio helped him bag a project Amateur Radio on the International Space Station that allowed 16 students from various countries to speak via ham radio to astronauts on board the orbiting station. “I was the driving force behind an ARISS contact on October 23, 2017 at Chiddix Jr High School wherein students got the opportunity to talk to Astronaut Joe Acaba on the ISS. From technical preparations to coordinating with Nasa to making the initial ISS contact, I helped at every step. As the lead control operator of the ARISS contact, I made the initial contact between our ground station and the ISS," says Dhruv, who helped conduct an eight minute live conversation through the radio.

It took a village to see the problems

That visit to his father’s village in Andhra Pradesh (2018) had a profound effect on him, and led to the launch of his non-profit Universal Help. “I walked through a dirt road riddled with potholes. To my left, I saw a deserted primary school with a collapsed foundation. To my right, I saw a medical clinic that was almost always empty and devoid of a doctor. I looked at homes on the street, many of which were small amid a periodic power outage. I thought back to life in the US, with no outages and schools that don't collapse. A regular middle-class home in the US is magnitudes larger than what I saw in this village. It made me think a lot,” says Dhruv.

[caption id="attachment_13204" align="aligncenter" width="545"] Universal Help distributed books to schools in Andhra Pradesh[/caption]

The organisation started working for the betterment of people. It has provided textbooks to schools, digitised schools in rural India with projectors, computers and UPS. “We’ve also provided emergency rescue materials during Cyclone Yaas in West Bengal. Currently, we are working on starting a solar panel pilot programme in rural Andhra Pradesh, although it’s in very early stages. Locally, we are working with the city of Bloomington to expand accessibility to recycling, and also with the Ecology Action Centre on a composting project," reveals Dhruv.

Help during the pandemic

Within two years of launching the nonprofit, the pandemic struck, and Universal Help rose to the occasion. “We distributed two months of groceries to poor Purohit families of Kopparu village in Guntur (AP) and 10 grocery kits to the Purohits of Bolarum, Hyderabad during the second wave of lockdown. We also distributed groceries and other essential goods for a month to a mental health clinic in Shantiniketan, Hyderabad. Together, Universal Help and GSSO distributed food to 380 families in rural villages in India during the first two waves of Covid-19,” adds Dhruv whose non-profit works with volunteers, and is funded by individual donations.

Dhruv's contribution to the world of stem and social work helped him bag the 2022 4-H Youth In Action Award for Stem. “It feels good that your work is being recognised,” says the boy who plans to study computer science in college, and wants to start a technology company soon. He loves curling with a book or watching tv in his free time.

His parents, who work at State Farm Insurance, are his biggest cheerleaders. “They’re open to things that I want to do, and try to connect me to people who might be able to help me achieve my goals,” says Dhruv who calls “taking the first step” his biggest challenge so far. “Originally, I had no idea how to start a non-profit. However, with the support of friends, mentors, and family, I was able to overcome many of obstacles,” he adds, advising youngsters to “not be afraid to start. However intimidating it is, once you push the pedal it gets easier and less intimidating.”

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Indian American scholar Sadhana Lolla aims to make AI accessible to all

(March 07, 2024) As a young kid, Sadhana Lolla was fascinated with machines and various equipment. But, growing up whenever she would visit India with her parents, she would observe her grandmother's toil without the availability of any assistive technology. "The experience greatly inspired me to delve into artificial intelligence solutions aimed at delivering robotic assistive technology to marginalised communities," the young scholar shared during an interview. Fueled by a desire to make a global impact through her innovative work, Sadhana secured the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. This scholarship allows students to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field at Cambridge University in the UK. "I'll be delving deep into the intricate connections between technology, public policy, laws, and governance," shared an elated Sadhana, adding, "This intersection is pivotal in an era where every process is digitising, and the significance of AI is continually growing. I hope that my studies could significantly contribute to the global discourse on technology and its profound impact on society." ALSO READ: Meet Vaibhav Mohanty – an accomplished scholar and musician Of hard work and grit A curious kid from the beginning, Sadhana took part in various academic and cultural competitions. "In high school, I was

gy and its profound impact on society."

