Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveIn Tune with India: German singer CassMae mesmerises PM Modi and Sadhguru with Indian Songs

In Tune with India: German singer CassMae mesmerises PM Modi and Sadhguru with Indian Songs

Written by: Amrita Priya

(March 09, 2024) When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the German singer-songwriter Cassandra Mae Spittmann and her mother at Palladam in Tamil Nadu last month, the 21-year-old vocalist, who was born blind, performed Achyutam Keshavam and Tamil song Sivamayamaga for him. The video of PM Modi enjoying her songs went viral in no time. Popular as CassMae, the singer, who was on her maiden visit to India, has garnered praise from people across the country for her flawless Indian renditions on social media.

This month PM Modi conferred the ‘best international creator’ award to CassMae at the inaugural National Creators Award ceremony for online content creators. Earlier this year, the vocalist gained widespread attention for her rendition of Ram Ayenge ahead of the Ram Temple’s consecration ceremony in Ayodhya in January.

CassMae

However, this isn’t the first time that she has left people awestruck with her renditions. In 2023, CassMae earned recognition and a large following for her fusion and Indian devotional music. So much so that her Tamil songs and devotional Indian tracks caught the attention of netizens, earning her a mention in the PM’s radio programme, Mann ki Baat. “What a sweet voice! Through the emotions reflected in every word, we can feel her love for God. If I disclose that this melodious voice belongs to a daughter from Germany, perhaps you will be even more surprised! The name of this daughter is – Cassandra Mae Spittmann,” he had remarked on his show.

Exceptional fluency in languages

Known for possessing unique abilities, CassMae has a talent for learning languages, effortlessly picking up Indian songs just through repeated listening. “I can sing in 12 Indian languages but love singing in Sanskrit and South Indian languages the most,” she told PM Modi. Apart from German and English, CassMae is also fluent in French and Spanish.

Moreover, her singing prowess extends beyond Hindi. The German singer also fluently sings in Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Assamese, and Bengali, surprising many with her linguistic and musical prowess. Her deep affection for India is evident even though she visited the country for the very first time this year.

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A post shared by Cassandra Mae Spittmann (@cassmaeofficial)

Powerhouse of talents

According to her website, a young CassMae would use her feet for orientation. Later, she switched to playing the African drum after realising she was drumming too hard on the ground. At the age of three, CassMae became fascinated with Chopin, and began improvising on the piano, and eventually started singing her own songs.

She used her own lyrics to build a deep connection with her audience, allowing them to understand her inner feelings. “When she experienced bullying, she wrote her intimate song ‘Bullies’ to cope with her situation and instantly won the national songwriting contest of the Berliner Festspiele in 2015. This appreciation made her stronger,” mentions her website.

Gaining recognition

As word of CassMae’s talent spread, she started getting offers to appear on radio and TV shows in Germany, and even worked with international artists. She participated in shows like ‘Dein Song,’ reaching the finale with her song ‘Going Home.’ CassMae received a scholarship for the Summer Performance Program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, in the USA, winning the Songwriter’s Showcase with ‘The Way I Am.’

CassMae during one of her performances

Upon her return from the US, she got the opportunity to work on the title song for the ‘Prix Jeunesse International 2018’ – the children’s television’s most engaging and rewarding professional training exercise in Germany involving producers, executives and researchers from all over the world.

ALSO READ: Gaiea Sanskrit: British by birth, Indian by soul

Discovering Indian music in the US

During her time in the US, CassMae had her first tryst with Indian music and was instantly captivated by its beauty. “I felt so struck by it that I began my research as soon as I got back home and then found the treasure of Bollywood songs,” CassMae shared in an interview. “At first I tried to learn some couple of phrases and words in Hindi to actually get the language and pronunciation right because I wanted to sing along to the songs, and yeah I listened to many songs and then I dared to finally sing them on social media, and gained some recognition,” the self-taught learner remarked.

