Global IndianstoryThe golden hour man: Prabhdeep Singh, the Indian entrepreneur pioneering India’s ambulance services

The golden hour man: Prabhdeep Singh, the Indian entrepreneur pioneering India’s ambulance services

Written by: Sarbani Sen

(September 16, 2021) StanPlus has grown to become a pioneer in India’s ambulance services space in a relatively short time. Using technology and a robust response system on the ground, along with a strong network of hospitals, StanPlus has entered and cracked open a segment of health space that very few thought was possible.

Yet, the idea of an ambulance service was not on top of the three co-founders’ minds when they were doing their MBA at INSEAD, France. But an entrepreneurship competition at INSEAD in June 2016 changed it all. “My friends and I won, and StanPlus was born out of that win. We realized that the market is huge and this business could create an impact – for other businesses, people and the entire ecosystem. We came back to India, and started this company in December 2016,” says Prabhdeep Singh, Co-Founder and CEO of StanPlus in an exclusive char with Global Indian. Incidentally, Prabhdeep Singh also featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

The other founders are Antoine Poirson, COO, and Jose Leon who is the CTO of StanPlus.

Indian entrepreneur Prabhdeep Singh

Meteoric rise

Within a short period, StanPlus has become India’s largest ambulance dispatch service with a strong network in Hyderabad, where it has its base. Red Ambulance today represents quick response, fast transport, top-of-the-line medical equipment and quality paramedics wherever they operate. “We are operating in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Raipur, Coimbatore and Bhubaneswar at the moment with our own ambulances; these will soon be expanded to Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Pune. We operate pan India with our aggregate network,” says Prabhdeep, who grew up in Chandigarh and studied at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies before moving to France for his MBA.

A single toll-free number for all geographies has made it the go-to emergency ambulance service in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and several other cities.

In the last five years, the organization has already gone through the rigmarole that any startup would face — funding, technology adoption issues, finding quality personnel, on boarding hiccups and the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has come out on top, thanks to its innovative platform, doggedness of its founders and the belief that the platform is built to succeed. “As any other startup, we had our challenges. We went through a death valley curve as well. But we always kept an open mind. We believed in the vision and skills of the experienced founding team, and scope of the market. There is a huge gap that needs to be filled between existing and potential quality emergency care in India, StanPlus passionately works towards that every day,” says Prabhdeep.

Red market share exploding. https://t.co/UCdOqtjj36

— Prabhdeep Singh 🚑 (@singhofstanplus) September 5, 2021

The potential it holds

Prabhdeep Singh says that investors in the startup are excited about how far it has come. “We have had an amazing experience with our investors, which includes people who are on our board and those who’ve joined us on the journey. Their feedback, inputs and guidance are invaluable,” he says.

At StanPlus, they put a premium on understanding the needs of the people, fast roll-out of plans and scaling up. With this strategy, StanPlus is going pan-India with plans to add 3,000 ambulances with advance life support (ALS) system in three years across 30 cities with a cumulative investment of around ₹900 crore. StanPlus is a family 600 employees and the team is growing everyday as it expands operations across the country. “We hire trained paramedics, who are then again trained on our own ALS ambulances to ensure quality service. However, in future, we want to start our own training academy,” Prabhdeep says.

It is not content with operations on the ground alone. The Red Ambulance service of StanPlus, will now foray into the air ambulance space across India. However, air ambulance services are considered expensive with no organized player in the space. But StanPlus seems to have a plan in place.

Indian entrepreneur Prabhdeep Singh

If anybody had any doubts about the StanPlus model’s sustainability or the aggressive nature with which it has been expanding, its work during Covid melted away those thoughts. While most of the country came to a halt during the both waves of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, it was probably the busiest time for Prabhdeep Singh and his team, meeting the challenge head-on came. And they came out with flying colors. “The biggest challenge was when our own employees were covid infected. As a healthcare company operating in emergency response, we had a responsibility to enable our healthcare system to cope better. There was a 10x increase in our demand for our services, but the supply of quality ambulances was short. The oxygen shortage impacted us. All of this also increased the cost of operations. We have taken responsibility for ensuring that no patient pays more than the standardized rate in the regions where we operate,” recalls Prabhdeep.

A voracious reader, Prabhdeep likes to stay grounded in reality. His collection of books provides a peek into this. “I’m reading And Then One Day – A Memoir by Naseeruddin Shah at present. I’m a proud owner of an amazing collection of books. Most of them are autobiographies, memoirs and business books. Although, I do read fiction as well,” he says.