ALSO READ: Meet Vaibhav Mohanty – an accomplished scholar and musician

Of hard work and grit

A curious kid from the beginning, Sadhana took part in various academic and cultural competitions. "In high school, I was the captain of my Scioly team and competed in biology and Earth and Space Science events. I was also on the competitor logistics committee and also helped out with events," the scholar shared. Soon after finishing school, the youngster joined the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is a fourth-year undergraduate, majoring in computer science and minoring in mathematics, "And literature. I have quite a busy schedule, but yet outside of school and planning committees that I am a part of, I still find time to bake, cook, and read," the Global Indian shared.

A part of MIT's Distributed Robotics Laboratory, Sadhana has been working day and night on her research under the guidance of Professor Daniela Rus, focusing on safe and trustworthy robotics and deep learning. Her investigations encompass debiasing strategies for autonomous vehicles and streamlining the design processes of robots. Said the scholar, "My research focusses broadly on the application of deep learning to robotics and on designing and deploying uncertainty-aware artificial intelligence with Dr. Ava Amini."

ALSO READ: Dhruv Gaur is working towards drug stigma and inequality

Also, at Microsoft Research and Themis AI, I have contributed to the development of uncertainty-aware frameworks for deep learning, with applications spanning computational biology, language modeling, and robotics," shared the scholar, who has showcased her research findings at prestigious conferences such as the Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) and the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML). "Through this SuperUROP project, I want to become more involved in applying deep learning algorithms to robotics. I hope to apply knowledge from previous machine learning classes and research to an exciting new area of study," she added.

Scaling heights

While she might sound like a nerd, the young scholar is involved in tonnes of activities outside academics as well. Despite a very tight schedule, the young scholar is leading initiatives at MIT to make computer science education more accessible globally. "I instruct class 6.s191, MIT's Introduction to Deep Learning, a course that reaches millions of students globally. As the curriculum lead for Momentum AI, I contribute to the only U.S. program offering free AI education to underserved students. Additionally, I've had the privilege of teaching hundreds of students in Northern Scotland through the MIT Global Teaching Labs programme," she said.

Sadhana also serves as the director for xFair, MIT's largest student-run career fair. Furthermore, she holds an executive board position for Next Sing, where efforts are made to increase accessibility to a cappella for students from various musical backgrounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvUo1E38ZvY

When asked about her future plans, the young scholar said, "I aspire to spearhead discussions on deploying and developing technology for marginalised communities, including the rural Indian village my family calls home. Simultaneously, I am engaged in research focused on embodied intelligence."

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Reading Time: 5 mins

Kaavya Kopparapu: On a mission to transform healthcare with AI

(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. [caption id="attachment_40183" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Kavya Kopparapu[/caption] This

rview.

[caption id="attachment_40183" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Kavya Kopparapu[/caption]

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."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iBHBZ6Lce4

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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Haute & happening: These Indians have designs on world couture

(May 4, 2022) India’s rich tapestry of handloom is unequivocal. That it has entered the mainstream rungs of fashion, appearing on catwalks the world over just paved the way for desi fashion designers to make their mark in the world of haute couture. Today, many Indians are responsible for the embroidery, embellishments, and fabrics you see by prestigious fashion houses like Versace, Hermès, Christian Louboutin, Gucci, Prada, Dior, etc. Many Indian designers and influencers, including Anita Dongre, Suket Dhir, Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia, Bibhu Mohapatra, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, and Ritu Kumar, have carved a niche for themselves, in a very dynamic and cut-throat industry of haute couture. From wearable everyday pieces to luxe bridal couture, these Indians have made their mark on the fashion industry, representing India in a unique way. While some stick to traditional styles like sarees, lehengas, tunics, and churidars, others embrace updated aesthetics like tie-dye sweats, floral button-downs, and puff sleeves. Global Indian explores Indian fashion creators and influencers that are making their mark across the world. Naeem Khan, fashion designer Born in a middle-class family in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, fashion designer Naeem Khan hardly needs an introduction. His father and grandfather cultivated

Born in a middle-class family in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, fashion designer Naeem Khan hardly needs an introduction. His father and grandfather cultivated an early interest in textiles, as they both designed intricate clothes worn by royal families. Of his early passion for design, Khan has said, “It was built into my DNA. I watched my father design formal wear for India’s most influential people, and I knew that I would want to pursue a similar path.”

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The designer, who has styled several influential ladies, including first lady Michelle Obama, Queen Noor of Jordan, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, moved to the United States in 1978 to apprentice for legendary American designer Halston. “My knowledge of fashion and lifestyle is influenced by my time with Halston,” Naeem had said while being interviewed for the documentary film Halston.

