Chef | Srijith Gopinathan | Global Indian

Global IndianstoryMichelin star Indian chef Srijith Gopinath is taking the South Indian spice palette to the world

Michelin star Indian chef Srijith Gopinath is taking the South Indian spice palette to the world

Written by: Namrata Srivastava

(September 8, 2022) I could listen to the sound of vegetables being cut when I connected with Chef Srijith Gopinath over a call for an interview from California. When I asked him if he was cooking, pat came the reply that he was making a mushroom delicacy for his family. “I love cooking for my family,” smiled Chef Sri, as he finished plating the breakfast. It was quite heartwarming to catch a chef cooking for his loved ones before starting a very busy day at one of Palo Alto’s most renowned restaurants – Ettan.

Chef Srijith Gopinath

The two star Michelin chef from the southern parts of India, who thought of becoming an IT professional as a kid, is currently one of the highest-rated chefs in the world. Starting his journey from a small village, Chef Sri has come a long way from assisting the head chef in the hotel to running his own venture in California. “I have been cooking for over two decades, but at my restaurant, I get to bring in the spices from my homeland to the table. I do a lot of Indian dishes, but with a little bit of twist. My menu lists delicacies such as Truffle kulcha, Red plum rasam, Samosa pie, and Tender jack vada. I want the world to taste the amazing herbs from my country,” the chef tells Global Indian.

The spice trail

Growing up in the land of spices, Chef Sri who hails from a small village in Kanyakumari often saw his mother cook for the entire family. “I lived in a joint family, and as a kid, I wasn’t allowed to cook. But I loved to eat and was always fascinated by different flavours. Although tasting varied cuisine wasn’t possible in a small village, I would still try to find something different to eat in the limited options I had then.” As a kid, Chef Sri would often be asked by his grandmother to run to the backyard to fetch her some spices. “We had black pepper, turmeric, ginger, and many other spices. I wasn’t taught about these spices, I just knew what they were, how they smelled or tasted since I was a kid.”

Sea bass collar spice roasted with coconut, turmeric, tamarind and curry leaves

Leaving behind his beautiful coconut orchard, the chef moved to Bengaluru to pursue a degree in Hotel Management. Interestingly though, this was not the original plan. “Becoming a chef was never a goal – in fact, I never thought about it growing up. I always thought that I would be a regular guy, working in the IT sector. Even when I joined the Hotel Management college, I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t go into the kitchen.”

Chef Srijith Gopinath with Chef Vikas Khanna and Chef Zorawar Kalra

So how did the odds work in his favour? “You know when you live alone and your mother isn’t around to take care of you, you inadvertently end up with a ladle in hand trying to make something that could taste something like home,” laughs the chef, adding, “Cookery books were my best friends because there was no Google to tell me a recipe. I found it quite interesting to experiment with tastes and flavours. So, I decided to become a chef.”

Tasting success

His graduation paved the way for his professional career which started with working for the local hotels to get a better understanding of the functioning of a kitchen. It was while working at a hotel in Chennai, Chef Sri was offered a job at two-starred Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire. This shift not only helped him hone his culinary skills, but also aided in getting his talent recognised. “It was one of the iconic restaurants and I saw how a kitchen actually functioned. While I learnt a lot there, it was also the first time that I earned a good amount and took the opportunity to travel as much as I could around Europe,” he shared.

Maine lobster poached in spiced ghee, coastal curry, sweet peas and pea leaf oil

Eventually, the chef moved to the Taj Hotels, first in Maldives and then in San Francisco, where he earned his first Michelin star. “At Campton Place, I earned my first Michelin in the two years and subsequently got the second one as well. It’s not easy to man a kitchen, although many think that it is a glamorous job. In most hotels and restaurants, the kitchen is the heart of the story. So, there is always some chaos that we are dealing with, something is always going wrong which the team is working on fixing. But, when we send out the plates, they are always perfect. So, to be rewarded for all the hard work that we put in every day is very special,” shares the chef.

While he cooks for some very high-profile people, he himself revels in comfort food. “I think it’s quite natural to lean towards what you used to eat as a child. So for me, a good dosa with coconut chutney is the best comfort food. Also, I enjoy sitting down for sadhya, which is a big selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes served on a banana leaf in Kerala – mostly during Onam or weddings. But, because of living in California for the last 15 years, I have come to love some local comfort food as well. I really enjoy having a good Bánh mì, which is a Vietnamese sandwich or a good plate of piping hot pasta.”

Chef Srijith Gopinath and team at Ettan

After successfully running the Taj kitchen, the chef recently started his own restaurant. Named Ettan, which means “to breathe” in Sanskrit, the restaurant became an instant hit in Downtown Palo Alto. Unfortunately, it had to shut shop within the first month of its inauguration due to Covid. “It took us about 18 months to start Ettan in February 2020, and then just in 22 days, COVID caused havoc across the globe. For two months we had to close the restaurants, but in May 2020 we started taking takeaway orders and slowly opened the restaurant again,” says the chef. Ettan is currently one of the highest-rated restaurant in the Palo Alto area. “I plan on starting another restaurant soon,” shared the chef before dashing off to the kitchen.