Prabhdeep’s day begins with a cup of black coffee. And he then starts with the focus on “mindfulness.” “It energizes me for the day and helps me channel my thoughts.” The thoughts to succeed and see StanPlus rise and rise.

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Published on 16, Sep 2021

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Dipak C Jain: Small town boy to global management guru

(Aug 1, 2023) On his first day as Dean at the Kellogg School of Management, Professor Dipak C Jain stepped onto stage, before the MBA class of 650 students to make the customary commencement address. A few minutes in, the director of corporate communications rushed up to him and whispered in his ear, "There has been a terror attack. You need to end your speech before the phones start ringing." That was September 11, 2001. "Who could have anticipated that event," Professor Jain asked, in a talk for SolBridge International School of Business, back in 2018. "Nobody. But what we did know is that when the students graduated, the economic conditions wouldn't be good." Dealing with crisis Flights resumed regular services a month later, on October 3, 2001 - Jain is specific about the date, he remembers it well. "For the next few months, hardly a day passed when I wasn't on a flight, going to meet a potential recruiter." Students, Jain emphasises, come to business school with certain aspirations, they expect good teaching and a good placement, too. When he called his peers at Stanford and Harvard, they were resigned to the situation. "They told me, 'Dipak, it will

the situation. "They told me, 'Dipak, it will affect all of us'. That much is true but how we react can be different." He could use it as an excuse, or do something about it. He chose the latter.

[caption id="attachment_29919" align="aligncenter" width="588"] Professor Dipak Jain. Photo: Twitter[/caption]

"We all live under the same sky but seem to have different horizons," Jain said in a lecture. That year, aside from flying out to meet recruiters, he also wrote to his old students, asking them for work for his fresh graduates. That letter, as it happened, got into the press. Jain was approached by CNN's Lou Dobbs, asking him to appear on the show. He couldn't make it that day but Dobbs ran with the story anyway, saying, "Kellogg Dean begging for jobs." Jain saw it as "the best publicity you can get without paying for advertising." He flew out to meet recruiters. The following year, Kellogg School of Management had the highest placement rate and was rated by Businessweek as the 'top business school in the world'.

Currently, the Global Indian is the co-president and Global Advisor of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), before which he was Director, Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkom University in Bangkok. After eight years as Dean at the Kellogg School of Management, Jain stepped down in 2009. Two years later, he served for three years as a Dean of INSEAD, from 2011 to March 2013. "I was the first Dean of a European School," he remarked. "It's much more difficult in France than most other places to be accepted, as an Indian.” Jain also serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Reliance Industries Limited and has been a consultant with Microsoft, American Express, Eli Lilly and Company and Hyatt International.

Difficult beginnings

Dipak Chand Jain was born in a small town in Assam, to a "blind father and a mother who never went to school." His grandfather, who had been a schoolteacher, would tell him, "Your father has never seen light. Make sure that you always spread it to the world." Life was tough in his home town as his school had no tables or chairs, or paper to write on. Students sat cross-legged on the floor and scribbled on slates with pieces of chalk, committing what they wrote to memory before they erased it. There was no university either.

[caption id="attachment_29916" align="aligncenter" width="506"] Prof Jain with alumni from CEIBS[/caption]

Finding success

In 1976, when it was Jain's turn to graduate, he topped the university. For a young boy with very few opportunities in life, it was a major milestone. When he finished his honours in Mathematics from Dharam College in Tezpur, he left home for the first time in 25 years. "My father took me to the bus station in Guwahati and I got on a bus for the first time. Who knew that I would one day go on to become the director of United Airlines?" From this, he learned what he calls one of the major attributes to his success. "There are no shortcuts in life. I did my high school, college, a Master's and a PhD. These things take time. Nothing good happens quickly."

There are no shortcuts in life. I did my high school, college, a Master's and a PhD. These things take time. Nothing good happens quickly.

Ten years later, after his PhD, Jain was a student of Mathematics with no business school background. He received his first job offer, to teach a course in marketing at the Kellogg School of Management. His first encounter with Dean Donald Jacobs, who would go on to be a lifelong colleague, mentor and friend, came at the end of his first year. Jain arrived at the faculty dinner where Dean Jacobs stood and decided to introduce himself. "He took one look at me and lost his temper. I had no idea what I had done wrong. He told me to leave."

