The Global Hues | Vol.

3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 |1

 INKING STORIES THAT MATTER TODAY AND EVEN MORE TOMORROW

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 Vol 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 Vol 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023

10 14 42 46
India’s Leading

Coach & Facilitator

CAPTAIN YASHIKA DR ANKITA SINGH MANJARI SHARMA SAMIRA GUPTA

HATWAL TYAGI Cignex, HR Association Wagma Designs Auraa Image Management
of India & Consulting

18 24 52 58
The Mompreneur In

DR ANUBHA WALIA GHAZAL ALAGH SEEMA CHAUDHARY SONALI BANSAL

Prism Philosophy Mamaearth SM Express Mayaa Money

30 34 62 123
One Woman And Her
Vision To CONTEST WINNER

Shaping The Future

Of India

Like No
One Did Before!

JAYASREE MADHU KIRANDEEP DHAM ZAIBA SARANG SWATI CHAKRABORTY

Aamodini India Globus Infocom Limited iThink Logistics

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Vol 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 Vol 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023

BHAGWANI DEVI: MAKING INDIA PROUD AT A MAGNIFICENT MARKETING

38 THE AGE OF 95
101 PROFESSIONAL

56 MUKTA SINGH : BREAKING STEREOTYPES 102 THE DRIVING CHANGEMAKER

OF MODELING AT THE AGE OF 58
104 THE OPULENT DESIGNER
66 INDIA’S FIRST FASHION ACTIVIST
105 THE ULTIMATE HEALER
68 A LIMITLESS MOUNTAINEER
106 A SEASONED RECRUITER
Businesses

Businesses
72 IF LEARNING ON THE GO HAD A FACE
107 A WOMAN WITH WINGS
Glorifying

Glorifying
74 THE CORPORATE TRAINING MAGICIAN
108 THE BODYBUILDING CHAMPION
76 THE DAUNTLESS VOICE OF MEN’S RIGHTS
110 AN ARDENT EDUCATIONIST
78 A NEW AGE STORYTELLER
REVIVING THE HANDCRAFTED FASHION
82 A WIZARD OF CYBER PSYCHOLOGY
114 RETAILING

84 INDIA’S FIRST SOLOGAMIST 115 THE BEAUTY ENCHANTRESS

86 DEFEND NOTDEPEND 116 THE SKINCARE SOLUTIONIST

88 A FOSTER MOTHER OF MANY 117 THE RECRUITMENT EXPERT

90 THE ARDENT HEALER 118 INDIA’S FIRST LADY BODYGUARD

91 THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS EXPERT 120 THE CAREER STRATEGIST

92 THE CREATIVEPRENEUR 121 THE AGRO GAME CHANGER

93 A CREATIVE SOUL 122 THE CONTENT BRAINBOX

94 QUEEN OF ROYAL ICING CAKES 126 THE SOCIAL CRUSADER

98 THE ZEALOUS ENTREPRENEUR 132 LISTING : SHE GLORIFYING BUSINESSES

99 MAKING PEOPLE BEAUTIFUL ‘INSIDE OUT’

100 THE FINANCE GENIUS

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 Note Vol 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023

“Every woman has a

Publisher: The Global Hues
unique charisma which
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the face of heavy odds.” Editor-in-chief: Tannishtha Mukherjee

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W
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a whole shebang. She is
Power. She is Strength;
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She knows her worth. She is a story herself.
Slowly but surely, the faces of power are no longer
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With perseverance, as her essence, she is outshining
in the corporate world, epitomising ingenuity. Women
are increasingly venturing into unimaginable business
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Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, she is rising
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Over the last century, the transmogrification of Corporate Office Address:

women is not a tale of tears but a story of a victorious
attitude against all hefty odds. Via our Women
Special Edition, ‘She: Glorifying Businesses’, we
celebrate the profound spirit of womanhood this
International Women’s Day. Let’s dive ourselves into
the empowering tales of women that would allow us
to envision a diverse world.
Women have come a long way to all intents and
purposes. She will continue to rise not only today but
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 I have seen the best
example of humanity
done by the army in my
own life. That’s why I
wanted to be like them
and wear that uniform.

I Captain Yashika
Hatwal Tyagi
was in my second trimester of pregnancy when we had a national emergency
during the Kargil War. Being pregnant couldn’t be an excuse to not participate in
the historic war and fight for the nation. I did not let my pregnancy deter my inner
strength to perform as the daughter of the soil. I strongly believe it’s the mindset
that matters!” Captain Yashika Tyagi’s heart fills with pride whenever she thinks
about the privilege of serving in the Kargil War.

