Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveGavi Kothari: The teen entrepreneur initiating change through tech

Gavi Kothari: The teen entrepreneur initiating change through tech

Written by: Ranjini Rajendra

(May 20, 2022) The coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown brought the world and the economy to its knees. Not for long though: various tech solutions soon sprung up to bridge the gap that had begun to make its presence the world over. If there were apps and web platforms to help people connect more easily and work remotely, there were services that bridged the last mile. But what of those that were not savvy enough to jump onto this new digital bandwagon? That’s where 17-year-old Gurugram-based Gavi Kothari stepped in with his startup Tech Help For All. The non-profit venture is aimed at helping both adults and children to get a lowdown on the new tech offerings and how to use them.

Teen Entrepreneur | Gavi Kothari | Global Indian

Gavi Kothari, founder, Tech Help For All

“At Tech Help For All, we follow a non-discriminatory policy and aim to make our content accessible to everybody. This is a website to help and educate people on how to use these apps, either for your work meetings or pure curiosity,” says Gavi in a conversation with Global Indian. He has stood first in the 2020 Math Olympiad, ranked 5th in Avishkar, an international robotics competition, and also had his AI-based sustainable development project rank in the top 10 in a global contest.

Tryst with robotics

A high schooler at Amity International School, Gavi’s love for technology and robotics began quite early. “I’ve always been fascinated by new gadgets and tech,” says the teen, who looks up to his parents Rupesh and Anjani Kothari, who’ve paved the way through their hard work and determination. “My dad lost his job due to the pandemic. But he didn’t back down. He went ahead and set up a new business that is now successful and proved that hard work and determination can solve any problem,” beams the lad, who also has a younger brother.

About a year ago, Gavi decided to launch Tech Help for All, a non-profit startup to help educate people on the latest consumer tech offerings and bridge the digital divide that had sprung up due to the pandemic. “During the pandemic, we would all go online for every little task. It was around this time that I realised that there were a lot of people who didn’t know how to use these tech platforms; even NGOs,” says the teen entrepreneur, whose startup creates video tutorials to help people understand how to use every day apps such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom among others.

Bridging the gap

Tech Help for All has now helped several NGOs in the areas of web development, fundraising, creating LinkedIn pages, and tutoring students apart from the video tutorials. “The idea is to help people navigate the maze of modern-day apps and softwares that have now become a part of our daily lives,” says Gavi, whose company has so far hosted 100 interns and has a team of 15 apart from 15 youth ambassadors.

Incidentally, the teen found his calling in tech rather early on and would often spend after school hours interacting with his Robotics teacher to further his passion towards the subject. He has participated in several competitions such as IRC and IIT Delhi’s Robo contest. Apart from these, Gavi is also currently working on an AI-enabled waste management project to work towards a cleaner tomorrow. “Dumping of waste in landfills has been a persistent problem. Though several of us now segregate garbage into wet and dry waste, it all ultimately lands up in the landfills affecting the environment,” Gavi tells, adding, “Through this project, we aim to convert waste into various industrial products at home. We’ve devised a system to segregate and convert waste into manure, biogas, electricity, metals, and 3D printed dustbins with minimal human interaction and easy operation. An app that we’ve developed also helps the user track his/her impact towards the environment.”

The teen entrepreneur, who is also interested in trekking, community work, singing and cooking, also ensures he’s constantly upgrading his knowledge and skill sets through certificate courses in AI and ML. He is also looking to pursue a career in robotics engineering.

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Published on 20, May 2022

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Indian child mountaineer: Bal Puraskar awardee Virat summits Mt Kilimanjaro, it’s Mt Kosciuszko next

