Will Rishi Sunak be a gamechanger for UK’s Indian students?
Written by: Namrata Srivastava
(October 27, 2022) The famed 10 Downing Street, which once ruled over the entire Subcontinent, is now home to an Indian family. After an audience with King Charles III on Tuesday, the youngest and richest Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak is set to take charge of the Great British Isles. Despite being relatively new to British politics, this economist played his cards right and in less than a decade went from being a Member of Parliament to Chancellor of the Exchequer and now the 57th Prime Minister of the UK.
Proud of his Indian roots, Sunak is also the first Hindu to take over the PM office. While he has much to sort out within Britain, the 42-year-old does recognise that good relations with India are important for the UK. Earlier this year, while addressing a gathering of British Indian Conservative Party members, Sunak had expressed his desire to change the UK-India relationship to make it a more two-way exchange that opens up easy access to UK students and companies in India. He greeted the crowd in Hindi with “Namaste, Salaam, Kem cho, and Kidda,” he said, “Aap sab mere parivar ho (You are a part of my family).” When questioned about bilateral ties, he responded, “We know the UK-India relationship is important. We represent the living bridge between our two countries. We are all very aware of the opportunity for the UK to sell things and do things in India, but actually we need to look at that relationship differently because there is an enormous amount that we here in the UK can learn from India.”
An immigrant himself, the Global Indian is of the opinion that young students must not be denied any opportunity for good education. And thus, he is not only looking to support India’s student mobility but also vice-versa. “We are all very aware of the opportunity for the UK to sell things and do things in India, but actually we need to look at that relationship differently because there is an enormous amount that we here in the UK can learn from India,” he said, adding, “I want to make sure that it’s easy for our students to also travel to India and learn, that it’s also easy for our companies and Indian companies to work together because it’s not just a one-way relationship, it’s a two-way relationship, and that’s the type of change I want to bring to that relationship.”
Currently, with a 96 percent student visa acceptance rate, about 1,65,000 Indian students have moved to the UK between 2019 and 2022 alone – making them the biggest student diaspora in the country. The Indian and UK officials are working closely to support student mobility and create better opportunities for Indian students to succeed in the global job market. Only last year, the two countries announced the India-UK Roadmap 2030 to pave the way for deeper collaboration between the two nations, allowing for more exchange of knowledge and ideas between institutions and supporting the two-way mobility of students, teachers, and researchers.
Despite the reassurances, experts believe Sunak’s impact on India-UK ties will be marginal at best. With Suella Braverman, who has been re-appointed as the Home Secretary, branding Indians as the largest group of migrants who overstayed in the UK, the mobility of skilled Indians to the UK could be a sticky point. It also remains to be seen how the Sunak government handles immigrants, who have extended the maximum period of two years allowed to international students to work or look for work within the UK.
(May 19, 2024) United States-born Prasiddha Sudhakar has grown up in six different countries. “I have an international background, and this really shaped my worldview. I think that learning languages was always a big part of it,” said the 23-year-old. Prasiddha, a master's student at the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at the Carnegie Mellon University, has been chosen for the 2024 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). Through this immersive program, she will have the opportunity to delve into intensive Hindi language studies in India. The CLS is a highly competitive scholarship programme, with an acceptance rate of approximately 10 percent. It offers U.S. students a chance to deeply engage with languages and cultures vital to U.S. security and economic well-being. [caption id="attachment_37865" align="aligncenter" width="718"] Prasiddha Sudhakar | Photo Credit: CMU[/caption] Prasiddha realised that learning Hindi would be crucial for understanding the cultural dynamics shaping the online Indian communities she studies as part of her research. She applied for the CLS and was thrilled to be selected. At home, the Indian-origin youngster speaks Tamil and sees the scholarship as a great opportunity. “Being able to reconnect with my heritage in some way, like learning Hindi, is something I've
At home, the Indian-origin youngster speaks Tamil and sees the scholarship as a great opportunity. “Being able to reconnect with my heritage in some way, like learning Hindi, is something I've wanted to do since I was a child. I’m really excited and thankful for the opportunity,” she said. She can also converse in French, Dutch, Spanish, German, and Persian.
Combining passion and work
In addition to being a master's student, Prasiddha works as a civic technologist at the Network Contagion Research Institute in the US. Her passion for languages extends into her work, where she focuses on countering hate speech and misinformation. She monitors emerging social issues on the internet, performs cyber forensics, and uses datasets to uncover inauthentic or harmful online activities.
