Oyon Ganguly: Indian American teen’s attempt to conserve and reuse water
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(April 12, 2023) It was the viral ALS ice-bucket challenge – wherein participants dump buckets of cold water on each other’s heads – that made the then nine-year-old Oyon Ganguly come up with an idea of a water-recycling device as he was surprised by the terrible waste of water. 10-minute shower wastes 50 gallons of water – this piece of information was enough for this Indian American to come up with The Cleaner – a water recycling prototype that filters water to be re-used in the shower. The invention won this Massachusetts resident Invention Mighty Minds contest, a national-level contest run jointly by the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) which acts as America’s platform for budding young inventors.
“I asked my mom how much water is used in a single shower and I learned that around 50 gallons of water is used in a single use. Multiply that by five people taking 20-minute showers, that’s around 500 gallons,” he said in a YouTube video. This was enough for him to come up with a device that could recycle and reuse water that drains away during a shower. His invention was made inside a strawberry box that held three layers of cleaning material–gravel, sand, and charcoal.
Explaining how his invention works, the Global Indian said in an interview, “When someone takes a shower, the water goes down the drain and through the pipe before it reaches a filter with three layers: gravel, sand, and charcoal. The water, which is now clean and filtered, sits in a storage tank before it gets pumped back up to the bathtub. Because over time, the filter gets clogged, there will be a little door to make sure you get access to the filter.”
The grandson of Bengali novelist and Sahitya Akademi award-winner Sunil Gangopadhyay, Oyon took the help of his friend Mateo Rosado for the filtering process. Oyon reveals that his invention can save both water and money. “Even though the invention can be expensive, it saves the government from spending more money to get water and also reduced your water bill,” he explained in the video.
He credits his mother for making him participate in the Mighty Minds competition. “I went to Camp Invention in Watertown. We build things with recycled materials and my shower model was built mostly with recycled stuff. I spent an hour over two weekends putting together the presentation,” he said.
Oyon has worked on another invention idea – The Space Cleaner – a solar-powered robot with one arm that melts space junk and the other arm vacuums up the melted liquid. The idea for this came to him while watching Apollo 13 with his parents. The Indian American thought to himself, “What happens to everything that’s flying off the ship into space?”
He plans to be one of the three things when he grows up – an inventor, work at Lego, or for Mojang (the company that develops the video game Minecraft).
(October 6, 2022) Ten days ago, a post by writer Amitav Ghosh, who is quite the foodie, appeared on my Instagram feed. It was a glowing recommendation, along with a photograph, of a young chef, with Ghosh writing, "Great spread of pre-wedding Malayali food by Sarah Thomas and Hunter Jamison... If you are in the NYC area and longing for some spicy Malayali food." One assumes this would be the work of a veteran chef, Ghosh is, after all, one of the most celebrated names in the literary world. It was, however, a very youthful young woman who appeared on screen for the interview with Global Indian. "I'm 23 years old," Chef Sarah Thomas says. "I began my catering business in January 2021." Today, the young Global Indian works 20 hours on some days, making up to 50 dishes at a time. Growing up in New Jersey, where her parents moved from Kerala, Sarah's diet always comprised of home-cooked Malayali staples. "My mom would wake up at 5 am to cook for the whole family every day. It would make me angry then because it was distracting, I couldn't study and my clothes would smell. I never liked it." Soon
ry then because it was distracting, I couldn't study and my clothes would smell. I never liked it." Soon after college, however, when she moved away from home, she found herself craving her mother's cooking and simply couldn't find a suitable substitute. "What is available is either fusion or very high-end. The simple, traditional dishes were impossible to find. I simply wasn't tasting what I was getting at home," she says. Sarah decided to try her hand at it, setting up 'Sugar Dosa' on Shef, an online platform for people to order authentic, homemade meals made by local, certified chefs from around the world.