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Published on 08, Sep 2022

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An atypical life: How Ferose VR drives the diversity mindset

When his eighteen-month-old son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, VR Ferose's world came undone. Until that fateful moment, life had been very kind to him. At 33, he was the MD of SAP Labs, had married the love of his life and was joyously celebrating the birth of his first child. His first question to the doctor was, "How do I fix this?" But there is no making someone "un-autistic." The news sent Ferose spiralling into depression. "For the first time, here was something I couldn't control. I was used to being in control," he says, as he connects with Global Indian. In the end, it was his mentor and long-time friend, Kiran Bedi, who gave him the answer he needed: "People spend their whole lives trying to understand what their purpose is, you're incredibly lucky that purpose has found you." She told him that he could dedicate his time to his primary responsibility - taking care of his son, which he does. Or, he could use the considerable means and power at his disposal to lend a voice to a historically marginalised community - people with disabilities. Ferose chose the latter. Since the birth of his son, he

people with disabilities. Ferose chose the latter.

VR Ferose | India Inclusion Summit

Since the birth of his son, he has gone on to write four books, attend two UN conferences, speak at the World Economic Forum and is the founder of the India Inclusion Summit. He also started the Autism at Work program, which fetched him numerous awards and also became a Harvard Case Study. In 2014, he wrote GIFTED, with Sudha Menon, which went on to win him the Kannada Sahitya Academy Award. His most recent offering is the graphic novel GRIT: The Vishwas story, with Sriram Jagannathan.

Rising above adversity

VR Ferose hardly needs an introduction. Based in San Ramon, he heads the SAP Academy for Engineering. He has played many roles during his 23-year association with the company, including making Managing Director at 33 and a stint as the head of the Globalisation Services Unit. That's his professional life. Over the last decade, Ferose has emerged as one of the leading voices of inclusion and diversity, and of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). According to The Invisible Majority, PwDs make up a staggering 15 percent of the global population. While our imaginations (and a lack of awareness) limit us to images of people in wheelchairs and the blind, the term itself is constantly evolving. "Simply put, we are disabled if our inability to carry out daily activities hinders us from participating fully in society," they write.

It's well past midnight in California when he arrives for our virtual meeting. In the background, I can see his vast collection of books – over three thousand, he says, all of them signed. He is visibly exhausted - he has spent the day taking care of his son, who needs full-time care and the couple’s lives are centered around making sure he gets it. “I can speak to you now that Vivaan is sleeping.” Even so, he gives me his full attention - over the years, time has become Ferose's most valued asset. It isn't always given out, but when he does, he does so fully. "I have done my research on you," he says. "I looked to see if this was worth my time before I said yes."

"Everything I have achieved so far has been because of my son," he says. "Yes, I have had a successful career but corporate roles come and go and nobody cares. What matters is doing something that is meaningful to someone else. I was leading a life of success then but now I'm leading one that's far more significant." The quiet strength he exudes is an acquired trait, learned the hard way.

The diversity mindset

"If you have role models at home who embody that spirit, it is the best way," he remarks. Ferose was born in 1974 and since his father worked in the Railways, the family travelled extensively across the country. He was exposed, at an early age, to India's cultural diversity. Ferose went on to study at the Regional Engineering College (now the National Institutes of Technology) in Warangal, founded by Nehru with the mission to promote national integrity. "I had classmates from every state in the country. It gave me a broader perspective of the world."

Life carried on in the same vein - "I'm a Muslim from Kerala, my wife is a Hindu Brahmin from Maharashtra. Diversity is a mindset, a way of life and we have it, even at home." Later, his career would take him all over the world - he has travelled to over 40 countries. "We tend to complicate the concept now," he smiles. "They categorise it as gender, disability, race and so on, it keeps on changing. At a fundamental level, it's a mindset and that's all."

After college, Ferose moved to Chennai to begin work as a systems analyst at Ramco Systems. He boarded the train with a gift of Rs 1,500 from his father, which allowed him to buy "a shirt, a pair of pants, and a pair of shoes." In his blog, he reminisces about waiting eagerly for salary day and "being broke mid-month."

The SAP journey

Ferose first joined SAP Labs as a software engineer and his tipping point came early when, in 2005, he moved to Germany as the Executive Assistant to to SAP Board Member Gerhard Oswald. He was one of the first people from India to be given that role.

In 2007, he was made MD of SAP Labs India, Gurgaon. "That happened very quickly," he smiles. "We can only ever connect the dots in retrospect but at that time, I never thought I would achieve the kind of progression that I did." It was also the year his son was born. Between then and 2012, Ferose made huge leaps in inclusion and diversity at SAP, including setting up Prayas Lab as part of the 'Autism at Work' pilot case study. He was also selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and founded the India Inclusion Summit. Under his leadership, SAP Labs India was ranked, for the very first time, as a Great Place to Work.