The Pittsburgh based youngster has published papers examining anti-Hindu and anti-Muslim movements, and her contributions have been featured on platforms like the Washington Post. Prasiddha embraced multilingual education from a young age. “It was always an integral part of my life. You would be in a country where you don't know the language, so you'd have to pick it up rapidly,” the Global Indian remarked.
In 2022, Prasiddha graduated from Rutgers University with a double major in computer science and economics, alongside a minor in critical intelligence studies. During her undergraduate years, she earned a prestigious public policy and international affairs fellowship at Heinz College of the Carnegie Mellon University. Throughout her academic and professional journey, she has consistently advocated for adopting a global outlook when addressing pivotal societal matters. She served as the president of the Rutgers Hindu Students Council.
Love for India and its culture
Although Prasiddha was born and brought up in the West, she is deeply connected to her native country. “In my childhood, there was not a single summer that I didn’t go to India,” she recalled. “As a youngster brought up in the West, I turned to religion instead of moving away from it,” she added. In her native place, Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, Prasiddha loved walking barefoot, absorbing the spiritual energies of the place.
In the U.S., she would go to temples and observe rituals there as well as at home, questioning their significance. “However, I realised the deeper meanings only later. I think that’s a natural progression for young Hindus,” she explains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFeIOhD2sO0
“I wear a bindi and other symbols that openly show me as a Hindu, but this often leads to not just light questioning but hostility. I have been asked, ‘Why is your head bleeding?’ and have been called ‘dot head’ in classrooms and other academic settings. This is not just ignorance but hostility towards who I am,” she said in a BBC podcast. Prasiddha speaks vociferously on Hinduism and its impact and is frequently invited to discussions at prestigious forums.
“I’ve been asked so many times, ‘Don’t you have 33 million gods? What’s the point?’ There isn’t a model Hindu education system in the West, leading to such ignorance. This is something the Hindu community should address by creating more educational opportunities in the West,” Prasiddha Sudhakar stated in an interview with the BBC last year.
(January 6, 2021) Singing the Indian national anthem evokes fervour and patriotism. Some hum the British and American ones. Well, not fully, but at least some words! Yet, this Indian boy’s anthem repertoire is something that will take you aback. The 15-year-old Indian anthemologist Yathaarth Murthy is a two-time Limca Book of Records holder for singing the highest number of anthems in the world. He disarms with his eager smile as he shares how he mastered a whopping 260 national anthems – that is how many there are in the world, incidentally! That’s not all, this teen is also an avid environmentalist and was one of the 20 winners of the India 20 Under 20 organised by White Canvas, a mentoring organisation recognised by Niti Ayog. Born and raised in Bengaluru, Yathaarth’s first tryst with anthems happened when his Hindustani classical music teacher tutored him to perform anthems of four countries – India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Japan -- on the keyboard. “That was back in 2014. It got me hooked. I liked the lyrics and wanted to explore more anthems. So, I began researching on YouTube and Wikipedia, and taught myself several more countries’ anthems,” the Indian anthemologist tells Global Indian. Onward on, one anthem at a time Anthem spurting became a passion for the student of Vidyashilp Academy. “It lit a spark and there was no
wp-image-9313 aligncenter" src="https://www.globalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2022/01/IMG_31791.jpg" alt="Indian Teen | Yathaarth Murthy | Global Indian Youth" width="417" height="640" />
Onward on, one anthem at a time
Anthem spurting became a passion for the student of Vidyashilp Academy. “It lit a spark and there was no turning back,” he says. Soon he was spending hours pouring over anthems of different nations. While he understood the gist of a few, he enjoyed the lyrics and tunes too.
While Yathaarth, the only child of architect parents, found the accents and pronunciation a bit difficult, he kept at it. “The first few tries were difficult. As I continued to practice, I got a hang of the pronunciations too. Before I knew it, I was able to sing more than 100 anthems,” says Yathaarth. Incidentally, the term “anthemologist” was something he coined to describe his unique feat.
[caption id="attachment_9312" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Yathaarth Murthy with Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai[/caption]
It was around this time in 2017, that he told his mother about wanting to apply to the Limca Book of Records. To his surprise, he had in fact made the record. That’s how a young Bengalurean came to hold the Limca record for singing the highest number of anthems – 112 at the time. “When I first picked up learning these various anthems, I didn’t think I’d one day become a record holder or a TEDx speaker,” says the class 10 student. Yet, he soon broke his own record when he learnt all 260 anthems, and once again set a new Limca record in 2019.
