Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveAmey Agarwal: Providing healthcare access to Nephrotic syndrome warriors

Amey Agarwal: Providing healthcare access to Nephrotic syndrome warriors

Written by: Team GI Youth

(January 31, 2024) Amid the hustle and bustle of Kolkata emerges a story of resilience, compassion, and a relentless pursuit of making a difference. Meet Amey Agarwal, a youngster who has not only won over a 15-year battle with nephrotic syndrome but has also transformed his personal struggle into an inspiration for others. Amey’s commitment to raising awareness and providing assistance for those affected by nephrotic syndrome gave birth to Nephrophile – a nonprofit – which has till now helped 300 families and even earned him a Diana Award.

Amey’s journey with nephrotic syndrome, a condition causing the kidneys to leak large amounts of protein into the urine, began at a tender age. For 15 years, he battled the challenges that the condition brought with it but instead of succumbing to the adversity, he emerged stronger, driven by a deep-seated belief that every child, irrespective of their economic circumstances, deserves a chance to become an adult.

Amey Agarwal

Helping people affected by Nephrotic syndrome

In his pursuit of making a meaningful impact, the 17-year-old founded Nephrohelp, a charitable community dedicated to supporting children suffering from nephrotic syndrome. His vision goes beyond mere sympathy; it is a mission to bring about positive changes in the lives of vulnerable families grappling with the harsh realities of this condition. The heart of Nephrohelp lies in its commitment to facilitating kidney transplants and providing essential support for those in need.

Through the relentless efforts of Amey and his team, the organisation has successfully raised funds and sponsorships, enabling life-changing kidney transplants for two children. “We are more than obliged and happy to help Warisha Khan (14 yrs) and Gaurav Mukherjee (13 yrs) by taking initiative in providing them all the medical necessities under the mentorship and guidance of Dr Rajiv Sinha, Professor & HOD of Pediatric Nephrology Division and thank him for extending his support for this noble cause,” the student of St. Xavier’s Collegiate School said in a statement.

The powerful impact

Beyond transplantation support, Nephrohelp has touched the lives of over 300 families by providing essential medicines and necessities. During COVID-19 pandemic, his compassion extended further as his organisation donated masks to hospitals, ensuring the safety of frontline workers. The impact of Nephrohelp is not confined to immediate assistance as his team organised awareness campaigns and health check-up camps, spreading knowledge about nephrotic syndrome and offering preventive healthcare to communities.

His dedication and selfless service to bring about transformative change has helped him earn Diana Award 2023 – which speaks volumes about his dedication, resilience, and the positive ripple effect his work has on communities. It is his commitment to education and awareness that have played an important role in his journey as a young changemaker. Recognising the need to inform and empower, Amey co-authored a book Nephrohelp’s Guide to Nephrotic Syndrome, published in both Hindi and Bengali, to raise awareness on nephrotic syndrome. Of them, he donated over 2500 books in rural areas to not only provide valuable insights into the condition but also serve as a guide for others who may be navigating similar challenges.

Amey’s advocacy extends beyond the immediate impact of Nephrohelp as his efforts have made nephrotic syndrome visible on a broader scale, challenging societal perceptions and fostering understanding about the struggles faced by those with this condition. In a world where compassion often takes a backseat, he has become a force that transcends boundaries, making a profound difference in the lives of many. He is now committed to provide treatment to over 200 children each year, which reflects his dedication to accessible healthcare.

His vision for a world where every child has the opportunity to grow into adulthood fuels the organisation’s initiatives and inspires others to join the cause. In a society that often overlooks the struggles of those with chronic conditions, Amey proves that one person’s belief in making a difference can indeed change the world.