[caption id="attachment_35296" align="aligncenter" width="621"] VR Ferose | India Inclusion Summit Ferose with former SAP Board Member Gerhard Oswald[/caption]

Three things are vital to success, he believes - mentors, coaches and sponsors. "I had all those things." As his professional life continued to shine, Arun Shourie and Kiran Bedi were among those who stood by him through a much more significant journey. He went from a victim to an agent of change. If Bedi had told him that he had found a life purpose, Shourie, who is also father to a profoundly disabled son, helped him see what he could do. In his book, Does He know a Mother's Heart, Shourie tries to understand what religions say about disability. The 'karma' theory blames the parents, which is harsh. Shourie settles in the end on what the Buddhists had to say - the highest form of service is to take care of somebody who can't give you anything in return. Shourie told Ferose to drive the narrative to change the mindset.

Changing the narrative

Shourie's words inspired Ferose to found the India Inclusion Summit, a conference that celebrates differences. "It's not about feeling sorry for people. We need to go from sympathy to empathy and from there, to compassion." As Ferose did his work, he found that the community was crippled by society itself. Caregiving, Ferose learned, was done mostly by mothers and the birth of a disabled child has ended many a marriage. "I would go to therapy sessions with ten other people and be the only male in the room," he says.

Awareness was vital. As he came to terms with his own life, he had run through the gammut of mistakes himself, including trying to find "a cure." He read books that promised one, driven by the idea that that Autism was a problem that needed to be solved. Until he realised that he was going about it the wrong way - everyone is unique, with their own strengths and shortcomings. Today, that narrative has changed. "Our idea is that for every condition there is an enhanced ability. If you are blind, you can hear better. The key was to change a predominantly negative narrative and make it positive."

Driving social change

[caption id="attachment_35297" align="aligncenter" width="598"] VR Ferose | India Inclusion Summit VR Ferose receives the AUCD award from Senator Tom Harkins for Autism at Work[/caption]

Much recognition has come his way for his efforts. In 2014, he was in the India's Top 40 under 40 by Economic Times and Spenser Stuart. Two years later, Autism at Work became a Harvard case study.

Awards aside, Ferose is aware that a lasting impact is not easy, or even quantifiable, really. Change can take a lifetime and he knows that he might not even see it happen. "Still, we do our bit." After having run the Inclusion Summit for over a decade, he is often asked about the impact. "I have no clue," he admits. "That can only be measured later. I am here to do my small bit to make a difference. Our fundamental aim is to spread awareness - when people are sensitised, they will act."

Follow Ferose on LinkedIn

Overcoming odds: Entrepreneur Bipul Sinha’s tale of perseverance and innovation

(May 1, 2024) "If I fail, how will I go back." This thought kept venture capitalist-turned-entrepreneur Bipul Sinha up for many nights after he co-founded Rubrik, a cloud data management and data security company, in January 2014. There hadn't been a single hiring in the company for the last 45 days. “If there is nobody to write the code,” the IIT Kharagpur alum would ask himself, “How will the startup kick-off?” In just over six weeks, the entrepreneur may have conducted interviews with numerous potential candidates, yet none managed to meet the final requirements of the company. "There was nothing to work, nothing to begin, and nothing to show," the entrepreneur shared in an interview, whose company is currently valued at $6.67 billion. About a decade since its inception, the cybersecurity unicorn backed by Microsoft is poised for its initial public offering. "One of the biggest challenges earlier on," shared the entrepreneur, "was striking the balance between knowing when to get involved and when to step away from decision-making. As a founder CEO a company is your “baby” and it can be easy to become a bottleneck as a result. Early on, I tried to mitigate this risk by stepping

the balance between knowing when to get involved and when to step away from decision-making. As a founder CEO a company is your “baby” and it can be easy to become a bottleneck as a result. Early on, I tried to mitigate this risk by stepping away too fast – and found that more hands-on input was still needed. The company is now past that stage and is doing very well."

As per its IPO documents, by January 2024, Rubrik boasts over 1,700 customers with an annual contract value of $100,000. Nearly 100 customers were paying Rubrik over $1 million annually. While the tech unicorn witnessed a moderate revenue increase from $599.8 million to $627.9 million within a year, the most notable growth came from subscription revenue, soaring by 40 percent from $385.3 million to $537.9 million. This significant rise indicates a promising shift towards a recurring revenue model for the company.

Humble beginnings

Born and brought up in Darbhanga, a city in northern Bihar, Bipul Sinha experienced a childhood marked by poverty and financial struggles. His father, an entrepreneur, faced numerous challenges, and the initial venture in the pharmaceutical sector couldn't be sustained. With financial difficulties mounting, the family moved to another small town in Bihar, yet misfortune continued to shadow their path. “My father was a failed entrepreneur,” he shared, adding, "We grew up in a lot of poverty. We were always moving because we couldn’t pay the rent and one had to even live in a basement with no running water for a while. Our shack was in an area which always used to get inundated during the monsoons If one is born and brought up in poverty the only thing that one becomes good at is maximising opportunities."