Straddling two worlds
Although her parents remained more or less rooted in their native culture, Sarah felt quite separated from it. "I'm only Malayali ethnically, I tell people that too. I don't speak the language as well as I should." She was a serious teen, studying medicine as so many Indian kids in the US do. Sarah realised soon enough that it wasn't what she wanted to do with her life and decided she would much rather teach yoga. "After I studied and did all my exams, I realised what I was doing didn't feel authentic to me. My parents worked hard to bring me here and the idea behind doing so was to see a different way of life - that's part of being American too." So, she turned to her decade-long association with yoga. "My father is a yoga teacher, he had studied at the Sivananda Institute. I learned from him when I was young and we would also teach together," she says.
In college, much to the alarm of her traditional parents, she chose a course in acting and creative writing. After that, she moved to NYC, signing up as a teacher with a yoga studio and working on writing short stories as well, in which she talked about life as an Indian growing up in America. "I found I didn't like the Western style of yoga, though. Here, the fear of cultural appropriation is a big deal, and yoga is seen as just a workout. Writing is also extremely competitive." Her three-year stint at the yoga studio ended unpleasantly when it became involved in a tax that "ruined the perception of yoga."
In 2020, when she created a platform for Malayali food on Shef, there was huge interest almost immediately. "I was the only one there making appams and egg curry," she smiles. She makes the batter by hand, substituting toddy, which she simply cannot get in the US, with yeast. "It works just as well," she says. The spice mixes are also hand-ground and she travels to New Jersey, which is home to a large Indian diaspora and major department stores that specialise in Indian ingredients, to buy what she needs. The Malabar Chicken Curry, appam and egg curry, and the famous Kerala beef fry (for private customers) are all in high demand.
Amitav Ghosh was among those who found her online. He ordered once and then again, after which he messaged Sarah, asking her if she would be willing to cater an event. "I didn't know it was the day of his son's wedding, he told me it was for a wedding party. I ended up catering this big meal for them right before they got married. It was also my first huge party." As she found her feet - Sarah is now expanding into a professional kitchen - she found, through yoga, writing, and cooking, a way to "tell my story without having to do anything out of the way. When I catered Mr. Ghosh's event, people already knew what I did and where I came from."
Sarah now plans to set up her own 'Malayali cafe' in the Lower East End, with doubles as a yoga studio. "That way, I can do both. To me, cooking is a form of yoga too. Here, yoga is a physical activity and is rarely paired with mindful practice, meditation, or the correct ways of eating," she says. Having studied meditation from former experts who learned from Osho back in the 1970s, Sarah's method of teaching yoga is to prepare the body for meditation.
"All of it is coming together for me," she says, as she concludes. "There are more South Indians here than ever before and I'm more emboldened now to share what I do and put a plate in front of someone. A lot of people come from India to New York and tell me they haven't eaten this kind of Malayali food for years. I'm happy doing this, instead of taking a more traditional path."
What does a brewer’s spent grain have to do with cutlery? Absolutely nothing, yet in this latest innovation, everything. The next time you order food, gobble away, and chomp on the Eco Ware edible cutlery instead. There will be much less plastic in the world. Three Indian students from Ku Leuven University in Belgium created a biodegradable, edible cutlery brand called Eco Ware from a beer by-product, and it won the 2021 KICK Challenge Student Award. Anusuya Samantaray, Apoorva Vardhan and Varun Singh won this university business competition which focuses on social entrepreneurship. Their end goal is now to create a sustainable world, and reduce the human carbon footprint at a time when the latest Climate Change report warns us of the consequences of living on the edge. [caption id="attachment_12770" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Apoorva Vardhan[/caption] What got them started Anusuya was pained at the sight of the trashed beaches in Odisha, and even helped clear plastic waste as a child while Varun and Apoorva also wanted to help Belgium (and the world) answer the single use plastic menace. Apoorva (Faculty of Science), Varun (Faculty of Bioscience Engineering), Anusuya (Master of science in sustainable development) found that spent was perfect to make Eco Ware
Anusuya was pained at the sight of the trashed beaches in Odisha, and even helped clear plastic waste as a child while Varun and Apoorva also wanted to help Belgium (and the world) answer the single use plastic menace.