10 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 11

The universe always falls in love with a
stubborn heart. That’s what happened in
the case of Captain Yashika. While young
Yashika wanted to don the uniform of an
army officer, women were not allowed
in the army back then. She decided to
become an IPS officer but the magic
happened. In 1993, when Yashika was in
her final year of college, the army started
inducting women into their Short Service
Commission. Life blessed Yashika with
the most beautiful gift.
Captain Yashika joined the Indian army
in 1994. She is the first lady officer of the
Indian Army to be posted at snowbound/
High Altitude areas of Leh/Kargil. During
the Kargil War, she successfully super-
vised the security of logistic installation,
ammunition dumps and other sensitive
areas with no untoward incident of a
security breach of any kind.
Belonging to a family of army back-
ground, the fighter spirit runs through
12 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Women of Substance
Yashika’s blood. Let’s hear about the
journey and experience of Capt. Yashika
Hatwal Tyagi.
YOU HAVE SERVED THE
NATION FOR SO MANY YEARS
AS AN ARMY OFFICER. HOW
HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE
BEEN?
I feel very proud that I got the chance to
serve my nation. 1993 was the first year
when the induction of the first women's
batch happened and I joined the Army
in 1994. My journey started at the Indian
Army Ordnance Corps, a logistical wing
of the army. During my tenure, I served
in various domains of the Indian Army.
I was the first lady officer to be posted
in a high altitude cold climate area. My
unit was equipping the forces at Siachen
Glacier which is the highest battle zone
on the planet.
From 1997-1999, we had Operation
Vijay which was the battle of Kargil. I
was posted at that time in a high-alti-
tude area and was part of the battle
from beginning to end looking after the
supply chain management of the armed
forces. I am so proud that we rose to the
occasion.
YOU WERE PREGNANT WHEN
YOU WERE SERVING IN THE
KARGIL WAR. TELL US ABOUT
THAT EXPERIENCE.
I was in my second trimester of preg-
nancy when we had a national emer-
gency during the Kargil War. As a soldier,
our first and foremost duty is to serve
the nation, we don’t think of ourselves.
The only thought during such times in a
soldier’s mind is to protect the country.
That’s what I did.
Knowing fully well that anything could
happen at any time, the thought never
Captain Yashika saluting the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces at
Republic Day 2023 Parade
came to mind of requesting the author-
ities to post me in peaceful areas. I
always believed that pregnancy is not a
medical condition, therefore, it felt very
normal to me. By god’s grace, we won
the war and also I had a safe delivery
with a beautiful healthy kid.
YOUR FAMILY HAS ALWAYS
BEEN YOUR SUPPORT
SYSTEM. WHAT WAS YOUR
FAMILY’S ROLE IN YOUR
ENTIRE JOURNEY?
I come from an army background. My
father was an army officer and we lost
him when I was 7. So it was my mother
who raised me and my sisters. She
always felt that every girl should be
educated and financially independent
in her life. So, her sleepless nights have
made all of us independent and self-suf-
ficient today.
Inspired by my mother, I also believe
that the only gift we can give our daugh-
ters is education. We just have to help
them become self-independent so they
can conquer the world on their own.
WAS JOINING THE ARMY
YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAM?
As I told you, I lost my father when I was
7 but the army never left our hand. We
have received immense support and
strength from the army. I have seen the
best example of humanity done by the
army in my own life. That’s why I wanted
to be like them and wear that uniform.
When I was growing up there was no
women's army in India. Thus, inspired
by Kiran Bedi, I started my civil services
preparation. Just after I completed my
graduation, the Indian Army introduced
its first batch of women. The miracle
had happened. I was so happy at that
time because I could get the opportunity
to wear an army uniform just like my
father.
I appeared in the SSB exam and cleared
it in the first attempt. I commanded my
contingent and cleared my training with
various medals and merits. It was a big
deal back then as people didn't even
know about the participation of women
in the army, I was getting trained as an
Captain Yashika with the former Prime Minister Of India, Mr Rajiv Gandhi
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
army officer. So yes, it was a very proud
feeling for me and it still is.
ON REPUBLIC DAY 2023, YOU
WERE THE FIRST WOMAN
VETERAN TO SALUTE THE
SUPREME COMMANDER
OF THE INDIAN ARMED
FORCES. HOW WAS YOUR
EXPERIENCE?
It is a dream of every Fauji to salute the
Supreme Commander of the Indian
Armed Forces. For me, this dream came
true with utmost graciousness. It is an
absolute honour to represent millions of
veterans and become the first woman
veteran from the Tri-Services (Army Navy
and Airforce) to salute the President on
Kartavya Path.
Currently, Captain Yashika Tyagi runs her
YouTube Channel ‘Shaurya Tales’ where
she narrates the stories of Brave hearts
of the Indian Armed Forces, and dare-
devil military operations and shares how
leadership evolves in crisis situations to
motivate the youth of India.
She has worked with different organi-
sations as a motivational speaker and
leadership coach over the past few
years. She has also given 200+ talks with
multiple organisations such as Infosys,
Danfoss, Globant, Bain & Co, and CatFit
to name a few.
| 13
 Glorifying
Businesses

HR, in order to
achieve the identified
Mission and Vision
for the Organization,
is and will forever
remain an important
enabler.

H Dr Ankita
Singh
Senior Vice President &
Global Head of HR at Cignex
Founder, HR Association of
India

ow does an option become the most preferred choice? Ask Dr Ankita Singh who
landed in the progressive HR industry by default but then got so inclined towards this
function so deep that she started adding value to it. Dr Ankita Singh comes with over
23 years of profound experience in managing & leading various aspects of HR, heading
all business-enabling functions like admin, IT, travel, and PMO with ease, “but the core
is still HR and will remain,” says Dr Singh in a flash.