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Published on 31, Jan 2024

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Tasting success: Meet the young chefs who are taking the Indian platter to the world

(February 16, 2023) As per a recent study by German food ordering company Lieferando, Indian food is the second most popular cuisine on social media and had the fastest growth rate of 41 percent. In the last two decades, several young chefs from the Indian diaspora are tapping into the potential of regional Indian food and stacking it with consciousness, innovation, and creativity. Interestingly, a young chef from Kolkata - Naureen Shaikh - recently won the bronze trophy at the International Young Chef Olympiad, defeating 50 participants from various other countries. And she is not the only one. The culinary world is witnessing a rise of many young Indian or Indian-origin chefs, who are carving a niche for themselves. Global Indian puts the spotlight on young chefs who are changing the international perception of Indian food from spice-laden meals to delicate cuisine. Naureen Shaikh Going against her mother, who wanted her to pursue a degree in social sciences and become an IAS officer, Naureen Shaikh took admission to a hotel management institute to follow her dream of becoming a chef. And making her mother very proud, the 20-year-old recently won the bronze cup at the International Young Chef Olympiad, held

a chef. And making her mother very proud, the 20-year-old recently won the bronze cup at the International Young Chef Olympiad, held in Goa. The chef, who prepared two portions of French omelette, four portions of a prawn entree, and dessert for the finale, shared in a press conference that her love for cooking started at quite a young age. " My interest in cooking started when I was in Class VIII and I would always look for feedback on what I had prepared because that would help me improve,” she said.

For about six months before the competition, she would spend almost 12 hours in the institute 'making the same dish over and over again'. “It was exhausting and at times frustrating. But hard work, consistency, and dedication matter. It was a Michelin-star restaurant. Working in the kitchen, I learnt that the customer gives us bread and butter and we have to give them value for money," shared the young chef, who wishes to open a restaurant in Kolkata in the next few years.

Arnav Kamulkar

While his classmates at J.P. Stevens High School in New Jersey were looking up which college to apply to, this 17-year-old chef was busy experimenting with new recipes and designing a menu for his restaurant - Clove 12. Redefining the genre of the typical Indian restaurant with innovation and uniqueness, Arnav Kamulkar began cooking at the age of 6 with traditional Indian dishes because that's what his mother made. When she became a "bit explorative" and tried other cuisines, Kamulkar, who was her sous chef, found his spark. "From there it just kind of snowballed. I started making my own stuff. Originally, I was just helping my mom cook vegetables and watching her cook and then slowly I wanted to make my own recipes, and do my own stuff. And that's how it kind of led to what I'm doing today," the chef told in an interview.

Drawing inspiration from across the globe, the young chef features fusion offerings at his restaurant, that according to him, "marry the best flavors from all cuisines to provide a one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience." Speaking about his plans for his restaurant going ahead, the teen chef said, "I'll explore gastronomy. I'll do molecular cooking. Like, sometimes I'll make plant-based caviar. And I'll also do fusion foods, like Indian tacos. Clove 12 is definitely a mix of all cuisines. Although I do like to keep a bit of a foundation of Indian food because that's how I first learned how to cook."

Madhumitha K P

Just 19, and already ruling the culinary world. Bengaluru's Madhumitha K P represented India at the 2019 Young Chef Olympiad and came back home with a shining trophy. Though none of her family members are into this profession, she was inspired by her mother and dreamt of becoming a famous chef. "Even as a young girl I would cook at home under my mom's supervision, and by the time I finished my schooling, I was sure that I wanted to do hotel management."

The young chef wants to work in a standalone restaurant in Europe in the coming years and hopes that it will give her the necessary experience in cooking. In the next five years, she aims to start her own food court chain across India. She also hopes to adopt orphanages and old age homes so that she can provide them with regular food.

Dev Mishra

Who can forget 13-year-old Dev Mishra - the young chef who bowled over top Australian chefs with his finger-licking lamb mughlai curry? The teen chef earned rave reviews from the judges on the show Junior MasterChef Australia, for his first-ever meal in the show, with chef Jock Zonfrillo saying, “I feel as if I’m eating at your table at home with your parents and your brothers.”