(February 1, 2022) Standing stop a mountain peak, covered with a blanket of clouds is a fantasy for children. Virat Chandra Telukunta is no different. His favourite cartoon show — Doraemon - a fictitious character in Japanese manga would transport him to the mountains and back, even as he sat comfortably in his living room. Yet, unlike most children his age, the then seven-year-old decided to live his dream. A video call from his cousins trekking in Uttarakhand triggered his interest, and left a lasting impression. What followed was intense physical and mental training. Finally, he did the unthinkable for one so young. He went on to become the youngest person to conquer the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro - the tallest mountain in Africa. The rare feat not only brought the Indian child mountaineer laurels but also the Pradhan Mantri Bal Puraskar Award, given to children (five to 18 years of age) with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievements. “The moment I was standing on the mountain peak covered with clouds, the only image on my mind was of Doraemon’s Nobita (a fictional character) and his friends jumping over the clouds,” laughs Virat, now eight. He was the only person from the state of Telangana

e moment I was standing on the mountain peak covered with clouds, the only image on my mind was of Doraemon’s Nobita (a fictional character) and his friends jumping over the clouds,” laughs Virat, now eight. He was the only person from the state of Telangana among 29 others to have been selected for the prestigious award handed over virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently.

An Indian child mountaineer finds his ‘calling’

“It was very cold there, my body ached. All I wanted to do is achieve my goal, come what may,” beams Virat in an exclusive with Global Indian. It took six days for the Indian child mountaineer to summit. At one point during his climb, the child confesses, he was bored so he spiced it up with many breaks!

An inspiration to all, Virat is grateful for that video call in 2020 from his relatives in Uttarakhand. “I had just finished my online classes and my mother was feeding me when Karthik anna (brother) and Vaishu akka (sister), who were trekking Rudugaira mountains, call, sharing their experiences and the vista. I was fascinated by the mountains instantly and decided that I too wanted to climb mountains. That's it, I had a lengthy discussion with my parents who agreed,” informs the Indian child mountaineer, a class III student of Gitanjali Devshala School in Hyderabad.

His father Sharat Chandra approached Bharat Tammineni, a mountaineer who runs Boots and Crampons, a Hyderabad-based academy to train trekking enthusiasts. “Bharat Sir first did a physical evaluation. I started training on December 15, 2020,” informs the excited Indian child mountaineer. Then began the rigorous training. The Hyderabad lad would run for 6-7 km every day, do Suryanamaskars, sit-ups, meditation and breathing exercises (anulom-vilom and kapal bhaati) and mock-climbed the Moulali Fort, supervised by Bharat and others. “I got a chance to prove my mettle when I participated in a 5k run. After successfully completing it, Bharat Sir told me I was ready, and he chose Mount Kilimanjaro,” informs Virat.

The road to Mount Kilimanjaro for the Indian child mountaineer

Training completed, Virat, his parents and coach left for South Africa on February 28, 2021. Once formalities were done, they proceeded with the trek on March 5. The first stop was Mandara hut at an elevation of 2,720 metres (approximately 28,000 steps). After spending the night there, the next day, they left for Horombo hut at 3,720 metres. “Enroute to Horombo hut, I was bored, and taking short breaks so my parents shared some inspirational stories (to motivate me). We reached Horombo hut by evening, and spent two nights there,” recalls Virat, whose parents accompanied him till Horombo hut. Thereafter, his parents bid the Indian child mountaineer goodbye, and he undertook the arduous trek to Kibu hut at an elevation of 4,720 metres. “This journey was very challenging,” informs Virat, who overcame multiple challenges - extreme weather and body wear and tear.

The following day, Virat woke up at 3.40 am and undertook the last leg of his journey. “It was a foggy day with heavy winds and snowfall. After trekking for hours, we reached the summit. I couldn’t believe what I saw. Clouds everywhere, and I was standing on top of it (images of Doraemon flitting past),” says Virat, eyes bright recalling seeing a rainbow for the first time. The Indian child mountaineer's descent to his anxious parents waiting at Horombo hut was good. “On seeing me, my mother broke down and hugged me real tight,” smiles the child, whose name has been recorded in the Asian Book of Records and Indian Book of Records for his feat. “Thereafter, I got so many gifts,” smiles the super trooper who stuck to his usual diet comprising Indian food while summiting Kilimanjaro.

Next is Australia for the Indian child mountaineer

Now, the Indian child mountaineer, Virat is enthused, “I am preparing to climb Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia. Bharat Sir suggested it,” pipes Virat, who otherwise likes playing guitar, reading, cricket, skating and even dancing. “My target is to climb all the highest mountain peaks in the world before I turn 10,” pipes Virat, who has participated in many competitions - storytelling, fancy dress, shloka recitation, cycling and running race. One can even find the little lad cooking with his mother on occasion.

