Indian Heroes | Harold D'Souza | Global Indian

Global IndianstoryFight against Modern Slavery: How Harold D’Souza brought the derailed American Dream on track

Fight against Modern Slavery: How Harold D’Souza brought the derailed American Dream on track

Written by: Amrita Priya

(Aug 25, 2023) “After drugs, human trafficking is the biggest industry in the world. Its $150 billion industry,” remarked Harold D’Souza. The Indian American labour trafficking and debt bondage survivor received the Human Rights Hero Award 2023 at the United Nations headquarters in New York for being the leading activist in United States’ efforts to address the problem.

“My wife and I are survivors of human trafficking and debt bondage. Our trafficker showed us the moon but gave us dust,” he said.

Harold D’Souza

While migration from one country to another has helped millions of people across the globe. Pressing issues like labour exploitation or in other words modern slavery has grown to global proportions. Not many people are able to help themselves out of the situation. Mangalore’s Harold D’Souza went against the tide and displayed courage to finally speak against the perpetrators despite their threatening to kill him. Harold is now an inspiration and saviour of those going through the trauma and helps them out of the situation through his foundation, Eyes Open International.

From victim to White House consultant

Looking at his story of grit and determination, the Global Indian was appointed to the US advisory council on human trafficking first by President Barack Obama then by President Donald Trump. The White House experience, from 2015 –2020, brought back the self-confidence that Harold had lost in the ordeal of being treated as an illegal immigrant, even though he had visited America on H-IB visa.

At the White House I was not looked at as a survivor, rather as an expert, and that transformed my life.

“When fellow delegates there heard my story, they encouraged me to start a non-profit to help victims – “Your story has to go to all the people over the world, they said,” Harold shared

This gave Harold the impetus to start Eyes Open International to help victims of human trafficking and debt bondage. Owing to his harrowing experiences and determination to change the narrative of trafficked people, he also serves as an expert consultant at the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, at the Governor’s Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and is on the board of directors for over a dozen NGOs across the world.

Harold D’Souza with former USA president Donald Trump at the White House

“I do not want a single innocent family to suffer. This has become my passion and purpose in life,” Harold said, “My mission in life is to create awareness and to educate people about what happened to me, my wife and my kids so that they take informed decisions while moving abroad.”

A native of Bajpe, Mangalore, Harold lives with his family at Cincinnati, Ohio.

The trap

In 2003 Harold D’Souza travelled to the United States with his family, only to discover that they had unknowingly become a victim of human trafficking, and later debt bondage.

I stepped down from a senior management position in India to pursue the American dream.

I came to the United States following the advice and encouragement of a man who would become my trafficker,” said Harold talking about his ordeal. “He manipulated, tricked and trapped us.”

As part of the unscrupulous plan, he was lured in with the offer of a H-1B visa to work as a business development manager on a $ 75,000 salary, and additional perks. “In 2003, it was a big amount and thinking of the future of my two sons, I decided to take up the offer leaving behind the stable job in India,” he shared. His boys were seven and four-years-old at that time.

The family sold off their car and other belongings to cover travel costs. “I thought I would soon recover the amount after I start earning dollars,” he told. “I had no understanding of what HIB Visa, H4 dependant visa on which my wife and two sons came on were. I didn’t know the dos and don’ts; I didn’t know how this country operated. I didn’t know the law. I didn’t know the people. I just jumped,” he remarked.

The day Harold arrived in the US, his trafficker took away the documents and $1000 cash that he was carrying for safe keeping. After that the ordeal began. Both he and his wife were made to work seven days a week for 14 to 16 hours in a restaurant and were given an accommodation next door.

“In most trafficking cases, victims are provided lodging in proximity, ensuring their constant availability for work while limiting their interaction with the outside world. This isolation prevents them from easily reaching out for assistance or lodging complaints, as they remain within the immediate control of their perpetrators.” All through, abusive language and threatening continues.

The trafficker charged them exorbitant money for food, clothing, and shelter, and withhold their salary on the account of the expenses incurred on them. Harold was also tricked into signing a loan from a bank which his trafficker pocketed, putting him in debt bondage.

Labour trafficking in America happens at four places – restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores and motels.

Lessons learned

“We went to the US on four things – trust, faith, promise, and to live an American dream but all got shattered,” shared Harold.

Desperate to take out his family from the harrowing condition, after some years of torture he gathered courage to approach a law enforcement organisation even when the trafficker had threatened to kill him if he sought support.

Due to the courage, he mustered, Harold rose out of this ordeal and today is an inspirational international advocate of the survivors. He stands as a tall example for lakhs of people worldwide who are victims of labour or sex trafficking and are not able to muster the courage to report against the perpetrators. Finding a purpose from his own ordeal Harold is now a messiah to people who have been tricked.

Indian Heroes | Harold D'Souza | Global Indian

Spreading awareness

Harold strongly advocates that every child on the earth should be taught all 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“I was young in the early 2000s when I moved to America and was not aware of the rights especially Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which forbids all forms of slavery.”

My experience has given me a new purpose and meaning in life.

Through his Foundation and engagements in public speaking, he actively raises awareness about this issue. He visits schools and colleges in India to educate young people about the importance of pursuing dreams of moving abroad while keeping their eyes open and being vigilant. His foundation’s name originates from this very concept. He has written a book Frog in a Well: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities.