The importance of feedback

Jain decided to stick around for the dinner anyway, thinking that his departure would reflect poorly on his boss. The next day, a superior told him that no harm was meant by the incident and not to take the matter personally. It was another mantra he adopted for the rest of his life. "Don't take things personally. And when you're given feedback, accept it with gratitude. The same man who yelled at me in public made me deputy dean, a candidate for the next dean. A football coach told me once that he only yells at players in whom he sees potential."

At the start of his teaching career in 1998, Jain found a group of students waiting outside his office one evening to tell him, "Professor, we have come to the conclusion that you don't know the subject." Jain admitted he was new to it, having had no B-school experience. "They said, we are not here to complain but we believe that there is a great teacher inside of you. We are here to promise that we will make you the best teacher you can be." They stuck to their word, bringing him magazine articles and copies of the Wall Street Journal that Jain could use as case studies in his classes. When he became Dean, Jain began to organise an informal session for students and faculty, where the former could freely express their opinions.

Don't take things personally. And when you're given feedback, accept it with gratitude. The same man who yelled at me in public made me deputy dean, a candidate for the next dean. A football coach told me once that he only yells at players in whom he sees potential.

When Jacobs died at the age of 90, Jain, who was in Delhi heading for the funeral, received a call from his daughter. "She said, 'Dipak, dad passed away. Come quickly.' He had made me the trustree of his wealth. Building trust with people will make you what you are."

INSEAD, France

In May 2011, Jain accepted the post as a Dean at INSEAD in France, fascinated by the idea of a one-year MBA. At the time, Jain was involved in two other projects as well - creating a business school in Bangladesh and focussing on entrepreneurship and small business management for women in countries like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as well as starting a university in Angola. "For global prosperity and peace, we have to target women," he said, at the time of his appointment, in 2010.

With areas of interest that include market segmentation, competitive market structure analysis, marketing of high-tech products and cross-culture issues in global product diffusion, as well as forecasting models, Jain has published over fifty articles and is the author of Marketing Moves: A New Approach to Profits, Growth and Renewal. "Business school is about structured thinking. Solving problems means developing that structured approach." The real-world problems are many - soon, the world will have a large ageing population, with increasing lifespans indicating that the duration of retirement could be as long as the time spent working. "How do we engage the retired population?" This is the age, he says, of "human capital," and the core purpose of business education is "shaping and attracting human talent."

Follow Professor Dipak C. Jain on Twitter or listen to him on YouTube

KJo, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap: Producer Ashi Dua churns out hits with Bollywood’s dream team

(April 20, 2024) Ashi Dua, the founder of Flying Unicorns, is a leading film producer renowned for her impactful contributions to the industry. Her journey began with the debut of Bombay Talkies at Cannes in 2013. Since then, she has produced a series of acclaimed titles for Netflix, including Lust Stories, which earned an Emmy nomination. Additionally, Dua's portfolio includes Ghost Stories, Kaalakandi, and The Right Note. Her recent work also encompasses the highly anticipated Lust Stories 2. As a producer, she plays a pivotal role in shaping the contemporary cinematic landscape, with her productions resonating both domestically and internationally. Her latest production, #BGDC (Big Girls Don't Cry), created by Nithya Mehra, revolves around the strong bonds formed between young women at a boarding school, and is slated for release on Amazon Prime. [caption id="attachment_50853" align="aligncenter" width="405"] Producer Ashi Dua[/caption] An early start Born in Bareilly, UP, Ashi Dua was sent to a boarding school in Nainital when she was just in Grade 3. She spent her entire school life in a boarding school post which she moved to Delhi for college and better opportunities completing her education at Delhi University. “I did internships every summer, and worked with NDTV,

school in Nainital when she was just in Grade 3. She spent her entire school life in a boarding school post which she moved to Delhi for college and better opportunities completing her education at Delhi University. “I did internships every summer, and worked with NDTV, a company that organised fashion shows and at a publishing house,” Ashi tells Global Indian. She did all that but somehow, felt drawn to Mumbai. “I wanted to explore Bombay so when I got my first chance in 2005, I took a flight and came here.”

While filmmaking may not have been her first option, Ashi knew she wanted to be in the media, maybe in journalism, PR, writing or events. All that changed when she came to Mumbai and signed up for a workshop, where she met Anurag Kashyap. The acclaimed director was working on Dev D at that point, and Ashi was inspired to give filmmaking a try. “I fell in love with the process of filmmaking as a medium of storytelling, and the gratification at the end,” she recalls. “And yeah, I think that's when I discovered it. Only when I got into it is when I discovered that this is what I really want,” she admits.

