Indian women behind space exploration projects

Global IndianstorySpace Age: Meet the Indian-origin women working on the final frontier… and owning it

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Space Age: Meet the Indian-origin women working on the final frontier… and owning it

Written by: Global Indian

(September 8, 2021) Back in 1963 cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova made history by becoming the first woman in space aboard Soviet Union’s Vostok 6 spacecraft. By 1997 it was Indian-origin astronaut Kalpana Chawla’s turn to script history by becoming the first Indian woman in space when she flew on NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia. To work on the final frontier has long been many women’s dream and Indian women have been making their presence felt in the world of astronomy… from writing complex programs to drive rovers on Mars to leading missions to the Red Planet and the Moon. With stars in their eyes and steely resolves, these women have been breaking the glass ceiling as the race to space heats up.

From Muthayya Vanitha, project director of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2, to Vandana Verma, who drove NASA’s Perseverance rover, Indian women have been an integral part of humankind’s space explorations in the recent past. Global Indian turns the spotlight on some of their journeys.

Muthayya Vanitha, ISRO

Muthayya Vanitha

When Chandrayaan-2 blasted its way into space in 2019 the ISRO team was on tenterhooks… a lot was riding on this mission. And the most tensed was its project director, Muthayya Vanitha. This was India’s second inter-planetary mission and Vanitha, who has been with ISRO for over 32 years, was responsible for it end to end. 30% of the team working on the Chandrayaan-2 were women and Chennai-born Vanitha led them all through her grit and determination. When she’d first joined ISRO, Vanitha was the junior most engineer on the team and worked her way up the ladder – she would work in the lab, testing carts, making hardware and develop designs.

Daughter of a civil engineer and an electronic and communications engineer, Vanitha worked tirelessly on the Chandrayaan-2 mission: her resolve was to do it at a fraction of the cost incurred by ISRO’s contemporaries. Though reluctant to lead the team for Chandrayaan-2, it was M Annadurai, project director of Chandrayaan-1, who managed to persuade her to get on board. Well versed in data handling as well as the digital and hardware aspects of missions, she was the right fit. As a mission director, she had been working on the project for years; she had earlier worked on data operations for the country’s remote sensing satellites and is known for her problem-solving skills. She also won the Best Woman Scientist Award of the Astronautically Society of India in 2006.

Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, ISRO

Ritu Karidhal Srivastava

While Muthayya Vanitha led the Chandrayaan-2 team successfully, she was closely aided by India’s Rocket Woman Ritu Karidhal Srivastava who was the Mission Director on the project. Born and brought up in Lucknow, Ritu graduated from Lucknow University before joining IISC for her Masters in Aerospace Engineering. Known for her simplicity and hardworking nature, Ritu went on to join ISRO where she has been working ever since. She has played a key role in the development of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan and was deputy operations director on the project. The mission made India the fourth country in the world to reach Mars and the project was completed in 18 months. She received the ISRO Young Scientist Award from APJ Abdul Kalam in 2007 and has also presented at TED and TEDx events where she described the success of the Mangalyan mission.

Swati Mohan, NASA

Swati Mohan

The Indian American aerospace engineer was the Guidance and Controls Operations Lead on the NASA Mars 2020 mission. Born in Bengaluru, Swati moved to the US with her family when she was one-year-old. As a child, she would watch Star Trek and became fascinated with Space. Though she’d originally planned on becoming a doctor, a physics class that she took at age 16 prompted her to study engineering and make a career in space exploration. She went on to study Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University before completing her Masters and PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Swati currently works with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California and joined the Mars 2020 team in 2013. As the Guidance and Controls Operations Lead she was responsible for ensuring the spacecraft that carries the rover was properly oriented during its travel to Mars and when landing on the planet’s surface. She’d earlier worked on the Cassini mission to Saturn and GRAIL, a pair of small spacecraft which mapped the gravitational field of Moon.

Vandana Verma, NASA

Vandana Verma

Vandana Verma, or Vandi Verma as she is better known, is a space roboticist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory known for driving the Mars rovers, notably Curiosity and Perseverance. She used software including the PLEXIL programming technology that she co-wrote and developed. Born and brought up in Halwara in Punjab, Verma’s father was an Indian Air Force pilot, and she went on to study electrical engineering at Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh. She then moved to the US for a Masters in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, followed by a PhD in Robotics from the same university in 2005. While she was studying, she also gained her pilot’s license and first worked at Ames Research Center as a research scientist.

In 2006, Verma was one of the co-writers of PLEXIL, an open-source programming language now used in automation technologies such as the NASA K10 rover, Mars Curiosity rover’s percussion drill, International Space Station, and Autonomy Operating System (AOS). In 2007 she joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with a special interest in robotics and flight software and became part of the Mars rover team in 2008. She has also worked on developing flight and flight simulation software systems that were used by the Mars 2020 rover.