Eyes Open International

The foundation dedicates itself to the global mission of educating, preventing, protecting, and empowering victims, survivors, vulnerable groups, and community members.

Harold is working with the vision to establish its branches in 50 countries. Dedicated individuals, including police commissioners, local politicians, attorneys and doctors have been volunteering their time to support potential victims through the foundation.

As a co-founder, his wife Dancy D’Souza has been playing a vital role in using her survivor-informed expertise to combat human trafficking. “Survivors are poor starters but strong finishers,” Harold remarked. A feature film on his story of rising against the odds is in the pipeline.

Follow Harold D’Souza on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
To know more about Eyes Open International and its initiatives, visit its website

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Published on 25, Aug 2023

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How Lord Karan Bilimoria turned Cobra Beer from an Indian to a global brand

(April 4, 2024) In 1990, Lord Karan Bilimoria, launched Cobra Beer, a legacy he has crafted over the last three decades. Cobra Beer, rooted in a traditional Indian recipe with a contemporary twist, stands out amidst the UK's diverse beer portfolio earning 101 gold medals at the prestigious Monde Selection, the quality awards. The entrepreneur holds a prominent position in the House of Lords, bearing the title of Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea. He is also the Chancellor of the University of Birmingham since 2014, and is a trustee at the Cobra Foundation. With various board memberships in educational institutions and charitable organisations, Bilimoria champions renowned institutions like the British Library and serves as an international envoy for London. After completing his undergraduate studies in commerce in India, Karan Bilimoria moved to the United Kingdom to take a job at Ernst & Young. In the UK he qualified as a chartered accountant (CPA), and then went to Cambridge University to pursue law. He was planning to become a barrister or an adviser in the world of mergers and acquisitions. However, fate had some other plans in store. “Sitting in a traditional British pub one evening after classes, wondering whether to have

world of mergers and acquisitions. However, fate had some other plans in store.

“Sitting in a traditional British pub one evening after classes, wondering whether to have a too-fizzy lager or a too-heavy ale, I had an idea: I wanted to create a more balanced beer, one that would pair well with food, especially the spicy curries from home. It would appeal to both men and women. And I could eventually sell it around the world,” he mentioned in a column that he wrote for the Harvard Business Review. “That was the dream. Today it is a reality.”

[caption id="attachment_50483" align="aligncenter" width="532"] Indians in UK | Lord Karan Bilimoria |Global Indian Karan Bilimoria[/caption]

The beer brand Cobra that Bilimoria eventually launched in 1990 has been generating over $250 million annually in global retail sales. “The journey required a great deal of creativity. It also demanded vision, flexibility, and integrity—not just from me but from everyone who helped me build the business,” Bilimoria mentioned.

From dream to reality

Bilimoria was always a beer lover but often found lagers to be bland, gassy and bloating; while he found ale too heavy and bitter to drink with food. “I wanted something in between—cold and refreshing but also smooth,” the entrepreneur reminisced. He spent many nights experimenting - mixing available brews to find the right blend. Although he was following his heart, his mind was firm that launching a beer brand as one’s first business venture was an ambitious plan – not a very practical thing to do without any business experience.

Around that time his polo team at Cambridge planned a tour to India. Bilimoria saw an opportunity in this. While he went to India with his team, he procured some Indian-made polo sticks and started selling them in the UK. It was the year 1989 when he teamed up with Arjun Reddy, one of his friends from Hyderabad and launched their polo stick import business. The business venture served two purposes - while Bilimoria was trying to develop some business acumen, he was also facilitating commerce between his country of origin and the country he emigrated for his higher studies. In due course Bilimoria and Reddy expanded their business with import of traditional Indian goods, including garments, silk and leather in addition to the polo sticks.

Within nine months of starting their business they got introduced by chance to India’s largest independent brewer, in Bangalore which employed the country’s finest brew master, an Indian biochemist who had studied in Prague. The brewery had never exported its product.

[caption id="attachment_50487" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Indians in UK | Lord Karan Bilimoria |Global Indian Karan Bilimoria[/caption]

“I seized the opening and explained my idea. The company first suggested that we import two of its brands to the UK: Pals and Knock Out. But the former shared the name of a British dog food, and the latter—suggesting a boxer’s punch—wasn’t what we had in mind,” he shared. Luckily the company agreed to let Bilimoria and Reddy develop their own brand using its facilities in Bangalore. “I already had the taste in my mind; the brew master and I just needed to sit in the laboratory and come up with the recipe,” shared Bilimoria.

He stayed in India for several months while his business partner, Reddy was in London, managing business operations there. When finally, Bilimoria developed the right brew he returned back to the UK, drove around in a battered old car to all the top Indian restaurants introducing their proprietors to his beer. He received good response, and the beer business scaled up. Bilimoria and Reddy even found an angel investor.

They hired a few more salespeople, and started investing in marketing. “We created pint glasses featuring a map of India and gave them to restaurants, whose owners reported that customers liked them so much they were taking them home,” shared Bilimoria.

Scaling up despite odds

By the time their venture turned five Cobra beer’s revenue was a whooping £2 million. Bilimoria’s partner, Reddy, didn't want to continue further. He was happy with what he had achieved so far and moved out of the venture. “But I wanted to stick with Cobra. I strongly believed that it could become a global brand, so I bought him out on his terms, and we remain good friends,” Bilimoria shared. “Happily, sales doubled the next year.”