14 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 15
 Glorifying
Businesses
A true epitome of the term ‘determined’,
the passion to enter the corporate world
hit young Ankita at the age of only 18.
When people in her generation were
busy finding their true passion, Dr Singh
was working 36 hours a week to gain
industry knowledge. After brushing up
her skills in the ever-evolving industry for
a couple of years, she enrolled herself
in strategic courses to contribute more
meaningfully. Learning, she believes,
is a continuous process. To answer
her innermost call to understand the
management domain, she did a PhD in
management. She is also a Gold Medalist
in BBA as well as MBA.
Destiny had always chosen HR for Dr
Ankita; She took no time to understand
that she is meant for this profession and
can take it to sky heights with her proven
expertise. “As I started quite early, I was
open to exploring different aspects, but
my default allocation always happened
to be in some department of HR, and
with on-the-job experience, it didn't take
long to come to the conclusion that this
is where I want to exist, learn and grow,”
smiles Dr Ankita.
She is currently serving as the Senior
Vice President & Global Head of HR,
Admin, IT and Travel at CIGNEX. She is
also the Founder of the HR Association
of India. Prior to joining Cignex, Dr Ankita
honed her skills by working in prestig-
ious firms like Sahara India, Convergys,
Zensar, Hexaware, and Datamatics.
Ankita’s expertise includes transforma-
tional change management and M&A
initiatives. She has dedicatedly worked
in all facets of HR with deep interest
in different domains, be it leadership
Development and Organisational Behav-
iour or Culture Building and Employee
Engagement.
ANKITA’S JOURNEY IN
CIGNEX
Dr Ankita joined Cignex in September
2014 as Vice President and Head HR
but roles got diversified as she scaled.
Currently, she is handling various
domains- HR, Admin, Travel, IT, QEG,
Practices, Organizational Development,
RMG.
16 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
“The last 8 years have been challenging
yet magical as I was able to look outside
my comfort and expert zone of HR and
explore non-HR functions like Adminis-
tration, Travel, Resource Management
Group, and IT Support. I think the
vertical growth would have reached a
stagnant level soon, glad that I got a
chance to grow horizontally, learn other
people's processes, and connect the
dots to help the organisation excel,” says
Dr Singh while highlighting how she has
progressed over the years in Cignex.
Dr Ankita always choses to find a new
way to stand & fight back as she believes
challenges are gifts that force us to
search for a new centre of gravity. She
follows a few simple steps to handle all
the challenges:
 Identifying what’s under control and
what's not
 Having plans and not just a plan
 Discussing it with people and seek-
ing help
 Never Giving up and the enthusiasm
to always keep trying!
Upon asking about the future of the
human resource industry, the first word
that Dr Ankita utters is “Bright!” She
strongly believes that the industry has
to invest better and transform well to
meet the need of today. She also thinks
that the definition of HR has gracefully
evolved over the years only because of
the adaptations, and the fraternity has to
accept, explore and modify itself to fit in
as early as possible. No matter what, HR
is and will always remain a great enabler
to ensure that Organization realises the
identified Mission and objectives.
HR ASSOCIATION OF INDIA
Human Resources runs in the veins of
Dr Ankita. With a mission to shape the
HR landscape in India, Dr Singh founded
a non-profit organisation with the name
HR Association of India (HRAI).
Via HRAI, she along with many other
dignitaries in the HR landscape explores,
discusses and the latest business
scenarios, market trends, change
management, and leadership in the HR
domain.
“We envision creating a community of
professionals, learners, and mentors
who share their insights and learn from
each other to elevate the standard of
HR practices in the country,” asserts
Dr Ankita. She further adds, “We
conduct panel discussions, master-
classes, one-on-one talk shows, and
Q&A sessions with thought leaders and
provide a platform for professionals to
gain in-depth knowledge that can be
applied in real-time.”
WHEN CHALLENGES
BECOME OPPORTUNITIES
She keeps recalling the challenges she
has fought as it gives her the power to
prepare herself for more. She draws
inspiration from Richard Branson's
words who once said, "If somebody
offers you an amazing opportunity, but
you are not sure you can do it, say yes –
then learn how to do it later!"
“The biggest hurdle that I have faced
so far was when management gave
me the responsibility to head functions
that I didn’t know much about. I had
no technical knowledge of IT support,
Travel, Project management office,
and administration. Yet, I survived well
because I learned what was needed
to play that role,” says Dr Ankita who
believes in herself and stays ever ready
to take challenges.
LEARNING NEVER ENDS
‘Unless you try to do something beyond
what you have already mastered, you
will never grow.’ When Dr Ankita read
these lines, she made this her success
mantra.
Even after making her stronghold in
the industry, she believes- There is still
so much to learn and improve. In Dr
Ankita’s words, “I respect individuals and
accept that each individual is unique,
and so are situations and the business.
We can't obtain solutions by employing
the same formula universally because
factors, peoples, and scenarios differ.”
She follows a personalised approach
rather than a bland generalised
approach. She possesses three distinct
qualities which makes her different from
others:
 First, she acknowledges the unique-
ness before defining her next step,
policy, process or plan.
 She remains true to herself and
others.
 She considers that it's ‘ALL ABOUT
PEOPLE’, they are everything.
Dr Ankita is a strong believer in ‘Nothing
is permanent but change’. She firmly
explains that “Time will change, and we
will have to change too to adapt to excel.
So, never stop learning; stay adaptable
and nimble.”
‘MY MOTHER IS MY TRUE
INSPIRATION’
Dr Ankita gives due credit of her success
to her mother as she has been her
biggest motivation. She always told Dr
Ankita that "Since we are a part of this
society, interdependency is important
but don't ever disremember the signif-
icance of independence. We need to
coexist in the defined system, but the
self-core should be strong enough to
survive alone if needed".
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
JEWELS IN THE CROWN
Dr Ankita is adept at handling chal-
lenging situations, and her agile perspec-
tive enables her to respond to workplace
disruptions, evolving employee expecta-
tions, and business needs in an efficient
manner. Her unswerving commitment
towards serving the HR domain has
bagged her quite a few awards.
 Successfully completed one of the
most renowned certifications from
Harvard Business School Online –
“Sustainable Business Strategy”
 Awarded by Forbes India and Great
Manager Institute as Top 100 People
Manager in India for the last
3 consecutive years 2019, 2020
and 2021
 Asia's 100 Women Power Leaders
2023
 Power Women Leader of the Year
Gujarat Icons 2022 by Times of
India
 Asia’s 100 Power Leaders in HR 2022
 Top 10 Most Influential Business
Leader of the year by Times of India
2022
 Rajiv Gandhi Award 2022
 APJ Abdul Kalam National Award
2021
 "Woman HR Leadership Awards
2021, awarded by Ms. Kiran Bedi
 Global Women Award 2021
 40 under 40 for the Year 2021
 Woman HR Leadership Award 2020
in the presence of Maneka Gandhi
And the list goes on.
LIVING EVERY DAY TO THE
FULLEST
‘‘If at the end of the day, you can tell
yourself that Today was my Best
Possible day, it means your day was
as successful as it can be,’’ asserts Dr
Ankita. She believes that there is nothing
like a perfect life or perfect balance; it's
all about finding meaning in life.
Dr Ankita’s deep understanding of every
minute aspect of emotional intelligence
has inspired millions of budding HR
managers and will continue to do so in
the years to come.
| 17
 Glorifying
Businesses

The
I believe in getting the
best out of people as they
carry the baggage of
experience & expertise
and you just need to
empower them & entrust
with ownership &

Sculptor
credibility.

urning passion into success sounds fascinating but it takes the blood
and soil of an entrepreneur to achieve it. Anubha Walia is one such DIRECTOR,
Entrepreneur who is embracing her entrepreneurial journey by PRISM PHILOSOPHY
demonstrating her strong willpower and commitment to making a
difference in the world. Being an embodiment of power, passion and
creativity, Dr Anubha Walia began her journey as an Entrepreneur by
incepting Prism in 2012.

In an exclusive interview, Anubha shared her insight about her journey as an entrepreneur,
her brand, challenges she faced and many other inspiring things.