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Published on 08, Sep 2021

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How India’s coding clubs are changing the game for kids who’re starting young

In our pursuit of unique tales about the Indian diaspora, GI's new series documents trailblazing ideas and phenomenons across the globe (November 24, 2021) Not too long ago, coding was considered the forte of computer geeks only. It was an intimidating concept best left to experts. IT’s top brass Larry Page of Google, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Dorsey of Twitter were themselves coding prodigies before they started ground-breaking tech conglomerates. Coders like Indian Canadian Tanmay Bakshi whose AskTanmay is the world’s first web based NLQA system was built using IBM Watson’s cognitive capabilities. The 19-year-old Indian-origin Harsh Dalal in Singapore started Team Labs that is valued at $25 million. Today children in India as young as five and ten are creating waves. US-based Samaira Mehta, 12, is behind CoderBunnyz which makes coding fun for kids. It was only apt that coding clubs sprang across India to create a new generation of innovators of the future. Technology everywhere “Technology has and will continue to expand rapidly, claiming spaces in almost every professional industry,” says Krish Samtani, founder of 0Gravity, a free coding club for school children in India, who adds, “Coding seem slightly intimidating at first, but it offers children the chance to apply their knowledge in a real-world context.”

almost every professional industry,” says Krish Samtani, founder of 0Gravity, a free coding club for school children in India, who adds, “Coding seem slightly intimidating at first, but it offers children the chance to apply their knowledge in a real-world context.”

As technology takes over every aspect of life and industry, coding is now an essential life skill. Employers are willing to pay a premium for coders. Manan Sharma, founder, Tokens.com, agrees. Sharma has been employing coders to spur his business that spans 20 years (Indiamart, IGP and now Tokens). “Earlier, we would hire coders to create the entire coding done for our sites, but now with pre-coded sites like Shopify available, there are templates to work with. Yet, the need for coders persists as businesses look to customise sites,” he tells Global Indian, adding, “As sites get bigger, automated software can only do so much.”

Tykes can code

As increased businesses rely on technology to drive operations, it is essential to understand what goes into the making of codes and applications to run successful businesses. Which is where coding clubs like Indian Girls Code, Code Club, and 0Gravity deliver. They encourage kids to understand the seemingly complex world of coding and technology from an early age, bust fear and encourage them to create and innovate.

[caption id="attachment_16610" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Global Indian Aditi Prasad Aditi Prasad of Indian Girls Code[/caption]

Founded by Aditi Prasad and her sister Deepti in 2013, Indian Girls Code takes coding to schools to encourage girls to create technology. Through programmes, they encourage girls across Chennai schools – private and government – to use technology to solve real world problems. Aditi and Deepti believe in using a hands-on approach to teach children the nuances of coding – even using drag and drop to create fun projects using coding language. In 2015, the team launched Phiro Robots which are now used by educators, globally. The robots use Lego compatible toys that can be coded using Scratch to create anything - programming a robot to sing a birthday song to performing specific functions.

Coding to innovate

Ed-tech startups like WhiteHat Jr offer classes on coding, and Karan Bajaj, CEO wants to convert them from passive consumers of technology to builders and creators of the future. A notion that Madhukar Varshney, founder, CEO, NimbleQ wholeheartedly supports. The biomedical engineer who lived in the US for 20 years chose to return to India to found NimbleQ to help students apply the knowledge acquired. “Sure, coding is an essential skill, but it is not enough. One should know how to apply this skill to solve real-world problems. We have a lot of well-qualified professionals who 20 to 30 years down the line are directors and VPs. But why not founders? Why not innovators?” he questions, adding, “It’s because our education system does not encourage one to think like a creator. At NimbleQ, we encourage our students on using coding to problem solve. We teach them to understand business, entrepreneurship, and money.” Varshney hopes this will encourage creators of technology.

Krish, who launched 0Gravity at the age of 14 in Bengaluru is now a second-year student at UC Berkeley, California. His tryst with coding began at a summer camp at John’s Hopkins University. “I was very inspired by the applied education, and that made me want to attend a similar class back home (India). However, I was unable to find any, which led me to start the club to teach children applied computer science,” he says, adding, “So far, we have educated 1,500 plus children across India. The latest batch of 0Gravity was comprised of the children of abandoned sex workers.”

[caption id="attachment_16612" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Global Indian Krish Samtani Krish Samtani during one of the 0Gravity sessions[/caption]

The club teaches children from the ages of 10-18 in courses that typically last three months with classes on Saturday. During the pandemic, they switched to online and now Krish wants, “to inspire a spark in children to chase their dreams.”