Entrepreneur | Bipul Sinha | Global Indian

But, not the one to be deterred by the situation, the entrepreneur spent numerous hours studying under the small lamp that his family-owned. For me, it was one day and one opportunity at a time. All I could think about was how to maximise whatever I had. Education was my only road to salvation," the Global Indian adds.

As his family couldn't enroll him in a private school, the entrepreneur received much of his formal education in Hindi. Unfortunately, the educational disparity grew too wide to overcome. "The idea of engineering was seeded by my father, who looked upon it as a silver bullet to end the family woes. But there was no money to afford coaching," shared the entrepreneur, who then came up with an ingenious idea. He purchased 30 postcards, each costing 15 paise, and dispatched them to coaching institutes nationwide. “I wanted to have a look at the prospectus, and syllabus and then prepare a rough framework of how to prepare for the exam,” shared the entrepreneur.

Testing times

However, the plan didn't work, and Bipul Sinha failed to get to any college in his first attempt. While he was dejected, the entrepreneur's father had a lot of confidence in him. "I couldn’t clear any exams, even the engineering exams conducted by the Bihar state government," shared Sinha laughing, adding, "But my father asked me to prepare for one more year. And look at the silver lining. Had you cleared the state exams, you would have lost an opportunity to make it to IIT."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIjkX2gfzmE

Despite his initial aversion to math, engineering became a necessity for Sinha. In his second year of preparation, he adjusted his exam strategy. Collaborating with another engineering hopeful, they pooled resources — the entrepreneur's mother even borrowed money from relatives — to purchase coaching materials, eventually securing admission to IIT. "In my last year, I landed a job at Tata Information System (a Tata-IBM joint venture) via campus placement. And that wasn't less than a miracle for my family," shared the entrepreneur.

From Bihar to Silicon Valley

While he had joined a good company, he had realised that he had to go abroad to pull his family out of the financial crisis. "I was racing against time. I wanted to upgrade the life of my family as soon as possible. And America was the only hope," he said.

The entrepreneur spent eight years working for Oracle, polishing his skills and securing several patents in distributed systems after training as an engineer before the entrepreneur “got the confidence that I won’t slip back into poverty," he said. After securing enough funds, Bipul Sinha founded Rubrik. "As a venture capitalist, I always believed in going after a market that the cool kids were not paying attention to, which essentially means that you want to bet on a non-consensus market. If everybody knows that this market is going to be lucrative, there will be a lot of companies getting started, which means that the value creation will get diluted. The cool kids were not thinking about backup and recovery. And there was an opportunity to reframe, re-platform backup and recovery into a data security platform to deliver cyber resilience," the entrepreneur said.

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

Talking about his company further, Bipul Sinha added, "The traditional cybersecurity industry almost earns $200 billion per year selling 60 to 80 different tools across hundreds of vendors for prevention. And they have not been able to prevent anything. Ransomware was a reckoning for our industry," shared the entrepreneur, adding, "Rubrik counts Whirlpool, PepsiCo, and Goldman Sachs among its long list of clients." Proudly, the company announced its recognition as a Leader, positioned furthest in vision in the 2023 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Backup and Recovery Software Solutions.

Follow Bipul Sinha on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 7 mins

For the love of chocolate: La Folie by Sanjana Patel brings haute patisserie to Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda

(February 18, 2024) For a decade now, Chef Sanjana Patel's La Folie has elevated the French haute pâtisserie and chocolatery scene and continues to forge new paths. As a 14 year old, Sanjana Patel would love seeing her grandmother, a baker, work in her kitchen. It inspired her to start baking with her. As her grandmother loved gardening, she has fond memories of summer holidays spent making carrot halwa cake from carrots picked from her garden. “I was always excited about making everything with chocolate. Even today, I carry with me a lot of things I learned from her, you will find these practices in my kitchen even today. One significant thing that I learned from here is localisation and sustainability, which you will find intertwined with La Folie’s philosophy and practices,” Chef Sanjana tells Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_49183" align="aligncenter" width="513"] Chef Sanjana Patel, founder, La Folie[/caption] Starting out Patel did her early education at Maneckji Cooper and JB Petit and finished high school at St Hilda's in Ooty. In 2005, she moved to the UK and started at Le Cordon Bleu, College of Culinary Arts in London, followed by Ecole Gregoire Ferrandi in Paris, where she earned a master’s

ing out

Patel did her early education at Maneckji Cooper and JB Petit and finished high school at St Hilda's in Ooty. In 2005, she moved to the UK and started at Le Cordon Bleu, College of Culinary Arts in London, followed by Ecole Gregoire Ferrandi in Paris, where she earned a master’s in baking and Patisserie. Then, she moved to the University of Surrey for an M.Sc. in Food Science Management with honours in Chocolate Technology and did an M.Sc. in Marketing and Strategy at the University of Warwick (Warwick Business School). In 2008, she finished her master’s diploma C.A.P in bakery and patisserie with distinction at Ecole Gregoire Ferrandi in Paris. She then stayed in Europe for seven years and worked with chefs like Pierre Hermé, Jean-Charles Rochoux, Patrick Roger, Camille Lesecq, and Olivier Bajard. She also worked at award-winning restaurants like Hotel Le Meurice and Hotel Plaza Athénée in the Dorchester Collection under chefs like Christophe Michalak and Chef Alain Ducasse, among others.

