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Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusivePriyanka Yoshikawa: Proudly holding on to her Indo-Japanese identity
  • Global Indian Exclusive
  • Indian youth

Priyanka Yoshikawa: Proudly holding on to her Indo-Japanese identity

Compiled by: Amrita Priya

(April 23, 2023)Priyanka Yoshikawa (addressed as Yoshikawa Purianka in Japanese) became the second multiracial beauty pageant contestant to hold a winner’s title in Japan. She was crowned Miss World Japan in 2016. Born to a Bengali father and a Japanese mother, the twenty-nine-year-old is a master of many trades. Before holding the beauty pageant title, the youngster worked as a Japanese interpreter with a license in elephant training. The avid kickboxer and art therapist is now an entrepreneur helping people feel confident in their skin.

Indian youth | Priyanka Yoshikawa | Global Indian

Priyanka Yoshikawa at the Miss Japan pageant

It was a teary trail-blazing triumph when Priyanka got successful in claiming the top title in Japan’s beauty pageant. The critics were completely against her participation. They felt that the title holder should have been a ‘pure’ Japanese rather than a ‘haafu’ – the Japanese term for ‘half’, often used to describe people from a mixed race in Japan. Priyanka’s predecessor Ariana Miyamoto was the first ‘haafu’ to hold the title in 2015 serving as her role model.

“Ariana is an inspiration for showing me and showing all mixed girls the way,” Priyanka had remarked after her win. Though the youngster who can fluently communicate in Japanese, English, and Bengali, was confused about her identity growing up, she calls Japan her home after spending most of her life there.  

The pain of being a ‘haafu’  

More than the desire to prove her mettle as a beauty contestant, the Tokyo-born youngster’s main aim was to fight cultural barriers. Priyanka has been a victim of bullying since her childhood for her skin colour. After spending four years of her formative life outside Japan when the Indo-Japanese youngster returned to the country; she experienced huge discrimination. As a six-year-old Priyanka moved to Sacramento, California with her parents and stayed there for three years. From California Priyanka and her parents came to India for a year and stayed in Kolkata.  

When as a ten-year-old, Priyanka returned to Japan she was aghast at how people discriminated against her for being multiracial. “My dad is Indian and I’m proud of it, I’m proud that I have an Indian in me. But that does not mean I’m not Japanese,” she said in an interview. “I know a lot of people who are ‘haafu’ and suffer,” she added.

Indian youth | Priyanka Yoshikawa | Global Indian

Priyanka Yoshikawa with her parents when she was small

Being different seemed to be more challenging in Japan than in the US and India. “I had the darkest skin out of anyone I knew. I stood out, and in Japan, that wasn’t considered a good thing. The experience made me question my identity and opened my eyes to what that concept means,” she remarked.

A rich family legacy  

The youngster’s great-grandfather Prafulla Chandra Ghosh served as the first chief minister of West Bengal. Priyanka has grown up listening to stories of how Ghosh welcomed Mahatma Gandhi for a two-week stay at their home in Kolkata. Sharing her disappointments in dealing with racism, Priyanka remarked in an interview, “We have problems, we’ve been struggling, and it hurts,” adding “When I came back to Japan, everyone thought I was a germ.”  

However, instead of being bogged down by the discrimination hurled at her, Priyanka chose to be strong and vowed to challenge the attitude of people. Participating in the pageant was a step in this direction. Winning the Miss World Japan title was a big win for her because it led her to rise against the odds, particularly when it was her appearance that had been a matter of ridicule. 

Indian youth | Priyanka Yoshikawa | Global Indian

Priyanka during a family wedding in Kolkata

“As Miss Japan, hopefully, I can help change perceptions. The number of people with mixed race is only going to increase, so people must accept it,” she remarked.

Celebrating diversity through entrepreneurship  

Although it wasn’t easy for Priyanka to face discrimination in Japan, her experiences catalysed her wanting to help people accept and embrace the way they were.  

In this effort, she launched MUKOOMI, a wellness and skincare brand in 2020. Derived from the Japanese words ‘mukou’ meaning ‘beyond’, and ‘miru’ meaning ‘to see’, the brand is dedicated to making people confident of who they are and celebrates diversity.

“MUKOOMI is my life’s ambition, bottled. It represents who I am, and what I want to share with the world,” mentions Priyanka in her message on the company’s website.  