Saving the environment, one lake at a time
As a primary school student, Yathaarth used to love watching TedX videos and wanted to be on the hallowed platform himself. His dream soon came true when he was invited to deliver his first TED talk in 2018 at age 12. “My first talk was about my journey as an anthemologist,” says the youth who has so far given four TED talks, the most recent in December 2020. The topics have been varied: environment, anthems, and on pursuing one’s dreams.
After he’d set his second Limca record, Yathaarth wondered, “What next?” “How could I give back to the community and do something meaningful? It was around then that I began learning more and more about the environment and climate change. I watched Greta Thunberg’s speeches. Shortly, I began working in the environment sphere in my own small way,” he adds.
Soon, Yathaarth was holding climate strikes and working on a school project for the World Federation of UN Association which earned him more accolades in 2019. “I worked on a project with four friends. We decided to revive Manae, a 4.5 acre lake on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The city was once filled with beautiful lakes, but today most are highly polluted or encroached upon,” says the environmentalist, who launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise Rs 8.27 lakh for the lake’s revival. He worked with Anand Malligavad, also known as the Lake Man of India, to revive the lake and would often visit the lake in his free time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IVIcvIMKhU
“When we first visited the lake, we could see the barren lakebed and there was barely any flora and fauna. Today, the lake is thriving and hosts various birds like peacocks, has beautiful flora and is the water source for a neighbouring village,” beams the boy who still visits the lake sometimes. His work to revive this lake earned him a spot on White Canvas’ India 20 Under 20 list.
Making time count
Anthems and the environment apart, Yathaarth Murthy is also a basketball and music lover. As he gears up for his board exams, he has already begun planning for a future as a diplomat representing India at the United Nations. “I’ve chosen sociology, global perspective, history, and environment management, so I can apply to colleges abroad, and work towards working with the UN,” says the teen who spent the better part of the pandemic trying to conduct relief work. From distributing food to the needy through the iCare brigade to organising Housie for a Cause, and diverting funds towards Covid relief, Yathaarth has been busy doing his bit to spread cheer in otherwise dismal times.
(April 6, 2022) It was during a sports event in Nizamabad, Telangana when 12-year-old Nikhat Zareen was first told that boxing is not for girls. Today, the pint-sized girl boxing champ has won several gold medals in various international boxing championships and is regarded as one of the best in the sports. “I remember telling my father that someone had told me that boxing is not meant for girls. He told me, there is nothing one can't do if they are determined," shares the 25-year-old Indian boxer, speaking exclusively to Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_14274" align="aligncenter" width="563"] Nikhat Zareen[/caption] “After I first stepped inside the box, there was no turning back. I knew boxing is what I wanted to do. My father supported me throughout my journey, encouraging me. Today, after I have won many medals, I feel that all the hard work was worth it. However, I have much more potential, and a long way to go,” adds the girl boxing champ, who recently defeated Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medallist 4-1 to clinch a gold medal at the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament. She had also won gold in the same tournament in 2019, making her the
adds the girl boxing champ, who recently defeated Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medallist 4-1 to clinch a gold medal at the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament. She had also won gold in the same tournament in 2019, making her the only Indian to win two gold medals at the event.
Humble beginning
Nikhat started her sporting journey from a town called Nizamabad, in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Participating in several school competitions, Nikhat was a junior sports star. The Indian boxer shares that her father is not only her biggest support but also an inspiration. “My father was also a sportsperson. He was working in Saudi Arabia, but when he got to know that one of his daughters is interested in sports, he left his job and came to India. Despite many people saying that I am a girl, and can’t box, my father constantly encouraged me and reminded me that the first rule of any sport is to not give up,” shares the girl boxing champ whose father mentored her early on.
It just took her a year to prove her mettle in boxing. She won several state and national level championships and was inducted into the Sports Authority of India in Vishakhapatnam to train under Dronacharya awardee, IV Rao in 2009. With her hard work, Nikhat was selected to represent the country at the 2011 Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship in Turkey.