Manan Sharma avers that one of the main advantages of learning to code early is the fact that it takes away the fear of intimidation. “My nephew is studying coding and I know that he is no longer intimidated. He knows the application of code and that will hold him in good stead,” he says, concluding, “The opportunities are limitless. Coding can be used across industries and sectors. You never know what innovations these children will produce.

Why code?

According to The Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, it is predicted that 65 percent of children entering primary school today ultimately work completely new jobs that do not even exist yet.
According to the Annual Employability report by Aspiring Minds, 80 percent Indian engineers are not fit for any job in the knowledge economy and only 2.5 percent possess tech skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In India, only one in 10 kids learn to code when compared to one in three abroad.
Over two-thirds developers are partly self-taught, HackerRank data shows.

Reading Time: 8 mins

Meet Dr Astha Purohit, the doctor turned tech expert who heads technical operations at Walmart

(March 18, 2024) “I dreamt of donning a suit and being a CEO, even as a child,” laughs Dr Astha Purohit - A doctor who studied at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta before completing her Masters from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, she is currently the Director of Technical Operations at Walmart. Her current role at Walmart is situated at the crossroads of technology and retail. She plays a pivotal role in the e-commerce team, focusing on enhancing the online shopping experience on walmart.com while leveraging advanced AI and ML models to refine how millions of products are presented on the website, aiming to drive a superior and easy customer experience. Astha in Hindi translates to faith, and it was faith in herself that led the 37-year-old professional to success at such a young age. Armed with determination, hard work, and a sunny demeanor towards life, she is someone who strives to live life to the fullest, enjoying the small joys as much as the big victories! [caption id="attachment_50112" align="aligncenter" width="318"] Dr Astha Purohit[/caption] A picture-perfect childhood Brought up in different cities in India owing to the job postings of her civil servant

71_5834263521684094976_n-674x1024.jpg" alt="Astha Purohit" width="318" height="483" /> Dr Astha Purohit[/caption]

A picture-perfect childhood

Brought up in different cities in India owing to the job postings of her civil servant father, Rajendra Nri Singh, Astha grew up in Jodhpur, Salem, and Mumbai. From watching Jurrasic Park on VCR to visiting the temples of Rameshwaram and Tirupati and enjoying the ghee-soaked dosa of Salem, she grew up enjoying the myriad experiences different cities had to offer. Later on, as the family moved to Mumbai, she took in the hustle and bustle of the city as well as its unending energy.

She states, “Those years shaped my perspective on diversity, culture, and the importance of heritage. The memories of becoming an older sister to my brother Arpit, of exploring ancient temples, and of indulging in the local cuisine remain with me. It was a time of growth, discovery, and a deepening bond with my family, set against the backdrop of India's incredible cultural tapestry.”

For many growing up in a middle-class Indian family in the 1990s, there were only two career options to pursue: medicine or engineering. She laughs, “Maths and I weren't the best of friends, but I've always had this knack for digging deep into problems, unraveling them piece by piece. As a kid, I would often dream about walking the hallways of IIM-A, but I was a realist, so I decided to focus on biology.”

The focus paid off well, as she was ranked 182 in medical entrance and embarked on an incredible journey in medical school, where she says that she learned one of the most crucial life skills—interpersonal skills.

“There's no better place to get a crash course in human interaction than the halls of a medical college,” she notes and adds, “Day in and day out, you're learning how to really listen to what patients are telling you, not just hearing what their symptoms are but understanding their concerns, fears, and hopes. It's about offering comfort, not just with medicine but with words and presence. All of this taught me a lot about empathy.”

Changing gears

It was during her internship year at medical school that her journey took an exciting turn, and Astha landed a prestigious rotation fellowship in pain medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. The fellowship at Yale reignited her interest in management, and she decided to pursue a Master's in healthcare management and policy in the US.

She was accepted into the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, a place where proximity to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—visible right from Rollins—constantly reminded her of the impact and importance of public health.

It was here that Astha realized that, being on the management side, the impact of her work would be far broader and wider. When her mother reminded her of her dream to get an MBA from a top school, wear a suit, and one day be a CEO, she got into her dream college, MIT.

She recalls, “Choosing MIT felt right, like a piece of a puzzle falling into place. It wasn't just about the prestige or the academic rigor; it was about being part of a legacy that has shaped the world we live in.” The youngster’s two years at MIT were transformative in every sense of the word. The school also offered her the chance to travel and soak in diverse cultures, from a school trek to Morocco to a month-long project in Brazil, where she received a holistic perspective on the business and its growth.