18 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 19
 Glorifying
Businesses
Every woman has a Story, to be heard
and to be recognised. Born Piscean, I
had all the traits of the water sign. Linda
Goodman's zodiac represented me as
the “Captain of Charms” – a powerful
personality coupled with high energy
& outgoing nature and a drive to make
things happen and I resonate with the
same. Having been the firstborn to a
doting family with strong values and
educational backing, my father served in
the coveted Indian Allied Services (IDAS)
and my mother is a homemaker with my
2 beautiful & graceful sisters.
From a very young age, my parents
wanted me to have a wider view of the
world. My father’s transferable nature of
the job made me see a roller coaster ride
of changing cities, schools, social circles,
and residences which resulted in taking
up education from Kendriya Vidyalaya
schools from numerous places, learning
different cultures and this enabled me
to acquire a broad outlook on life and
people I interacted with since an early
age. Being an adept social navigator and
articulator, I can proudly claim to engage
with new people & can make my connec-
tions feel comfortable and motivated.
My early corporate career journey & post
my marriage saw me serving some of
the blue-chip organisations demanding
me to work with teams & groups which
exposed me to a multicultural and
diverse work environment. With the
values engraved in me thanks to my dad,
I am Self-directed and Self-motivated,
naturally gravitating towards seeking out
the possibilities in life.
Well after working for a good 12 years in
corporate, I was still striving to find my
purpose and the lyrics of Bob Marley-
‘Love the life you live, and live the life
you love’ became a mantra. One thing I
observed about myself was that I loved
giving/sharing knowledge. From 2005
20 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
to 2010, I witnessed newcomers joining
the corporate world lacking basic soft
skills & that’s how in 2012, the transi-
tion of my life happened. I became an
Entrepreneur and started the journey in
the field of L&D with the simple mission
of empowering generations by making
them realise the importance of soft skills
with hard skills and hand holding in the
learning journey.
Hurdles are part of life and I say struggle
means life …. zindagi hai to sangharsh
hai. The transition from an employee
with a lucrative job, position and role
to an employer was not easy. Friends
and family doubted my career move to
becoming an entrepreneur, well who
wants anyone to leave a position and
lucrative job? And after wearing an
entrepreneur hat, I had to tone down
my expenses. So, the first challenge was
money for running the daily expenses
for both my home and my business.
Secondly, we all know that all talented
and qualified individuals need their own
space to bloom to their fullest potential.
So, when I started I witnessed thou-
sands of corporate training firms and
management consultants mushrooming
in the city of Delhi. Indian companies
were cagey about investing in leader-
ship training, dominated by patriarchal,
owner-driven leaders.
Above all, not only Anubha's but Female
entrepreneurs' ride to the top is not free
from threat, coercion & compromise.
There's nothing like being a role model -
both at home and work. I changed every
day; as a woman, as an entrepreneur, a
daughter, a mother and a wife. A woman
has to wear many hats throughout her
life. Being an entrepreneur is perhaps
the toughest of all. Once your goals are
clear then you can overcome all the
challenges.
My leadership philosophy is to Grow
with a strong Sense of Purpose. Most
importantly, we need to adapt to the
changing landscape with GROW i.e
Gaining knowledge regularly, Reaching
out to others for support or celebration,
Opening the world with our services and
Walking toward wisdom.
For business decisions, I ensure I do full
research before taking any decision but
any initiative when I find will benefit our
customer which involves no cost - we
just go ahead with it.
Prism dials into innovative ways to
increase learning opportunities at every
level after identifying the needs of our
customers. At Prism®, we believe in
leading through learning we scripted in
L&D Vision focusing on human process
intervention (includes coaching, facilita-
tion & training) and offer a wide gamut
of end-to-end Customised Training solu-
tions on People Development and Total
Quality management.
In People Development, we cater to all
levels of professionals in corporate with
Soft skills, Behavioural Sessions, Yoga &
Wellness, Competency-Based program,
TQM umbrella program, Prism® Flagship
Program (speciality designed program
for - first-time executive/manager/
leader, Prism® for Gen Y&Z, Prism®
Trainer’s toolkit). Our Coaching focuses
on developing professionals by inte-
grating NLP & EI helping executives &
leadership at all levels.
Our learners are yardsticks for contin-
uous improvement and continue to
capitalise on our inherent warm and
compassionate demeanour, to foster
L&D services for the needs of our clients
with a singular motive of “We Care”
through our innovation & affordable
training & coaching with a simple
belief “Excellence to Eminence” i.e to
be a robust and dynamic people-cen-
tric organisation for individuals and
organisations that inspires excellence
by igniting human potential achieving
eminence.
Over the years we have shaped Prism
Philosophy and our belief in commit-
ment, passion, and determination with
inclusion and empowering women-
hood that has resulted in Case studies
published on me & Prism® Philosophy
on various global platforms. Our other
milestones include:
 Best Executive Coach Award (Silver
winner) by CoachAwards Singapore
2022
 BML Munjal Awards towards our
commitment for attaining Business
Excellence in Learning and Develop-
ment 2022
 Global Femina Entrepreneur Award
by Dr Kalam’s International Foun-
dation 2022 for our mission "LEAP"
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
for serving the community through
our academy by bringing positive
change to achieve societal goals by
making responsible learned GenZ
with our blended learning initiatives
 Female Entrepreneur Achievers
Award by Delhi Management Associ-
ation 2021
My advice to women aiming to become
entrepreneurs would be- Have a
purpose, the right model and adapt
to change. Before that you need to be
confident, fearless, and most impor-
tantly, believe in yourself. You can thrive
only if you are dedicated and challenge
the ordinary to be extraordinary. My
advice to all women is - to be bold as you
are already beautiful, just compete with
yourself, set your own goals, appraise
and not pay much heat to gender diver-
sity. Just focus on chasing your dreams.
So have passion and love for what you
want to do as the sky is the limit.
We at Prism® create
an experience by
empowering women.
Empowering women and contributing
back to society by encouraging and
recognising them, inspiring them,
nurturing them and using potential in
creating eminence by ensuring that
everyone's voice is heard, and opinions
are considered, creating a very close-knit
group of team who treats one another
like family. My mantra is WHEN NO ONE
THINKS U CAN… THEN U HAVE TO. And I
am still marching.
| 21
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 Glorifying
Businesses

With our D2C

platform, we are
directly connected
with a large set of
consumers who keep
us posted on their
changing demands.

GHAZAL
ALAGH
Co-Founder &
Chief Innovation
Officer
Mamaearth
W
ith an intent to make early parenting stress free and change the skincare & beauty landscape of India in this
digital era, a corporate trainer turned artist cum entrepreneur Ghazal Alagh incepted Mamaearth. Started as
India’s first toxin-free baby care brand in 2016, today Mamaearth has reached every house. Ghazal Alagh via
Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd (Mamaearth) is serving the Indian millennials with products and propositions that they
are seeking in the personal care and beauty industry by incessantly innovating.

Alagh completed her schooling in Haryana and later pursued a bachelor’s degree in computer applications from
Punjab University in 2010. She is an art lover, therefore she took a summer intensive course in modern art in
design and applied arts in 2013. Her passion towards art also made her complete an intensive course in figurative
art at the New York Academy of Art in the same year.