The La Folie journey

In 2013, she decided to return to India and began her journey with La Folie as she opened the first outlet in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai a decade ago in January 2014. “My love for chocolate partially stemmed from Chocolaterie Jean-Charles Rochoux, where I served as a Chocolatier Intern. This experience has been the grounding stone of my journey into the world of chocolate,” she says. At La Folie she has introduced unique French haute creations. “Those things were very new, and people were not subjected to these kinds of tastes. So, a lot of education went in to help people understand what we were doing. However, over the years, I feel that with experimental cuisines expanding in India, people are now more open to trying out new flavours and foods,” she adds.

For someone who always wanted to offer something different, she started La Folie with a focus on natural flavours and says that now people appreciate their philosophy of using natural ingredients and the unique taste they bring. “My affair with chocolate began as a passionate hobby and soon cascaded into a magical journey of discovering myself through craft chocolate, a journey that led me on an adventurous road trip to numerous cacao farms across the world, to its native origins! The deeper I go, the more intrigued I am. Even chocolate tasting for me is not just biting into that heavenly piece but it is about setting on the journey of Emotions, Conversations, and Nostalgia. The more you taste, the more you indulge and build experiences with yourself and with others,” she adds.

'Chocolate tech'

In 2017, after a leg injury, Patel revisited the concept of making her own craft chocolate as she wanted to offer a different sensorial journey and taste to the Indian consumer and ultimately it had to be tied to the very source of chocolate, cacao. “I take an instinctive approach towards what I do, and not bounding myself by flavours, moulds, or recipes, but find my inspiration in trends, my journey, and experiences that have influenced me. I have always strived to explore ingredients and chocolates at the core, experimenting with ways to create an experience for the patrons. Also, as a Chocolate Technologist, I have not bound myself just to taste profiles, but have also collaborated with product designers to create customised chocolate moulds that elevate the chocolate experience to an art form,” she says. Incidentally, in 2016, she introduced a heartfelt journey ‘Down the Memory Lane’ with the creation of ‘Grandma’s Carrot Cake’ and this nostalgic masterpiece served as a heartfelt tribute to her grandmother.

Gender bender

For someone who has not seen gender biases, and in fact has never seen herself as being different as a female, Patel believes in making an impact and creating sustainable growth and a future for one’s vision and one’s passion. “I feel blessed having to do that slowly and steadily and changing chefs' and global culinary enthusiasts' approach to chocolate. It’s a happy place for me to see my customer's appreciation for our products and indirectly how it impacts at the farm level. I wish to continue doing that and building a stronger sustainable network across this field,” she avers. In her journey she has learnt many life lessons and one of them being the most important is to follow your vision and not get entangled in the vicious world of competition. “Staying and believing true to your identity will always take you forward strongly in a long way and yes always be willing to share knowledge and learn from others - there is nothing in withholding and being conservative about how your knowledge will be used,” she advises.

Looking ahead

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Now, one of the most important tasks for her is to work towards creating farmer co-operative programmes that can benefit the farmers to raise funds and improve crop fertility. “We also want to work towards government support through grants, funds and sponsorships for the post-harvesting process and crop yields. We want to create a supply chain system for the farmers where they can liaise with other chocolate makers with pre-order systems. This will empower the farmers to have economic support and eradicate uncertainty,” she says. And she is looking at making La Folie products available across tier one and tier two cities, as well as export orders for European and Middle Eastern countries. As someone who straddles the tightrope of nostalgia with global inspirations, Patel is making the case for craft chocolate in her own unique way.

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Daltonganj to Diversity: Dr Narendra Prasad Singh’s journey of research and mentoring minorities in the U.S.

(June 13, 2024) After obtaining two fully funded PhDs. - one in cytogenetics from Ranchi University and another in molecular biology from Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg - and a postdoc degree from Aarhus University, Denmark, on a UNESCO fellowship, Dr Narendra Prasad Singh began his research career. He has since dedicated over 25 years to research in molecular biology, molecular immunology, and immunotoxicology in the US. Dr Singh has come a long way, but has not forgotten the struggle of his early days, back home in the small town of Daltonganj (now Medininagar) in Jharkhand (then Bihar). He continues to dedicate his efforts towards helping the less privileged realise the American Dream, just as he did. Having played an integral role in founding the NGO SHRMS in Daltonganj, which focuses on the cyclic development of tribal communities in over 25 villages, and later working with underrepresented African-Americans at the University of South Carolina, Dr. NP Singh truly found his calling. Talking about empowering African American students who have benefited from his mentorship, Dr Singh tells Global Indian, “This has been the most fulfilling assignment and I feel very proud of it, as it allowed me to mentor students

balindian.com//" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Indian, “This has been the most fulfilling assignment and I feel very proud of it, as it allowed me to mentor students from minorities who are poorly represented in research. I don’t want to compare but African Americans are very similar to SC/ST populations of India, poorly educated and economically very backward. I am happy to share that all the students that I mentored are doing very well.”