“MUKOOMI is a call to action. It means to see beyond typical beauty expectations and see beyond divides physical or metaphorical. New and exciting things are born from when we come together, and infuse our experiences, our journeys, share understanding and appreciation for one another,” she adds.

Indian youth | Priyanka Yoshikawa | Global Indian

Priyanka Yoshikawa

The multifaceted youngster is dedicated to creating a successful business and has been interspersing her cause of inclusivity and respect for diversity to it. “MUKOOMI is based in Japan, but it goes beyond nationality, identity, gender, or skin type. It’s for you!” is the strong message that Priyanka conveys to her fast-growing clientele.

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Published on 23, Apr 2023

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Race queen: Athlete Jyothi Yarraji is on a winning streak

(February 7, 2023) A new year, and a new record for one of India's latest additions to the world athletics. 23-year-old sprinter and hurdler, Jyothi Yarraji has created yet another record - this time in the 60 m hurdles event. The young athlete has broken the national record once more and claimed the second position at the Elite Indoor Meeting Miramas 2023, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze level meeting, in France. Jyothi clinched the silver medal, reaching the post at 8.17 seconds in the finals - losing to Cyprus athlete Dafni Georgiou by just 0.145 seconds. It was only last year in November that the Indian athlete established a new national record for 100 m hurdles at 11.51 seconds. Regarded as one of the rising stars of Indian athletics, Jyothi - despite the several setbacks she has faced - is currently the fastest women’s 100m hurdler in India. Going by her records, this young athlete has all the potential to be a superstar in track and field, and put Indian athletics on the world map. Global Indian takes a look at the glorious journey of this athlete who is winning despite the odds stacked against her. Fighting her way

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he potential to be a superstar in track and field, and put Indian athletics on the world map. Global Indian takes a look at the glorious journey of this athlete who is winning despite the odds stacked against her.

Fighting her way

Born in 1999 in Visakhapatnam, Jyothi grew up with limited resources. Her father, Suryanarayana, works as a private security guard while her mother, Kumari, is a domestic help who works part-time as a cleaner in a city hospital. Combined, they earn less than ₹18,000 per month. Jyothi, however, was destined for greater things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H0_5AQ08rI

The path was set during her school days when her physical education teacher saw the potential in her and encouraged her, due to her height, to become a hurdler. Since then, there has been no looking back for the girl who came into the spotlight after winning a gold medal at an Andhra Pradesh inter-district meet in 2015. Interestingly, fearing that her parents would deny her request to participate in the event, Jyothi didn’t inform them about it. It was only after she won the medal and people started flocking to their house that her parents got to know about their daughter's talent. This was the beginning of a career that saw her win various medals in junior and senior national meets.

After the athlete started winning state and inter-state level medals, she was hand-picked by James Hillier, a British coach, at the Odisha Athletics High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar in 2019. However, the journey was hardly rosy.

Rising despite setbacks

Hillier’s confidence in her talent did start reflecting in Jyothi's progress as well. In January 2020, the athlete clocked 13.03 seconds to win gold at the All-India Inter-University athletics meet in Moodabidri, Karnataka. Even though the mark was enough to hand her the Indian women’s 100m hurdles national record, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had failed to test her before the championship, making her feat ineligible for the official record books. While she wasn't very pleased with the situation, the young athlete didn't break down. "Every competition is important because it helps me run faster. To run good timing is a gradual build-up and my body needs to adjust and go with the flow. Every run gives me a lot of experience and helps with improving my speed consistently," she told answering a press question.

[caption id="attachment_27246" align="aligncenter" width="574"]Athlete | Jyothi Yarraji | Global Indian Jyothi with her coach James Hillier[/caption]

Her fight didn't end just here. The same year, as the athlete was preparing to represent the country in her maiden international tour for the South Asian Youth Games, COVID stuck the world and all the competitions were called off. With other events like the Indoor Asiad and World University Games also called off in 2020, Jyothi had to wait for her international bow. Things took a bad turn after the athlete sustained a serious back injury, and took a while to return to the track and field.

"She had no confidence because she had injury problems,” James Hillier had told a media outlet during an interview, adding, "She was scared of hurdling at that time. In our first session, the single hurdle was at the lowest setting. She didn’t even want to go over that.”