She says, “The most transformative aspect of my time at MIT was the interaction. with my classmates. Being among 400 of the brightest minds in their 20s, each bringing their unique life experiences, stories, and aspirations to the table. incredibly enriching. These interactions further expanded my worldview.”

Setting out on a career path

Transitioning from this whirlwind of global engagements, she worked with McKinsey & Company's New York office as an associate before working with firms like CVS Health and DoorDash. At Doordashan, Astha Purohit worked with the technologies of the day and, along with her team, pioneered the integration of automation and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-based models into the catalog management processes.

She reflects, “My tenure at DoorDash was a critical period of growth in my retail career, particularly in understanding the intersection of technology and customer service. It reinforced my belief in the power of AI to transform industries, and it honed my skills in leading teams through complex, pioneering projects. This experience was instrumental in shaping my approach to product management, team leadership, and innovation in the retail sector.”

Walmart's position as the largest retailer in the U.S. presents unique challenges and opportunities due to its vast scale, and Astha’s role is a delicate balancing act ensuring that operations are nimble, quick, and agile while also being robust enough to support the diverse needs of customers across the country.

She adds, “The initiatives I lead are designed to deliver seamless service to every Walmart customer without compromising on reliability or efficiency. In essence, my work is about harnessing cutting-edge technology to make shopping on walmart.com as intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable as possible ensuring Walmart remains at the forefront of retail innovation.”

A role model

Astha Purohit

The landscape for Indians going abroad has undergone significant transformations from when the youngster first ventured overseas to the present, where there is a burgeoning and vibrant Indian diaspora across the globe.

Astha Purohit agrees and adds, “When I first went overseas, the sense of isolation from one's roots could be palpable, with Skype being the way you stayed. connected with family. Today, digital platforms and social media have bridged this gap, enabling instant, cost-effective connections with family and friends back home. Moreover, the larger Indian diaspora has fostered a sense of community in foreign lands, with numerous cultural organizations, networks, and events that offer a slice of home away from home.”

Outside of work, the young professional focuses on several activities, including mentoring young women in their careers (she is the Chair of the San Francisco alumni chapter for Rollins School of Public Health), reading, going to long walks with her dog, cooking, and watching Bollywood movies.

Today, while she is successfully professionally and in a sated space personally, ask her what her focus is, and she surprises us with her answer. “To be happy,” she replies without missing a beat and explains, “Happiness is a choice, and we need to consistently work at it. Enjoy the journey; each day is a gift, and do not waste it by always being in pursuit of something.”

Follow Dr Astha Purohit on LinkedIn

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Bobbie Kalra: The Indian entrepreneur leading the way we map our world

(December 21, 2021) When it comes to mapping in the times of technology, this IT head honcho is right at the crux of innovation. With everything being digitally mapped today, the reliance on geospatial mapping is of prime importance and Bobbie Kalra, founder Magnasoft has his fingers on the pulse of an industry that is set to grow Rs 63,100 crore by 2025. The Indian entrepreneur has given the geospatial industry cutting-edge technology and services with Magnasoft, which is among the leaders in this space. The ambitious India-based digital geospatial information specialist has been shaking things up for quite some time now with his intelligent 3D models to enable informed decision-making for all kinds of applications. From first helping Bengaluru increase property taxation by 100 percent to having worked across 72 countries in the areas of architecture, utilities, high-tech space, infrastructure, and telecom projects, Kalra has come full circle since his first venture back in 1995. [embed]https://twitter.com/magnasoft/status/1382659715751026690?s=20[/embed] The engineer from Bangalore Born in Bhopal, Kalra moved to Bengaluru when he was less than a year old as his father worked with BHEL. After schooling at Baldwin’s Boys High School, he did his mechanical engineering from Bangalore University in 1994. “This was the age of

.com/magnasoft/status/1382659715751026690?s=20[/embed]

The engineer from Bangalore

Born in Bhopal, Kalra moved to Bengaluru when he was less than a year old as his father worked with BHEL. After schooling at Baldwin’s Boys High School, he did his mechanical engineering from Bangalore University in 1994. “This was the age of the new tech entrepreneur and I was hugely inspired by the success of Infosys. I wanted to do something on my own,” recalls Kalra, who then began helping his sister and her husband with the St Marks Business Centre. “I would help them with design when I was still in college. It was here that I learnt the fundamentals of working with debit and credit.”

As his engineering course, he launched his own company in the services line. So, in 1995 he rented office space at St Marks and launched the St Marks CADD Services after obtaining a bank loan. “Around that time a lot of old engineering drawings were being digitised and I jumped onto the bandwagon. I got my first break with Tata Consulting Engineering and that set the ball rolling. We would digitise drafts and also engineer design and details,” says Kalra, who grew the team from a single member company to a team of 80 engineers.