Like many chefs across the world, Dev's love for cooking was inspired by his mother. "I started learning to cook for as long as I can remember. My mum always wanted my brother and me to be independent and she encouraged us to learn cooking. My first memory of cooking is when my mum would give me some dough to knead and roll to make roti or mix and prepare ingredients," the youngster had informed during an interview. Currently running successful YouTube and Instagram food channels, the young chef plans on opening his chain of restaurants. "My restaurant will serve food from across the world. I cook different cuisines, and I try to recreate authentic flavours with my twist to them. That’s what I want to showcase at my restaurant," he shared.

How Bal Puraskar winners are shaping kid entrepreneurs

(February 11, 2022) These young achievers stepped up in the darkest times, helping society find relief during an unprecedented lockdown. They reached out to other children in need. The Bal Puraskar winners are in the limelight today, and are inspiring other pint-sized thinkers to address world issues. Holding his mother's hand and clutching an outsized bouquet, eight-year-old Pal Sakshi stepped out of the district magistrate's office, into a sea of cameramen outside. Despite the media attention, Sakshi's concerns were more pragmatic - as they walked through the crowd, he asked his mother where he could keep his bouquet at home. The eight-year-old prodigy, also a keen volunteer with the Swachh Bharat Mission, is one of four recipients of the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022. As the country battled the pandemic, trying to survive the lockdowns in safety, Sakshi began conducting musical performances online for charity, sending the proceeds to the PM Cares Fund. That’s not all, the pre-teen whiz kid even developed an app to create awareness about Covid-19, listing various ways to stay safe. These efforts cannot be allowed to go in vain. and while the award ceremony was cancelled last year, the awardees were given a digital certificate, using

l certificate, using blockchain technology created by the government for the purpose.

Shaping young entrepreneurs

As Bal Puraskar awardees dominate the public discourse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has even remarked, “While talking to you, I feel that the Indian government's efforts over the past few years to create jobs are having an impact. We have been promoting the idea of entrepreneurship in young people so they can make the nation stronger.” These words were said to 11-year-old Meedhansh, as he received his award at the local district administrative complex. When the Janta Curfew was imposed in March 2020, Meedhansh launched a website, working tirelessly to post information on his online platform. He even started a medical helping service and has participated in the state-level corona prevention project, Mission Fateh, launched by a former CM of Punjab. He was also awarded by the government of Punjab for developing Mission Fateh's IT portal.

A solution to pandemic woes

The four young recipients are, undoubtedly, a powerhouse of talent. And each has tried to utilise those abilities towards making the world a better place. Through his portal, karnalcovid.in, 17-year-old Aakarsh Kaushal helped people in his district find access to real-time data regarding cases, deaths and RT-PCR test reports. Moved by what he saw during the pandemic, Aakarsh, always a passionate coder, decided to create the portal, which has had over 2,00,000 visitors. “Around the same number of RT PCR reports have been sent to patients directly on phones,” he posted on Facebook. He also created a portal to track the availability of beds in Karnal district, where the situation had grown dire. In the end, the initiative came to the authorities’ aid too, especially as it became a credible source of information.

Timely recognition can go a long way. Prasiddhi Singh, the 2021 awardee for social welfare, feels, “The award gave me recognition, and also a sense of responsibility towards society and the planet. To me, awards are not the destination but the motivation to achieve more.”

Driven to do more

Far from being driven to complacency, with recognition so early in life, these youngsters are even more driven. Prasiddhi is working on her latest mission, to plant one lakh trees by the end of 2022. Describing the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar as a “catalyst,” she says, “My mission to plant one lakh trees by the end of 2022 is almost complete, and I hope to accomplish the milestone with everybody’s support.”

It's the “magic mantra,” avers Anjali Razdan, director, academics, Meluha International School, Hyderabad. “Whether it is in a child or an adult, being recognised generates lifelong motivation. The appreciation coming from the Prime Minister will go a long way in shaping their character, building patriotic sensibilities and a liberated mindset, all ingredients for inculcating good citizenship.”