Show Time

In 2013, she set up her own production house, Flying Unicorns. The company got off to a very strong start, making its debut with Bombay Talkies, which she describes as “very special because it was my first film and I was so young at the time,” she says. Four of Bollywood’s top directors, including Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar and Dibankar Bannerjee, who each directed one short film in the four part anthology. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Rani Mukherji. “It was a big deal,” she remarks. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, “where we all walked together, which was very special,” she smiles. And again, Lust Stories was one of the first films on an OTT platform that really exploded for them, did well for them as a franchise,” she says.

[caption id="attachment_50854" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Ashi Dua with Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap[/caption]

Ashi Dua's star only continued to rise from here. In 2018, she followed up with Lust Stories, again comprising four short-film segments, directed by Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Bannerjee and Karan Johar respectively, and co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala. The series, which was a big hit on Netflix, had an ensemble cast including Radhika Apte, Kiara Advani, Manisha Koirala, Bhumi Pednekar, Vicky Kaushal and Neha Dhupia. The film was nominated for two Awards at the 47th International Emmy Awards; Best TV Movie or Miniseries and Best Actress for Apte. This was followed by Ghost Stories in 2020.

Breaking barriers

Dua has worked extensively with the biggest names in the business, but admits that it is very hard for a woman, especially one who is an “outsider”, to break into the production business. “It takes someone introducing you to someone and then you must prove yourself, which you have to in any other field as well,” she says. The difference is that, in other fields, a degree will help you prove your worth and land opportunities. “Here, you must prove yourself time and time again,” she says.

While it’s hard for “outsiders” to find themselves in the right rooms with the right people, Dua acknowledges that gender biases haven’t really been a problem. “I think especially with the kind of people that are there in the industry. I don't think there is too much bias,” she says. In fact, she found that people were willing to give her a chance, and what’s more, women form the majority of the film crew.

As a producer, there were always challenges, and when she was younger, she would get bogged down and react, sometimes not in the most positive way. “But the older you get and the wiser you get, things change. Literally now, every day is like “so today what are we resolving?” So, you just take the problem or the challenge head on and you try to work around it in the most reasonable and realistic way that you can,” she explains.

Making Opportunities Matter

She is motivated by the fact that she is to be able to make the best use of the opportunities she gets when she sees them. “When I saw 12th Fail, I was so inspired. You must have a really good idea, a good script and good actors and then make the most honest film that you can. So, things like that really inspire me.” And while producing is a very hard and thankless job and producers are not the most loved people on the set, she feels it is a very gratifying job and it motivates her to eventually see the final product of what she saw on paper to what she sees on screen. “Just good people, good stories, to see an idea go on the big screen is very motivating and very gratifying,” she says.

[caption id="attachment_50859" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Photo: Instagram[/caption]

The right story

Moving forward, she wants to produce more grassroot level stories, more home grown stuff, things that are more Indian but global at the same time. “I want to do stories about, you know, something that is more deep rooted in our culture yet has a universal appeal. Those are the kind of stories I want to make,” she says. Asserting that communication is everything, she feels that working with the right people, collaborations, right partner, and crew must all be on the same page. As she has two very small children, most of her free time is for them. And she also travels with friends and family to recharge. Looking ahead she wants to make some good movies that she will be proud of. “I want to tell some beautiful stories and work with amazing writers, directors, actors, and to be able to build something that I will be proud of. And personally, I want to explore a couple of other things that I'm looking at, minus films. I want to continue being on a fitness journey so that I can do and juggle so many things without falling sick often,” she signs off.