Named Virat, the Hyderabad boy says his mother came across the name reading Satyarth Prakasam. “Another reason is that the last letters of my parents name adds up to Virat,” smiles the Indian child mountaineer, an October 2013 born.

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De‘coding’ tech: Berkeley sophomore Krish Samtani’s 0Gravity turns geeks into pro coders

(March 4, 2022) Did you know that IT’s top brass like Larry Page, Bill Gates, and Steve Dorsey were all coding prodigies before they launched ground-breaking tech conglomerates? Not too long ago, coding was considered the forte of computer geeks, an intimidating concept to many. Yet, that seems to be changing with coding clubs mushrooming across the country. And one such Indian coder looking to change how coding is perceived is Krish Samtani. The 19-year-old student of UC Berkeley launched 0Gravity coding, a non-profit startup, back when he was a school student in Bengaluru. The free coding club encourages students as young as 10 to learn the nuances of coding to explore a world of innovation and problem solving. Today, the teen, who received the Leadership Award Scholarship by the alumni association of his college, has educated over 1,500 children, including the children of sex workers. Incidentally, Krish is also an Ashoka Changemaker for creating social impact through his venture. When tech called, Krish answered Born in New Jersey, Krish, the elder of two siblings, moved to Bengaluru when he was eight-years-old. Both his parents – Gunjan and Dimple – work with leading financial service companies, and Krish was always

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When tech called, Krish answered

Born in New Jersey, Krish, the elder of two siblings, moved to Bengaluru when he was eight-years-old. Both his parents – Gunjan and Dimple – work with leading financial service companies, and Krish was always encouraged to push his boundaries and go beyond the ordinary. As he schooled at the International School Bengaluru, Krish found himself drawn to the world of technology when he attended a summer camp as an eighth grader at Johns Hopkins University.

“That summer camp was one of the first times I got the opportunity to learn an applied style of education, where I did some basic mathematical modelling using coding for climate change,” Krish tells Global Indian, adding, “As opposed to the heavily theoretical curriculum I was studying back in India, this style of learning gave me a chance to build my knowledge on a practical level, rather than being confined to a textbook. As such, my passion for applied coding grew stronger over the years.”

[caption id="attachment_11806" align="aligncenter" width="505"] Krish with his family[/caption]

Inspired by this applied education, Krish was looking to attend such a class back home in Bengaluru. Unable to find any, he founded a movement to teach other children applied computer science. “That’s how 0Gravity came about in 2017. The purpose was to spark an interest and a vision amongst children that education goes far beyond the classroom, by making the sessions fun and interactive,” this Indian coder says.

Unscrambling the code

Since its inception, 0Gravity has had executives and professionals from leading technical industries deliver lessons, and talks to students. The idea, says Krish, has been to impart knowledge that can give students a glimpse of the opportunities the workforce offers. “We organise workshops that last three months, with around 20 students per batch. We have managed to educate 1,500+ students, including 700 girls in the five years since 0Gravity launched,” says the young coder, who is now a sophomore at University of California, Berkeley, where he is studying applied mathematics with a concentration on data science.

[caption id="attachment_11807" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Krish with his 0Gravity batch of students[/caption]

On how he’s connected with students at 0Gravity as a mentor, he says, “The premise of 0Gravity has always been to create an enjoyable, inclusive, and immersive learning environment. Although I was responsible for mentoring students and in growing the movement across companies, I was certainly learning a lot about myself, the students, and the growing importance of technology in the process. In addition to coding fundamentals, some of the things I picked up in my 0Gravity journey were communication (speaking with different audiences), time management, working with a team, and the various stages involved in starting an organisation.”

A ‘firm’ knowledge

Krish has partnered with several firms to establish 0Gravity programmes in three countries – India, US and England. “The firm that has been the most crucial to our expansion globally is Saggezza Inc, with whom we have set up programmes in Bengaluru, Chennai, Sunderland, and Chicago,” reveals the coder, who says that the world is becoming increasingly digitised in every facet of life and the industry. “Coding is as important a skill as reading and writing in our contemporary lives. In order to build strong foundational bases, it is important for children to hone their coding skills,” says Krish, whose father Gunjan has been the backbone of his journey with 0Gravity.