Until then Cobra beer was being produced at the Bangalore but the brewery had started to struggle in coping up with the growing demands. Bilimoria moved the production to Bedford, in the UK. With time Cobra beer’s reach expanded even further in the UK - to all types of restaurants, not just pubs and bars.

During this whole process, the business witnessed significant challenges but Bilimoria persevered. “I wanted to create the finest Indian beer and sell it everywhere. With determination, my team and I turned Cobra into a household name in Britain, and that strength of brand helped us through tough times; during none of the crises did our sales decline,” Bilimoria shared.

[caption id="attachment_50484" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Indians in UK | Lord Karan Bilimoria |Global Indian Karan Bilimoria[/caption]

Turning global

In 2009, Molson Coors, a Canadian-American multinational company which has been brewing for two centuries recognised Cobra’s potential and formed a joint venture with Bilimoria, facilitating expansion into numerous European countries, as well as Japan, Canada, and Australia.

We’ve been creative and flexible—willing to constantly adapt, learn, grow, and innovate. That’s the heart of successful entrepreneurship: knowing where you want to go but staying open to different ways of getting there.

Lord Karan Bilimoria

In 2018 Cobra launched Cobra Malabar, an Indian Pale Ale (IPA) that comes from a complex, top-fermented recipe, adding an Indian touch to the global brand.

Beyond entrepreneurship

While Bilimoria was working on the continued success of Cobra, he also got involved in the broader UK business and political community, and served as deputy lieutenant of Greater London. In 2006 he was named an independent crossbench life peer in the House of Lords. In 2014 he was appointed as the Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, and became a board member of several educational and charitable organisations. “I’ve tried to bring my entrepreneurial experiences and approach to these roles, too,” Bilimoria mentions.

ALSO READ | Rupee Beer: Van and Sumit’s flavourful journey to introduce Indian craft beer to the world

Giving back through Cobra Foundation

Established in 2005 on the occasion of 15th anniversary of Cobra Beer Ltd, Cobra Foundation operates as an independent charity registered in the United Kingdom. Its primary goal is to empower young people in South Asia by focusing on health, education, and community support, with a special focus on access to safe water.

The foundation is also committed to providing aid for disaster relief efforts. Whether it was Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, Bihar floods in India, floods in Pakistan, earthquakes in Nepal, or cyclone in Tamil Nadu, India, Cobra Foundation has contributed generously to aid relief efforts.

Over the years, Cobra Foundation has impacted hundreds of charities and initiatives, offered financial grants and donated complimentary Cobra beer for fundraising events. Among the popular incentives is a complimentary case of Cobra beer every month for a year, accompanied by responsible drinking guidelines.

In collaboration with Belu, a UK based social enterprise and drinks company Cobra Foundation supports WaterAid, an international non-governmental organisation, focused on water, sanitation and hygiene.

The foundation also facilitates educational opportunities by hosting Indian doctors for three-month attachments at prominent training hospitals in the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU1xtYmdUb0

Influence of India’s diversity on Bilimoria’s personality

Lord Karan Bilimoria comes from a Zoroastrian Parsi family in India. His father and both paternal as well as maternal grandfathers had worked for the Indian armed forces. So, there were frequent transfers that the family was accustomed to. Bilimoria has stayed in several cities and has studied in schools across India. He calls this experience ‘transformative.’

“My parents used to say, wherever you go you always find interesting people and you will always find something of interest in that place that will be special.” Looking back on his life he finds their words to be true. “India is the most diverse country in the world in every way, whether it's in terrain, religion, races and languages. I've been lucky from my childhood onwards to have experienced the diversity of India,” remarked the British Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist crediting his trait of adaptability and flexibility in both personal and professional life to his rich childhood experiences.

Follow Lord Karan Bilimoria on LinkedIn and X

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Entrepreneur Shruti Kapoor’s recipe for success: Combining passion, innovation, and customer-centricity

(May 8, 2023) In today's fast-paced and competitive business environment, having real-time insights into sales encounters can make all the difference. And Shruti Kapoor, the Co-founder and CEO of Wingman, a SaaS solution that delivers real-time information for sales teams, has experienced this firsthand. The entrepreneur's journey began while managing a sales team at an Indian fintech start-up in 2017. However, she found it difficult to get the information they required from their CRM since there didn't seem to be a workable substitute,she decided to filll the gap. After some deliberations the entrepreneur and her co-founders embarked on a mission to create a solution to transform the way sales teams approach their interactions with customers, leading to the birth of Wingman. The following year, they introduced the first iteration of their product. Their journey, however, wasn't an easy one - their first big task was to attract customers. In the first 40 encounters they had with potential clients, they were unable to close any deals, she recollects. Nonetheless, with the right approach, the goals didn’t seem unachievable though and Wingman emerged – with a different approach and philosophy. “Instead of thinking about our revenue, we thought the other way round.

llects. Nonetheless, with the right approach, the goals didn’t seem unachievable though and Wingman emerged – with a different approach and philosophy.