Visionaries beyond their years

Sixteen-year-old Abhinav was described as “wise” by the Prime Minister on Twitter. “Reading is among the greatest joys in our society. The wise Abhinav is using technology to popularise books and has helped many youngsters,” he tweeted. During the lockdowns, Abhinav helped 10,000 underprivileged children who couldn’t afford new books, by arranging second-hand copies through an online store, Cruise Books, designed for the purpose. He helped the reselling of some 30,000 books, and in the process, did the planet a good turn too. “I helped save around 19,000 trees,” he told the PM. His web store even provides low-cost printing services all over India, making it easy to sell and collect used books.

Although the young awardees say they would have no laurels without the support of their families and mentors, they are beyond doubt, stars in their own right. As the PM rightly emphasised, “for doing good, age is not a barrier. Youngsters have the potential to transform society for the better.”

(With inputs from Charu Thakur)

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Kishore Kothandaraman: Harvard dropout redefining B2B events through Goldcast

(November 16, 2023) In January 2022, Goldcast, a Bay Area B2B events platform received $28 million in funding. It was a critical moment for co-founders Kishore Kothandaraman, Aashish Srinivas and Palash Soni, after four years of building the company in a country where they had each arrived as students. Now, the company hopes to hit the $100 million mark in the next four years. Victory was hard-won for Kishore Kothandaraman, the small-town boy from Neyveli, an industrial town in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district. When he made it to Harvard Business School, he thought he could finally tell his parents that they no longer needed to worry about him. One year later, however, he quit his Ivy League Education, along with his classmate Palash Soni, to found his own company instead, rising above the pressure from a society that continues to value education above all else. [caption id="attachment_34139" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Kishore Kothandaraman | Co-Founder Goldcast[/caption] "I grew up in Neyveli, dad is a civil engineer and mum is a teacher," the Global Indian said in an interview. "Everything was provided to me but nothing in abundance. What I wanted, I had to earn. That's the first thing my parents taught me.

an | Co-Founder Goldcast[/caption]

"I grew up in Neyveli, dad is a civil engineer and mum is a teacher," the Global Indian said in an interview. "Everything was provided to me but nothing in abundance. What I wanted, I had to earn. That's the first thing my parents taught me. And the other - what you earn, you give back to society in a meaningful way." He grew up in a middle-class household learning the value of money while not really wanting for anything.

Growing up with challenges

Kishore's life changed when he was 13 years old, and his father was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. "It was not clear if he would make it through or not," Kishore recalls. His father went on to have a series of health concerns after that, including a heart attack a couple of years after his diagnosis. "I was a teen, getting through school and it was hard to see him go through it. But it taught me that if he could overcome such immense struggles in life, I can definitely figure out the smaller obstacles that came my way." Determined to make something of himself, to make them proud and to ensure that they were taken care of, Kishore set his sights on a good school, and a good university. He graduated as an engineer and worked with Blackbuck, a trucking logistics unicorn in India. "I got to see how a small group of ambitious misfits can build something from scratch and win against incumbents." And that, Kishore states, is exactly what he's hoping to do with B2B events.

The Ivy League journey

In engineering college, he noticed that his seniors were applying for MBAs at brand name business schools and going on to do very well for themselves. Kishore decided to do the same and entered the big league when he was accepted at Harvard Business School. However, Kishore was already dreaming of running a big company of his own and entered Harvard hoping it would put him on the path to his dreams. "When I came to Harvard Business School I was constantly looking for ideas and potential business partners," Kishore said. It's not an approach that Indians in Ivy League schools usually have - risking it all to start a company. Luckily for him, he found not just ideas at Harvard but his future business partner, Palash Soni.

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One year in, Kishore and Palash both dropped out of school. They founded Goldcast in 2020, just before Covid hit the world. They decided on a SaaS company, a digital events platform for B2B marketers to host events with prospective customers, from webinars to larger user conferences and hybrid events. "The objective is twofold," Kishore explains. "Marketers want a great experience and second, since you're hosting an event, can you collect data on that platform for sales and marketing teams to use post the event."