I simply love Indian languages, Indian culture, Indian music, and Indian people.

CassMae

The singer also plays Tabla. She joined the Tabla Ensemble of the Anubhab Academy of Cologne in Germany, and continues to explore oriental sounds and languages and plays at Indian concerts, and yoga retreats in her country.

Lata Mangeshkar’s songs fascinates her the most and she considers them as a source of learning Indian songs. She can even fluently recite the slokas and mantras. “I listen to bhajans every day and focus a lot on hearing and learning that way,” she remarked.

In the world of music

In 2018, Cassandra formed a project band, winning the Young Talents band contest and opening the Eier mit Speck Festival in Germany. Create Music, a music company in Germany, helped her produce her first Hindi-Pop original. As a singer-songwriter she was also working on contract with Kick The Flame Publishing in Leipzig.

In 2019, CassMae produced her debut album ‘Past Life’ with GOLOW and performed at events like the ‘Tag der Begegnung – Sommerblut Kulturfestival’ in Cologne and the Chalabre Serenade Festival in France.

Two years later, the young singer released her EP, ‘Number 14,’ winning the pop category of the UK’s songwriting contest and reached the semifinals of the International Songwriting Contest.

In 2022, CassMae won the Christmas Special of the TV show ‘Dein Song’ with her original ‘Gib mir Frieden’. The momentum continued into 2023, marked by notable professional collaborations and significant acknowledgments in India, including a mention in Mann Ki Baat. Advocating for an inclusive society, CassMae lent her voice to events like the Jahresempfang of Jürgen Dusel and joined RAMPD in 2023.

The dawn of 2024 brought more opportunities for the talented singer as she embarked on a meaningful journey to India, a country close to her heart, where she met with prominent figures like PM Modi and Sadhguru. Their praise and admiration further accentuated CassMae’s growing influence and impact.

Follow Cassandra Mae Spittmann on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and her website

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Published on 09, Mar 2024

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Nadia Nazar: Championing youth-led climate justice worldwide with Zero Hour

(September 4, 2024) The daughter of a marine biologist, Nadia Nazar grew up seeing how climate change was harming animals. And eventually, she began to see what it was doing to people too. One thing led to another and in 2018, Nadia co-founded Zero Hour, a "youth-led international coimate justice organisation." Soon after their founding, they organised the Youth Climate Summit, which included rallying hundreds of young people to march on Washington DC. Nadia's efforts culminated in public officials signing a pledge to not refuse money from fossil fuel campaigns. After the Summit's success, Zero Hour chapters sprung up across the world, from LA to Portugal to India. Nadia and her co-founder, Jamie Margolin, are no longer strangers to testifying in Congress and Margolin even spoke alongside climate activist Greta Thunberg. In February 2019, Nadia addressed the House Natural Resources Committee Hearing on climate change, speaking about the impact of climate change in developing countries and low-income communities in the US. A talented artist, Nadia, who is currently at Maryland Institute College of Art, believes strongly in art as an effective tool for climate justice, and serves as Zero Hour's art director. Founding Zero Hour Nadia was born and raised

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Founding Zero Hour

Nadia was born and raised in Baltimore county and was in middle school when she first learned about climate change during an environmental science class. With her mother being a marine biologist, Nadia had already witnessed the devastation that climate change could cause and wondered what she could do to offer a solution. "It was really devastating because animals are not doing anything to cause the problem but they're the ones being affected first," Nadia told the Baltimore Sun.

The Youth Climate Summit

Over 100 young people stood together to deliver the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge to elected officials, a day that Nadia still recalls with a smile. Dozens of sister marches had taken place across the US, in a highly publicised spectacle. For 14-year old Global Indian and her co-founder Jamie Margolin, who was also a high school student, Zero Hour's first event had been a huge success.