[caption id="attachment_52370" align="aligncenter" width="711"] Indian Researcher | Dr Narendra Prasad Singh | Global Indian Dr Narendra Prasad Singh with his mentees[/caption]

At the South Carolina School of Medicine, Dr Singh serves as the Director of the Analytical Core of the NIH-NCCAM Center for Inflammation and Autoimmunity and as the Program Director of Immune Monitoring Core (Immune Modulation) of the Center for Dietary Supplements and Inflammation. He has published more than 125 research papers in high-impact journals such as Immunity, PNAS Nexus, Cancer Research, JBC, Molecular Pharmacology, and Immunology, contributed towards securing close to $50 million in NIH grants, chaired numerous national and international meetings, and presented his work in countries including Australia, China, Dubai, The Netherlands, and India. Dr Singh also serves as the associate editor of Frontiers in Immunology, one of the most cited journals in the field.

The fulfilment that comes from being of help

Even while trying to find his footing and pursue a research career beyond Daltonganj, Dr. Narendra Singh made efforts to help others in any way possible. One such instance involved a rickshaw puller named Baiju. One morning, while riding on Baiju’s rickshaw to GLA College Daltonganj, where Dr Singh worked briefly as a faculty member, Baiju expressed his desire to see his son admitted to college if he passed his board exams, and was willing to work day and night to fund his son’s education. “I was touched and told Baiju to see me once his son cleared the matriculation exam.”

When the board results were out Baiju came to Dr. Singh's home with his son, who had passed with a second division, not the first division required for admission to GLA College. Despite the challenges, Dr. Singh personally requested the principal to admit Baiju's son, who eventually graduated from the institution. Although he lost touch with Baiju and his son after moving abroad, he feels happy to have played a role in making their dream come true.

During the same period, Dr. Singh, along with a few friends, laid the foundation of the NGO named Society of Hill Resource Management School, led by Mr. Mishra, a retired forest ranger and father of a close friend. “The NGO’s motto is Chakriya Vikas (Cyclic Development) of the tribal people in Jharkhand, a predominantly tribal state,” he explains. “Starting with five villages, the NGO expanded to 25 villages, earning funds from the Ford Foundation and the Government of India.”

[caption id="attachment_52369" align="aligncenter" width="425"] Indian Researcher | Dr Narendra Prasad Singh | Global Indian Dr Narendra Prasad Singh[/caption]

Although Dr Singh's direct involvement with the NGO diminished after moving to the US, he takes pride in its ongoing growth. “Currently, the NGO operates a training centre that empowers villagers in cyclic development concepts and become leaders of change in their communities,” he says.

Mentoring American-African minorities

Always seeking opportunities to benefit the underprivileged, in the U.S. Dr NP Singh has associated himself with South Carolina–Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (SC-ADAR), a programme funded by the National Institute on Aging. SC-ADAR aims to enhance the research experience, academic skills, and career readiness of underrepresented minority students in ageing-related sciences, preparing them for advanced studies in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

As part of the programme, Dr Singh mentors and engages select undergraduate students in a rigorous summer research training. The students conduct research in their desired field under his guidance, spending a summer in his lab and creating a research poster that is presented at the annual USC Summer Research Symposium. In addition to the lab curriculum, students also engage in a seminar-based curriculum where they learn more about ageing research as a viable career path.

Dr NP Singh is proud of the accomplishments of his mentees. “Some of them joined the medical profession and some of them are pursuing graduate programs. Their success gives me enormous satisfaction. It gives me the motivation to do something for others who truly need my help,” he remarks adding, “Helping underprivileged and economically disadvantaged people has always been my passion.”

[caption id="attachment_52371" align="aligncenter" width="589"] Indian Researcher | Dr Narendra Prasad Singh | Global Indian Dr Narendra Prasad Singh with his mentees[/caption]

Understanding the value of mentorship from personal experiences

Good role models and receiving great mentorship during his early struggles in Bihar played a significant role in shaping how Dr Narendra Kumar Singh mentors his own mentees.

In the 1980s as a student, he excelled academically, earning a B.Sc. Honours (First Class First) and an M.Sc. (First Class First) in Botany. He received a CSIR scholarship from the Government of India for his Ph.D., which he completed under Dr. S. S. N. Sinha at Ranchi University. Reflecting on his mentor, Dr. Singh recalls, “Dr. Sinha not only mentored me but also provided full support and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. He was like a father figure to me.”

After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Singh secured a faculty position at GLA College in his native town of Daltonganj. Despite ranking second on the merit list, he was not placed in his specialised department of Botany, rather was promised a transfer that never materialised. This disappointment led him to seek opportunities elsewhere. Around this time, another mentor at Ranchi University, also named Dr. Narendra Kumar Singh, inspired him by moving abroad to work in a U.S. lab. “While seeing him off at the airport, I contemplated my own future abroad and became motivated to apply for a second Ph.D. overseas,” Dr. NP Singh remarks.