“Instead of thinking about our revenue, we thought the other way round. We began calculating how to impact revenue for the customers. The more you can think in terms of not, ‘how do I get more revenue for myself?’ but, ‘how do I get more revenue for my customers?’ the more your message is likely to steer in the right direction," shared the entrepreneur, as she sat down for an interview with Global Indian.

Always making the right investments

Having been born in Mainpuri - a small town in Uttar Pradesh, India – ‘investing in education was a big bet’. “It was a place is better known for tobacco and bandits than for education and development," the entrepreneur shares while talking about her childhood, adding, "My parents made the big bet to invest in our education and moved to Lucknow to give us access to better opportunities and it paid off." She was selected for the SIA scholarship to study in Singapore for her A-levels. The exposure and confidence of being independent at that age helped her in many future aspects of life and how she would interact with the world in general.

Building an empire

For a commoner, Wingman can be defined as a conversation intelligence platform for sales teams. According to the entrepreneur, Wingman started as a simple idea - "there is a wealth of information in conversations with customers - but it is currently not captured, most sales calls in B2B were not recorded, or too inefficient to access as listening to recorded calls is time-consuming. If we could record, transcribe and analyze the calls at scale we could provide businesses access to insights like.”

Entrepreneur | Shruti Kapoor | Global Indian

She adds, "I was leading the go-to-market function for a global fintech company in India called Payoneer. The team in India was three people and all products and marketing were centralised. Very often I would face situations where I felt if the marketing or product leaders had heard it from the customers; they would have understood it much better.”

On the other hand, organising a call between a prospect and a team in another time zone was always challenging. The entrepreneur expresses, "At Payoneer, I first learned about sales and marketing and the entire process that must take place to bring marketing, sales, customer success, and product together to ensure that they are not just creating the right things, but also communicating them to customers in the correct way.”

Wingman was created as a method to bring everything together and address what she perceived to be the biggest disconnect: a split between front-line sales and marketing and product, which are located further away from the customer, she maintains. According to the entrepreneur, marketing and product always wanted to know what the customers were saying and they had no way of finding out. “Going on calls all the time and then trying to explain to marketing what the customers are saying was extremely frustrating for sales. For scattered or remote teams that might not even share an office, the issue is significantly worse.”

Entrepreneur | Shruti Kapoor | Global Indian

Wingman, which monitors customer interactions and applies AI to produce insights, action items, and more, is the solution for her. “The issue was that when COVID struck, it was still very much in beta, endangering growth. Today, with an over 3x growth over the previous and having been bought by Clari – a Unicorn," she adds.

Getting a foothold

Wingman was a global company on day one - while the team was based in India, so they were very clear that they wanted to target the US market initially. She explains, “So we made early efforts to connect with potential buyers in the US. This was through our network - friends' friends as they say.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3lJoYVgx-g

Once they had some early customers, they extended this by hiring a local salesperson in the US and a sales agency that could do mass outreach on their behalf. However, both those efforts didn't pay off the way we expected and we then spent more time building the brand and case studies etc, the entrepreneur recalls. Once those things were in place, they saw inbound traffic, and outbound both began to build up. “My major takeaway from this was: think of go-to-market in terms of building and scaling trust.”

A venture with a difference

Shruti's company focuses on reducing 'time to revenue' for its customers. It raised $2.33 million in the seed round, led by Venture Highway, Speciale Invest, and Y Combinator back in 2019. Last year it was acquired by Clari to become part of their revenue platform. Clari is a well-known unicorn in the sales technology space with investors like Sequoia and Blackstone.

The company is currently targeting B2B clients - because business sales follow a certain cadence and requires multiple touch points - making Wingman’s feedback and analytics impactful. It has on-boarded hundreds of companies such as Bandwidth and Fabric etc. The entrepreneur remarks, “Without Wingman it takes 3-8 months to fully ramp up a new sales rep. A large part of this is in training them on best practices, tribal knowledge, and handling customer objections. With Wingman, companies can cut this time by 30-50 percent."

Entrepreneur | Shruti Kapoor | Global Indian

The former Morgan Stanley banker says that the biggest cost for the company is that of customer acquisition — the industry number for this is close to 9-10 months of the revenue for the first year. The second biggest cost is cloud computing — for example, speech-to-text can cost around two cents per minute. “Once the scale sets in and once you have customers who are expanding, infrastructure costs can be minimised and the margin can be above 60 percent," she emphasises. As far as the entrepreneur's future vision is concerned she wants to make intelligence from customer conversations a part of every revenue-critical workflow.

The road ahead

While listing out some points, the entrepreneur says that they have focused on building a platform that, firstly is specialised for the B2B sales use-case so customers get a lot of value on day one without having to customise the system. "Secondly, we focus on delivering value to the whole sales team - so the platform automatically provides live coaching and feedback to the sales reps rather than just giving data and analytics to managers to then give feedback to sales reps," she shares.

The young entrepreneur stresses the fact that it becomes very hard as an entrepreneur, especially if you are trying to build a global company with multiple time zones. Shruti says, "I try to block some time daily on my calendar in the evenings so I can make sure I can be with my husband and child. I try to keep Saturdays mostly free."

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

Shruti staunchly believes in the fact that in the early days you are your company and you will have to be prepared to be the face of the company. "Your most important job at the company will change every six months - be prepared and open to it. It can be a hard and lonely journey. Try to build your ecosystem along the way," says the entrepreneur, as she signs off.