A rising star

Almost missing the 2021 season, the athlete made her presence felt in 2022 - and how! Jyothi clocked a national-record-setting time of 13.09 seconds at the Federation Cup in Kozhikode but was yet again denied the official mark because it was a wind-assisted run. Refusing to bow down, she made her international debut at the Cyprus International athletics meet in Limassol in May 2022, finally pocketed the women’s 100m hurdles national record with a timing of 13.23 seconds, shattering the previous mark of 13.38 set by Anuradha Biswal way back in 2002. And this win was despite the athlete starting a fraction of a second later than the other participants.

Athlete | Jyothi Yarraji | Global Indian

“In India, they use a manual gun to start the race but in Europe, they use an electronic starter. I was not familiar with the sound it makes so I didn’t realise when the race had started. I only started running when I saw the other athletes start,” Jyothi shared during an interview. With a reaction time of 0.243 seconds, Jyothi was the slowest runner off the blocks at the meet by a big margin.

The athlete ended the 2022 season with a flurry as she won gold in the 100m hurdles at the National Games with a new personal best of 12.79s, which made her the first Indian woman to dip below the 13-second mark in her discipline. Unfortunately, however, this win too couldn't make it to the national record.

Olympics in her sights

Athlete | Jyothi Yarraji | Global Indian

"My next aim is to win a medal for India in the Olympics," the athlete said, after her most recent win in France, adding, "I aspire to get more young kids to take us athletics as their career. We have an abundance of talent in India and I hope I can help in inspiring youngsters to represent the nation on various international platforms."

Reading Time: 6 mins

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Digvijay Singh: Teen chocolatier making indigenous fruits popular with his homegrown brand

(January 12, 2024) Chocolates with exotic fruits, nuts or liquor have caught the fancy of chocolate lovers for decades now. But have you ever had chocolate with falsa (sherbet berry) or sitaphal (custard apple) or kulfi? Homegrown brand, Saraam, the brainchild of a 19-year-old Udaipur resident Digvijay Singh, is bringing indigenous berries and fruits into the conventional world of chocolate making. Started in 2021, Saraam - which produces chocolates from bean to bar - has till now sold two tonnes of chocolate to thousands of people across India. It was during the pandemic when the world was locked indoors and trying new things, Digvijay too was keen to channelise his energy into something productive. After trying his hand at a lot of things, the then 16-year-old decided to give chocolate-making at home a try. That one step led him to start Saraam, which got its first order in 2021. [caption id="attachment_35192" align="aligncenter" width="484"] Digvijay Singh is the founder of Saraam[/caption] ‘Out of the box’ mindset Born and raised in a middle-class family in Udaipur, Digvijay wasn't academically inclined, instead chose to explore drama, games, and the innovative side of things. "I would always be looking for innovative ideas and things

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ingh is the founder of Saraam[/caption]

‘Out of the box’ mindset

Born and raised in a middle-class family in Udaipur, Digvijay wasn't academically inclined, instead chose to explore drama, games, and the innovative side of things. "I would always be looking for innovative ideas and things to do that were ‘out of the box’. In school my teachers always supported this innovative side of my brain," he said in an interview. His innovative side got a push during the pandemic when he explored varied things, and being a chocolate lover himself, he decided to try his hand at chocolate making. "I shared this idea with my cousin Mahaveer Singh and he was enthusiastic to join me. However, back then I did not have a plan of action. I didn’t even know how to make chocolates," he added.

With YouTube's help, he learnt the art of chocolate making and started distributing the end result among his friends and family for tasting. While it began as a hobby after getting positive feedback, he decided to turn it into a business. "I started making chocolates in my bedroom, which turned into my studio; day in and day out, I lived and slept in the aroma of chocolates. Even before I got into the business of white labelling, I was teaching myself about cacao beans, roasting, grinding, etc. I was experimenting, doing small batches." While brainstorming about possible customers, he realised that they received a box of chocolates last year when his dad brought a brand-new car from a showroom. Upon inquiry, he found that the showroom sold 60 cars in a day, and it gave him the idea to contact hotel owners and car showroom owners to sell his chocolates. In 2021, he got his first order of 1000 chocolates and launched his brand Saraam.

Saraam | Global Indian

Creating desi chocolates

Around the same time, he came across an article that talked about a wide variety of indigenous fruits becoming extinct. "There were mentions of fruits that I had never even heard about and I was very shocked. For us fruits mostly mean the mainstream apples, mangoes, bananas, and grapes," he said, adding that this gave him the idea of putting these fruits in chocolates.