In 1986, he was accepted into a Ph.D. program at Purdue University but faced funding issues. Fortunately, he secured a paid fellowship in Russia and went ahead with the opportunity. Dr. Singh credits both his mentors, Dr. Narendra Kumar Singh and Dr. S. S. N. Sinha for significantly influencing his academic career and dreams.

[caption id="attachment_52373" align="aligncenter" width="710"] Indian Researcher | Dr Narendra Prasad Singh | Global Indian Dr Narendra Prasad Singh during a visit to China in 2019[/caption]

Working on his dreams in the US

After completing his second PhD and postdoc studies abroad, Dr N P Singh has worked at many institutions in the U.S. including Auburn University, University of Louisville, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Since 2005 he is associated with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and works as the Director of the Analytical Core of the NIH-NCCAM Center for Inflammation and Autoimmunity and also serves as a Program Director of Immune Monitoring Core (Immune Modulation) of the Center for Dietary Supplements and Inflammation funded by the NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program.

“At present, we have several important projects, including studying the transgenerational effects of TCDD (Dioxin) in mice and investigating the role of the gut microbiome in the development of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, as well as exploring possible treatments using gut microbiota,” tells the professor and researcher who has also indulged in research pertaining to plant sciences and molecular pathways involved in cancer, in the past.

His journey, from overcoming early career challenges in Daltonganj to pioneering research in the U.S. and providing guidance to American-African students, highlights his dedication to academic excellence, mentorship, and service to the underprivileged. Dr Narendra Prasad Singh’s achievements demonstrate that the influence of good mentors, coupled with one’s own perseverance, can have a transformative impact on both personal and professional success.

[caption id="attachment_52372" align="aligncenter" width="794"] Indian Researcher | Dr Narendra Prasad Singh | Global Indian Dr Narendra Prasad Singh in a get-together with a nobel laureate[/caption]

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Candida Louis: How this biker girl rode 28,000 km Bengaluru to Sydney to pay tribute to Alistair Farland

(December 28, 2021) Vrooming on her Bajaj Dominar, Candida Louis revved up on the open road solo for a trip from Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha to Sydney. It was August 2018 and she covered 28,000 km across 10 countries. Not just an ordinary road trip across continents, it was an emotional tribute that culminated into an epic journey. The 31-year-old biker girl’s journey was homage to an Australian biker who died riding a motorcycle from Alaska to South America. “I won a photography contest and was invited to the US where I first heard about Alistair Farland, an Australian biker who died in a highway accident in North America. It’s every parent’s wish to see their child return home after a trip. I kept thinking about Alistair’s parents after the tragic incident, and just couldn’t shake off that feeling. So, I decided to take a trip from Bengaluru to Sydney to meet his parents, and complete the trip on his behalf as a tribute to him,” Candida tells Global Indian in an interview. [caption id="attachment_18277" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Candida Louis is Sydney[/caption] It was a personal voyage yet sponsors were ready to help, and Candida made the journey as a part of

size-full" src="https://stage.globalindian.com//wp-content/uploads/2021/12/candida1.jpg" alt="Biker Girl | Candida Louis | Traveller | Global Indian" width="1080" height="720" /> Candida Louis is Sydney[/caption]

It was a personal voyage yet sponsors were ready to help, and Candida made the journey as a part of the Change Your World Fund travel project. “I have taken many international road trips before, but this was special,” adds Louis who stayed with Alistair’s family for a week in Sydney, and visited his grave. “It felt like I managed to finish the trip for Alistair,” she adds.

“Travel is empowering. Your perspective on life changes. I have realised how we are just a speck in the universe. Getting to know people and multi-cultures is what makes it exciting,” adds the girl on a mission to educate the world on the importance of travel.

The Hubli-born girl has always been enchanted by travel. “I would accompany my dad on road trips to Goa from Hubli on his bike - it gave me a sense of freedom,” says Candida. This passion for exploration extended to her youth and when her dad gifted her a bike on her 21st birthday, she was ecstatic. While her love for travel was simmering, Louis, like everyone, opted for a steady job. Her days as a financial analyst with Oracle were a good balance of work and travel. The 31-year-old then began questioning herself when she moved to Infosys. “With crazy timing, immense world load, the urge to be outdoors was even stronger,” reveals the biker girl.

[caption id="attachment_18278" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Biker Girl | Candida Louis | Traveller | Global Indian Candida Louis on her road trip in Australia.[/caption]

Travel opens up new perspectives

Without further ado, she packed her bags and went biking from South to North India on a three-month sabbatical. It gave her a sense of purpose. “I knew this was my calling. I wanted to see the world and experience it first-hand. That trip made me realise that I could never go back to a desk job. On my return, I quit and went on another trip across India,” declares the biker who covered 32,000 km and 22 states in four months.