Follow Shruti Kapoor on LinkedIn

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Educated in India, this Afghan comes across Taliban and hopelessness everywhere in Kabul

(August 23, 2021) As Hamid Bahraam stepped outside his house located in Police district 8 (locally known as PD 8) in Kabul last evening, the first thing that caught his attention was a group of armed Taliban militia, patrolling the streets in armored vehicles. He then came across a few children playing outside their homes under the watchful eyes of their family members even as a handful of people including women hurriedly walked past shops and establishments on a largely deserted road. The tension in the air was palpable. "There is nothing unusual about the behavior of the Taliban, at least for now, which makes things on the ground look normal. But this is just the beginning (of Taliban rule). All Afghans fear that the Taliban may go back to its old ways (of brutality and violence)," says the 26-year-old, who quickly walked back home after purchasing a few essentials, the prices of which have shot up since the country fell to the Taliban. [caption id="attachment_7970" align="aligncenter" width="571"] Hamid Bahraam[/caption] It was on July 29 that Hamid arrived in his country from Hyderabad, India when the Taliban was still far away from seizing Kabul. "It was just like any other normal day. Only

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[caption id="attachment_7970" align="aligncenter" width="571"] As he stepped outside his house in Kabul, the first thing that caught Hamid Bahraam's attention was a group of armed Taliban militia. Hamid Bahraam[/caption]

It was on July 29 that Hamid arrived in his country from Hyderabad, India when the Taliban was still far away from seizing Kabul. "It was just like any other normal day. Only that the regular Afghan army and police were patrolling Kabul in their vehicles instead of Taliban," he says, drawing a comparison of how things took a turn for the worse in a matter of days.

Afghanistan plunged into chaos after the Taliban took control of the country's capital on August 15. Like all Afghans, Hamid and his family remained indoors that day, staring at an uncertain future, memories of Taliban brutality coming back to haunt them. All that the Afghans saw from the doors and windows of their houses were several groups of Taliban members criss-crossing the city, all in a celebratory mood.

"People are very scared, especially women. There is panic everywhere and people mostly prefer to stay indoors. I stepped out after four days," informs Hamid, speaking exclusively to Global Indian from Kabul. His father Naquibullah Bahraam is a principal in a government-run school there. It was in 2014 that Hamid first visited Hyderabad to pursue a Bachelor of Arts course in Osmania University. After completion of the course in 2017, he went back to his country only to return to Hyderabad two years later to pursue his MA, which he completed in July this year.

[caption id="attachment_7972" align="aligncenter" width="318"] As he stepped outside his house in Kabul, the first thing that caught Hamid Bahraam's attention was a group of armed Taliban militia. Hamid Bahraam[/caption]

"Before I left Hyderabad, I knew of the tense situation prevailing in my country. But not once did I expect that Kabul would fall to the Taliban and the democratically elected government would be overthrown. In fact, all Afghans were under the impression that it was just another fight (between the Taliban and the Government) and a compromise would be reached soon. None in my country had imagined that Kabul would collapse so swiftly," says Hamid, who worked in Kabul-based Gardez radio as a news presenter between 2017 and 2019. The family also run an institution called Bahraam Public Speaking Centre, where both father and son teach public speaking and English to Afghans of all age groups.

As a child, Hamid has faint memories of the ouster of the Taliban regime way back in 2001. "My parents and relatives have lived under the Taliban regime and they have seen the collapse of peace and security post 2001," he says. The family has even been issued threats by the Taliban. "My father is a social activist, a doctor and also worked in a radio broadcast for some time. The Taliban always has problems with media and social activists. Due to his nature of work, the militia had once threatened my father with dire consequences," recalls Hamid, adding that the Taliban has a history of killing and violence which no Afghan can ever forget.

Having completed his MA, Hamid was looking forward to working in media organizations and had even applied for a few jobs. But he is now a disappointed man. "Right now, I have no option but to wait for the situation to normalize. If my plan to join a media house does not materialize owing to the prevailing situation, I will go back to teaching public speaking and English at my academic centre. Hundreds of Afghans have benefited from the academic centre," he informs.

Originally hailing from Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, Hamid Bahraam takes pride in the fact that his father is a Tajik, a Persian-speaking ethnic group and his mother a Pashtun. "Pashtuns and Tajiks live together in Paktika which is a very unique composition. I speak both Persian and Pashto fluently," he smiles. In Afghanistan, Tajiks dominate the Afghan army while Pashtuns dominate the Taliban. Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

Ask him why, despite the deteriorating situation, he chose to return to his country from India, the youngster informs that his visa was to expire in September this year. "Once I completed my course, there was no legal reason to stay back in Hyderabad. Most importantly, I could not have left my family here by themselves."