A course in executive education and disruptive strategy at Harvard University, the world of mapping is his oyster.

Global Indian entrepreneur Bobbie Kalra

Mapping forth

Their next break came with projects for Kyga nuclear power plant, Bosche and other architects. In 1996, they landed a contract with Chicago Computerised Facility Integration (CFI). “They had a huge contract with AT&T and were looking for a company to work on the offshore model. We landed the deal and would work on the UNIX system when modem speeds were around 14kbps. We would go to the VSNL office to upload large files,” he smiles of a simpler yet tougher IT era.

Following the telecom bust CFI pivoted its model to focus on geospatial mapping. Soon Kalra’s company followed suit. They bought the first few licenses for the SIM software and turned their focus to the field of GIS. In 2000, Kalra founded Magnasoft by merging St Marks CADD Services and raised VC funds from Global Technology Ventures, the VC arm of Café Coffee Day Group. “Around this time the government changed in Karnataka and was looking to create a geospatial map of the Bangalore. We were invited to show how GIS could improve Bangalore city. So, while most other companies focused on power point presentations, what we did was focus on the heart of the municipal system: property taxation,” he tells Global Indian.

Within a week Kalra and his team came up with a property enumeration programme; they mapped a small area of the city (Richmond Town area), and conducted a survey keeping all the parameters that influenced taxation in mind. Magnasoft landed the contract and soon it was helping Bangalore increase its taxation by 100 percent.

[caption id="attachment_17796" align="aligncenter" width="580"] Global Indian entrepreneur Bobbie Kalra Bobbie with his family[/caption]

Pivoting the business

Like any entrepreneurial journey, Kalra’s was also speckled with challenges. But the company’s agility and Kalra’s foresight to pivot as per the need help them not just stay afloat but also grow slowly but steadily. After the dot com crash, Magnasoft began looking at markets abroad and invested directly in US sales. “Ever since, it has been a journey of accruals and reinvesting,” says the entrepreneur who moved to the US in 2002 to expand his business and focus on fundamental growth and cash flows.

Soon they had a presence in over 72 countries such as North America, Europe, Latin America, Australia, Middle East, Africa and New Zealand. As the market began opening up to GISM, Magnasoft too began to cause a disruption in the space. By 2008 though, Kalra moved back to India and

continued to shuttle between the US and India to work on his business. “Today, we’ve chosen to focus only on a few verticals such as utilities, communications, telecom, vegetation management for power lines, high tech, and infrastructure. We’ve also pared down our operations to just a few markets like North America, Scandinavia and UK apart from a few large enterprise deals in India,” says Kalra, who is now focused on direct sales and hiring talent for leadership roles in the US and UK.

Global Indian Bobbie Kalra

On the growth path

The company has also brought on board directors and advisors: Phaneesh Murthy, Abraham Mathew, Rajeev Kuchal, and Bhupinder Singh. “The board has been instrumental in helping us focus on a few strong points and strengthen our presence in those areas. The pandemic, of course, had thrown us off path for about a month, but the company was agile enough to get back on track within 30 days. Our staff was all working from home and we managed to put in space systems and security practices to ensure that work continued regardless,” says the agile entrepreneur, who typically begins his day 4 am.

What keeps him going is his love for mapping and the fact that he enjoys visualisation. That apart, Kalra also has a love for theatre and has in the past portrayed small roles in several plays, including Girish Karnad’s Crossing to Talikota. “Due to time constraints, I don’t take on any big roles, but I’ve loved essaying small roles and working on the back-end. I’ve also acted in a Kannada serial,” says the man, who has worked with theatre artistes like Arjun Sajnani, Munira Sen, and Ashish Sen.

On the weekends, jam sessions where he plays the guitar and percussion instruments is his energizing time. Incidentally, Kalra was a drummer back in his college days. That apart, he also believes in giving back to the community he lives and works in and is an active member of the Bangalore Round Table. “We have worked towards helping educate over 3 million children through the Freedom Through Education programme and during the pandemic we also worked towards procuring and distributing oxygen concentrators,” says the multi-faceted Kalra.

Incidentally, Bobbie, had also launched an ingenious app in Mumbai to protect children commuting to and fro from school. The app, Northstar was designed for both parents and school authorities to keep an eye on their children in real time. At heart, disruption is key to his goals, even as he takes time to give back to society, albeit tech wise.