[caption id="attachment_11808" align="aligncenter" width="695"] Krish with his professors at University of California, Berkeley[/caption]

As a student in the US, Krish has been involved in various clubs and college activities including the data science and entrepreneurship clubs. “Learning here has been a pleasure too. A lot of my professors are Noble laureates and I’ve had the opportunity to meet many new people,” says the coder, who doesn’t mind bridging the time difference to continue conducting 0Gravity workshops. “I enjoy attending sessions on weekends, and value those couple of hours highly.”

Follow Krish Samtani on LinkedIn

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How language redeemer Shruti Rijhwani mines your language with AI &ML

(March 23, 2022) Humans aren’t the best at preservation. Case in point, the world as we know it. Now, fathom how a country like India, that had 1,100 languages, has lost 220 forever. That 20 percent is just skimming the tip of this nadir – Across the world too, the findings are concerning. Over 1,500 endangered languages will no longer be spoken by the end of this century. Or that of the world’s 7,000 recognised languages, around half are currently endangered. Language redeemer Shruti Rijhwani decided to address this lacuna, and preserve them. The Pittsburg-based coding whiz used algorithms to preserve languages like Hokkaido Ainu (spoken among few elderly Japanese), Griko (Italiot Greek), Yakkha (from Nepal and Sikkim) and Kwak'wala (estimates state only 200 speak it fluently in Western Canada). Way back in 2011, a young girl aspired for a career in technology. She was to travel to Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, for a BSc in computer science. There, she strengthened her foundation and ambled along to Carnegie Mellon University for an MS in language technologies, followed by a PhD in the same at the School of Computer Science. About to graduate in May 2022, Shruti Rijhwani

022, Shruti Rijhwani was awarded the Forbes 30 under 30 2022. Her metier was restoring lost languages using artificial intelligence and machine learning. In that, restoring world history. The Bloomberg PhD fellow first got interested in languages as a preppy research intern at Microsoft Research (2015).

[caption id="attachment_13118" align="aligncenter" width="522"] Shruti Rijhwani[/caption]

Now, busying with her final thesis, to graduate as a PhD, Shruti Rijhwani speaks from Pittsburgh to Global Indian, “My PhD thesis at CMU encompasses my research on developing machine learning algorithms to improve the accuracy of extracting text in endangered languages from printed books - those endangered. The books and documents in these languages do not have a digital format. My research works towards improving automatic digitisation using machine learning and natural language processing,” explains the traditionalist whose was honoured by Forbes in the science category.

A girl who loved computers

Brought up in Bengaluru, India, her parents and sister, while away from her, are a constant source of motivation. “I really miss my family in India,” says the language champion.

Not just her family, Shruti, misses her visits to India before Covid-19 hit, “I really miss the food – I always look forward to visiting my favourite restaurants in Bengaluru whenever I visit my family,” says the NLP expert.

For laymen, Shruti explains this quest into languages and tech that led her to becoming a research fellow at Microsoft Research then Bloomberg AI, publishing innumerable papers, to then getting consumed into the world of languages.

“I became interested in NLP after an internship at Microsoft Research in Bengaluru,” says Shruti, who then realised that many existing language technologies support a limited number of languages as opposed to being able to support the 7,000+ languages in the world.

“Many communities that speak endangered languages want language technologies that work well for their language, but it’s challenging. My project tries to build algorithms that work well for endangered languages in collaboration with linguists and endangered language communities,” explains the language redeemer.

At heart, a language expert

For Rijhwani, the primary technical challenge was that most state-of-the-art NLP methods rely on a large amount text resources, or data for ML – which endangered languages don’t have. “My research helps overcome a part of this challenge by developing techniques that perform well without much data,” she explains.