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Khan spent several years after his apprenticeship continuing to work with Halston on freelance, going on to launch fashion house Riazee in 1981, a clothing label named after his mother that was carried in prominent American retail stores for about a decade. Today, Naeem is known for his intricately detailed gowns with sequins and beads, and is one of the most influential designers in the world of haute couture.

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Megan Kothari, jewellery designer

During her travels to India, the New York-based jewellery designer, Megan Kothari would collect tribal jewellery, specifically big cuffs and statement necklaces, crafted by the Rabari community in Gujarat. That is where the journey of her label, Aaryah, began.

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A post shared by Megan (@megankothari)

Interestingly, even though she was born into a family of diamond traders, Megan didn’t want to pursue the same path. Instead, she chose to pursue her interest in fashion and started interning at the age of 15 in New York City. The designer earned a degree in international trade and fashion marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “However, after gaining invaluable experience in the beauty industry, it turned out that I did have an inclination towards designing jewellery; it became a form of self-expression for me,” Megan shares on her official website.

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A post shared by AARYAH (@aaryahjewelry)

Today, her designs are not only coveted by fine jewellery enthusiasts from around the world, she also received the ultimate celebrity stamp of approval when musician Taylor Swift wore the “Rani” earrings from her brand at the recently held Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

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Masoom Minawala Mehta, fashion content creator

One of the earliest influencers or content creators in India, Masoom Minawala Mehta, made history at the Milan Fashion Week-2022, by becoming the first-ever Indian creator to walk the runway as a showstopper. Hailing from a family of jewellers in Mumbai, she founded a start-up when she was just 19. As the start-up didn’t do too well, Masoom set up a fashion portal - Miss Style Fiesta in 2010, where she would give tips on current trends and fashion inputs.

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A post shared by Masoom Minawala Mehta (@masoomminawala)

She follows a “principle of four” while creating content — ensuring that the content either educates, inspires, helps or entertains. From Dior to Hermès, and Jimmy Choo, Masoom’s feed is action-packed and always genuine. Despite moving base from Mumbai to Antwerp after her marriage in 2016, the influencer’s social media posts strongly promote her love for Indian designers.

Honoured to have walked Cannes with fashion that spoke for itself but I would also like to highlight the prep work involved in getting there which is a storyline in itself. Tap to read more about what I brought to the Cannes Film Festival 2021 https://t.co/Lhu5J32NE0

— Masoom Minawala (@MasoomMinawala) July 26, 2021

In her bid to help small designers tide over the 2020 pandemic, she started a series of short fashion videos where she personally curated lists of brands to pick for various budgets and occasions.

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Diipa Büller-Khosla, fashion and beauty influencer

A globally recognised face, Diipa Büller-Khosla has graced covers of prestigious fashion magazines like Conde Nast Traveller India, Brides, and Travel & Leisure. Having left India at 17, Diipa moved to Amsterdam to study law. Now shuttling between London and Amsterdam, with an Instagram following exceeding 516k, it’s safe to say that she is a heavyweight in the world of influencers.

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A post shared by Diipa Büller-Khosla (@diipakhosla)

The influencer, who is also a mother of one, served as ambassador for brands like Estée Lauder, Maybelline, and Kérastase, and even walked international red carpets like Cannes and Venice. Her organisation, PostForChange, urges digital influencers to use their voice for various causes; she herself is vocal about fighting discrimination, something she has faced in the past due to her skin colour.

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Sheena Sood, fashion designer

A textile designer by professional, New York-based Sheena Sood’s label abacaxi celebrates diversity in all forms. Sheena began her career as an artist, studying visual art at Brown University and Central Saint Martins, often incorporating embroidery, beading and sequin work into her paintings. Soon after graduating, she developed print and embellishment designs for American label Tracy Reese before briefly moving to India to live with her parents.

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Interestingly, it was the bounty of textiles she had collected in her homeland that inspired abacaxi’s first capsule collection. In 2020, Sheena prepared for a full launch for spring, however it was quickly halted by the pandemic. Identifying a need, pivoted to creating intricate beaded and embroidered face masks that garnered attention from the likes of New York magazine. With that momentum, the label grew to include a full ready-to-wear offering, soaked in aqueous tie-dye prints and technicolour palettes.

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