Follow her on Instagram

Gandhi & The Other Mohan: A childhood story takes author Amrita Shah to South Africa and beyond

(November 16, 2024) Amrita Shah's latest book, The Other Mohan, dives into a family mystery that has fascinated her for years — the journey her great-grandfather, Mohanlal, made from pre-Independent India to South Africa. But this isn't just a personal quest; her research unfolds the rich and complex history of the Indian diaspora in the Indian Ocean, revealing a world of migrations shaped by traders, indentured labourers, smugglers, and political exiles. For the award-winning author, this book adds another layer to a remarkable career. "As a child, I was told that I had a great grandfather named Mohanlal, who was an interpreter. Around the turn of the 20th century, he went to South Africa for a few years. I did not know anything else about the event but it fascinated me," she tells Global Indian. She's been a pioneering editor — taking charge of Debonair, India's answer to Playboy, in the early '90s, a role that raised eyebrows but didn't stop her from shaking things up. "It is amazing that such a magazine could exist and flourish at the time," smiles journalist, scholar and author Amrita Shah. Shah went on to help launch Elle India, break major stories on Mumbai’s

60062 " src="https://stage.globalindian.com//wp-content/uploads/2024/11/shah.webp" alt="Indian author | Amrita Shah | Global Indian" width="458" height="458" />

She's been a pioneering editor — taking charge of Debonair, India's answer to Playboy, in the early '90s, a role that raised eyebrows but didn't stop her from shaking things up. "It is amazing that such a magazine could exist and flourish at the time," smiles journalist, scholar and author Amrita Shah.

Shah went on to help launch Elle India, break major stories on Mumbai’s underworld, and write powerful biographies and social histories, from Vikram Sarabhai: A Life to Ahmedabad: A City in the World and Telly-Guillotined: How Television Changed India.

The Other Mohan

As her latest book, The Other Mohan hit the stands recently, she delves into her quest to understand why her great-grandfather, Mohanlal, set sail for South Africa from pre-Independent India.

Drawing on an extensive range of sources interwoven with her own first-hand research in India, South Africa, Mauritius and Britain, Amrita covers a wide gamut, including in its sweep, the Indian Ocean, the mediaeval port of Surat where Europeans set up their earliest trading companies in India, the evolution of colonial Bombay and Indian migrant communities in the Indian Ocean littoral.

Indian Author | The Other Mohan | Global Indian

Gandhi Link

By foregrounding the story of her great-grandfather and of the opportunistic drive that led thousands of Indians to seek their fortunes across an ocean, Amrita offers a supplementary history to explain many aspects of India's present. "My book is formatted like a thriller unravelling the story of my pursuit bit by bit. An important discovery I made right at the start was that Mohanlal had met Gandhi in South Africa and had participated in his Satyagraha campaign in 1908," says a beaming Amrita.

In 1908, Gandhi was fighting against a racist law which required Indians to register themselves in the Transvaal region of South Africa with their fingerprints and to show their passes to the police, as if they were criminals. Even educated Indians who were allowed to enter the Transvaal under the immigration law had to register themselves with their fingerprints.

Iconic moment

In August that year, a crowd of Indians gathered at the Hamidia Mosque in Johannesburg and burnt their identity papers. This event had become an iconic moment in the history of the struggle against oppression and was dramatised in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. "My great grandfather was present at this event. He had joined a group of educated Indians who entered the Transvaal and refused to register themselves as required. They were arrested and spent many weeks in jail," says the author, who found this and lots of other information in the archives in South Africa.

Indian author | amrita shah | global Indian

The writing of this book brought Amrita face-to-face with a different history of the Indian diaspora in the western Indian ocean. "It is a history that has not yet been told. Hence the title, "The Other Mohan," says Amrita, who showcases the adventuring and enterprising spirit of Indians and the way they inserted themselves into the capitalist system introduced by European colonists.

It took her a decade of research to write the engaging book. "While the book is about an ancestral pursuit and history, it is also a travelogue about a journey that takes place in the contemporary world."

Many Indians arrived in South Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries under harsh conditions, bound by contracts that forced them into gruelling labour on sugarcane plantations and in coal mines. Alongside these labourers were "passenger Indians," a smaller group of merchants and traders, primarily from Gujarat, who arrived independently to set up businesses. This community faced significant discrimination, segregated housing, limited rights, and high taxes specifically targeting Indians. It was in this challenging environment that Gandhi developed his philosophy of satyagraha or nonviolent resistance, inspired by the struggle for justice within the Indian diaspora.

Indian author | amrita Shah | Global Indian

The Mumbaikar

Born 1962, Amrita did her schooling from St Joseph's Convent in Bandra, Mumbai and went to Elphinstone College, Mumbai from where she graduated in 1983. A school topper, who was good at academics, she loved reading. "Geography was my least favourite – which is ironic given that I have just written a book about an ocean and movement within it,” smiles Amrita, who enjoyed art and elocution in school. In college, she was the cultural secretary and also ran the Wallpaper and edited college magazines and did a little theatre.