“I defeated the Turkish boxer Ulku Demir, which everyone said was going to be very difficult as she had the support of the crowd. But frankly more than winning the competition, the greatest moment of that tournament was when India’s national anthem was played after I won gold. I was overwhelmed and that was the moment I decided that I will become a professional boxer,” she shares.
Not only was this the first win at an international tournament for the Indian boxer, but this was also the first time she sat on the flight. Just before leaving the country for the competition, Nikhat shares an amusing incident, “I have motion sickness, so I requested a window seat on the flight. I didn’t know that you can’t use those windows.”
Scaling new heights
After the Turkey win, there was no looking back for Nikhat. She won medals at various national and international events, including the 2014 Youth World Boxing Championships, Bulgaria, the 2014 Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament, Serbia, and the 2015 16th Senior Woman National Boxing Championship, Assam.
However, in 2017 the champion’s shoulder snapped during an Inter-University Championships bout, forcing her out of the ring for a year. “As sportspersons, we are often told that injuries are a part of our journey. But, there is nothing more difficult than sitting out of the ring and watching compatriots do so well. I always found myself thinking about all those tournaments I could have been winning medals at. I was mentally down. Many people said that I was finished and had no chance of representing India again,” shares the Indian boxer.
[caption id="attachment_14275" align="aligncenter" width="673"] Nikhat after winning the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament[/caption]
But just when people were about to write her off, the girl boxing champ made a resounding comeback after winning gold at the 56th Belgrade Winner International Championship 2018. “Before that tournament, I remember I was determined to show everyone who thought that my career was finished, what I was made off. I practiced a lot and finished on the podium,” says the smiling girl boxing champ.
Winning the world
Currently at the national camp, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, as a flyweight boxer, she feels she doesn’t just need power. Explaining further, the girl boxing champ says, “(I need) speed to step in and out, duck, weave and throw punches. For any tournament, I do strength training - to convert strength into power. We also do cardio, and train in the ring.”
The boxer, who recently returned to India after her second gold at the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament, is back to training hard to claim more laurels. “I took a short leave to visit my family in Nizamabad. My next aim is the upcoming World Boxing Championships and later the 2024 Paris Olympics. I dream of winning gold there for my nation,” shares the girl boxing champ.
A foodie at heart, Nikhat enjoys trying new things. “When I travel for tournaments, I hardly get time. I just keep training. However, whenever there is a chance of getting a break, I go out and eat with my team members. In fact, whenever I am back in Nizamabad, I catch up with friends over street food. Although, I have to keep a tab on what and how much am I eating,” shares the Indian boxer.
(January 24, 2023) “One in seven people worldwide deal with a mental health issue. I am one of them,” remarks Manvi Tiwari. Turning her adversity into advantage, the nineteen-year-old youngster has built her identity as a well-known mental health activist. She was one of the youngest speakers at 2022’s World Health Summit held in Berlin, Germany in October. She began writing - describing her own experiences with mental health, which she sent out to online media platforms. That grew, leading to full-fledged activism and global collaborations for the teenager. [caption id="attachment_26828" align="aligncenter" width="604"] Manvi Tiwari[/caption] One significant association includes the Global Mental Health Peer Network (GMHPN). Based out of Johannesburg, South Africa GMHPN reaches out to people in 30 countries with the agenda to create a network of experts with lived experiences to be on board of initiatives to combat the global challenge. Manvi has been the country executive of India for GMHPN. “I am associated with a lot of projects on mental health and coincidentally most are based in Europe,” says the Kanpur girl, who has been pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Mumbai over the last two years. Global associations Manvi is associated with Women in Global Health (WGH),
ca GMHPN reaches out to people in 30 countries with the agenda to create a network of experts with lived experiences to be on board of initiatives to combat the global challenge. Manvi has been the country executive of India for GMHPN.
“I am associated with a lot of projects on mental health and coincidentally most are based in Europe,” says the Kanpur girl, who has been pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Mumbai over the last two years.
Global associations
Manvi is associated with Women in Global Health (WGH), a women-led movement challenging power and privilege for gender equity in global health. Another association has been working as a lived experience expert for MQ Mental Health Research, an organisation working to identify world-wide longitudinal datasets that can be best used to advance the understanding of how brain, body and environment interact in the trajectory of anxiety, depression and psychosis.
The teen is also part of a collaborative initiative of London-based The McPin Foundation and British magazine, Economist Impact for a project titled the ‘Common Metrics in Mental Health (CMMH) Programme’. “I’m on the advisory board for this much needed project,” she tells Global Indian.