As complex as it sounds, the language redeemer breaks it down. “The algorithms take scanned images of non-digitised books and handwritten documents, automatically recognise characters, and produce digitised text. The recognition sees the algorithm looking at the shape of each character, and trying to match it to an existing pattern,” explains Shruti excitedly. While the recognition is not perfect, she has developed algorithms to automatically correct errors using NLP techniques through patterns that correct them.

Incredibly honored to be recognized on the 2022 @Forbes 30 under 30 list in Science!

✨*HUGE* thanks to my collaborators and mentors, @mulix, @anas_ant, @gneubig
✨More about my recent work: https://t.co/Qbum8a2qvL @ForbesUnder30 #ForbesUnder30 https://t.co/xfdWhMffXP

— Shruti Rijhwani (@shrutirij) December 2, 2021

Elaborating on NLP, the 29-year-old explains that it is broad name for technologies that enable the understanding of human languages by computers. “There are multiple applications - automatically translating text (eg, Google Translate), searching the web, or automatic question- answer. Some work I did early in my PhD builds NLP models for automatically processing entities in human language (like location and person names). Now, I am using NLP techniques to improve text extraction accuracy for endangered languages,” adds the PhD student who is grateful for her mentor Graham Neubig’s guidance.

Those early days as a research intern, at Microsoft Research inspired Shruti to apply for a PhD. “During two summers, I worked as a research intern at Bloomberg AI. I enjoyed both, it gave me a good sense of how NLP research works. It also brought about collaborations with researchers at Bloomberg, leading to published research papers,” she adds.

Creating a niche

The Forbes 30 under 30 reveals that she had a fairly normal childhood, grew up in a space where independence was respected. Though not drawn to science as a child, Shruti enjoyed computer programming. Now, graduating in May, deep in her dissertation, and a final project on improving text extracting from endangered language texts, she loves working in her beautiful office, writing code, doing data analysis, or talking with collaborators! “The environment at CMU is exciting for research as many students are working on diverse and challenging problems, so it’s fun to learn about and discuss different research ideas,” says the language restorer.

Shruti loves a challenge, Thus working on difficult research problems is hugely motivational. “I’m not afraid to run from a challenge. I enjoy taking up risky projects. I believe my projects have significant practical or real-world impact,” explains this student for life.

Her dream job predictably also involves being able to develop ML and natural language processing algorithms to solve large-scale and real-life or practical challenges. “I want to develop NLP models and techniques to expand technologies to more languages and tasks, supporting populations that don’t have access to them,” says the coder.

The adventurer behind the coder

All coding and no play is also not what Shruti prescribes to. “I love spending time outdoors: I often go hiking in Pittsburgh, there are so many amazing state and city parks. For a vacation, I’d go near the ocean as I love snorkelling and I’m a certified scuba diver,” says the language redeemer.

During Covid-19, Shruti discovered a talent for woodwork – even bought a few power tools, and ended up building multiple pieces of furniture and décor.

Her long-term partner is her constant source of support through school and now PhD. “He is incredible at helping me balance work and life, ensuring I take breaks and enjoy life outside of research,” reveals the ML and AI language whiz who wants students to enter stem, especially girls. “Science and stem research is awesome! It’s an exciting career, technologies are being rapidly developed and it’s a lot of fun to learn, and discover new things every day. It’s challenging no doubt, this direction, but it’s absolutely rewarding,” concludes the language redeemer.

Follow Shruti Rijhwani on Twitter and Linkedin

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Anushka Sen: Strengthening cultural bonds as the brand ambassador of Korean Tourism

(October 2, 2024) Indian actress and influencer Anushka Sen made headlines as the only Indian to feature on billboards in Korea, following her appointment as the brand ambassador of Korean Tourism last year. At just 22, Sen has garnered several accolades in both the Indian and Korean entertainment industry. Recently she got honoured for her contributions in strengthening Korea-India relations, an impressive achievement given her young age. As the brand ambassador of Korean Tourism, Anushka has played a significant role in bridging the cultural gap between the two nations. Expressing her gratitude, she shared with her fans, “Another moment to share with you all, honoured to receive an award from CEO Mr. Hyun Woo Kim of SBA (Seoul Business Agency) for my contribution to strengthening the relationship between Korea and India.” She also thanked director Lee Jung Sub for her accomplishments. “(Realising) my dream of working in K drama, being appointed as the brand ambassador of Korean Tourism, and now getting recognized for my contribution in strengthening Korea India relationship will definitely motivate me to do more,” she added. [caption id="attachment_39685" align="aligncenter" width="497"] Anushka Sen being honoured by Seoul Business Agency CEO Hyun Woo Kim[/caption] Recently, the actress has also