The Zero Hour story began when Nadia first discovered Jamie Margolin, a high school student who was working on bringing more young people into the fight against climate change. Nadia reached out and the two began to work together. "I was a very goal-oriented person and I really wanted to start this youth march," Jamie said, shortly after the summit. "When Nadia was basically the only person reaching out to me back then, consistently coming up with ideas and being proactive, I was very excited to work with her. She shared the vision that I had and so sharing everything we built together was incredible." They saw a manifold increase in success, though and 44 chapters of Zero Hour sprung up across the US and internationally.

The Summit happened merely weeks after Zero Hour came to be. And even if Margolin was "goal-oriented," organising a nation-wide movement was not easy. The long hours, short deadlines and the sheer intensity of purpose left the teenagers with self-doubt and burnout. "It took a toll on my mental health," Nadia said. "I only really started taking care of my mental health when COVID started because I finally had the time. Learning how to sleep every day made a difference."

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Making sacrifices for a cause

However, Nadia Nazar admits that her life is drastically different from that of her peers. She sacrifices the parties, the travelling and many of the little things that are part of the high school experience. "They are hard choices to make but I make them for a reason," she says. During Covid, she went back to the self-care basics. "None of us really prioritised rest. You would go to school, come home and do homework and then stay up all night working after that. It was not healthy for any of us. It was draining and it made the work so much harder."

Art for climate justice

"Anyone can understand art especially if you don't have words to communicate," says Nadia, who had always been interested in art and painting. Now, she sees art as a highly effective tool for change, and to spread awareness. "I think it's so important that we also talk about the emotional aspect of climate change... let's tell the stories of how people are being affected - the anger, the anxiousness and the grief. Art has been a really good tool for that."

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How Tanishq Joshi danced his way from Indore to LA

(October 28, 2022) A dance career came through a twist of fate, when Tanishq Joshi met with an accident in his hometown in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. It set in motion a new phase in Tanishq's life and since then, he has trained with choreographers like Devin Solomon, Samantha Caudle and Denzel Chisolm. In October 2022, Tanishq, or 'Taneesky', as he is known, became the first South Asian artiste to be signed by MSA (McDonalds/Selznick Associations). Now, the young dancer is among an elite group of global performers, including Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Brown, all of whom have worked with MSA. Taneesky is already a well-known name, both in India and abroad, as the Global Indian has quite a list of achievements to his credit. He grew up in India and went on to train extensively in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. It has resulted in a unique style, a blend of western street techniques with Indian dance styles, that has allowed Tanishq to fit both with American and Indian audiences. Tanishq has performed as the lead dancer for Yo Yo Honey Singh and opened for the award-winning singer/rapper Pharrell Williams at the Something in the Water Music festival

pened for the award-winning singer/rapper Pharrell Williams at the Something in the Water Music festival in Virginia, before an audience of 100,000.

[caption id="attachment_23516" align="aligncenter" width="402"] Tanishq Joshi. Photo: Instagram[/caption]

From Indore to the United States

Growing up, Tanishq wanted to play soccer, like most boys his age. Although he showed a natural talent for dance, taking inspiration from Hritik Roshan and Ganesh Hegde to perform at school events, he never thought about it as a career. That changed when he was in the tenth grade. Tanishq was hit by a car, leaving him with multiple fractures in his left leg.

After a series of painful surgeries, which involved the insertion of metal rods and screws, Tanishq was put in an extended rehabilitation programme. "After a year of long recovery, I had been advised by the doctors to undergo physical therapy. Instead of signing up for a traditional physical therapy session, I joined a dance class in the area and that's where I discovered my passion for dance," Tanishq told VoyageLA. It was a slow, slow process. "In the beginning - and in a super-beginners'-level dance class, there was one step that took me three or four days to get," he told Dance Spirit.

A couple of years later, Tanishq moved to the United States to study Finance at Drexel University, where he had been awarded a full scholarship. "I even earned $25,000 from Live Mas Scholarship by the Taco Bell Foundation for showcasing my outstanding leadership in dance," he said.