Follow Bobbie Kalra on LinkedIn and Twitter

Reading Time: 8 mins

Meet Sanjal Gavande, the Marathi engineer who’s part of Jeff Bezos’ space travel project

(July 19, 2021; 3 pm) The space tourism race is truly heating up: Come July 20, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will take off on board Blue Origin’s rocket system New Shepard. All eyes are now set on the Indian systems engineer at the commercial space flight company who’s part of the team that built the rocket – 30-year-old Sanjal Gavande. Maharashtra-born Gavande, who had earlier worked for marine and racing companies, has been part of the team that built the New Shepard rocket system that will take Bezos and three others to space. She told Times of India, “I am really happy that my childhood dream is about to come true. I am proud to be a part of Team Blue Origin." The launch of the vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing suborbital launch vehicle is considered a milestone in space tourism. [caption id="attachment_5209" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Sanjal Gavande[/caption] From Mumbai to Space Born in a Maharashtrian family in Kalyan near Mumbai, Gavande graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Mumbai University. She moved to the US to pursue her Masters from Michigan Technological University in 2012, where she opted for aerospace. Her father Ashok is a retired municipal corporation employee and mother Surekha a retired MTNL official; the family continues to live in Kalyan. In

img class=" wp-image-5209" src="https://globalindian.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/sanjal1.jpg" alt="As Jeff Bezos prepares for his space flight, all eyes are on Sanjal Gavande the Indian systems engineer from the team that built the rocket" width="533" height="300" /> Sanjal Gavande[/caption]

From Mumbai to Space

Born in a Maharashtrian family in Kalyan near Mumbai, Gavande graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Mumbai University. She moved to the US to pursue her Masters from Michigan Technological University in 2012, where she opted for aerospace. Her father Ashok is a retired municipal corporation employee and mother Surekha a retired MTNL official; the family continues to live in Kalyan. In an interview with India Today, Ashok said, “She always wanted to build a spaceship and that is the reason she chose aerospace as a subject while pursuing her master's degree at Michigan Technological University.”

After her Masters, Gavande worked with Mercury Marine in Wisconsin for about four years before joining Toyota Racing Development in California as a mechanical design engineer. While working, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a pilot and began taking flying lessons over the weekends. In 2016 she finally got her pilot’s license. Given her interest in all things space, Gavande had also applied for a space engineering job at NASA but her application was rejected due to citizenship issues.

[caption id="attachment_5210" align="aligncenter" width="535"] As Jeff Bezos prepares for his space flight, all eyes are on Sanjal Gavande the Indian systems engineer from the team that built the rocket Jeff Bezos is all set to take off on board Blue Origin's New Shepard[/caption]

Endless horizon

She got selected as a systems engineer at Blue Origin instead, where she realized her dream of building a spaceship. New Shepard is an unmanned suborbital vehicle that will take off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One at West Texas. While working on this rocket system was Gavande’s dream, her journey did have its share of detractors. Her mother Surekha told India Today,

“People told us that she is a girl, so why has she opted for mechanical engineering? I also thought sometimes about whether she would be able to handle such hard work. She has now made us all proud. She had a dream of design aerospace rockets and she has achieved it.”

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=439i5nJH5LA[/embed]

Editor’s Take

Dreams are easy to dream, but to follow through on them and turn them into reality takes gumption and determination. Sanjal Gavande didn’t let societal norms or pressures hold her back. Her love for drawing and academics saw her sail through her mechanical engineering degree as well as her Masters in the US. Her determination to go beyond a 9-to-5 job also led her to give her dreams wings when she obtained her pilot’s license. Not one to be let down by rejection, she didn’t let the NASA rejection deter her; she soldiered on and carved a niche for herself in the Blue Origin team. Gavande joins fellow Indians like Sirisha Bandla and Swati Mohan in playing a key role in the launching of this space flight.

Reading Time: 5 mins

The TIME AI Vanguard: 6 Indian innovators redefining the future of artificial intelligence

(November 25, 2024) Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the most transformative forces of our time, reshaping industries, redefining creativity, and influencing global policy. In 2024, TIME magazine recognized the individuals steering this revolution with its "100 Most Influential People in AI" list. Familiar names like Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, and Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, continue to dominate global conversations about AI. But this year’s list also sheds light on a host of other Indian innovators making profound, yet often understated, impacts on the field. Global Indian puts the spotlight on the Indians who form the vanguard of AI tech, making their mark in unconventional ways. From policymakers like Ashwini Vaishnaw, who is putting India at the forefront of AI development, to pioneers like Anil Kapoor, addressing ethical challenges in entertainment, the breadth of Indian contributions is vast. Innovators such as Rohit Prasad of Amazon and Aravind Srinivas of Perplexity are redefining how AI interacts with everyday life, while thought leaders like Amandeep Singh Gill and Divya Siddharth are ensuring the technology is guided by principles of fairness and inclusion. Ashwini Vaishnaw: Architect of India's AI Revolution [caption id="attachment_60575" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Ashwini Vaishnaw. Minister for Railways, lnformation

img class="size-full wp-image-60575" src="https://stage.globalindian.com//wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CJv4vGmN9WDeNndhwSWF.webp" alt="Ashwini Vaishnaw | Time 100 AI 2024 | Global Indian" width="640" height="360" /> Ashwini Vaishnaw. Minister for Railways, lnformation and Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India.[/caption]

Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, is spearheading the country’s ambitious plans to become a global leader in artificial intelligence. His tenure has been marked by a strategic focus on innovation, skill development, and democratization of AI technology.