s="wp-image-39685 " src="https://stage.globalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AS2.webp" alt="Indian actor | Anushka Sen | Global Indian" width="497" height="669" /> Anushka Sen being honoured by Seoul Business Agency CEO Hyun Woo Kim[/caption]

Recently, the actress has also been in news for teaming up with the South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji, who won the silver medal in the Paris Olympics 2024. The duo is working on a global project, titled 'Crush' where the Olympian plays the role of a shooter alongside Anushka.

International collaborations

Anushka's upcoming project, Asia, is a multilingual action thriller with actors from India, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and Vietnam. The actress is playing the role of an assassin in the international project. "It's truly a global endeavour, a K-film, and I'm thrilled to be part of it.” she shared.

Highlighting her admiration for Korean cinema and her excitement for the Indo-Korean collaboration, she recalled, "During the pandemic, watching K-dramas made me feel wholesome. I kept thinking about the possibility of collaborating with the Korean entertainment industry. The quality of their content is truly inspiring.”

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A post shared by Anushka Sen (@anushkasen0408)

Anushka finds many similarities between Indian and Korean cinema, particularly in how romance and family dynamics are depicted. Glad to have fulfilled her dreams of collaborating with the Korean entertainment industry she mentioned, “India and Korea share the love for culture, music, and the passion for craft."

Anoushka’s Korean ventures include a television drama, a film, and a travel show – the achievements that led to her appointment as Honorary Ambassador of the Korean Tourism.

Starting out as a child actor

Anushka Sen began her acting career as a child actor in 2009 with Zee TV's Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli. That same year, her first music video, Humko Hai Aasha, was released. She rose to popularity in 2012 for her role as Meher in Sab TV's Baalveer. Since then, she has appeared in television serials like Jhansi Ki Rani, as well as in Bollywood films like Crazy Cukkad Family and Lihaaf: The Quilt. She has also acted in a short film, Sammaditthi, and appeared in several music videos.

Early Life and Education

Born in Ranchi to a Bengali family, Anushka moved to Mumbai with her family when she was not even 10. She attended Ryan International School in Kandivali, completing her higher secondary education in the commerce stream under the CBSE board.

[caption id="attachment_39689" align="aligncenter" width="432"] Anushka Sen during her days as a child artist[/caption]

The actor is grateful to her parents for encouraging her to explore a variety of activities such as Abacus, skating, drawing, painting, singing, and playing instruments at a young age which helped her explore her interests. "After school, I was always busy with many co-curricular activities," recalled the youngster who has pursued a degree in filmography at Thakur College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai.

Combination of luck and hard work

For Anushka who has been in the industry for over 14 years despite being just 22, fame came early in life. A huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan, she never misses his interviews and believes his words when he says, "being surrounded by the right people at the right place at the right time helped him reach where he is." She thinks it applies well to her own journey. "It's a combination of luck and hard work. Without one, the other won't work."

Another person who inspires Anushka is Priyanka Chopra, whom she considers the brand ambassador of India to the world, and aspires to become as popular as her.

With close to 40 million followers on Instagram, Anushka wants her fans to understand that like anyone else she is human too. "I can make mistakes and experience uncertainty, confusion, and fear of the unknown just like any other youngster, as I am still growing up," she remarked.

The influencer who calls herself an extrovert looks at social media as a journal where she can go back and see how she grew up personally and professionally, and how she evolved as a person. “I don’t look at it as business,” she mentioned.

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A post shared by Anushka Sen (@anushkasen0408)

Love for South Korea

For Anushka, having a large fan following in South Korea, just like in India, feels ‘surreal.’ As the brand ambassador of Korean Tourism, she loves the people of Korea for their warm-heartedness.