After doing some research on indigenous fruits like kokam, ice apple et al, he tried them to see which worked best with chocolate. "In the culinary world, we don’t go beyond exotic berries, cherries, and oranges. I have never seen a brand that puts anything else beyond the known few fruits. I wondered if there is a market for such chocolates and decided to take a leap of faith," he said. Keen to put these fruits on the global map, he put them in his chocolate. Starting with ber (jujube), and he later experimented with saffron and cardamom, bael, amala, jamun, kokam, and rose apple. "The ber chocolate and the white chocolate with saffron seem to be a great hit among people and are one of our best sellers, revealed Digvijay.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Saraam Chocolate (@saraam.co)

A homegrown brand Saraam sources its cacao from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and fruits from different parts of the country. In just two years, he has turned it into ₹1 crore business, giving indigenous fruits a fresh lease of life.

  • Follow Digvijay Singh on LinkedIn
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Samyak and Sowmay Jain: Disrupting decentralised finance through InstadApp

(September 23, 2023) Samyak and Sowmay are still on the right side of 20, but are at the helm of the fifth largest company in the decentralised finance space globally. As it is with every great success, this story begins with a big idea, and a big risk. Much to the alarm of their parents in Kota, Rajasthan, the young baadshahs of blockchain dropped out of college - Samyak was doing engineering and his older brother, Sowmay, was on his way to being a Chartered Accountant - to follow their interest in cryptocurrency and found Instadapp, which has already become a major disruptor in the global DeFi space.Their parents wished they would find 'real jobs' but the brothers weren't just goofing around - they had found their purpose and wanted to give it everything they had. In their case, the risk paid off. As of 2022, the company had raised two rounds of funding, and got the attention of top investors like Naval Ravikanth and Pantera Capital in the first round, raising $12.4 million. "The funding gave us a lot of boost, especially in convincing our parents who used to insist on us getting a real job," Sowmay, who is

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g a real job," Sowmay, who is now 25 (his brother is 23) told Forbes, shortly after the brothers made it to the magazine's coveted Gamechangers list in 2022. The company has assets worth $10.6 billion circulating in smart contracts, says Forbes.

[caption id="attachment_33242" align="aligncenter" width="569"]Samyak and Sowmay Jain | DeFi | InstadApp | The Global Indian Youth Sowmay and Samyak Jain. Photo: Forbes[/caption]

How it began

The first turning point for the dynamic Global Indians came in August 2018. They participated - and won - the ETHIndia hackathon in Bengaluru, one of India's biggest Ethereum events. Ethereum is a decentralised, open-source blockhain system where people can write smart contracts (programs that follow rules automatically without the need for a middleman).

United by their interest in blockchain and decentralised finance, it was at this hackathon that Samyak and Sowmay Jain first created the Instadapp platform. "It started as a passion for us but we pursued it and came out on top in the hackathon," Sowmay said an in interview. "We kept on expanding Instadapp, adding new features and addressing additional difficulties in decentralised financing."

In September 2019, they went in for their first round of funding and came out shining, with big ticket names flocking to be part of Instadapp.

Defining DeFi 

This story begins with Decentralised Finance, or DeFi, as it is known in tech circles. It's a gamechanger in the financial landscape, using blockchain technology to reimaine and rebuild traditional financial instruments like loans, insurance and trading. The main platform for facilitating this is the Ethereum blockchain.

Conventional finance operations work through banks, brokerages and exchanges, all of which act as middlemen to facilitate transactions, grant loans and manage assets. These are the gatekeepers and each have their own terms and conditions and methods for verifying transactions. DeFi on the other hand, has an open approach. A team of developers create a generic smart contract which will autonomously execute, allowing users to interact directly with each other and to input specific terms, like the amount to lend, the interest rate and duration, inc ase of a loan.

How does InstadApp work?

Obviously, it's a complex world. That's where InstadApp comes in - it provides a user-friendly interface to simplify interaction with these otherwise complicated DeFi protocols. So instead of users having to directly interact with the complex world of smart contracts and decentralised platforms, InstadApp works as a bridge, and makes it easier for users to tweak and use these smart contracts.

Instadapp is like an app store, but for all things crypto. It acts as a bridge between the traditional cash economy and the newer blockchain-based decentralised currencies. Basically, it helps convert transactions done with regular money into cryptocurrency, based on how individuals interact within the online space.