They knew very little about starting or running a business at the time. What's more, they were both in the US on student visas and couldn't work in that. It was one of the many challenges they faced, as strangers in a foreign ecosystem that seemed to have no place for them. They had savings but those were in Indian rupees and didn't translate to much. What's more, the pandemic brought the world into lockdown and messed up the playing field for immigrant founders like Kishore and Soni. But they knew immediately that the pandemic held a big opportunity. This was their chance to become frontrunners in the digital and hybrid event space. "We were excited because we didn't know what we were getting into," Kishore smiles.

Even the first step was fraught with challenges - funding. "It was a big deal and very tough. We didn't know how to raise funds," Kishore admits. Palash, meanwhile, had a wife and a baby to support and the immigration landscape wasn't looking favourable. Kishore wanted to ensure his parents had everything they needed. Both the young entrepreneurs refused to give up, however. They also didn't know whom to ask for funding. "Investors like to get calls from people they know, or whom they are introduced to personally," Kishore says.

Fighting for a dream

There was only one thing to do - stick with it. The co-founders were frustrated when their efforts didn't lead anywhere but "we believe in the idea so much that we finally managed to get a couple of million in the early funding round." The hardest part, they say, was roping in the first 10-15 customers. Finally, they received $2 million in early funding. "We had some competitors, though and by the time we raised $2 million they had raised $500 million," Kishore says. "How can you compete with that? Putting your heart and soul into it and convincing people to try the product out becomes crucial."

[caption id="attachment_34140" align="aligncenter" width="459"] Kishore Kothandaraman | Co-Founder Goldcast[/caption]

One of their first paying customers was Harvard University itself. The university encouraged entrepreneurship among its students and alumni and paid them $20,000 to host an event for the freshmen. Thirty minutes in and the platform crashed. "It was terrible PR for us," Kishore recalls. "That's how we were being remembered. Goldcast? Aren't they the company that organised that event? Yeah, that's the same one."

The road less taken

Trial and error was the only way to learn, though. "It's a very lonely journey. Only a few people can understand what that really means. Only founders know. It's very hard to express that to your family, to your peers or your employees. I remember reading once, most businesses fail because founders get tired." It is a tiring process, Kishore soon learned, when most people say no to you. As a founder he had to put pressure on his employees too. "You have to put up a good fight because it's a war. You and your co-founders have to be very prepared for it."

They had to push themselves and the product in the market, to get in people's faces and share their story and message. "People are biased towards those they are comfortable with, and being a non-native speaker in a foreign country makes it even more challenging." Watching his competitors receive hundreds of millions in funding, and learning to live with the decision to quit an Ivy League school and a very coveted degree for a startup - Goldcast's founders had many 'why bother' moments.

Bright future

They persisted, though and they're glad they did. "Now, people are realising that this is someone we want to partner with." Goldcast has a solid team of people all working to build the company, and make sure that it becomes a single platform that marketers can use for all events. "Reaching $100 million in revenue is a big milestone for SaaS companies and we want to achieve it in four years," Kishore says, adding, "I want to go to NASDAQ and ring that bell.

Follow Kishore on LinkedIn and Goldcast on their website

Indian American scholar Sadhana Lolla aims to make AI accessible to all

(March 07, 2024) As a young kid, Sadhana Lolla was fascinated with machines and various equipment. But, growing up whenever she would visit India with her parents, she would observe her grandmother's toil without the availability of any assistive technology. "The experience greatly inspired me to delve into artificial intelligence solutions aimed at delivering robotic assistive technology to marginalised communities," the young scholar shared during an interview. Fueled by a desire to make a global impact through her innovative work, Sadhana secured the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. This scholarship allows students to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field at Cambridge University in the UK. "I'll be delving deep into the intricate connections between technology, public policy, laws, and governance," shared an elated Sadhana, adding, "This intersection is pivotal in an era where every process is digitising, and the significance of AI is continually growing. I hope that my studies could significantly contribute to the global discourse on technology and its profound impact on society." ALSO READ: Meet Vaibhav Mohanty – an accomplished scholar and musician Of hard work and grit A curious kid from the beginning, Sadhana took part in various academic and cultural competitions. "In high school, I was

ology and its profound impact on society."