At the heart of these efforts is India’s AI Mission, which Vaishnaw describes as a collaboration between “industry, government, and academia.” In partnership with Meta, the government launched the Center for Generative AI at IIT Jodhpur and introduced the YuvAI Initiative to train 100,000 students in large language models (LLMs). “Our AI mission is advancing with strong collaborations,” Vaishnaw said after meeting Meta’s AI Chief Scientist Yann LeCun. These programs aim to bridge the talent gap while fostering ethical AI innovation.

A defining feature of Vaishnaw’s approach is the democratization of technology. India’s public AI platform, featuring computing power equivalent to 10,000 GPUs and high-quality datasets, is designed to make cutting-edge resources accessible to startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs. “The government invests in the platform, and everybody becomes a part of it,” he stated, likening this to India’s digital public infrastructure strategy.

Vaishnaw’s leadership also extends to international diplomacy, particularly as India chairs the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI). At the Global IndiaAI Summit 2024, he remarked, “AI can solve many problems simultaneously, but we must contain its risks. The solution must come through a global thought process.”

With Vaishnaw at the helm, India is steadily positioning itself as a global leader in ethical and innovative AI.

Anil Kapoor: A Landmark Victory for Personality Rights in the AI Era

Anil Kapoor | Time 100 AI 2024 | Influential People in AI | Global Indian

In a list often dominated by technologists and policymakers, Anil Kapoor’s inclusion in TIME’s "100 Most Influential People in AI 2024" is both unconventional and highly significant. As one of India’s most celebrated actors, Kapoor has taken on an expected new role as a crusader for ethical AI practices in the entertainment industry. His recent legal victory against unauthorized AI usage of his likeness has not only secured his own rights but also set a precedent for others in the creative field.

In September 2023, Kapoor filed a lawsuit to prevent the misuse of his name, image, voice, and other personality traits by 16 entities that had used them without permission for commercial purposes. The Delhi High Court’s interim order, widely regarded as a landmark judgment, restrained these platforms from profiting off his identity without consent. Speaking about the case, Kapoor remarked, “My personality is my life’s work, and I’ve worked hard to build it. With this lawsuit, I’m seeking protection of my personality rights to prevent their misuse, particularly in the current scenario with rapid changes in technology and tools like artificial intelligence.”

Kapoor’s victory is being hailed globally, with Variety describing it as a “landmark judgement against AI.” Reflecting on the court’s decision, Kapoor said, “Justice must, and does, prevail. I’m very happy with this court order, which has come in my favor, and I think it’s very progressive—not only for me but for other actors as well.”

Rohit Prasad: Transforming AI Through Voice and Vision

[caption id="attachment_60577" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Rohit Prasad | Time 100 AI 2024 | Influential People in AI | Global Indian Rohit Prasad, the brains behind Alexa and the vanguard of AI at Amazon[/caption]

Rohit Prasad, Amazon’s Senior Vice President and Head Scientist of Alexa AI, stands at the forefront of voice technology and artificial intelligence innovation. As the architect behind Alexa, Prasad revolutionized how millions interact with technology daily, embedding AI seamlessly into everyday lives. Now, he leads Amazon’s charge to reclaim its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving generative AI landscape.

Born in India and inspired by science fiction classics like Star Trek, Prasad’s fascination with AI began early. He pursued his undergraduate degree at BIT Mesra, Ranchi, before moving to the United States to earn a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. Reflecting on his academic journey, Prasad credits his mentor for shaping his practical approach to AI. “It’s not just about having the best algorithm,” he says, “but proving it works in real-world settings. That preparation—to make inventions matter in the real world—was invaluable.”

Prasad spearheaded Alexa’s natural language capabilities, redefining human-machine interactions. “We dreamed of making computers respond like a Star Trek computer, and Alexa brought that to life,” he has said.

The rise of generative AI, however, introduced new challenges. As competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT surged ahead, Amazon tasked Prasad with revamping its AI strategy. Leading the development of Titan and Olympus, Amazon’s latest large language models, Prasad is integrating generative AI across Alexa and Amazon’s ecosystem, from smart-home devices to AWS cloud services.