24 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 25
 Glorifying
Businesses
Ghazal started her career as a corporate
trainer at NIIT Ltd., Chandigarh in 2008
for almost 2.5 years. At NIIT, she trained
managers and engineers from various
IT companies in SQL, J2ME, and Oracle.
She also started a website to help people
provide a customized diet plan, based on
user’s age, weight, lifestyle, and blood
group.
She married Varun Alagh in 2011 and
gave birth to a baby boy, Agastya in
2014 who had eczema, a condition that
causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin. “Just
like every other parent in the world, we
wanted the best for our cute bambino.
So, Varun and I wore our spyglasses &
did all the possible research available.
But we were shocked to see how most
baby products, be it lotion or shampoo
contained toxins which have proven to
be dangerous to the little ones,” Ghazal
recalls.
The couple’s hunt to find chemical-free
products for their child led to the incep-
tion of Mamaearth, a toxin-free solution
for other babies like Agastya.
Mamaearth products are made using
the best available ingredients (natural,
plant-based or manmade) which are
both certified, safe as well as effective.
The products are bought from the best
sources around the world which are ISO,
GMP & Non-GMO compliant.
26 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Ghazal currently serves as the Chief
Innovation Officer of the company and
is responsible for product development
and community management.
Let’s hear what Ghazal has to say about
her journey and the D2C skincare
market in India.
SINCE YOU ENTERED THE
BUSINESS, HOW HAS THE
SKINCARE AND BEAUTY
MARKET CHANGED? WHAT
CHANGES HAVE YOU
NOTICED THROUGHOUT
YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL
JOURNEY?
The Indian consumer is evolving and we
are moving from a family consumption
pattern to an individual consumption
pattern. With an increase in disposable
income, it is leading to a significant
expansion of personal care. As one of
the biggest drivers has been women
joining the workforce, which is bringing
in increased disposable income per
household, this has a very strong
impact on the Beauty and Personal Care
category.
I was an entrepreneur before
Mamaearth too but what I have noticed
throughout my journey is more and
more women are embarking upon
their entrepreneurial journey, and the
ecosystem is also becoming more recep-
tive to women entrepreneurs. The future
looks promising for women entrepre-
neurs in India.
WHAT IS YOUR LEADER-
SHIP PHILOSOPHY? WHAT
FACTORS DO YOU KEEP IN
MIND WHILE TAKING BUSI-
NESS DECISIONS?
I strongly believe that to get the best out
of people, you need to empower them
and entrust them with responsibility
and ownership of assignments. I have
seen that when people feel ownership
of projects, they tend to perform better
and display stretch in their capabilities.
While taking business decisions, I always
take a step back to disconnect from
the situation to have a more objective
approach towards the situation.
SHED LIGHT ON THE CLIEN-
TELE OF YOUR COMPANY.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE
A SUCCESSFUL CLIENT
RELATIONSHIP?
Everyone with access to the internet is
our consumer across India and Bharat.
Being a digital-first brand, we are
directly connected with our consumers
through our platform, and we speak to
them continuously to understand their
requirements and seek feedback on
products. This helps us innovate with
consumer inputs and upgrade products.
THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY IS
FAST PACING. HOW DO YOU
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST
TRENDS TO CATER TO THE
CONSUMER’S DEMANDS?
The Indian beauty and personal care
market is at USD 15Bn and is growing at
10%. The figures are expected to double
by 2030 with cosmetics and skin care
driving this growth. Hence, the future of
this market looks promising.
We have a very scientific way of
launching products. We listen to our
People are also understanding that  CNBC TV 18 Young Turks Awards
consumers. With our D2C platform, we
talent-focused leader selection is the
are directly connected with a large set  Nielsen BASES Brands for Innovation
best approach for helping more women 2021
of consumers who keep us posted on
take leadership roles.
their changing demands and we create
products that cater to those demands. WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE
MENTION THE AWARDS AND BE FOR WOMEN WHO ALSO
That’s how we serve our consumers with
MILESTONES RECEIVED BY WANT TO BECOME AN ENTRE-
top-notch products. YOU AND YOUR COMPANY SO PRENEUR? SHARE YOUR
FAR. FAVOURITE QUOTE THAT
DO YOU THINK THE INCLU- Some of the awards that I have won are: KEEPS YOU INSPIRED.
SION OF WOMEN IN LEAD- Women need to support each other,
 ET 40 under 40
ERSHIP POSITIONS IS THE that is how we, as a gender, will grow.
 BW 40 under 40 Women, today, are capable of doing
RESULT OF A CHANGED
MINDSET IN THE BUSINESS  Fortune Impactful Women of the any job, and even better than men. It's
WORLD? Year all about giving them an opportunity to
prove themselves.
It's not just that, people are evolving  Women Entrepreneur of the Year by
to understand that entrepreneurship Entrepreneur India
One thing I would like to tell everyone
is about talent and not gender, so I  GQ- Young Influential Indians
is that if you are passionate about it, go
think that’s really transforming the face for it. Don’t get bogged down by what
of this sector. The future is extremely Some prestigious awards that people are saying, if you believe it, go
promising. Mamaearth has been bestowed with are: achieve it.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 27
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 Glorifying
Businesses

True wellness
can come
about through
empowerment
and social
change.

I
t is often said adversities are inevitably carriers of opportunities and Jayasree Madhu, Founder
and Managing Director of AAMODINI INDIA-a social entrepreneurship project of Aamodini Insights
Private Limited, a company registered under MCA has built her entrepreneurial spirit along the
above lines.

JAYASREE Jayasree Madhu kick started her professional journey in 2006 and went on carving a niche for herself
in the medical device industry till 2018. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug in 2019, Jayasree laid the
MADHU foundation of her venture ‘AAMODINI ‘in the realm of Ayurveda cosmetics. Born and brought up
FOUNDER & MD, in the Indian state Kerala, Ayurveda has been an integral aspect of her formative years. Fuelled by
the conviction in the healing power of Ayurveda, Jayasree embarked on the journey of promoting
AAMODINI INDIA Ayurveda cosmetics in modern form with medical approval. In short span of time, the product saw a
surge in demand and the brand was entered in Mexico, Canada and USA along with India.