The concept is in big demand, indicated by the fact that InstadApp manages over $10 billion in assets. Instadapp stands out in this space by offering itself as a platform for developers to craft and refine trading tools and protocols. Developers can create interfaces on InstadApp that are tailored to the evolving needs of the market.

Samyak and Sowmay Jain | DeFi | InstadApp | The Global Indian Youth

"Instadapp's revenue strategy will be to deduct fees on financial volumes and lending / borrowing going through the platform," Sowmay explains. That's in the future, though. Right now, it's all free. "We intend to establish our tokens / DAO and determine the fees." A DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) is a digital organization that operates based on pre-set rules encoded as computer programs, known as smart contracts, without centralized control. Operating on blockchain technology, it allows multiple participants to make decisions collaboratively. Tokens, in this context, are digital assets or units of value issued by projects or organizations on the blockchain. They can represent various utilities within a specific ecosystem, such as granting access to services, providing voting rights in a DAO, or acting as a medium of exchange.

Why it's a gamechanger

InstadApp is not the first payment gateway of its sort. However, as Samyak explains, "We cover the whole DeFi space - borrowing and lending, investments. There are lots of opportunities for frontend developers to build different apps. It can evolve further in the future and maybe replace bank accounts," he smiles.

 

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Singer Purva Mantri gives a melodious spin to this year’s Navratri Garba song penned by PM Modi

(October 11, 2024) As Navratri festivities sweep across India, the cultural vibrancy of Garba, a traditional Gujarati folk dance and song brings people together in devotion and celebration. This year, the festival shines even brighter for young singer Purva Mantri, who got a unique opportunity to sing a Garba song penned by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Known as the 'Indian Shakira,' Purva's energetic and mesmerising performances have become a Navratri staple over the years, drawing thousands to her shows in the previous years. No wonder when the PM penned a song for this year’s Navratri, Purva was chosen to give her voice to his lyrics. PM’s lyrics, Purva’s voice In a heartfelt message shared on X, Prime Minister Modi introduced the Garba song he wrote, titled Aavati Kalay, as a tribute to Goddess Durga. The Prime Minister lauded Purva for her "melodious rendition" and recognized her as a talented artist who truly brought the song to life. Purva Mantri who is just back from a five-city US tour calls herself “blessed and honoured” to get the opportunity to sing on a song penned by none other than PM Modi. She recorded the track and shot the music

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tled Aavati Kalay, as a tribute to Goddess Durga. The Prime Minister lauded Purva for her "melodious rendition" and recognized her as a talented artist who truly brought the song to life.

Purva Mantri who is just back from a five-city US tour calls herself “blessed and honoured” to get the opportunity to sing on a song penned by none other than PM Modi. She recorded the track and shot the music video in just 24 hours. "This is really big for an artist and a citizen. I feel blessed. I am grateful and honoured to be part of this big track. I have tears in my eyes," said the Global Indian who has been involved with the world of music through stage shows, independent music and playback singing.

Mastering the art of live performances

For Purva who has been inclined towards music since she was a child, performing live during the high-energy nights of Navratri is an annual affair. With over 15,000 people attending her Garba and Dandiya nights in Surat each year, she has established herself as a dynamic voice in the music world. Reflecting on her journey, she shared in an interview, " My very first memory of performing during Navratri is from Rajkot when I performed at a proper ten-day Navratri event.” After giving multiple performances at Rajkot and Porbandar, the artist moved to Mumbai a few years back to try her luck, and started doing small events.

Indian Singer | Purva Mantri | Global Indian

 

Her talent got identified by the founders of the band Bamboo Beats who hail from Gujarat. The Garba songs that she sang in collaboration with the band are very special to her because even after many years people dance to those tunes.

Despite the challenges of consistently delivering electrifying performances, Purva Mantri finds her energy from the audience. "The audience is my oxygen," she said. "When they come to see me perform, I think they should leave feeling it was worth it. Their energy fuels me, and even when I’m tired or jet-lagged, their positivity keeps me going." This connection with her audience has become her secret to sustaining high-octane performances throughout the festive season.