Rising above challenges

Even with all the doors that had opened for him, life in the US was not easy. Tanishq devoted himself to training as much as possible, supporting himself with a 9 to 5, working at part-time gig as a barista in Starbucks and taking a full course load at university. It meant a packed schedule with half a dozen classes to attend, work hours till 10 pm and returning home to catch up with academics until midnight. Still, he would go out into the streets at night to freestyle, to choreograph and to learn.

Tanishq's hard work paid off when he was spotted by dance crew, Creative Reaction. Every weekend, he would hop on the bus from Philadelphia, where he lived, to New York city for classes on weekends. "My perseverance started paying off when I choreographed and danced for my team at World of Dance, Philadelphia and won second place," he said, in the interview with VoyageLA.

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However, his student visa prohibited him from working anywhere except the university itself. He was not allowed to earn money through dance. Instead, he hosted free classes, holding open sessions and putting out calls to dancers across the city. Tanishq wanted the dance circuit to know his name. And although his talent was appreciated, he was still stereotyped.

LA calling

When he arrived in LA, Tanishq had to deal with what is possibly another form of racism - the stereotype. "I was always seen as a good dancer 'for an Indian'," he says. "This notion bothered me until I started making this my strength." Instead of shunning his cultural heritage, Tanishq learned to lean into it. Now he teaches at some of LA's biggest dance studios but makes sure he fuses Bollywood music with Hip Hop or Popping.

"I'm challenging the stereotype in the baddest way I can," he remarks. "I'm proud to be an Indian and it runs through my veins." Indian he might be but Tanishq has found appeal among American audiences too, making a name for himself in the LA dance industries, starring in music videos and taking on other big projects. "I'm not just a really good dancer 'for an Indian'. I'm skilled and my craft speaks for itself. Period."

All this resulted in Tanishq developing a style that is uniquely his own. The boy who wanted to hide from the world - his culture, background, country and family - became his source of strength. He auditioned constantly for multiple agencies and failed to get into any. He learned then that it wasn't about skill, it was the fact that he wasn't 6'2, muscular black man. So, he leaned into who he was, rather than who he imagined himself to be and began dancing to Bollywood.

The entrepreneur

When he graduated from college, Tanishq decided to establish his own e-commerce business, Asha Creative, LLC, providing dance and choreography services to brands across platforms. The big brands came calling - "I worked as a choreographer and director for a social media ad campaign for Fanta," he said.

As his social media presence increased, Tanishq was invited to take classes and attend programmes around the world, including India, London and the Middle East. The pandemic hit around this time although he didn't let it get him down. "I trained at home and taught online via Zoom in multiple countries," he says. Tanishq's dance videos were reposted by superstars like Shakira, Missy Elliot and the Black-Eyed Peas. "I also became one of the first South Asians to teach at globally renowned dance studios like Tmilly TV, Snowglobe Perspective and the West Course Dance Theatre.

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Nirvaan Somany: Young eco-warrior fighting textile waste by converting old jeans into sleeping bags

(November 3, 2023) Denim jeans have remained a timeless wardrobe essential for decades. Yet, the significant environmental footprint of this clothing item remains relatively obscure, despite its considerable magnitude. Delhi teen Nirvaan Somany was no different, as he was proud to call himself an environmentally conscious person until he read a Facebook post that left him aghast. "According to the United Nations, 10,000 litres of water are required to make a single pair of jeans. This left me shocked and the figure stuck with me long afterward. It meant that, with 5 pairs of jeans, I had 50,000 litres worth of water in my wardrobe. I thought I was conscious of my water consumption but I was clearly wrong," he tells Global Indian. This led Nirvaan to start Project Jeans, a social entrepreneurial attempt aimed at mitigating the environmental consequences of denim by converting discarded denim into sleeping bags. [caption id="attachment_33853" align="aligncenter" width="534"] Nirvaan Somany founded Project Jeans[/caption] "We are living in a world running out of water and I often read horrific stories of farmers committing suicide because of drought. I also see heart-wrenching graphics of women and children walking for miles to carry heavy jars of water back