The Mumbai-based actor loves shooting in South Korea. “The people there are just as accepting as Indians. In India, we treat guests like gods, and similarly, in Korea, they make you feel like one of their own. I have never felt alienated in South Korea,' she remarked.

Follow Anushka Sen on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
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Entrepreneur Alishba Imran is engineering a better tomorrow for all

(May 7, 2024) Growing up in Toronto, Alishba Imran carved a space for herself in the world of machine learning, robotics, and blockchain at the very young age of 18. About four years back, Alishba, who had zero knowledge about programming or coding back then, enrolled herself to join her school’s robotics team. While she faced several issues, her focus on learning, earned her the position of the lead programmer on the team. And there has been no turning back since then. A few years after this incident, while on a service trip in India, the entrepreneur learned about the lack of medication in various rural parts of the country. To come up with a solution for this, Alishba taught herself blockchain coding and launched Honestblocks, a platform that tracks counterfeit medicine in the supply chain. Her codebase for the initiative has since been integrated into IBM and used globally. She then co-founded Voltx to accelerate the development of renewable energy storage devices using machine learning and physics models to accelerate the lab to commercialisation process for electrochemical devices. “The biggest thing you can optimise for in life is people. Spend time exploring your interests, what you’re good at, and

ds/2024/05/ALishba_BAIR.jpg" alt="Entrepreneur | Alishba Imran | Global Indian" width="552" height="368" />

“The biggest thing you can optimise for in life is people. Spend time exploring your interests, what you’re good at, and what brings you energy. I think the best things to work on are at the intersection of what you're good at, what you enjoy, and are a way for you to create value for the world," explained the Global Indian, who was recently named among Teen Vogue’s annual 21 Under 21 list of “changemakers, influencers, activists, and artists who have made a substantial impact in both their communities and the world.”

Making a difference

Born in a desi family, Alishba has always been connected to her roots. A brilliant student, the entrepreneur launched an app that uses blockchain to improve supply chain transparency to end counterfeit medication in developing countries when she was just 14. "As a child, I was always very curious and asked a lot of questions about how things work. From appliances around the house to vehicles and computers. At a young age, I found engineering and computer science very interesting because of how it technically challenged me and the vast applications to solve tangible problems," the entrepreneur shared, "In middle school, I learned how to code and was one of the first girls to join the robotics team. That was really my first glimpse into learning about building something real. I was really excited because I would travel to global competitions to meet other people from different countries who were just as interested in technology and engineering as me."

There are a lot of people in the tech industry trying to build the next big social media or note-taking app that will attract millions of dollars from big investors and bolster their company’s value," said the entrepreneur, adding, "But I don’t think the end goal of any company should be based on its monetary value, but rather the value it brings to society."

Addressing several major issues plaguing third-world countries, Alishba believes in using her skills to make a difference in society. "There are many urgent problems that need to be addressed in the world. The greatest challenges of our time — climate change, health care reform and finding ways to create sustainable energy sources. As young students and innovators, I think we have to continually ask ourselves: How do we put our talents and passions toward working on these hard problems?," she said, "Finding the answer to that question, personally, has been a great motivation for me to dive deeper into my interests. And that has been a journey that has taken me around the world."

Creating a better world

When she was just 17, Alishba founded her first company, Voltx, before which she worked with Tesla on research that could speed up the time it takes to manufacture battery cells using machine learning and physics models. "I moved to San Francisco to work full-time with my co-founder to find ways to scale the storage of batteries for solar panels and other applications, like electric vehicles (EV). I raised a pre-seed round of over $1 million for Voltx through venture capital investors. I am still continuing to build on this technology and research as a second-year student at Berkeley," said the entrepreneur, who was also named among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, in 2023.

[caption id="attachment_37640" align="aligncenter" width="555"] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recognised Alishba for her work[/caption]

Speaking about her current projects, the entrepreneur said, "I’m currently co-authoring a textbook for O’Reilly Media, Machine Learning for Robotics with my colleague PG Keerthana Gopalakrishnan. Our aim is to make more accessible the processes of using deep language learning models to build robotics that can change the way we live."

Follow Alishba Imran on her website

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