Apoorva (Faculty of Science), Varun (Faculty of Bioscience Engineering), Anusuya (Master of science in sustainable development) found that spent was perfect to make Eco Ware edible cutlery.
“Apoorva, Varun and I did a lot of research and found that spent grain, a byproduct of the beer manufacturing industry is edible and a rich source of fiber. Restaurants in Belgium also use spent grain in pizzas. The country has over 1,000 beer brands and generates 60,000 MT of spent grain annually. We decided to use this to come up with an edible cutlery range including spoons and dip cups,” Anusuya told Global Indian about Eco Ware edible cutlery.
“We were aware of edible cutlery and its presence in minimum capacities in India. There was also this concern that it’s being made out of agriculturally stressed products (wheat for example). We wanted to find possibilities to make it as eco-friendly as possible. Thanks to Varun, we discovered how brewers spent grain (BSG) could be of use. Apoorva and I, as students of sustainability, further incorporated ideas to reduce the carbon footprint by going local with our project.”
[caption id="attachment_12771" align="aligncenter" width="754"] The edible cutlery developed by the Anusuya, Apoorva and Varun[/caption]
Work in progress
The team came up with Eco Ware edible cutlery cups and trays that were awarded the Gemma Frisius KICK Student Award for a business idea with impact. The trio researched extensively, and conducted a small pilot survey to understand consumer behavior with a focus on edible cutlery — 91% were open to the use edible cutlery, 3% showed partial interest.
Given that KU Leuven is the European capital of innovation, they were confident that the idea will kindle eco-consciousness among all. In agreement about the lack of sustainable policies in India, poverty, policy making and execution hurdles, they hope to ignite the same fervor back home. Even as Leuven sets the pace for such interventions, Anusuya feels there is a lot to learn from the indigenous communities in India, “Their knowledge of organic material such as using sal leaves to stitch plates, natural non-toxic dyes, farming methods, there is much tacit knowledge of the environment that could be used to build on innovating sustainable ways of living.”
For any foodie, taste is tantamount to consumption, so how does spent grain translate on the taste meter? Spent grain is used by farmers as fodder, and there has been a growing interest in alternative uses of spent grain in the food industry. “Brewer’s spent grain is a perfectly edible by-product of the beer industry, and is being significantly incorporated into breads, cookies and even pizza doughs because of its rich fiber content," says Anusuya says of the ingredients of Eco Ware edible cutlery.
“As a matter of justification, according to a paper presented at the 18th European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production Conference (ERSCP 2017), spent grain is proven to be rich in fiber and protein content. The only reason breweries simply give away the grains as fodder or discard them is because there is no current large-scale industry set up to add value to the processed spent grain/flour. Processing of spent grains into flour is an energy demanding task, so they find it feasible to sell it as fodder. We want to bridge the gap."
Being eco conscious
Anusuya’s upbringing had much to do with her chosen course. Her father’s naturalist leanings helped her gain knowledge about coastal bio-diversity. In fact, Sanjay Samantaray is the chief organizer of the India Surf Festival and founder of Surfing Yogis. A childhood amidst the tranquil seaside forests of Puri, influenced by her father who is action oriented and hosts events like beach clean-up drives, and promotes eco-tourism, she adds, "Sustainable development addresses the intricacies of the complexities; a process that is holistic and takes into account all three dimensions — societies, ecology and the economy to pursue sustainable growth,” says the girl, who did her BSc in sustainable development at Xavier University, Bhubaneswar.
Kanpur boy Varun Singh, 25, is doing his Masters in Food Technology (IUPFOOD), offered by KU Leuven and Ghent University. It is his experience that cemented this innovation. A B.Tech in food technology from Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, Varun also worked as a manufacturing executive in Too Yumm and a research associate at Mordor Intelligence.