Her father worked for the Life Insurance Corporation and had a parallel career as a historian of Hindi film music. “His approach to work–reading widely and following research leads assiduously, influenced me greatly,” says the writer. Her mother was a housewife who had studied classical Indian dance.

Debonair

Amrita Shah started her career at a famous features magazine, Imprint. Thereafter, she joined Debonair in January 1991 and continued till March 1992. "Debonair was modelled on Playboy. It was started in the 1970s when there was no commercial television and few forms of entertainment. Probably, the owner thought a magazine of this sort was a good idea,” recalls Amrita.

The Other Mohan Author | Global Indian

Going Global

Thereafter, she worked for Time-Life and was one of the few stringers in South Asia and probably the youngest at the time. “India was not considered to be of much interest to a western audience when I started out but as it began to open its economy, the western media took notice,” she says.

She contributed to a cover story on India’s Consumer Boomers which triggered off an avalanche of global interest in India as a market. Amrita Shah also co-wrote stories on important trends of the time such as popular culture and communal violence.

Off to New York

The renowned writer was hosted by the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University (September 2009-July 2010) where she was provided with office space and access to the university's facilities to do her independent, scholarly work. She was supported by a fellowship from the Fulbright Foundation. "It was an extremely enriching experience for someone like me who was used to struggling in India to suddenly have access to thousands of books at one time. If the NYU library did not have something I was looking for, they procured it via an interlibrary loan,” informs Amrita, recipient of the Raymond-Crossword Book award, 2016 and Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Award for Excellence in Writing on the Urban from Sage Shortlist, 2017.

She had been to New York before but this stint was also her introduction to academia and to the community of scholars working on the politics and history of South Asia.

Indian author | amrita Shah | Global Indian

At Johannesburg

Amrita Shah also went to the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JAIS) as a Writing Fellow for four months (February-May 2018). The Institute is affiliated to the University of Johannesburg but has an independent house where she was accommodated with other fellows, from all over the world. "I had finished most of my research on The Other Mohan by then but it was useful to look up references I had missed and be able to meet with experts to clarify doubts," she says.

The fellowship also arranged a few trips for them. "We attended a theatre festival in a small border town and met inmates of a jail in a town up north. These are unforgettable experiences."

Life in Mumbai

Amrita Shah says she has been leading a peripatetic life for some time and is back in Mumbai after a gap of 12 years. “I have been in Mumbai every year to visit my family but it is different to move back home,” she says.

She writes daily, either at her home in the suburbs or in cafes – she has a few favourites in Bandra. “I go downtown occasionally to the art galleries or the Asiatic Library, which is a wonderful resource. I meet friends or catch a play at Prithvi in Juhu or the new NMACC,” says the avid reader, who loves theatre, art and music.

Ask her if there are more books in the pipeline? “Yes. I studied Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rise in Gujarat when he was the Chief Minister and the socio-political context that made it possible. I want to write a long essay based on my study and the international parallels I was able to draw to explain what is happening in contemporary India."

As she settles back into Mumbai, reacquainting herself with its evolving landscape, Amrita remains as committed to storytelling as ever. With The Other Mohan, she has delivered a book that not only pays homage to her ancestor's journey but also shines a light on the larger, untold histories that shape us today.

Follow Amrita Shah on X

Reading Time: 5 mins

In the chef’s domain: Exploring culinary tales with Ranveer Brar

(February 25, 2024) To say that he is one of the most celebrated chefs in India might be an understatement. Known to be India's youngest executive chef, Ranveer Brar is quite famous globally for his expertise in infusing traditional cuisines with a contemporary flair. But, would you believe it if I told you that this chef's first job wasn't at a five-star hotel, but at a roadside stall, where he worked on a lakdi ki bhatti (wood-fired oven)? And that the chef had to work really hard to prove himself. "Munir Ustad was my first mentor, he completely changed the way I approached food and cooking. I had noticed him often during my street food walks and secretly hoped he’d let me be his shagird (student) someday," shares the chef, as he connects with Global Indian, adding, "When I eventually joined him, it wasn’t easy to gain his trust! Ustad would not easily share his recipes with me. I used to crush the spices and haul sacks of coal up to the terrace to dry them. I had to patiently prove myself and learn. And even when he did start sharing, it wasn’t a break-down kind of teaching. You just

, "When I eventually joined him, it wasn’t easy to gain his trust! Ustad would not easily share his recipes with me. I used to crush the spices and haul sacks of coal up to the terrace to dry them. I had to patiently prove myself and learn. And even when he did start sharing, it wasn’t a break-down kind of teaching. You just had to observe and learn the nuances. In a lot of ways, it taught me the importance of believing in your intuition and interpretation of any dish and using recipes as guidelines."