12" /> Nirvaan Somany founded Project Jeans[/caption]

"We are living in a world running out of water and I often read horrific stories of farmers committing suicide because of drought. I also see heart-wrenching graphics of women and children walking for miles to carry heavy jars of water back home. I wanted to do whatever I could to minimise the impact of this consumption," adds the Shri Ram School student. The project led him to win the Diana Award and 2023 International Young Eco-Hero award which have been a source of encouragement for the teen. "I never imagined my project which began as a simple idea would grow so exponentially. I am happy that I have been able to bring about awareness about the lesser known environmental effects of the fashion industry and help the homeless," says the young environmentalist whose work has impacted many lives.

Till now, they have collected 8000 pairs of jeans under Project Jeans and distributed more than 1000 sleeping bags primarily in Delhi, followed by Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. "We also sent our sleeping bags to Turkey and Syria to aid with their earthquake relief last year," he reveals.

Tackling textile waste

He dove deep into research to find a possible solution and came across the strength, durability, and insulating properties of denim. "I decided to put these to good use to make sleeping bags for the underprivileged." The sight of many people sleeping on park benches or on discarded cardboards on the sides of the roads made him realise how fortunate he is to have a bed to sleep on every day. Moved by it, he asked his mom, who is into the clothing business, to help make a prototype of a recycled denim sleeping bag. It takes seven pairs of denim to make one sleeping bag, which he tried on a winter night on his porch. "It felt comfortable and warm throughout the night, so I knew the concept would work. I then gave it to my house help and security guards to try on. With their input, I made some changes. Later, I went on to train some local tailors, who are now adept at making these sleeping bags," adds a Class 12 student who funded the project through crowdfunding and CSR.

Project Jeans

It all began with a WhatsApp message that Nirvaan sent out after reading the startling facts and figures about denim, and soon they were flooded with messages and calls from people who were eager to help. "We started a social media page and also a website to spread our message and involve others to help us with collection, distribution, and spreading awareness," he reveals. The denim was procured from schools, colleges, and housing societies, and later cut into strips which were then stitched with a lining to make sleeping bags that were cosy enough in winter.

Nirvaan believes that while sustainable fashion is the need of the hour, not many people are making conscious choices. "Sadly, there is not enough information on the negative environmental effects of the fashion industry. Not enough people are aware of the startling facts of the fashion industry. I believe that if there is knowledge, people will make informed choices. There needs to be more focus on informing the consumers about what they are buying. ‘Greenwashing’ is a huge problem with corporates trying to mislead their buyers," he says, adding, "Mindless consumerism without consideration of the environmental impact is a huge problem with long-lasting ramifications. Most people only think of financial cost when making purchasing decisions, and are ignorant of the additional hidden costs, often at the expense of the earth's resources."

Sustainable Fashion - the future

The teenager, who loves to unwind with music, has been a budding musician since the age of four and plays the guitar and sarod. But it's Project Jeans that keeps him occupied most of the time, apart from his studies. In these years that he's been building on Project Jeans, he has learnt "if you are willing to contribute to help the world, no action is too small. All you need to do is to make a start with honesty and dedication and the universe helps you along the way."

With the onset of winter in Delhi already, Nirvaan and his team are working round the clock to prepare more sleeping bags for the chilly winters ahead. Along with the production of sleeping bags, he wants to form an army of volunteers to spread the word about textile waste. "Few people are aware that the fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. At this pace, the fashion industry's greenhouse gas emissions will surge more than 50 percent by 2030," he says. Moreover, he is keen to provide employment and would want to train more people in making sleeping bags so that they can be distributed locally in India. "Additionally, I would like to involve the government to ensure that nobody has to sleep on the ground. Our sleeping bags are great for the migrant population too and I hope that they can be used by refugees too," he signs off.