“The knowledge and exposure at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering is life-changing. I get to work on critical industrial problems related to food processing, packaging, and preservation. Added is the access to labs equipped with the latest equipment, valuing millions of Euros, used for the sole purpose of increasing food safety, food innovation, and promoting healthy eating,” says Varun as he works on Eco Ware edible cutlery. His research interest is working on chocolates as Belgium is world-famous for its expertise, and loves composing music, playing the guitar, and sketching.
For Apoorva, who is originally from Delhi, but has lived in Pune, her bachelors in Plant Sciences from University of Delhi paved the way for a degree in sustainable development with a specialization in ecology. She too is passionate and is inspired most by, “How you can come up with solutions that have the power to change the world and bring systemic change in society,” says the student, who will be traveling to Rwanda shortly for field work and master thesis, and is interested in agroforestry and food systems, for her PhD or career.
They now want to develop a finished product with the help of Leuven Research and Development department of KU Leuven, collaborating with researchers and research labs at KU Leuven’s beer institute. Working on developing partnerships with breweries in Leuven, they will go local before expansion. Product development, manufacturing and building partnerships is their focus, and they are on the lookout for funds and partnerships for distribution. They believe in ideating and challenging frontiers. In unison they say, “Keep hustling,” adding that research was their foundation.
As they work towards a tangible product in Eco Ware edible cutlery, there is a second year to complete, projects, and master thesis to finish too. Anasuya adds, “While most other companies are exploring the market using rice and wheat, which are agriculturally stressed commodities, the spent grain initiative is most eco-friendly. Upon discovering sustainability, it made me believe that the problems we face today are not isolated affairs. Sustainable development addresses the intricacies of the complexities; a process that is holistic and takes into account all three dimensions — societies, ecology and the economy to pursue sustainable growth.”
(October 4, 2024) The first wave of Covid brought the entire world to a standstill, and changed the way everything functioned till then, including education. Moving from the vast spaciousness of classrooms to 17-inch laptop screens, students had a hard time fitting into virtual classrooms. Atlanta-based Ayush Gundawar was no different. Despite being someone who enjoyed learning, he felt deeply unmotivated. "Even my friends in high school dealt with the same emotions. That's when I realised if students like us who had access to academic support were having a hard time, how were students from disadvantaged communities dealing with this sudden change, especially when they had no access to extra resources like math tutoring? It felt unfair. And I was motivated to find a solution," the entrepreneur tells Global Indian. That's when the idea of LearnForsyth sprouted in Ayush's mind, and he soon got his non-profit registered. Initially, Ayush was the only tutor who began taking classes for the underprivileged students in his neighbourhood and simultaneously worked on building the website. "It took me months to code. Meanwhile, I also visited the local libraries pitching them the idea, and in return, they gave me articles for LearnForsyth. I even advertised
braries pitching them the idea, and in return, they gave me articles for LearnForsyth. I even advertised about the platform by putting up posters in local temples and churches," says the teenager, who has impacted over 2000 students across the globe through a network of 200 volunteering tutors - who are a mix of high schoolers as well as professionals.
[caption id="attachment_39720" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Ayush Gundawar was named US Presidential Scholar 2022[/caption]
Raised by software engineer parents who moved to the US in the early 2000s, Ayush grew up in a family culture that was cultivated around academics. "It wasn't just for better career opportunities but also to develop personality," adds Ayush, who enjoyed learning computers from a young age. His parents' careers acted as a catalyst in shaping his interest in computer science as young as ten years of age. "That's when I first learnt to program and was instantly hooked." This interest led him to make websites and applications as a teenager but it was in 2020 that he put his skills to the right cause when he started LearnForsyth, a non-profit that provides free peer-to-peer tutoring.
Ayush Gundawar, who has helped LearnForsyth grow from strength to strength in the last few years, calls it an enriching experience that has shaped him as an individual. "I have learnt a lot in the process. Seeing kids who were facing difficulties performing in their school are now performing well after enrolling in LearnForsyth has been a validation of sorts. The fact that I have used my skills to help improve human life across the globe has been so fulfilling," says the 20-year-old who is a researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology.