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 Glorifying
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Just when the brand was getting
momentum, the outbreak of Covid in
2020 wreaked havoc on the proprietary’s
trajectory as supply chain disruption
impacted the cosmetic industry as a
whole and Aamodini in particular had
to shut shop. The adversities of closing
down a venture within one year of
operations were colossal on a financial
and operational level resulting in acute
financial distress. However, it was the
adversities faced through the downfall of
Aamodini that presented opportunities
and led to the idea of setting up
‘AAMODINI INDIA’ under the company
Aamodini Insights Private Limited in
2021.
Amid Covid lockdown Jayasree spent
a few months in her village and had
a chance encounter with woman
struggling to sell homegrown fresh
gambooche. Proficient in handling digital
platforms, Jayasree listed gambooche
(Kerala Kudampuli) on a leading E-com-
merce website and successfully sold
18 Kgs of gambooche in less than 2
days. This incident along with many
other instances of successfully selling
local organic produce through online
platforms in record periods of time set
the ball rolling for Jayasree as she saw
the immense potential within Indian
villages to offer unadulterated produce
to a global audience through digital
platforms.
Building further on this thought and
driven by the intention of bringing
rural women the benefits of financial
inclusion, intelligence, independence &
literacy, the seed of thought for
‘AAMODINI INDIA’ was sown. To be
true to the vision of blending quality
32 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
unadulterated products from the rural
villages to the mainstream market,
Jayasree embraced a leadership philos-
ophy that reaches out to the rural popu-
lation in a language they understand
and chose to place their trust in it. The
ethos of ‘AAMODINI INDIA’ is to create
a space where rural women can build
their entrepreneurial spirit leveraging
the natural resources that are at their
disposal at competitive prices- elimi-
nating the struggles of middleman costs.
In case you didn’t know, ‘Aamodini’ is
the Sanskrit term for a happy woman
and in the post pandemic landscape it is
imperative that a financially intelligent
happy woman is the core of every family
unit to drive the economic growth of our
country’s rural economy. Due to lack of
higher education and oppressive social
systems, women get the raw end of the
deal. Jayasree is on a journey to lead
clusters of rural women towards building
their own financial ecosystem which will
empower them to be self-sufficient.
AAMODINI INDIA
We live in times of rapid digitalization
and while the urban economy has fully
embraced digital platforms, there is
a sense of reticence within the rural
population to adopt digital payments,
digital business models and digital
transactions. Aamodini India came into
being to be the wind beneath the wings
of rural India. The company Aamodini
Insights private Limited officially regis-
tered under MCA offers unadulterated
products that have undergone rigorous
checks to meet approved standards
under one brand “Aamodini India” on
one E-commerce platform. The strategy
of assembling every category of product
under one canopy is possible through
the successful formation of clusters,
comprising teams of women who lead
focus groups that handle product
management with an effective and
quality centric approach. Value added
product garners demand in the market.
A raw product gains value only when
it undergoes processes including new
licenses, financial involvement, branding
etc. backed by a marketing strategy.
Aamodini offers the rural population,
support in not only selling the raw
product but also developing diverse set
of products from it as their individual
venture gains momentum.
Any and every person in the rural set up
who wants to start out on their own can
reach out to an Aamodini India Cluster
unit to assess whether their products
meet the established quality standards
and can find their foothold on Aamodini
India’s digital platform. Designed in a
way to cater to an individual’s entrepre-
neurial spirit, Aamodini India Clusters
pave the way for internal B2B transac-
tions. Any person who nurtures aspira-
tions to be “Their own boss”and builds
a product of value using the everyday
natural resources that our country
is abundantly blessed with, will find
meaning in joining Aamodini India and
contributing to the bigger picture, that is
central to the purpose of Aamodini India.
Aamodini India’s USP is the foundation
on which the business has been built
aiming to serve the rural population,
empower rural women, nurture their
entrepreneurial spirit and educate them
in areas of financial intelligence.
What sets Aamodini India apart from
other e-commerce counterparts?
Typically e-commerce platforms pose
problems for the end customers as
quality issues are often unattended,
complex return policies create hassles
and unclear information regarding the
authentic source of the products leaves
customers wanting to know more. From
a seller’s perspective, key challenges
posing roadblocks for the population are
complex seller registration processes,
branding their products, lack of market
knowledge on areas of licensing,
designing, packing etc. and managing
accessibility to the village products.
All of the above pain points are
addressed by Aamodini India project as
the platform proudly exhibits the source
and manufacturer of the product and
the authenticity of the produce while
promising top-notch quality with each
product offered. Every element of the
Aamodini India journey reinforces the
brand’s commitment to its mission. From
its inception till the last mile delivery,
Aamodini India fulfills its mission to tap
in to the potential of the rural population
and their produce and handhold their
journey as they transition to be part of
the mainstream digital ecosystem. At the
heart of Aamodini India’s key offering
are a quality product and the oppor-
tunity to make rural women from our
country- more empowered, more finan-
cially educated, more entrepreneurial
and eventually independent.
THE AWARDS AND
ACCOLADES
Since the brand’s inception in 2021,
Team Aamodini has been successful in
being in the spotlight for all the right
reasons among the MSME sector in
India. In her capacity as Founder and
Managing Director of Aamodini India,
Jayasree was invited for a conference
with Honorable Prime Minister Mr.
Narendra Modi by the Udyami Bharat
program. This opportunity served well
in aligning her entrepreneurial vision to
the vision that the Country’s leadership
has for its burgeoning MSME sector.
Within two years of coming into being,
the Laghu Udyog Bharati turned the
spotlight on the Aamodini India project
and presented it at the MSME national
conference held in New Delhi. Each time
the visionary leadership of India and the
government authorities provide budding
entrepreneurs a platform to showcase
the intention behind entrepreneurial
venture and encourage the part played
in driving the ‘Make in India’ vision
forward, it is a reassurance, as a first
time entrepreneur.
AAMODINI INDIA’S ‘BRING
THE CUP HOME’ CAMPAIGN
Aiming to uplift women in every space
of their life, Aamodini India breathed life
into the ‘Bring the cup home campaign’-
a genuine attempt aimed at delivering
medical grade menstrual cups to
women from every strata of society. This
campaign was inaugurated by Ex. Rajya
Sabha MP and actor par excellence Shri
Suresh Gopi. Aligned to his philanthropic
ideals the first homes where Aamodini
India branded menstrual cups reached
were the tribal villages of Edamalak-
kudy –in a bid to make the menstruating
journey cost effective, hygienic and
sustainable for women who face diverse
struggles in their everyday mundane life.
NURTURING THE VISION –OF
WOMEN, BY WOMEN AND FOR
WOMEN
In her personal life, Jayasree is a single
woman who chose to take the road less
travelled to live an unapologetic life that
allows her to nurture her dreams, realize
her vision and build a brand that at its
very is –for women, by women and of
women.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
The famous quote by Abraham Lincoln,
“In the end it’s not the years in your life
that count but the life in your years”
resonates deeply with the life ethos
that Jayasree embraces. From being
a successful professional in the field
of medical devices with a cushy job to
embarking on a challenging journey to
become a startup entrepreneur, Jayasree
navigated through the challenges that
came her way because she truly believes
“making the life in your years count” is
what will eventually matter at the end
of the road in this lifetime. Committed
to creating a strong sense of unifying
sisterhood among the rural population,
Jayasree believes the opportunities
provided through the right channels give
rural India a facelift it has never seen
before.
Women are born with the innate skill
of multiplying whatever is handed to
them. Through Aamodini India, Jayasree
is confident, rural women in India will
be handed an opportunity to come in
to their own, deliver value through their
unique skillsets and learn essential
life skills that will make them finan-
cially intelligent and aware. There is no
escaping from the fact that if India’s
growth story must transcend to the next
level, the 64.6% people living in rural
villages must be initiated in to main
stream financial ecosystem. Most of all,
it is the rural women population that has
dealt with oppressive social norms for
years at the end and there is a compel-
ling need to change the course of the
story. While Jayasree’s vision alone will
not be enough to transform the lives of
rural women in India, Aamodini India led
by Jayasree Madhu is definitely a step in
the right direction to help rural women
rewrite a new chapter in their life story.
| 33
 Glorifying
Businesses

An We, at Globus Infocom

Limited, truly believe that

EdTech
education is the basic right
of every child & technology
has the power to transform
the educational
scenario to make it
accessible for everyone.
KIRANDEEP
DHAM

Pioneer
CEO
GLOBUS INFOCOM
LIMITED

Shaping The Future Of India

P
assion is energy. An energy that comes from inside you and gives you a purpose
to live your dream. That is why it is said that you should follow your passion to
live your dream life. Kirandeep Dham, a passion-driven women entrepreneur is
one such example who is following her passion to bring a change in society. As a
woman entrepreneur, Kirandeep’s passion and confidence is her ultimate weapon
to conquer the world.