Aravind Srinivas: Disrupting Search with AI Innovation

[caption id="attachment_60578" align="aligncenter" width="691"] Aravind Srinivas | Perplexity AI | Time 100 AI 2024 | Global Indian Aravind Srinivas, founder, Perplexity[/caption]

Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, represents the new wave of entrepreneurs who are blending technical excellence with disruptive ambitions in artificial intelligence. At just 30, Srinivas has steered Perplexity into the Unicorn club, raising its valuation to over $1 billion and challenging industry titans like Google in the AI-driven search space.

Born in India, Srinivas’s journey into AI began during his undergraduate studies at IIT Madras. Despite starting in electrical engineering, he credits his mentors and friends in computer science for introducing him to the nascent field of machine learning. “If I hadn’t been at IIT Madras, I might never have ended up in AI,” Srinivas reflects. From there, he went on to complete his doctoral studies at UC Berkeley.

In 2021, he briefly worked at OpenAI before co-founding Perplexity AI in 2022. Perplexity’s “answer engine” aims to reshape search by delivering concise, AI-generated answers with linked citations, rather than traditional search results. “Google doesn’t want to replace its business model with lower-margin AI search,” he says.

While Perplexity has gained tens of millions of users and processes over 230 million queries monthly, it has not been without controversy. The company has faced accusations of plagiarism from outlets like Forbes and Condé Nast, leading to legal threats and public criticism. “Perplexity Pages had some rough edges,” Srinivas admitted, as the company revamped its citation practices and rolled out a revenue-sharing model for publishers. Despite these challenges, Perplexity’s growth continues, fueled by innovative features like its Pro service, which integrates third-party models like OpenAI’s GPT-4.

Amandeep Singh Gill: Guiding AI Ethics on a Global Scale

[caption id="attachment_60579" align="aligncenter" width="783"] Amandeep Gill | Time 100 AI 2024 | Influential People in AI | Global Indian Amandeep Gill, United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology[/caption]

As the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh Gill plays a pivotal role in shaping the ethical and equitable use of artificial intelligence worldwide. With a background in diplomacy and technology policy, Gill’s work emphasizes international cooperation to ensure AI benefits humanity while mitigating its risks.

Gill’s vision for AI governance balances innovation with safeguards. “AI must be a tool for inclusivity and sustainability, not a driver of division,” he said at a recent global summit. Under his leadership, initiatives such as the Global Digital Compact aim to establish guidelines for responsible AI development. Gill has also championed collaborations through platforms like the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), where he facilitates dialogues between nations, researchers, and industries.

One of Gill’s key priorities is addressing the ethical implications of AI in areas such as privacy, misinformation, and economic disparities. He has consistently called for AI regulations that protect vulnerable populations while fostering innovation. “The risks posed by AI can only be tackled through collective global action,” he believes.

Divya Siddharth: Redefining AI Governance Through Collective Intelligence

[caption id="attachment_60580" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Divya Siddharth | Time 100 AI 2024 | Influential People in AI | Global Indian Divya Siddharth[/caption]

For Divya Siddharth, AI is more than a transformative technology—it’s an opportunity to reimagine how societies govern and collaborate. As the co-founder of the Collective Intelligence Project (CIP), Siddharth has dedicated her work to ensuring that transformative technologies like AI are shaped by and for the collective good, rather than being monopolized by a few powerful entities.

“The world can be transactional and cruel,” Siddharth acknowledges, but she believes in countering this through collective intelligence—systems that “bring out the best and cancel out the worst.” In collaboration with AI company Anthropic, Siddharth and her team ran an “alignment assembly,” engaging 1,000 everyday people to define the values an ideal AI assistant should uphold. Their input not only reduced bias in Anthropic’s chatbot Claude but also introduced principles, like ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities, that were later integrated into the live product.

Siddharth’s belief in democracy as a solution, not a problem, stems from a diverse career spanning global AI governance initiatives and grassroots efforts. In a recent TED Talk, she argued, “We’ve gotten used to seeing democracy as a problem to be solved, but I see it as a cutting-edge social technology.” Her work has ranged from addressing data rights to guiding AI governance in collaboration with policymakers in India, the U.S., and the U.K. During her tenure at the U.K.’s AI Safety Institute, Siddharth established programs for public input on AI risks, ensuring that ordinary voices help shape regulatory frameworks.

“Tech expands what we are capable of,” she says. “Democracy is how we decide what to do with that capability.”

These six innovators are proof that AI is not just about machines or algorithms—it’s about people, decisions, and values. Whether through policy, ethics, or technology, they are shaping a future where AI serves society in meaningful ways.