ALSO READ: Meet Vaibhav Mohanty – an accomplished scholar and musician

Of hard work and grit

A curious kid from the beginning, Sadhana took part in various academic and cultural competitions. "In high school, I was the captain of my Scioly team and competed in biology and Earth and Space Science events. I was also on the competitor logistics committee and also helped out with events," the scholar shared. Soon after finishing school, the youngster joined the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is a fourth-year undergraduate, majoring in computer science and minoring in mathematics, "And literature. I have quite a busy schedule, but yet outside of school and planning committees that I am a part of, I still find time to bake, cook, and read," the Global Indian shared.

A part of MIT's Distributed Robotics Laboratory, Sadhana has been working day and night on her research under the guidance of Professor Daniela Rus, focusing on safe and trustworthy robotics and deep learning. Her investigations encompass debiasing strategies for autonomous vehicles and streamlining the design processes of robots. Said the scholar, "My research focusses broadly on the application of deep learning to robotics and on designing and deploying uncertainty-aware artificial intelligence with Dr. Ava Amini."

ALSO READ: Dhruv Gaur is working towards drug stigma and inequality

Also, at Microsoft Research and Themis AI, I have contributed to the development of uncertainty-aware frameworks for deep learning, with applications spanning computational biology, language modeling, and robotics," shared the scholar, who has showcased her research findings at prestigious conferences such as the Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) and the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML). "Through this SuperUROP project, I want to become more involved in applying deep learning algorithms to robotics. I hope to apply knowledge from previous machine learning classes and research to an exciting new area of study," she added.

Scaling heights

While she might sound like a nerd, the young scholar is involved in tonnes of activities outside academics as well. Despite a very tight schedule, the young scholar is leading initiatives at MIT to make computer science education more accessible globally. "I instruct class 6.s191, MIT's Introduction to Deep Learning, a course that reaches millions of students globally. As the curriculum lead for Momentum AI, I contribute to the only U.S. program offering free AI education to underserved students. Additionally, I've had the privilege of teaching hundreds of students in Northern Scotland through the MIT Global Teaching Labs programme," she said.

Sadhana also serves as the director for xFair, MIT's largest student-run career fair. Furthermore, she holds an executive board position for Next Sing, where efforts are made to increase accessibility to a cappella for students from various musical backgrounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvUo1E38ZvY

When asked about her future plans, the young scholar said, "I aspire to spearhead discussions on deploying and developing technology for marginalised communities, including the rural Indian village my family calls home. Simultaneously, I am engaged in research focused on embodied intelligence."

Follow Sadhana Lolla on LinkedIn

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Sharjah girl Prakrithi Suresh connects Carnatic vocal and Bharatanatyam with spirituality

(February 22, 2023) When Prakrithi Suresh was barely two years old, her parents were overjoyed to hear her humming the Carnatic song she had heard her father practice. Carnatic music had been in her family for generations, starting with her paternal grandfather. They were trained vocalists although none had pursued it as a career. Prakrithi’s hereditary inclinations were celebrated and encouraged by her parents and when she was three-and-a-half years old, she began her training. [caption id="attachment_27731" align="aligncenter" width="722"] Prakrithi Suresh[/caption] Now fifteen, this Sharjah-based vocalist is a known face in UAE’s musical circuit, with many stage performances to her credit. Not only is she a gifted singer, she is also a talented Bharatanatyam dancer who has been training under the best gurus in UAE since she was four. While there are invitations for conferences and participation in music fests round the year, Prakrithi connects her gift of singing and dancing with spirituality. “I sing and dance just for the spiritual connection. My sole goal is to spread divinity, and to make everybody realise that it’s the ultimate supreme that all of us has to surrender to,” the young artist says in an interview with Global Indian. “My parents

hile there are invitations for conferences and participation in music fests round the year, Prakrithi connects her gift of singing and dancing with spirituality. “I sing and dance just for the spiritual connection. My sole goal is to spread divinity, and to make everybody realise that it’s the ultimate supreme that all of us has to surrender to,” the young artist says in an interview with Global Indian.