A global culinary artist, Chef Brar is an honourary member of the James Beard Foundation, and has received recognition for his contribution to various cuisines from several institutions such as The American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF) and Academy for International Culinary Art (AICA).

A young lad from Lucknow

Growing up in Lucknow, Chef Brar was always fascinated by the city’s street food. Almost every day, after school, a young Ranveer Brar would venture out on the streets of Lucknow with his friends to taste the mouth-watering street dishes. But unlike his friends, this young boy was not just fascinated by the food - but also the stories behind each dish. "It’s difficult to say what attracted me first - food stories or the food itself," shares the chef, adding, "Growing up in Lucknow, where they say – ek plate khana, ek pateela kisse (a plate of food served with an urn full of stories), I would like to think it’s more the former. I was especially fascinated by the kebab vendors. In a way, these jaunts were also a major contributor to my already growing interest in food."

Chef | Ranveer Brar | Global Indian

After about six months of training under Munir Ustad, Chef Brar decided to further his culinary education and enrolled at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Lucknow. Subsequently, he joined the Taj Group of Hotels, commencing his journey with one of their most esteemed establishments, Fort Aguada Beach Resort in Goa. Remarkably, during his initial assignment, the chef successfully inaugurated two restaurants within the hotel – Morisco and il Camino. In 2003, he made a move to the Radisson Blu Hotel in New Delhi, achieving the distinction of becoming the youngest executive chef in the country at the age of 25.

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"Thanks to my stint at the Taj during my days as an intern, I went on to open restaurants at various Taj establishments, the responsibility of opening and running a restaurant came early to me. I believe in taking everyone along my life/culinary path and that I feel has earned me a priceless wealth – human connections. I like to be logical when it comes to any task, list down the tasks, and tackle them systematically. Every restaurant I worked with, the lessons and lauds that came with them, paved the way for the next project I’d work on. And so life continued," shares the chef.

Inspired by the locals

In 2003, the chef moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he established Banq, a high-end Franco-Asian restaurant that garnered acclaim and multiple accolades. This was also around the same time that the world first tasted Chef Brar's signature dish, Dorra Kebab - a 200-year-old dish from Rampur, made with minced lamb, and marinated with over 30 rare herbs. "I created the Dorra Kebab in India, around 2003. It’s actually a classic dish that we just reinvented with a little panache and flair. The idea was to bring out the thought that Kebabs can be melt-in-the-mouth and celebrate the skill of Kebab-making too. And that’s what we took to the US," shares the chef.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdhFryFd22U

But, while he has travelled across the globe, and tasted the flavours of most cuisines, the chef's favourite travel memory remains that of visiting a small Rajasthani village. "A dish and a memory that are quite close to my heart is a Raab that I sampled in Rajasthan. When I first met Shanti Devi in Khejarli village, Rajasthan, I wasn’t quite prepared for The Sustainable lunch she treated me to. Half the ingredients were preserved over from the previous season and a buttermilk-like dish she made from Bajra, the Raab, was chilled in an earthen indigenous ‘refrigerator’! Though we couldn’t fully understand each other’s language, I learnt a lot from her that day through the food she cooked for us. I have since recreated and reinvented what I ate that day in my cooking sessions across the world," he shares.

Beyond the kitchen

In 2015, upon returning to India, the chef crafted menus for several upscale restaurants, such as MTV India, Haute Chef, English Vinglish, and TAG GourmART Kitchen. But, the kitchen wasn't the only playground that he was interested in anymore. Chef Brar made his first appearance on Indian television, with MasterChef, and subsequently several other shows including Ranveer On The Road, The Great Indian Rasoi, Food Tripping, and Himalayas the Offbeat Adventure. While he certainly wasn't the first chef to appear on television, what set him apart was his unique storytelling style.

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In fact, the chef is gearing up another show, called The Family Table, where he hosts celebrities and their families for fun cook-offs. "In a country where our day begins with ‘aaj khane mein kya hai!’, food becomes the perfect conversation starter, especially in a household. There’s an entire genre of home cooking that lies in heirloom recipes from different families that need to come to the fore. With the Family Table, the idea is to bring those recipes, those conversations forward; and celebrate this aspect of our cuisine through the fun in and beauty of family cooking," he says.