However, tiptoeing into the world of online education with a platform like LearnForsyth was equally challenging. Being just 16 at that time, the entrepreneur had to work a handful of jobs and internships to help get the seed funding for the platform, along with balancing his school with LearnForsyth. But moreover, growing his brigade of volunteers seemed like a mammoth task. "Initially, I was tutoring students for six-seven hours daily, but soon I started reaching out to high schoolers through newsletters and posters asking them to help to make a difference," says the entrepreneur who reveals that LearnForsyth teaches all subjects, and even helps students prepare for SAT and special projects like writing college essays.
Despite the hiccups, LearnForsyth came with its share of learning for him. From plainly working on the backend to mastering the design of the website, Ayush made technical progress in the last two years. Moreover, it gave him a chance to hone the leadership skills that he plans to put to good use during a corporate setup in the future. "Managing around 200 volunteers has helped me understand how to work with people in a way that they feel motivated," says the 2022 US Presidential Scholar. "The recognition has brought a big shift in me as an individual. I understood that there are so many like-minded people who are working to make the world a better place. Moreover, it has given me the opportunity to network with them."
He plans on making LearnForsyth accessible to everyone across the globe in near future. "I want people to access free tutoring and use it to their full potential in realising their educational goals," says the entrepreneur who plans on launching a startup in the tech space after a few years. Wedged between his passion for LearnForsyth and his studies, he likes to unwind by playing basketball with his friends and playing the guitar. Elaborating on the biggest lesson learnt in the last two years is the "accessibility" that online education has given to students across the world. "A student in Africa can access the same knowledge and education as someone in Asia. The accessibility is helping improve people's lives," says the entrepreneur.
Ayush Gundawar’s journey with LearnForsyth has been nothing short of transformative, not just for him but for the thousands of students whose lives he’s impacted. What began as a one-man initiative to tutor underprivileged students in his neighborhood has now grown into a global platform, offering free tutoring across subjects and SAT prep, all driven by a network of 200 volunteers. Ayush's ability to combine his love for technology with a genuine desire to make education accessible has proven to be a game-changer, especially in a time when students from disadvantaged backgrounds needed it the most. His work is a testament to how a single idea, fueled by passion and persistence, can create ripples of change across the world.
(February 4, 2024) It was 6 am when Reva Srivastava of Fermont received a confirmation mail on being named a 2022 US Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Unable to contain her excitement, the Kathak dancer jumped so hard in joy that for a minute her mom Anupama Srivastava thought that there was an earthquake. When the Srivastavas applied, they weren't aware of the magnitude of the honour. Each year only 20 scholars are selected from a pool of 60 candidates nominated by the YoungArts program. [caption id="attachment_35628" align="aligncenter" width="559"] Reva Srivastava[/caption] An active participant in National YoungArts Week+, she engaged remotely with a young Odissi dancer and received mentorship from Bharatanatyam dancer Nadhi Thekkek. However, Reva didn't feel getting the experience was any less because of it being online. Reflecting on this experience, Reva said in an interview, "She had a really interesting way of approaching your dance, which I hadn’t thought of. She really pushed us to show more than just the story that was being told, like how we were feeling because of the story, and to go a deeper layer." It was her exceptional work ethic and commitment during National YoungArts Week+ that led to her nomination
that was being told, like how we were feeling because of the story, and to go a deeper layer." It was her exceptional work ethic and commitment during National YoungArts Week+ that led to her nomination for the U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts award.
Love for dance
It all began with Reva's mother Anupama who began learning Kathak at the age of 6 under Padma Shri Shovana Narayan in Delhi. But her relocation to the US post-marriage and the demands of work and family life put a stop to her consistent practice. But her daughter Reva's fascination with dance prompted Anupama to establish InSyncKathak Dance School when Reva was only 6 years old. Recalling the inspiration, Reva shared, "There was something about the dance and seeing how happy it made my mom that kind of captured me at a really young age." Speaking about her daughter Reva, Anupama said, "She made me a teacher. I was just a dancer."