“My parents have been very supportive and have never pressurised me about academics,” remarks Prakrithi, crediting them for her achievements so far.

Making a name

At the UAE’s national Margazhi fest 2019, Prakrithi bagged the overall champion award for excelling in all six categories of Carnatic vocal competitions. In 2020 she came second in an International Carnatic dance and music competition, which saw participation from around the world.

[caption id="attachment_27735" align="aligncenter" width="724"] Prakrithi Suresh with childrens’ book author Elisabetta Dami[/caption]

She has also received the Geronimo Stilton Foundation's medallion from its founder, the childrens’ book author Elisabetta Dami, at the Sharjah International Book Fair, for upholding the legacy of Indian traditional art forms even while living abroad.

The musical journey

Having begun her Carnatic vocal training as a toddler, the teenager is grateful to have trained under some of the best gurus in India and the UAE. She started learning formally from her guru, Palakkad Rajesh Kesav, and went on to learn from Dr Amruta Sankaranarayanan, who is the daughter and disciple of Padma Bhusan, Sangeetha Kalanithi T V Sankaranarayanan.

The fifteen-year-old is now receiving advanced training from Dr Maithli Krishnan, professor of music, SRC College Trichy. As they are in different countries, the guru and shishya connect with each other online.

The talented disciple is also a teacher to two four-year-old pupils who have started learning Carnatic vocals from her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgXvAuGr0uw

The teen vocalist’s portfolio comprises an impressive collection of music videos on her YouTube channel. The aesthetically-shot videos have been shot by her musically-inclined engineer father.

“I do not have any motive of earning money from my performances, nor do I want to spend money on creating music videos and that’s why my father films them,” she says. Her innocent smile hides great maturity.

Prakrithi’s mother, who worked as a scientist before her daughter was born, has played a great role in evoking the sense of divinity in Carnatic vocal and Bharatanatyam for the teenager. “I am spiritually inclined and do not perform for fame,” she says, adding, “It’s my mother who tells me how I can do better if I am spiritually connected to my art.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUzCqqc6LDw

The path of Bharatanatyam

Whether it is Carnatic music or Bharatanatyam, Prakrithi finds tranquillity and peace in both. While Carnatic music is a way of seeking enlightenment, Bharatanatyam is sadhana for her.

“Bharatanatyam is like uniting the soul with the absolute soul,” she says, adding, “Coming from a spiritual country like India, where the realization of consciousness or spirit has been the supreme goal of life, it is no wonder that the oldest dance form of the country, Bharatanatyam is nothing but a form of Sadhana.”

Prakrithi had started basic training of the dance form in 2013 under her guru Sahadevan of Kalakshetra, Sharjah who is the discipline of Rukmini Devi Arundale. Currently she is honing her skills under guru Girish Kumar, the disciple of Kalamandalam Chandrika who is the disciple of the veteran actress Vaijayantimala.

Apart from performing in various events in UAE and in functions organised by the Indian consulate of Dubai and Indian Association Sharjah; the youngster has performed in two Natyanjali’s in India as well.

On a different note…

A student of Sharjah’s Amity Private School, when Prakrithi is not busy studying or practicing, she can be found playing musical notes on her guitar or keyboard. “I have taught myself to sing English songs and play western instruments,” she shares.

Looking forward to soon start her high school, the artistic teenager has already decided her professional path. “I want to become a veterinary doctor, quite opposite to what people would think,” she smiles.

Follow Prakrithi Suresh on YouTube and Facebook

Reading Time: 5 mins