While spreading her wings gave her the quintessential freedom, she did face resistance initially from her parents. “It wasn’t an easy decision to quit my job. For my parents, a job meant security and financial stability. They were aghast that I was leaving all for biking. But I was adamant. I asked them to give me a year to prove myself, and told them if things didn’t work out, I would resume my job,” reveals Candida whose bargain paid off, and she bid farewell to her corporate life.

The initial journey was bumpy as women bikers were not a norm in 2015. “The only job I got was that of a store manager at bike rentals. However, Wicked Ride (a bike rental in Bengaluru) gave me a chance, and specially created an opportunity for me to lead tours. This opened doors,” chirps Candida. In no time, she was planning and organising bike tours across India, and has led more than 40 trips across seven countries ever since.

[caption id="attachment_18279" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Biker Girl | Candida Louis | Traveller | Global Indian Candida Louis with her group of bikers.[/caption]

The sensation across border

Her road trip from Bengaluru to Sydney made Candida a social media sensation. Louis kickstarted her journey from Bengaluru, moved to the East Coast, headed towards North-East before entering Bhutan. She then rode the beautiful roads of Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia from where she loaded her bike on a ship to Perth and then rode to Sydney.

It was the best of experiences, as people cheered her throughout. “I remember posting on social media, and found over 100 people waiting for me at Vidhana Soudha to flag off my journey. Often, people were waiting on highways to show their support,” recalls the girl who has 159k followers on Instagram. She started using Facebook to keep her friends and family updated, and found innumerable supporters. “I was an accidental content creator. But over the years, content has helped me find sponsors,” says the adventure enthusiast. However, she warns amateurs about the risks. “It can be tricky as there are days where you don’t know how you are going to make money. During the pandemic, I didn’t make money for seven months. It’s a risk you take for something you love,” adds the girl.

[caption id="attachment_18280" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Biker Girl | Candida Louis | Traveller | Global Indian Candida Louis[/caption]

In the past six years, Candida has become patient and accepting owing to her travel. Confined to her home during Covid 19, she adapted by spending time with family, doing art and hiking. “Being a biker, you are mostly on the road. So, the pandemic was a blessing in disguise as I got to be with my parents. I didn’t miss being on the road much as I like being in the moment,” says the avid gardener.

For someone who has been on the road for a very long time, she recalls an incident in Cambodia as one of her most special moments. "When I was riding in Cambodia for a month in 2017, 20 days into the trip and I started missing Indian food. As we were riding through one of the remotest areas, it was impossible to find that. But we happen to find an Indian man on a tractor while stopping at a water stream who told us that many Indians work in a nearby factory. He invited us for lunch and we had sumptuous rice and sambhar. I think it was one of the best moments for me," says an ecstatic Candida.

When Candida started as a woman biker, she was among a handful to take the road less travelled. Every passing day, more women are breaking gender stereotypes and venturing into riding but she says there’s still a long way to go. “There are 4,000-5,000 female bikers right now in India, a very small number,” she says, adding that family support is the real game-changer. “I am happy that my parents have been my biggest support system. But many are not getting such support,” she adds. “Do not give up on your dreams,” is her advice, “It took me 10 years to prove myself. Nothing comes easy and it needs constant dedication, hard work, and passion. Just keep going.”

[caption id="attachment_18281" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Biker Girl | Candida Louis | Traveller | Global Indian Candida Louis[/caption]

Candida has travelled across continents on her hot wheels, knows how to fix almost any problem herself, but Covid 19 has been a spoiler. However, her fingers are crossed for her next big adventure. “With the Omicron strain, many trips are getting cancelled. But if all goes well, I will be riding to Europe in 2022,” says the girl who is following her dreams, one ride at a time.

How to chart your own road trip across continents

Visa: Since Indian passport isn’t too strong, it’s best to get visa for all the countries you are planning to travel to before the commencement of the journey.
Fuel: Finding petrol pumps across the countries is quite simple. In remote places, if you might not find petrol pumps, petrol in bottles is always easily accessible.
Police checkpoint: Every country has their own rules, but one needs to show passport, visa, bike registration number at most checkpoints while entering a country.
Documents needed:

Passport: It is stamped at all border crossings while entering and exiting countries.
Carnet: In simple terms, it acts as a customs document for your motorcycle and has all details about your bike number, engine number and bike registration number. For India, you can get it from WIAA, for Europe, you can get it from ADAC and for the US, you can get from Boomerang. This document keeps you away from paying heavy tax that are levied on imported vehicles on road and states that the bike will return to India in a year.
International Driving Permit: You can get this document by submitting your passport, visa, flight tickets and filling a form to the Regional Transport Office. This is valid for one year.
Motorcycle Registration: Make sure to carry the original document, however, do carry photocopies that you can hand out at borders.

Biker’s checklist

Travel as light as possible.
Only carry the essentials.
Pack more food and water, and less of clothes.

Women’s checklist

Always have a GPS tracker on the bike.

Follow Candida Louis on Instagram

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