[caption id="attachment_35629" align="aligncenter" width="713"] Reva with mom Anupama Srivastava[/caption]
Learning from Shovana Narayan
Moreover, Reva has also received training from her mom's guru Padma Shri awardee Shovana Narayan whenever she would visit the US, training primarily in the Lucknow Gharana style of Kathak. "I was so focused on what she was saying. She’s able to draw you in. And she was saying really complicated things. But the way that she explained everything was really helpful to me," Reva added. However, learning from Shovana Narayan wasn't too dissimilar to learning from her mom. Their teaching styles are almost similar, however, she could always see "a very clear separation" between her mom and guru.
Reva choreographed a solo piece to Taylor Swift's Epiphany, depicting the experiences of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through dance, she portrayed the dedication of healthcare workers who assist others, witness loss, and resiliently continue to aid those in need.
Bringing positive change
While Reva's future plans include attending medical school, she asserts that dance will always be an integral part of her life. "When I'm dancing, I'm not thinking about anything else," she affirmed. Her creative abilities and artistic platform, she hopes, will contribute to positive change in the world. "I want to make art that inspires me and art that helps me stand up for what I believe and bring a positive evolution," she added. Reva encourages young dancers to focus on building a strong foundation and technique, urging them to learn as much as possible from their gurus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiwSv2svJto
Reva, who calls yaman her favourite raga, says that she feels the energy of all of the positions, full orchestra, and the singer. " I just feel it’s so much fun to dance to those pieces because you take that energy into yourself."
Reflecting on her passion, Reva advises aspiring dancers to focus on their training and personal growth rather than comparing themselves to others.
(July 28, 2024) She's a millionaire running her own fashion brand, is called the Kylie Jenner of South Africa and has even been cancelled by actor Halle Berry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! All this by the age of 23. Rabia Ghoor began her own 'swiitchbeauty' cosmetics brand when she was 14 years old. Less than a decade later, her community-centric, tech-enabled cosmetics company has grown to become one of South Africa's largest skincare brands. 'for lazy people, by even lazier people, since 2014', she writes, on the swiitchbeauty website - her products reflect this, they're meant for young people with hectic schedules, who are looking for a fuss-free, easy to use line of cosmetics, that fit somewhere between high-end products and pharmacy brands. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rabia Ghoor (@rabiaghoor) The entrepreneurship mindset If entrepreneurship is a mindset, then this intrepid young Global Indian embodies the idea. Growing up in Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa, Rabia's entrepreneurial forays began much before swiitchbeauty - she was finding ways to turn a profit by the time she was 10 years old. "I would go with my father to this bulk buy place and
If entrepreneurship is a mindset, then this intrepid young Global Indianembodies the idea. Growing up in Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa, Rabia's entrepreneurial forays began much before swiitchbeauty - she was finding ways to turn a profit by the time she was 10 years old. "I would go with my father to this bulk buy place and get stickers. Those were very cool at the time, so I would take my table outside and sell the stickers I bought," she said. When her classmates decided "they were too lazy to walk to the dustbin to throw their trash," Rabia bought a bunch of small buckets, which she sold to them. They could fill the buckets with trash and empty them in the bin later, saving them multiple trips up and down.
As she and her friends began experimenting with makeup for the first time, Rabia discovered the joys of YouTube. She sought out beauty influencers who shared makeup tutorials and product reviews to get tips. Rabia realised that most of these influencers lived abroad, and that there weren't many people in South Africa doing it. Also, the influencers had access to a much wider range of products. "American, European or Asian brands that are unavailable here in South Africa were constantly innovating and evolving - especially in the digital space - while South African brands lagged behind, or just straight up didn't exist," she writes. Her friends would pull out expensive little vanity cases and show off the branded make up they had brought abroad, which were simply impossible to find in South Africa.