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Reading Time: 5 min

Young environmentalist Sneha Shahi is on a mission to revive rivers

(May 21, 2022) As a young child, environmentalist Sneha Shahi would go to the north east of India, where her father was stationed. Over the years, she fell in love with nature. Back in Vadodara, Gujarat, where she grew up, Sneha showed a marked interest in environmental activities. Today, a PhD scholar at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment in Bengaluru, Sneha is one of India’s 17 UN Young Climate Champions. [caption id="attachment_16973" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Sneha Shahi[/caption] "Ever since we were in school, we have been learning about how the irresponsible disposal of plastic waste can adversely impact our flora, fauna and land water systems,” says the young activist, during an interview with Global Indian. “While we are taught about it, most of us don’t ever do much to actually reduce the impact.” Sneha is among the proactive few and has cleaned around 700 kilos of waste from a rivulet so filthy that people mistook it for a gutter. Daughter of the earth A military brat, Sneha grew up travelling to various parts of the country, even though she was primarily in Vadodara. "I come from a joint family. My grandfather was also in Indian Air

has cleaned around 700 kilos of waste from a rivulet so filthy that people mistook it for a gutter.

Daughter of the earth

A military brat, Sneha grew up travelling to various parts of the country, even though she was primarily in Vadodara. "I come from a joint family. My grandfather was also in Indian Air Force, and after travelling across the country my family decided to settle in Vadodara for it was a beautiful, quaint city," says the young environmentalist, who loves to travel. "I loved to go to national parks and zoological parks, and enjoyed spending time there. So, it was natural that I would develop an interest in working with the environment,” says Sneha, laughing as she recalls people’s surprise when she first told them her career choice. She stuck with it, though, enrolling at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda to pursue bachelor's degree in environmental science and later a masters in the same subject. And this is where her life took a turn.

A rivulet runs through it

Her love for nature inspired her to enroll in UNEP’s Plastic Tide Turner Challenge, which began in her college in 2019. Funded by the United Kingdom since 2018, the “Tide Turners Plastic Challenge” has reached over 225,000 youth in 25 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. The initiative is a crucial element of the British government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to reduce ocean plastic.

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At 23, when she was doing her masters in environmental studies, Sneha led a campaign to clean a polluted rivulet that had been choked with plastic waste. Since the rivulet ran through their college campus, Sneha managed to round up 300 students for the campaign. They began cleaning what they thought was a ‘nala’ or gutter which was once said to have been home to several crocodiles. However, the crocodiles left, unable to withstand the mounting garbage. “We would make jokes about crocodiles living on campus,” Sneha says. “But that isn’t the issue, is it? The fact is that the stream belonged to the crocodiles and we ruined it.” The endeavour took months and the team had cleaned 700 kilos of waste by the end.

Braving the odds

While the students worked day and night to clean the rivulet, they faced several challenges during the campaign. "The biggest task was to create awareness in the nearby localities about plastic waste. For most of them this nala had been a dumping place for years. The after-effects of such deeds were shared and it took some time to see them react positively," shares the environmentalist, adding, "Sometimes, the police would also enquire about our projects as they had never seen anyone bother to clean this stream."

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However, things changed slowly. "Today if someone throws plastic in the stream, the locals question them and ask them to pick up the garbage. They are very protective of the stream," she smiles. The environmentalist also points out that what amazed her the most was the interest shown by the local women. "We think they are mere housewives, but they are important stakeholders in society. When we were running the awareness campaign, I was amazed by how much they wanted to learn about the water bodies near their homes, how they cause flooding and pollution and its impact on their health," Sneha says.

Interestingly, after removing over 700 kg of plastic from the urban stream, many turtles and crocodiles found their way back to the water during the monsoon. "Many other insects and plants also grew in their surroundings," shares Sneha, who adds that the college authorities installed fences for the safety of students. Currently, Sneha's juniors are managing the programme, while she monitors them.