Reading Time: 5 mins

From Kerala to the Met Gala: Neytt by Extraweave merges tradition with innovation

Amidst the glamour of the Met Gala 2023, one Indian brand's contribution quietly stole the limelight—the opulent, cream-coloured runway carpet stood testament to Kerala artisanship - a sustainable, custom-designed and hand-painted tribute to fashion icon Karl Lagerfield. When Sivan Santhosh, founder of Neytt by Extraweave, first heard the brief, he was doubtful. A white carpet was a very unusual request. But they got to work, taking two months to perfect the beige-toned creation, ‘made with love’ from Kerala, India. The white carpet was manufactured by Neytt and then sent to New York, where it was hand-painted by designers associated with the Met Gala. "We have worked with a company called FibreWorks, which is associated with the Gala," Sivan tells Global Indian. "The order came through them." "We are a fourth-generation, privately owned family business," Sivan says. "My great-grandfather started the business in 1917 and called it the Travancore Mats and Matting Company." Kerala had begun manufacturing coir mats, matting and floor coverings in the mid-19th century, when an Irish-born American named James Darragh set up the first factory in Alleppey in 1859. Enterprising Keralites soon caught on, with Sivan's great grandfather among them. "Extraweave was founded by my dad," he

he first factory in Alleppey in 1859. Enterprising Keralites soon caught on, with Sivan's great grandfather among them. "Extraweave was founded by my dad," he says. "We went from coir foot mats to working with jute to make rugs." In 2020, Sivan and his wife founded Neytt by Extraweave, a high-end, high-fashion designer brand that works with some of the top brands in the world - apart from being a long-term supplier to IKEA (in Sweden), they have also worked with Ralph Lauren Homes, Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn.

[caption id="attachment_39278" align="aligncenter" width="648"] The Met Gala carpet, designed by Neytt by Extraweave.[/caption]

Furthering a rich family legacy

"When my father began Extraweave in the early 2000s, there were lots of challenges," says Sivan. He speaks to me from the Neytt headquarters in Alleppey, as machinery from the factory hums loudly in the background. This machinery, he says, only found its way to their manufacturing process in the early 2000s, when the imports were regularised. Before that, when his grandfather and uncles ran the business, the mats were woven by hand, or through the use of manual looms. "It was only in the 2000s that we could automate the process," Sivan explains. It also allowed them to diversify in terms of material - they went from coir to jute, sisal, water hyacinth, linen and hemp.

Although he grew up immersed in the family business, Sivan didn't graduate from high school with a plan. He decided to study computer science engineering in Vellore, going on to work for two years at a software company in Chennai. "I didn't really know what I wanted at the time," he says, in response to my look of surprise. "Engineering and medicine were the most chosen career options and since I was quite savvy with computers, I thought it would be a good idea. I did always know I would go into business at some point, though."

After two years at BNY Mellon in Chennai, Sivan felt it was time to return to the family business. "I wanted to learn how everything worked," he said. His father was clear that he should learn the business from the ground up. "I didn't believe in sitting in a chair when I don't know what's happening the floor." Sivan would interact with the workers, go to the loom and learn whatever he could from scratch. By the end of the third year, he was heading the Purchase Department.

[caption id="attachment_39279" align="aligncenter" width="549"] Sivan Santhosh and Nimisha Srinivas[/caption]

Neytt by Extraweave

After this, Sivan headed to Babson College in Boston, one of the city's top entrepreneurship schools. "I spent some time in Boston working for a startup but my wife and I had lots of ideas about what to do with the business," he explains. In early 2019, they returned to India, all set to start something of their own. "The pandemic kind of helped us," he says. "We were able to do a lot of market research and create a structure." That was the start of Neytt by Extraweave.

The company did very well, quickly. In 2016, Neytt produced a rug for the White House, for a special event during a head of state visit. They have supplied to IKEA for seven years - "We produce their rugs, floor mats, carpets and the sisal scratch mats for cats, which are among IKEA's top five most popular products worldwide," Sivan says. The products are made in Kerala and shipped to the IKEA headquarters in Sweden, from where they are distributed. They have also worked with the Taj Hotels in Andaman and Mumbai's Soho House.

The sisal story

Only two companies in India, Neytt being one of them, that work with sisal, a durable, white fibre found mostly in East Africa, which they import from countries like Tanzania and Madagascar. "It's mostly white in colour, very long, strong and durable," Sivan explains. The fibre is imported in the raw form and is converted to the yarn stage at the Neytt factory. The yarn is converted to bobbins and fed into the loom, which weaves rolls that are around five metres in width. "The machine defects are corrected by hand by our skilled artisans," he adds.

Derived from the bark of the Agave plant, which grows mainly in East Africa and also in Brazil, sisal is known for being durable and eco-friendly. In South America, the sisal tradition goes all the way back to the Aztecs and the Mayans, who, it is believed, used it to make fabrics and paper. From there, sisal cultivation spread to the Caribbean islands, Brazil and Africa.

Celebrating South India, supporting local communities

As they studied the market, they realised that traditions from North India dominates the world's perception of Indian crafts, from Jaipur rugs to Banarasi silk and Lucknow Chikankari. "There are lots of design elements and craftsmanship in the South but nobody knows about that, apart from South Indians." Celebrating South Indian design is one of their core philosophies - they use exotic, sustainable raw materials like sisal, lyocell and linen, to bring out design elements from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

In 2018, they produced a collection of custom-designed rugs that used elements from the major floods that had taken place that year. They paid tribute to the everyday, unsung heroes, who had braved adversities during the devastating floods. That design won the Elle Deco International Design Awards.

"We also did a collection on Kerala's boat races," Sivan says. For that, the design team sat down with the participants of the races, to understand what matters to them when they race. "The rhythm and synchronisation are crucial, the musical instruments and the songs they sing as they row, the instruments they use and the role that each person plays on the boat - we incorporated these elements into our designs," he explains. From the goats that walk around in Fort Kochi, its iconic doorways and window frames, to the mundu - traditional elements from Kerala's culture are an important part of Neytt's designs.