Unlike most teenagers, who might have thought about the problem and moved on, Rabia wondered why she couldn't be the one to fill that gap. The project took shape from a "4 square meter area" in her bedroom. While selling stickers and buckets in the school playground is one thing, building a company was a whole other ballgame, as Rabia soon learned.
Making the ‘swiitch’
Rabia also took inspiration from her father, an intrepid businessman himself, who had dropped out of high school too, and seen a string of successes and failures as an entrepreneur. He even gave her a seed fund of R6000 and gave her resources for product sourcing, formulation, e-commerce, packaging, manufacturing and design. to create a beauty brand that was easy on the pocket and which made products that were actually suited to daily use. "Things that did what they said they were going to do," is how Rabia puts it.
Rabia had no high school diploma, let alone an MBA. She functioned from instinct, learning as much as she could from the internet - it meant learning from scratch, how are products made, packaged, distributed and sold? How is a brand created? She knew that her company would cater to the gap in the South African market, and provide goods and services that were world class but easy on the pocket at the same time. "I began by asking myself why I liked a particular product, and it usually came down to specific ingredients and manufacturing techniques," she said. "Doing research on these ingredients and techniques was very beneficial."
In 2015, she made her first sale. "I didn't sleep at all during that first year," she has said, many times over. "I would be up till 3 am packaging orders, then wake up at 6 am to get to school. I was exhausted." Her exhaustion soon began to show and one morning, when she walked downstairs, her mother simply said, "Rabia, you're not going to school today, are you?" Rabia said no. "You're not going back ever, are you," her mum continued. And Rabia said no, again. That's how she quit high school at the age of 15, in 2016, to build a business as her classmates planned outfits for the end-of-year dance. "I just never went back," she laughs, as she recalls. Her parents had seen her running the business for over a year by that time, and had full faith in her. "My parents had seen what I could do with putting only half my attention into it," she says.
The realisation that she was in an unpleasant rut motivated her to get going. Her parents had just let her be to find her own way, which Rabia is grateful for always. She had to return to her bottom line, and why she had started swiitchbeauty in the first place. She listened to motivational podcasts and focussed on structuring her days and growing her business. Fortunately, order was restored quickly and Rabia hired four people to her staff.
What began an idea, with an Instagram page and two products, now has a long range of cosmetics and over 100k followers on Instagram. "I wanted a tech-enabled, affordable-priced and transparent beauty brand," she said. It was to be a homegrown product that her fellow South Africans, irrespective of race and gender, would be proud to use everyday. That's not the brand's only USP, though. swiitchbeauty stands apart from its competitors because Rabia and her team are constantly engaging with and interacting with her customers on Instagram. They get feedback and new ideas straight from her followers, along with educational tutorials made by real people who actually used swiitchbeauty products everyday. That's why she stresses on being a "tech-enabled" brand, dealing with a tech-savvy young market. "Social media has been a gift to our generation of businesses," she says. They tap into local social media influencers as well, which helped amplify the brand's customer base.
"I am focussing on dominating the market of South African beauty enthusiasts before branching out into the more competitive international field," she says. "I also feel that for now the rest of the world is well-taken care of in terms of make-up." Her 'vocal for local' approach has helped her grow the company tremendously, into one of the country's biggest beauty brands. The "money has been great too," she said in an interview, "but at present turnover is not my core focus. My main purpose is to provide my customers with the best product at the best price and build a sustainable business that will bear fruit in the future."
Sarah's Beef Ularthiyathu[/caption]
The edible cutlery developed by the Anusuya, Apoorva and Varun[/caption]
Varun Singh[/caption]
Anusuya Samantaray[/caption]
Ayush Gundawar was named US Presidential Scholar 2022[/caption]
LearnForsyth's tutoring session[/caption]
Reva with mom Anupama Srivastava[/caption]