But not just TV, the chef was recently seen in the six-episode anthology – Modern Love Mumbai – along with Pratik Gandhi and veteran actress Tanuja, which was directed by Hansal Mehta. "Honestly, I never thought I would act, though I always had a lot of respect for the craft. I debuted in mainstream television and I thought I would end up in the directing stream, as I direct a lot of food documentaries. So I wasn’t planning to become an actor, but the love for the medium and the ease of working with Pratik, Talat Aziz ji, and Hansal sir ticked all the boxes for me. And the role of Rajveer was truly endearing for me. My next was with Hansal ji again, The Buckingham Murders. It was a completely different role and an intriguing character experiment as well. I’m definitely on the lookout for the next interesting script," the chef expresses.

[caption id="attachment_39932" align="aligncenter" width="556"] Chef | Ranveer Brar | Global Indian Chef Ranveer Brar with actor Pratik Gandhi, during the shoot of Modern Love Mumbai[/caption]

Sharing his mantra for the upcoming generation of chefs, he shares, "Just remember three rules - get the basics rights, stick to the genre of food that you feel most connected to, and persevere with patience and focus. The trick is to keep it simple and play to your strengths. Instead of planning long menus, stick to the dishes you know you are experts in, and work on dishes that represent your culture and your personal connection with food better. ‘Less is more’ is the mantra that works."

Follow Chef Ranveer Brar on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and his website

Reading Time: 7 mins

Eagle-eyed Indian American angel investor with a heart of gold

(Sarbani Sen, May 5) When Kanwal Rekhi, a fresh-faced graduate from IIT-Bombay, got off a bus and walked into the imposing Michigan Tech, he had butterflies in his stomach. He wasn’t sure if he was up to the task. But it didn’t take long to find his footing. “The US was at the top of its game and India was really at the bottom of its game. IITs were not established as top-notch schools. We (Indians) were very humble and assumed that we were not as good as them. It was just a matter of weeks, I realized I was as good as any of them,” says Rekhi in an interview with Global Indian. That was in 1967. The humbleness remains even after 50 years, but Rekhi’s imposing presence as a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and identifier and funder of great ideas is undisputed. He has financed over 50 startups, and new entrepreneurs talk of his incisive questions and candor-filled assessment of their ideas. He looks for more than just an excellent idea. He likes originality. “I like entrepreneurs who are not repeating what others have done: like I am Uber of this or that or I am yet another e-commerce site,”

of this or that or I am yet another e-commerce site,” he says.

Most prominent Indian American investor

Rekhi, 76, is perhaps the most prominent US-based Indo-American entrepreneur and investor. He became the first founder and CEO to take a venture-backed company public on the NASDAQ in the late 90s. He is the co-founder of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), a global networking platform for Indian entrepreneurs. Rekhi co-founded Inventus Capital Partners in 2008. As the managing director at Inventus, he primarily invests in technology-based startups.

Becoming an entrepreneur was not top of his mind when he first started working. Just like many Indians who went to the U.S, Rekhi was happy doing a 9-5 job, but life threw a few curveballs. Losing his job thrice, despite being good at what he was doing, convinced him that he had to upskill.

[embed]https://twitter.com/kanwal946/status/1389633090104938496[/embed]

“I was a hardware engineer, so I took courses in software. I also took courses in business and law during that time,” he remembers.

With no family history in business, it took a while for Rekhi to motivate himself to become an entrepreneur. “Indians in America were mostly professionals. It was a long leap for me, but by that time I was convinced that I was ready for anything.” There has been no looking back.

He is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but a unique idea will have him excited and restless. A seed-level investor, Rekhi is always in support of fresh Indian entrepreneurs. But unless an idea excites him, and he sees the fire in the new entrepreneur to succeed, he is unlikely to bite the bait.

Donations to alma mater

Since it is education that has brought him this far, Rekhi never forgot his alma maters. His generous donations have led to Kanwal Rekhi Schools of Information Technology at IIT-Bombay and Michigan Tech. He has also funded various other educational institutions. “I am a strong believer in education as a great equalizer. Most of my charitable work is around education,” he says. He applies lessons he has learned over the years and is very aware of the changing nature of technology and markets. “I keep learning new things,” he says, and is always on the lookout for young entrepreneurs who are “a bit crazy to risk everything.”

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