34 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 35
 Glorifying
Businesses
Kirandeep is the CEO of Globus Infocom
Limited. She Co-Founded the company
with her husband, Ashish Dham in 2001.
During her entrepreneurial journey,
Kirandeep came across many voices that
didn't accept strong women in entrepre-
neurial positions but that couldn't stop
her from achieving her dream. Ignoring
all those voices, Kirandeep Dham estab-
lished her name as a powerful entre-
preneur and a leader. “I trusted myself
and my passion to make the change and
everything else followed,” says Kiran-
deep Dham.
HER JOURNEY TO SUCCESS
With the firm belief that education has
the power to change the world for a
better tomorrow, the entrepreneurial
journey of Kirandeep began in 2001
with Globus Infocom. She has been
leading the company since 2001 with
her passion-driven approach. Kirandeep
iterates, “I truly believe that education
is the basic right of every child & tech-
nology has the power to transform the
education scenario by facilitating the
accessibility of education to each & every
part of the country.”
Being an educational professional
herself, Kirandeep brings deep insights
and expertise in the educational back-
ground to the company and guides the
highly qualified team of Globus Infocom
in the right direction. She has been
spearheading the organisation efficiently
36 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
and carving out the best possible market
strategies to position Globus Infocom
Limited as an industry leader. Currently,
Kirandeep has been handling multiple
departments in the company including
Human Resources, Marketing & Commu-
nication, Service & Support, Training, IT
& Admin.
“At Globus Infocom, our growth is driven
with a vision of harnessing innovation
to empower the power of technology
and make technology further acces-
sible, sustainable and affordable for the
people of India,” asserts the leading lady.
Kirandeep always encourages
an amicable, gender-neutral and
growth-oriented work culture for the
employee because she believes a
company is only successful when its
employees are happy.
LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHIES
Kirandeep’s leadership philosophy is
simple- a clear & open work culture with
transparent communication. Managing
so many diverse teams effectively &
keeping them motivated enough to
reach their maximum potential is not
always easy. Handling all things effi-
ciently, Kirandeep leads Globus Infocom
Limited with a visionary, resilient and
futuristic approach. She adds, “As a
CEO, I always believe in giving ample
growth opportunities and encouraging
Teamwork because a healthy team spirit
can do wonders for any organisation’s
growth.”
Relying on her strong emotional intelli-
gence, Kirandeep faces any kind of work-
place challenge with much efficiency.
She takes all the business decisions with
keeping in mind the vision and objective
of the company. For Globus Infocom,
the objective is to offer innovative and
meaningful solutions to the users.
ABOUT GLOBUS INFOCOM
LIMITED
Incepted in 2001, Globus Infocom
Limited stands tall as an industry leader
for the last 22 years in the education
technology landscape. The thought
behind the inception of Globus Infocom
was to launch a platform that acts as a
single-point solution provider for the
advanced Education Technology needs
for Tier 2, Tier 3 and the rural parts of
India where good quality education is
still a distant dream.
Education is the basic right of every child
and to ensure that every child has this
basic right, Globus Infocom is providing
the best in class education technology
solutions that are cost-effective, compre-
hensive and advanced. “We design and
develop solutions which help in creating
an engaging, effective & holistic learning
environment for the learners & the
teachers,” mentions Kirandeep.
Being the first Make-in-India OEM,
Globus Infocom also aims towards
providing all the requirements of an
advanced ICT-enabled learning envi-
ronment together under one umbrella
that saves its customers from the hassle
of procuring different products from
different vendors.
The firm has the reputation of being a
leading comprehensive solution provider
that offers cost-efficient, sustainable as
well as scalable solutions in the different
verticals of Education Technology,
Collaborative Conferencing & Profes-
sional Displays, Security & Surveillance
and Institutional Furniture.
CHANGING EDUCATIONAL
LANDSCAPE
As a strong edtech brand, Globus
Infocom Limited bridges the digital
divide between the urban and rural
sectors by upscaling the learners and
teachers through state-of-the-art
solutions and continuous training.
Harnessing the power of technology,
the firm has tapped into its potential
to build better futures, meaningful
businesses and enriching experiences
for learners. With the zeal to build
something significant, yet scalable and
cost-effective, Globus Infocom has devel-
oped a plethora of offerings like Digital
Language Lab (English, Hindi, Sanskrit,
French, Spanish and Konkani) which
enable the children to enhance their
communication and linguistic skills.
The tech-based classroom with digital
boards along with the k-12 content
of the company enriches the learning
environment of the students. Using the
edtech solutions of Globus Infocom,
teachers can teach in both online and
offline modes through virtual classroom
solutions. The edtech solutions of the
company also help teachers in moni-
toring learning outcomes with multiple
advanced features.
In addition to this, the company has a
wide range of Professional Displays,
Indoor & Outdoor LED Walls, Smart
Security & Surveillance Solutions, and
Video Conferencing Solutions to connect
& communicate from anywhere.
THE REPUTED CLIENTELE
In the stellar journey of 22 years, Globus
Infocom Limited has been fortunate
enough to earn the trust of 30,000+
clients and that too with 100% satisfac-
tion. Treating every client as a member
of the Globus Infocom family, the
company provides world-class services.
Kirandeep says, “We do not lure our
clients with false promises. We believe in
transparency in Policies and delivering
top-notch services & products.”
The long list of the company’s clien-
tele includes reputed names such as
Kendriya Vidyalayas Pan India, GB Pant
University Pantnagar, Schools under the
Directorate of Elementary & Secondary
Education, Directorate of Higher Educa-
tion Goa, Multiple Government Primary
Schools of Gujarat, Chief Education
Department, Bhimtal, Kashi Vidyapeeth
University Varanasi, Government Degree
Colleges across Jammu & Kashmir and
many more.
JEWELS TO THE CROWNS
For its significant contribution to the
educational field, Globus Infocom adds
much recognition to its name. The
notable ones are:
 Best Education Service Initiative
in 5th BW Digital India Summit &
Awards 2019
 Best Education Technology Solu-
tion Provider in North India in 14th
Rashtriya Shiksha Gaurav Puraskar
Ceremony 2021
 Emerging Technology Solution in
11th Indian Education Awards 2021
 Best Classroom Tech Solution Of
The Year Award by Entrepreneur
India 2022
 Awarded for excellent work to
promote digital learning for excel-
lence in promoting digital learning
2022
For being a powerful women entrepre-
neur and an excellent leader, Kirandeep
Dham is recognised with:
 Women Leadership Award-Excel-
lence in Education Technology- 6th
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Future Women Leader Digital
Summit & Awards 2021
 The Women Achiever Award- 2nd
Global Education & Skill Conclave
 Graced the cover page of women
Entrepreneur India magazine
leading the women in technology-
women Entrepreneur India maga-
zine 2022
 Education & Edtech Woman Entre-
preneur of The Year- Business World
women entrepreneur awards 2022
 “Leaders of Tomorrow” award at
“Uttar Pradesh Leadership Awards
2022” - World HRD Congress
KIRANDEEP’S INSPIRING
WORDS FOR BUDDING
ENTREPRENEURS
Be persistent towards your goal and be
ready to face the challenges in your way.
Take your road bumps as your learning
lesson and use that learning in growing
yourself.
Kirandeep adds, “The positive outlook
and courage have only brought me
where I am today. I had trust in my
dreams and my abilities and I followed
what I loved doing. I would suggest the
same to budding women entrepreneurs
or to those who want to become ones
that do believe in themselves and their
dreams and work relentlessly towards
achieving them.”
| 37
 A
ge is no bar for people who want to
win the world. Bhagwani Devi is a true
embodiment of this statement. 95 years
old, Bhagwani Devi is making history
in the world by winning a total of three
medals at the World Master Athletics
Championship in Finland for India. She
won a Gold Medal for completing the 100m sprint in just 24.74
seconds. In addition to this, she also won two Bronze medals,
one in Shot Put and the other in discus throw. Till date, Bhag-
wani Devi has won a total of 15 medals including National and
International ones. At the age of 95, people usually stay in bed
or in their rooms, Bhagwani Devi is out there winning Gold
Medals for India. People also fondly call Bhagwani Devi; Dadi Ji.
Her grandson, Vikas Dagar has an important role to play in
her athletic journey. Vikas coaches Bhagwani Devi for all her
upcoming events. Due to the higher chances of age-related
injuries, she refrains from heavy exercise and gym training. To
keep herself fit, the athlete performs warm-up sessions and
light exercises.
Bhagwani started her athletic journey by playing Shot Put. She
started Shot Put with little interest but then eventually her
interest ignited and that was her turning point in life. Be it a
child, youth or old age person, Bhagwani Devi is an inspiration
for everyone.
EVEN AT THIS AGE, HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR-
SELF SO FIT?
I don’t like sitting at home. I keep myself active by walking
in my house or park or playing with children. These simple
activities keep me active throughout the day. Every day in the
morning, I walk around 2 km and this is a part of my training
sessions for my competitions.
38 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
When it comes to morning walks or warm-up sessions, I don’t
ever feel lazy. And I want to convey this message to today’s
generation also, “don’t sit idle, be active, participate in sports
actively”. Engage yourself in some sort of exercise that helps
you stay fit now and also in your old age.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WON THE
GOLD MEDAL FOR THE COUNTRY?
It feels so good when you win something for your country.
That feeling cannot be described but can only be felt. I started
my athletic journey at the beginning of 2022. And in just 6
months, I won many national and international awards and
medals, so yes, it feels really good.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT TO GIVE
TO THOSE KIDS WHO INSTEAD OF PLAYING
OUTSIDE, PLAY ON MOBILE PHONES?
To those kids, I want to say that go outside and play instead
of just using mobiles. India is doing really great in sports
nowadays. Many young people are trying really hard to glorify
India’s name in the entire world. Everyone should make an
effort and play for India.
Those who find exercise difficult can start doing light exercises
like walking, running or yoga. And then slowly and steadily
increase the intensity of the exercise.
WHAT COMPETITIONS ARE YOU PLANNING
TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FUTURE?
Yes, I will definitely participate in more competitions in the
future. I am taking part in the upcoming championship that
will be held in Poland. In this competition, I will give my name
for Running, Shot Put, and Discus Throw. I will give my 100% to
win a medal again for India and make my country proud.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 39
40 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 41
 Glorifying
Businesses