It also extends to employing locals - 98 percent of the 700-member team are from the area. Nearly 50 percent are women - "Weaving has always been a predominantly male domain, so we try to empower women through leadership roles and in traditional manufacturing roles."

When tradition meets innovation

[video width="1152" height="720" mp4="https://stage.globalindian.com//wp-content/uploads/2023/05/neyyt.mp4"][/video]

Video: Neytt

Neytt by Extraweave's ascent in the world of high-end design and manufacturing is a remarkable story of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the melding of tradition with contemporary requirements. Founded by Sivan Santhosh and his wife, the Kerala-based brand leverages the legacy of his family's involvement in the coir industry to create distinct, sustainable products that have found their place in prestigious venues, from the White House to the Met Gala. Embracing new materials and automating processes have been instrumental to their growth.

Moreover, the commitment to celebrate and preserve the lesser-known South Indian design elements and their strong community involvement, particularly towards female empowerment, underlines their vision. The story of Neytt by Extraweave attests to the endless possibilities when rich cultural heritage is combined with innovation and sustainability, and how one small family business from Kerala can make a significant mark on the global stage.

Follow Neytt by ExtraWeave, and Sivan Santhosh on Instagram.

Dr Kalyani Gopal: Empowering sexual abuse and human trafficking victims globally

(April 24, 2024) “My team and I are in the process of exploring the purchase of a five-acre plot of land, which I plan to convert into an eco-village. Dedicated to my late mother it would help give a peaceful environment to victims of human trafficking and sexual assault,” Dr Kalyani Gopal tells Global Indian. She has already thought of the name of the project as SAFE Village - Unnati Sewa. It would be a unique residential restorative model to bring back the dignity of victims of human trafficking and sexual assault. With over three decades of experience in addressing issues such as child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and labour trafficking, the Indian-origin psychologist has garnered international recognition and is now giving back to her native land. Dr Kalyani Gopal is the first woman of colour and Asian American to earn the presidency of the Illinois Psychological Association which oversees the State of Illinois’ psychologists. She is also the first Asian American President of Division 12 of the APA, Society for Clinical Psychology, and has recently finished her term on the Committee of State Leaders, APA. [caption id="attachment_50926" align="aligncenter" width="475"] Dr Kalyani Gopal[/caption] In her service spanning continents, the ace

st Asian American President of Division 12 of the APA, Society for Clinical Psychology, and has recently finished her term on the Committee of State Leaders, APA.

[caption id="attachment_50926" align="aligncenter" width="475"] Indians in USA | Dr Kalyani Gopal | Global Indian Dr Kalyani Gopal[/caption]

In her service spanning continents, the ace psychologist developed a Clinical Treatment Manual for Mongolian psychologists and clinicians, treated grieving Myanmar families during war, and created a tool for identifying potential victims of trafficking in Ukraine, and other regions.

In 2014, Dr Gopal established an initiative called, SAFECHR - SAFE Coalition for Human Rights through which she has worked for trauma patients and victims in the United States, Europe, and India.

Finding the purpose

After completing her postgraduate studies at Delhi University and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore Dr Kalyani Gopal moved to the US for her doctorate. She aspired to pursue intellectual and cognitive neuropsychology. However, fate had some other plans in store. Dr Gopal encountered a case of sexual abuse involving a seven-year-old girl with whom she had grown acquainted. This experience brought the issue of child sexual abuse into sharp focus for her, redirecting her career trajectory.

Training professionals worldwide

In her three-decade career, the clinical psychologist has provided training to a diverse range of professionals, including foster parents, adoptive parents, administrators, judges in the US and the DRCongo Supreme Court, law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and police officers, attorneys, case managers, first responders, advocates, nonprofits, and ministries. She also trained government representatives of Albania, Uganda, and India.

“I have educated human trafficking experts and clergy on psychological trauma and issues concerning infants, children, adolescents, and adults,” tells the Indian-origin psychologist who is also associated as a consultant psychologist with SuDatta, an adoption agency in India that trains adoptive parents on helping their children come out of traumas.

[caption id="attachment_50928" align="aligncenter" width="706"] Indians in USA | Dr Kalyani Gopal | Global Indian Dr Kalyani Gopal at one of Illinois Psychological Association's Legislative Committee meeeting[/caption]

In fact, she introduced the term ‘Displacement Trauma’ to describe the intricate psychological effects that are the result of ‘frequent disruptions of bonds experienced by foster care youth and children separated from their parents’.

Awards and recognitions

In recognition of her extensive work, she was awarded the Indiana Lake County Award for Excellence in 2004 and the Indiana Attorney General’s Voices for Victims Award in 2015. She received the Congressman Danny T. Davis MEATF Medal in 2019 as the Top 20 Global Women of Excellence. In 2023, Dr Gopal earned the APA Presidential Citation Award for Human Rights.

Starting young

The psychologist discovered her calling when she was quite young - starting her journey at the age of 18 while engaging with human trafficking victims for a college research project.