[caption id="attachment_26829" align="aligncenter" width="973"] Manvi Tiwari with delegates at World Health Summit in Berlin[/caption]
World Health Summit in Berlin
As representative of Global Mental Health Peer Network, Manvi got the opportunity to represent the organisation and be a speaker at World Health Summit, co-organised by WHO and GMHPN. High profile participants from across the globe, including presidents and prime ministers of several countries were part of the summit. “I remember seeing the presidents of France and Germany at the breakfast table,” recalls Manvi. There were other dignitaries like Dr Mansukh Mandavia, minister of health and family welfare, Dr Amar Patnaik, member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha, and UNICEF representatives from several countries.
It was a ‘surreal experience’ for the teen, being a member of the panel that included representatives from the health ministry of Egypt and director of non-communicable diseases and mental health, WHO. This was also her first foreign exposure, as well as her maiden attempt at speaking on such a large platform.
She was nervous at the start but soon found her feet. “To my surprise, many people whom I met at the World Health Summit knew me already.” One such person was Dr Shubha Nagesh, heading the South Asia region of Women in Global Health. “She just walked up to me and said, ‘you are Manvi Tiwari, right, I have been looking for your number for quite some time’,” recalls Manvi. Having admired Dr Shubha Nagesh, Manvi was pleasantly surprised to learn that Dr Nagesh was following her work too. Today, Manvi is part of Dr Shubha’s project – Women in Global Health.
[caption id="attachment_26833" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Manvi Tiwari with panel members of her session on mental health at World Health Summit, Berlin[/caption]
Manvi’s lived experiences
“I am a lived experience expert. It means an expert who has experienced mental health issues,” tells Manvi. She wasn’t even a teenager yet when she first began dealing with mental illnesses like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and depression. “I was 11 or 12 when my mother was diagnosed with OCD and depression. Right now, there is lots of awareness about mental health but that time it was close to zero. I remember how I used to search for keywords on the internet to find a solution to my mother’s problems, but was led to concepts like superstition to describe her situation.” It took time for Manvi and her family in Kanpur to realise that the condition that her mother has been suffering from was a mental health issue and that there are specialised doctors to treat her condition.
“Even today there is a very niche audience comprising youngsters, well-to do people, or those staying in metro cities who are aware of what mental health means. Outside of these segments, most people remain unaware, like we were eight years ago in Kanpur,” she remarks.
With psychiatric interventions, Manvi’s mother’s condition gradually started to improve and has shown drastic progress since. Her mother, Manvi says, showed great determination, handling her job as the principal in a government school, taking care of a family of four and working with psychiatrists at the same time to lift herself out of her mental health situation.
Manvi had a great role to play in her mother’s successful journey. She often found herself talking and behaving like a therapist around her parent. However, as her mother began showing signs of improvement, Manvi began to develop OCD and anxiety herself. “I did not share it for long with others except my family,” she says. Her teachers noticed a change in her behaviour and asked her what had happened. She was reluctant to talk but as they persisted, she began to open up.
“I still have OCD moments; I still get anxiety. I still seek help from professionals but I am more or less cured,” says the activist, who has been using her personal experiences to help others transform their lives. “My source of strength is certainly my mother,” she smiles.
“Even now just because I speak regularly about it, it’s still hard to speak about my experiences, but a person gradually adapts to the condition. And there are forces that compel me to speak for benefit of others,” she tells.
Speaking out is important
Manvi had written the first-person account of her entire journey of helping her mom deal with her OCD and depression, experiencing it herself and rising above it. The purpose was to help de-stigmatise mental health ailments and make people understand that they should not be ashamed of it.
“If first person accounts of mental health struggles had been available to me when I was 12-years-old, I would have had more clarity and been less scared,” she says. “The lack of voices of lived experiences compelled me to write down my thoughts,” she adds.
[caption id="attachment_26839" align="aligncenter" width="577"] Manvi Tiwari speaking at World Health Summit, Berlin[/caption]
Manvi wanted people with mental health issues to know that many others are going through the same condition and it is absolutely possible to come out of the situation with help from experts.
When the teenager started writing, she had approached several digital media platforms to publish her work and is grateful to organisations like Livewire and iViva who published her thoughts. “When positive feedback started pouring in with people thanking me for sharing my story, my fear of how people would react slowly vanished. Sharing became quite empowering,” tells Manvi.