One of her most memorable experiences was during her first solo event in Surat. "There were around 15,000 people, and I got on stage with my own band for the very first time. After the show, an uncle who was in his 70s came to me with his grandson, and told her in Gujrati that his grandson calls her ‘Indian Shakiraben’.  “I’ll never forget this line and it was very important to me because they felt that energy from there,” she remarked.

The global stage: Purvastic Tour 2024

While Purva has impressed Indian audiences for years, her recent Purvastic Tour 2024 took her talent to the United States. The tour, which kicked off in Atlanta, spanned major U.S. cities such as Dallas, Chicago, and Seattle, among others. Purva got an opportunity to showcase her indie music and her iconic fusion of singing with the Puneri Dhol. "Blending the Puneri Dhol with my singing has been a way to connect my Indian roots with a global audience. It’s thrilling to see how well it resonates," Purva remarked.

Indian Singer | Purva Mantri | Global Indian

Purva carried her 27kg Puneri dhol to every city on her U.S. tour. It all started with an impromptu dhol act during a live show in Surat a few months back. She never imagined it would gain such popularity. “Playing the 27kg dhol while singing has become my USP,” she remarks. She gets calls from all over India to perform with it. So, she made it a point to carry it to the U.S. as well.

While performing she is so connected with the audience that she does not feel the weight of the dhol says the singer who wraps the strap of the dhol around her neck, so that it's well supported.

The power of positivity

Amidst the fast-paced music industry, Purva remains grounded, drawing strength from her father’s wisdom. "He once told me, “I know that you were meditating on stage. If performing is meditation for you, you will never fail. Just keep meditating like this.” Those words have stayed with her, and every time she performs, she remembers her father’s words and treats her performance as an act of meditation on stage.

Though the singer’s journey has been full of accomplishments, Purva acknowledges the challenges that come with it. "There is always a struggle. Even legends like Mr. Amitabh Bachchan continue to work hard to stay where they are. In this industry, you need to grow and adapt every day. But I love what I do, and my ultimate aim is to spread positivity and touch as many lives as possible."

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

Purva Mantri has observed that even audiences abroad connect with her due to this quality. Sharing an incident, she mentioned, “When I performed in New Zealand, several foreigners were also part of the event because they love our Indian culture. They went back home smiling and said, 'There are a lot of singers who come to Australia and New Zealand. But the positivity which you give on stage is different.’” Purva finds these comments as her accomplishment and inspiration.

Looking ahead: Tomorrowland dreams

With dreams of performing at Tomorrowland (one of the most popular annual music festivals in the world held in Belgium), Purva’s ambitions extend far beyond her current achievements. "They say when you perform at Tomorrowland, the whole earth moves. I want to see people dancing and jumping to my voice. It’s a big international dream that I am working toward," she said. In addition to her live performances, Purva is also exploring Bollywood playback opportunities.

As Purva continues to push the boundaries of her musical journey, her fusion of tradition and innovation, along with her infectious energy, ensures she remains a rising star in the Indian music industry and beyond.

Indian Singer | Purva Mantri | Global Indian

 

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Reading Time: 5 mins

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Teens Nitish and Aditya Sood are uplifting the homeless in Atlanta

(August 24, 2023) Five years ago, Nitish Sood and his brother, Aditya were at the mall with their mother. Bored, the two boys stepped outside for a game of frisbee. A homeless woman sat by the entrance, as people walked past, all of them either pulling out their phones or checking their watches to avoid making eye contact with her. "We were kind of troubled by that," said Nitish Sood, who co-founded Working Together For Change, a student-run organisation that works for homeless people. "Our frisbee landed near her so we ended up striking up a conversation," said Nitish. They asked the obvious question - how did this woman come to be homeless? She responded with a question: "What do you want to be when you grow up." A doctor, Nitish said at once and to his amazement, the woman pulled out a medical degree. Just before she was placed into a residency, she returned to Atlanta to help her brother, who had been involved with gang violence. "She lost that residency. Medical school bills started piling up and suddenly, she was homeless," Nitish explained. "My brother and I learned that nearly everyone is just a step away from homelessness.

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y from homelessness. We decided to do something about it."

[caption id="attachment_25031" align="aligncenter" width="478"]Nitish and Aditya Sood | Working Together For Change | Global Indian Nitish and Aditya Sood[/caption]

Working Together For Change

That's how Working Together for Change was born. "We wanted to interact with other homeless folk, the people we tend to avoid by checking the time or looking at our phones." They realised that they had been wrong about the average homeless person. "We seem to think of middle-aged men, maybe drunk, doing drugs and sleeping on a park bench. Mostly, we believe him to be lazy, uneducated and unambitious. But that is as far away from reality as you can possibly imagine."