Against the tide

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Currently pursuing her PhD in Extreme Hydrological Events at ATREE, Bengaluru, Sneha is gearing up to work on restoring the Thamirabarani, Tamil Nadu’s only perennial river. "The project is only six months old and is still being developed," Sneha explains. The Thamirabarani, which is 128 long, "supports drinking water and agricultural activity," the environmentalist says, adding, "We want to install physical instruments to control pollution and also spread awareness on the harm it has caused. We want to impact the prevailing mindset."

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Reading Time: 7 mins

California teen Adarsh Ambati uses AI to save water

(November 19, 2022) In 2018, then 13-year-old Adarsh Ambati's life came temporarily to a standstill when his mum suffered a third-degree heart block. Adarsh recalls seeing her connected to wires that were meant to monitor health but didn't allow her to move around. So, Adarsh Ambati, now the founder of the Green Initiatives Movement, decided to develop a portable, cost-effective device that could monitor vital signs without hampering mobility. Nine months later, the prototype for the vital signs monitor was ready. By the time he won the prestigious Gloria Barron Prize in 2021, Adarsh had also devised the Community Sprinkler and started an Amphibian Biodiversity Protection Initiative. [caption id="attachment_24431" align="aligncenter" width="545"] Adarsh Ambati[/caption] The Contactless Monitor Now a freshman at Stanford University, Adarsh's first project, the Contactless Monitor, was ready nine months after his mother's illness. Fortunately, her mobility had been restored, so Adarsh ran over 1000 tests on his protype, as part of a 40-participant pilot study. "It took me around nine months to develop the device and build an app with notifications so doctors could use it, but also regular people," he told The Guardian. "Because it's contactless and relatively portable, it could even be used to detect

Even as a teenager, the young Global Indian was especially perceptive of the world around him, alive to its problems and eager to find solutions, which he does using his deep interest in technology and coding. Growing up in California, he noticed his neighbours using automatic sprinklers, using vast amounts of precious water on landscaping.

A low-cost community sprinkler alert system

"While going to school in the rain one day, I saw one of my neighbours with their sprinklers on, creating run-offs," he told Vintage Billboard. "Through research, I found that 25 percent of the water used in an average American household is wasted each day due to overwatering and inefficient watering methods."

In 2016, Adarsh began work on a prototype for a smart, low-cost, community sprinkler alert system. When he conducted a two-month pilot with 10 neighbouring homes, he found they had the potential to save some 50,000 gallons of water in a couple of months. "The sprinkler system is compliant with water regulations, to cost-effectively save water for entire neighbourhoods using a Raspberry Pi, moisture sensors, PyOWM (weather database) and by utilising free social media networks like Twitter," he added.

The idea was to save the excess water that is wasted during general-purpose irrigation. The device can detect and integrate real-time weather forecast data to provide the optimum levels of water. It doesn't stop there. The sprinkler alert system is also connected to social media and can publish information on when to turn on sprinklers and for how long.

The prototype cost about $50, which, incidentally, is less expensive than the higher-end smart sprinklers. By Adarsh's estimate, it can be brought down to about five cents or less per household, since the device can serve an entire community.

A scalable model

Some 83 percent of water used in outdoor landscaping can be saved, a huge deal in Northern California, 100 gallons of water is used for outdoor landscaping everyday, in an average household. The sprinkler alert system was also presented to the San Jose City Council, who even considered installing the system in their public grass areas.

Recognition found Adarsh in 2019, when he won MagPi Magazine's Coolest Projects USA competition. Phil Colligan, the CEO of Raspberry Pi, also expressed his support. In 2021, he received the prestigious Gloria Barron Prize. Adarsh is also the founder of Gro-STEMS, which sells succulents to support technology training at San Jose's LifeMoves Homeless Shelter and Aarti Girls School for abandoned children in Kadapa, India.

Reading Time: 6 mins