The course of life
While Manvi was sending her first-person account to different media platforms, she sent it to the Global Mental Health Peer Network as well, mistaking it for a media house. However, this error proved to be a boon, changing the course of her life. “The non-profit organisation, which works with people with lived experiences, approached her and made her the country executive of India. Thus began her journey of global collaborations.
The multimedia and mass communication student wishes to pursue a career which is at the intersection of her degree in media studies and passion for mental health. Writing a book on her lived experiences is also one of her future goals.
(March 15, 2024) Indian-origin, Texas-based Madhalasa Iyer was appalled when she learned that in her district, a 13-year-old African-American boy was forced by his peers to drink his own urine. They even recorded the inhuman incident while yelling racial slurs at the victim. As she read the news and discussed the hate crime with her friends, Madhalasa learned of many more instances of discrimination and racism in her own district. In 2019, to help change societal mindsets, she founded Team Motley, an initiative emphasising the importance of solidarity for human equality. As part of her drive, she wrote a book titled 'Motley' to drive home the message of social equality. Later, the scope of her organisation expanded to include advocacy for environmental action. In addition to her work on social discrimination and the environment crisis, Madhalasa is working on a manuscript on phytomedicine to emphasise the benefits of ancient medicinal techniques. [caption id="attachment_36623" align="aligncenter" width="539"] Madhalasa Iyer[/caption] The author, researcher, speaker, and environmentalist has received several awards for her multifaceted talent, including recognition for her writing by the Alliance for Artists and Writers and the New York Life Foundation, as one of the six teen artists and writers chosen across
| Global Indian" width="539" height="539" /> Madhalasa Iyer[/caption]
The author, researcher, speaker, and environmentalist has received several awards for her multifaceted talent, including recognition for her writing by the Alliance for Artists and Writers and the New York Life Foundation, as one of the six teen artists and writers chosen across the US.
In 2023, as one of the Coca-Cola Scholars, Madhalasa Iyer was awarded a $20,000 college scholarship for her contributions to bring positive change in her community. She is currently pursuing neuroscience at Princeton University.
“I work on things that I am genuinely passionate about and this keeps me motivated,” Madhalasa tells Global Indian.
What does Team Motley do?
As an international initiative, Team Motley distributes books, stories, and artworks promoting acceptance, inclusion, and biodiversity to children and youth worldwide. These materials are created by teenagers who aim to share positive messages on these themes with children across the globe.
“We started by publishing our own children’s book, Motley, which discusses discrimination on a broader level, seeking to combat racism and bias in our society,” Madhalasa shares.
She and her team have successfully established Team Motley’s chapters in Texas and Washington State in the US, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Ismailia and Cairo in Egypt.
Talking about Motley’s other branch, environmental advocacy, Madhalasa remarks, “It was already a big part of my life considering I grew up watching my grandmother build our own greenhouse. I have participated in environmental advocacy since 2018 but added it to Team Motley in 2022.”
[caption id="attachment_36605" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Cover image of Madhalasa Iyer's book Motley[/caption]
Supported by grants from nonprofits such as Discovery Education, American Service Alliance, the Hershey Foundation, USC Shoah, and the National Century Foundation, as well as through community fundraising, Team Motley now has more than 2,500 participants in five countries.
Emphasising on changing mindsets for making life of youngsters easier, Madhalasa remarks, “Children are often the most susceptible to society’s opinions and social influences. Therefore, building a community of acceptance will promote inclusion for future generations, regardless of their skin colour or ethnic background.”
For its impactful work, her Team Motley has received several awards and recognition from organisations such as the Plano ISD Diversity and Inclusion Board.
Madhalasa attributes the success of her initiatives to her team members at Team Motley.
Merging science with writing
Although Madhalasa is currently pursuing Neuroscience at Princeton, she is passionate about creative writing as well. She has attended the Iowa Young Writers Studio and the Sarah Lawrence Writing Camp (sponsored by the National Anthony Quinn Foundation with a merit-based scholarship). In these programmes, the budding writer got an opportunity to develop her writing skills by garnering tips and advice from the luminaries from the world of writing.
Merging her interest in science and her passion for writing, Madhalasa Iyer has published scientific work at IEEE, Journal of Student Research, Mentoring in Medicine Journal, and the Curieux Academic Journal.