Now a student at the Medical College of Georgia, Nitish Sood is doing his residency in Opthalmology. His brother, Aditya, is a junior biology and social major at Alpharetta and an MD candidate at the Emory School of Medicine. Both brothers are highly accomplished in their own right- Aditya is a black belt in karate and does research at the Neuroplasticity lab at Georgia State University. Nitish is a Presidential Scholar at Augusta University, a Coca Cola Scholar - he was awarded a $20,000 scholarship for exemplary leadership and social activism. He's also a National Merit Scholar. Both boys were born in India and moved to the US with their parents.

Currently, Working Together for Change has touched over 3,000 lives. The organisation has also raised some $1,20,000 for its cause, has mobilised some 600 volunteers and over 17,000 volunteer hours. They have organised over a dozen medical camps that screen homeless people for vision trouble, cholesterol and diabetes. WTFC even organises 'sleep-outs', to give people a taste of what it's like to sleep on the streets. All that began with the back-pack-a-thon, their first initiative.

[caption id="attachment_25033" align="aligncenter" width="2016"] Working Together for Change volunteers at their first backpack-a-thon in Augusta in 2018. Photo: Facebook[/caption]

Life on the city streets

Nearly 3000 people are homeless in Atlanta. The fact is, as Nitish and Aditya also discovered - many more people in American cities are at risk of homelessness. A shortage of affordable housing, limited employment opportunities and not enough social welfare schemes are all possible causes. According to the Atlanta Mission, some 58 percent of this homeless population reports reports symptoms of trauma and 57 percent have a chronic medical condition. The brothers were also alarmed to learn that average homeless person is under the age of 18 and that the fastest growing demographic is under the age of nine.

The Soods got into action immediately. They rallied their friends for a 'backpack-a-thon', distributing backpacks filled with essentials like hygiene products, water and socks. Through this, they also hoped to create interaction between students and the homeless community.

Setting up medical camps to building a house in Tijuana

They also created programmes for school students to interact with homeless kids in housing centres. "We gave them a chance to meet. Everyone should have the chance to have some fun," Nitish remarked.

Still, they knew that raising awareness just wouldn't do. So, they decided to host a medical camp. They didn't have doctors, locations, volunteers or work out the logistics of it, but they began work, scouting for locations, visited homeless shelters and told them that they had doctors and volunteers ready. The Soods also asked their friends to sign on.

The big day arrived with a distressing phone call. The bus ferrying the homeless people had broken down. They had doctors and volunteers waiting at the camp and no patients in sight. "We called every adult we knew to use their minivans to ferry the homeless to the camp," Ntisih said. It worked. "In the end, nobody left feeling dissatisfied. Today, we host medical camps every four months." The WTFC teams even went to Tijuana to build a house from the ground up. "It's not feasible for us to do this but WTFC represents the idea that we must do everything we can to help those in need."

[caption id="attachment_25034" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]Nitish and Aditya Sood | Working Together for Change | Global Indian WTFC-YMCA-MoreHouse Medical Fair 2015. Photo: Facebook[/caption]

The root of the matter

As the years went by, Working Together For Change made a significant impact, crowdfunding thousands of dollars and setting up student chapters across the state. Still, the brothers felt that all this was addressing only the symptoms, not the disease itself. True change would mean getting the homeless people off the streets. They collaborated with United Way Ventures, setting up camps to help reintegrate them into the job market. They also set up coding camps for teens.

The journey hasn't been easy. "It has meant sleepless nights, passing up sleepovers and not being able to hang out with friends," Nitish said. "But when my brother and I started this, there was a fire lit within us. None of what we did felt like work. We were doing what we loved."

Follow Nitish and Aditya on LinkedIn and Working Together for Change on Facebook

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About Global Indian

Global Indian – a Hero’s Journey is an online publication which showcases the journeys of Indians who went abroad and have had an impact on India. 

These journeys are meant to inspire and motivate the youth to aspire to go beyond where they were born in a spirit of adventure and discovery and return home with news ideas, capital or network that has an impact in some way for India.

We are looking for role models, mentors and counselors who can help Indian youth who aspire to become Global Indians.

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