At that time, she was pursuing her bachelor’s degree in India. One of her research works exposed her to the grim reality of young girls her age becoming victims of human trafficking. This revelation weighed heavily on her, even though she did not realise the severity of the problem completely, given her young age.

Later as a PhD scholar coming across a sexually abused little girl changed her career trajectory completely. She found herself drawn into the field of child sexual abuse.

“I was inspired by the trust placed in me by many other girls whom I met after that. They were victims too.” It was then that her professors in the US encouraged her to pursue the path of working with sexually abused children. Deeply immersed to uplift their lives as a young professional she had even started accompanying children she worked with when they needed to testify in court. The more she immersed herself in this work, the more intrigued and committed she became.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioNF2a6NI0M

Strong initiatives

Dedicating many years to victims of sexual abuse and trafficking Dr Gopal came across many harrowing instances of exploitation. In one of the most gruesome cases, she came across a family with four children in Indiana where the parents were trafficking their kids by making them perform indecently on their home-based stage, earning $10 per person from people who came to watch the performance.

“My efforts dragged the parents to court and for the first time in history in Indiana, parents got a life sentence in jail for 56 years,” she shares. That was her first independent case.

That proved to be the beginning of her image as a messiah of children who were being exploited. She started getting cases of child sexual abuse from across the United States. “A lot of the perpetrators were in powerful positions, even relatives of judges and politicians.” But Dr Gopal stood strong to fight for justice for young victims.

Author of bestsellers

She went on to write bestsellers - ‘The Supportive Foster Parent’, and ‘Foster Parenting Step-by-Step: How to Nurture the Traumatized Child’ and co-edited, ‘Handbook of Sex Trafficking: Feminist Transnational Perspectives’. Dr. Gopal has published several workbooks on the Child Sexual Abuse Series, including the grief and loss workbook ‘In My Heart’.

[caption id="attachment_50936" align="aligncenter" width="403"] Indians in USA | Dr Kalyani Gopal | Global Indian One of Dr Kalyani Gopal's books[/caption]

Associations with the United Nations

The psychologist with a knack for writing went on to write a chapter titled ‘Reducing Human Trafficking by 2030 and Beyond’ for the United Nations book, ‘Behavioural Science in the Global Arena: Addressing Timely Issues at the United Nations and Beyond’.

She has also co-chaired the United Nations Psychology Day highlighting the role of psychology in addressing concerns of global importance.

Other Illustrious associations

Until recently Dr Gopal served on the APA Commission on Accreditation. She is on the boards of Indiana’s Lake County Child Protection Team and Lake County Child Fatality Team, served as the Chair for the Illinois Psychological Association’s Working Committee on Hate and Harassment, specialises in gender-based violence, and served as Chair of the IPA Women’s Section. She has been serving on the Board of Directors of the Society of Clinical Psychology, American Psychological Association, and as Div. 12 Advocacy Chair.

“As the President of Mid-America Psychological and Counseling Services, I oversaw the management of mental health clinics in Indiana and Illinois,” she shares.

[caption id="attachment_50927" align="aligncenter" width="602"] Indians in USA | Dr Kalyani Gopal | Global Indian Dr Kalyani Gopal with Eyes Open International founder, Harold D'Souza[/caption]

Also Read | Fight against Modern Slavery: How Harold D’Souza brought the derailed American Dream on track

Uniting nations through SAFECHR

Dr. Gopal’s nonprofit organisation, Safe Coalition for Human Rights (SAFECHR) was formed in 2014 in response to the realisation that the voices of victims in foster care needed to be heard.

The non-profit has been hosting annual events since 2014 raising the number of participant countries from 10 nations in 2014 to 73 nations in one of its latest conferences.

“SAFE Conferences bring together organisations from around the globe working ceaselessly to form collaborative national and international coalitions from rescue to the rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking and violations of human rights,” she informs.

SAFE iACT Program – first to get global accreditation

The ace psychologist has created an evidence-based, international credentialing program to certify advocates, clinicians, attorneys, and law enforcement as trainers in human trafficking which she has named as the SAFE iACT Program. Ever since its inception, she has facilitated the training of over 20,000 people from more than 10 countries. It has become the first programme to get accredited globally.

In December 2020, she developed and implemented a program, THRIVE for adults from ACEs populations (childhood vulnerabilities) to provide wrap-around therapeutic services in transitional supportive housing. Victims get discharged after getting stable employment.

During COVID-19, Dr Gopal also launched an e-learning school-based program called SAFE Schools for the prevention of high-risk behaviors among youth by improving resiliency and teaching socioemotional skills.

[caption id="attachment_50935" align="aligncenter" width="613"] Indians in USA | Dr Kalyani Gopal | Global Indian Dr Kalyani Gopal at a Consulate General nof India, Chicago event[/caption]

More psychologists required for victims of abuse

Highlighting the field of child sexual abuse, and human and labour trafficking that she is working in Dr Gopal points out that there are not enough psychologists who work in the area looking at it as a social work issue.

“Traffickers treat the victims so poorly that they lose their identity and develop fragmented personalities.” To address their problem effectively Dr Kalyani Gopal has even modified existing treatments which have proven to be effective.

She believes that people who are victims of trafficking and other abuses have been manipulated so much that they need psychological help to feel confident and pull themselves out of the situation.

Follow Dr Kalyani Gopal on LinkedIn and Facebook

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