[caption id="attachment_36611" align="aligncenter" width="593"] Madhalasa Iyer while receiving an award[/caption]
With the purpose of bringing the benefits of phytomedicine (herbal medicine with therapeutic and healing properties) to the fore; she is working on a manuscript on the subject. “It explores use of phytomedicine techniques in the ancient Chinese traditional medicinal practices, Vedic Indian scriptures, Native American treatments and mediaeval medicine practices,” she mentions.
An avid researcher, Madhalasa has presented her scientific research findings at esteemed platforms like the International SusTech Conference, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Southern California Undergraduate Conference (SCCUR), the Harvard Research Club at NYC, the Harvard Science Research Conference, and the Texas Science and Humanities Symposium. She has also given talks at TEDx and EarthX (world's largest green gathering held annually around Earth Day in Dallas, Texas).
For her work as an author, environmentalist and social justice advocate Madhalasa has been recognised by national organisations of the US like the Discovery Education, YoungArts, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Leyla Beban Author’s Foundation, Anthony Quinn Foundation, Century Foundation, University of Washington, New York Life Foundation, National Rifle Association (NRA), the Coca-Cola Foundation, and Elks Organization among others.
Her literary works (prose and poetry) have been published in journals like the Cathartic Literary Magazine, The Weight Journal, Scars Publications, Literary Yard, Poetry Nation, Plain View Magazine, Bluefire Magazine, amongst others.
The numerous awards and recognition that she received for writing, has motivated Madhalasa in using the power of the pen to cultivate change. “Each of us have the ability to use our words or work of art to illustrate positive messages and ideas to our community and we should use it” she mentions.
[caption id="attachment_36610" align="aligncenter" width="423"] Madhalasa Iyer after receiving one of her awards[/caption]
Stronger than Hate Challenge
In 2021 when Madhalasa was still in high school, she bagged first place and won a $6000 scholarship in the ‘Stronger Than Hate Challenge’. Created to inspire middle school and high school students, the annual competition is conducted for students aged 13 and up in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Since the event emphasises the role of social-emotional learning in empowering students to overcome hate, and encourages young people to use their voices to connect with the community, Madhalasa had got interested in participating.
Inspired by, Madhalasa had created the multimedia poem titled ‘Where Were You’ emphasising the significance of standing up for what’s right in order to stop history from repeating itself.
“If we can all speak out against discrimination, our war on division the holocaust survivor Tamara Branitsky is won and acts such as genocide and atrocities would only be present in the pages of history,” Madhalasa believes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n0s0fmVH-s
Rising above odds
Although the Texas-based youngster has written several literary pieces and scientific research papers, and given talks at platforms like EarthX and TEDx, her journey of developing into a confident communicator has not been a smooth ride.
She was born in California but spent the first eight years of her life in Nepal and India. As an eight-year-old with a strong Indian accent, when Madhalasa moved to the US, she was looked down upon for her cadence and tone. “During my early schooling years, I struggled at grammar and writing tests. It took me years of continual accent therapy to rebuild the confidence that I had lost,” Madhalasa shares. But a creative bent of mind, dedication towards self-improvement, and love for reading kept her going in her self-enhancement initiatives.
“A combination of determination and support from my parents, family, and friends enabled me to overcome my speech and writing challenges, ultimately paving a way for me to become an author and a speaker,” she remarks.
[caption id="attachment_36609" align="aligncenter" width="645"] Madhalasa Iyer with Scholastic Art and Writing Awards[/caption]
With the attitude and experience of rising above challenges, Madhalasa Iyer aspires to create a world ‘where equality isn’t a question and where people sow the seeds of environmental action for the betterment of the future generation’. “As a citizen of the world, I wish to be an active contributor towards these changes.” She signs off.
Prasiddha Sudhakar[/caption]
Yathaarth Murthy with Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai[/caption]
Nikhat after winning the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament[/caption]
Manvi Tiwari with delegates at World Health Summit in Berlin[/caption]
Manvi Tiwari with panel members of her session on mental health at World Health Summit, Berlin[/caption]
Manvi Tiwari speaking at World Health Summit, Berlin[/caption]
Cover image of Madhalasa Iyer's book Motley[/caption]
Madhalasa Iyer while receiving an award[/caption]
Madhalasa Iyer after receiving one of her awards[/caption]
Madhalasa Iyer with Scholastic Art and Writing Awards[/caption]