While the art itself

has no boundaries,
at Wagma, its
creation can certainly
benefit from an
approach that’s scientific
and intuitive at once.

Manjari Sharma
Founder & Principal
Architect,
WAGMA DESIGNS

I
t’s a straight-off 'Yes' if we say overnight success is very rare in the
design world. The beautifully crafted illustrations, clean lines, and
walls with eclectic designs don't actually portray the real struggle
behind the scene. The passion for creativity helps you to keep
moving forward even if you have road bumps along the way. The
story of Manjari Sharma, an internationally acclaimed interior archi-
tect, is not an ordinary one. It is the story of a woman who doesn't
sell designs, but feelings; a woman who seeks to uncover the personification
and soul of any ordinary space.

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 Glorifying
Businesses
Other than being a revolutionary woman
entrepreneur, Manjari is a joyful person
who loves creating joyful and happy
spaces. In 2004 when the mere thought
of establishing a firm could give goose-
bumps to any, Manjari laid the establish-
ment of Wagma Designs which under
her stewardship has evolved into an
epicentre of design excellence.
Her calling fuels her fire to transform
how people think and live design. It
helps her convert spark-of-the-moment
ideas into timeless classics. Successfully
running Wagma Designs for over the
last 20 years, Manjari is leaving a mark
on the industry. Her experience across
genres and categories, from mini to
mammoth, has stood the test of time.
She is adept at orchestrating diverse
teams and talents and managing up
to 35 projects at once. A maestro in
juggling creativity with economics and
human values, Manjari’s design ideas
can leave you awestruck.
A ROADMAP TO CREATING A
JOYFUL SPACE
Wagma designs luxury spaces that are
timeless and yet transcend the gap
between modern and traditional Indian
design. It is also proficient in making
awe-inspiring bespoke high-end luxury,
modern, contemporary, colonial and
ethnic interior designs.
Manjari’s colossal experience in the inte-
rior design industry and distinguished
approach make Wagma Designs one of
the best Luxury Interior Design Firms in
India.
44 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
“From the stage of conceptualisation to
actualisation, we follow a well-defined
process that makes us ‘us’,” asserts
Manjari.
 SITTING OVER A CUP OF COFFEE
First and foremost, Team Wagma tries to
get under the skin of the client’s require-
ments. Idea-showers, sample-sharing,
3D simulations and strong coffee are
standard features in this phase, which
ends with a crystal clear visualisation of
the deliverables, detailed timelines and
an inch-perfect budget.
 THE DESIGN EVOLUTION
The team gets busy developing the
spatial strategy, colour palettes, furni-
ture plans, and interior elements like
paint, flooring, wall covering, ceiling
and window treatments, cabinetry and
countertops. After the client’s review,
the team sends orders for furnishings,
fixtures and equipment.
 NOW COMES THE DETAILING
Now that the design has been finalised,
Team Wagma provides its client either
with an in-house construction team to
carry out the construction job, or actively
gives assistance in evaluating the bids
received from the client’s contractors to
ensure that the clients get accurate and
fair deals.
 IT’S CONSTRUCTION TIME
Finally, the construction starts. During
this phase, the team stops by the job site
to oversee the work in action, monitor
schedules, sync timelines and even meet
the client for any queries.
 ALL’S FAB THAT ENDS FAB
In this phase, the ordinary place trans-
forms into a joyful living space. Before
handing it over to the client, the team
does a final walk-through together, going
over every little (and big) detail including
the care and maintenance.
“We always part with mixed feelings. A
certain pain of separation of a creation
that’s close to our heart; A certain elation
that we have kick-started yet another
cherished relationship,” says Manjari while
recounting every client relationship she has
been nurturing since 2004.
CONVERTING DREAMS INTO
REALITY
This phrase sounds quite fascinating
but in actuality, it takes sleepless nights
to turn the space of imagination into a
reality. Wagma Designs by Manjari is a
one-stop destination for creating and
delivering exquisite & impressive home
and office interiors.
“High-quality service, state-of-the-art 3D
visualisation, and competitive pricing
attract the customers towards Wagma
Designs. We deliver what we promise
and I think that’s what keeps us ahead
of others in the interior design industry,”
says Manjari quite confidently.
Under the leadership of Manjari, the
company also offers bespoke furniture,
elevation design, turnkey execution, and
decor services.
Wagma Designs is a team of proficient
interior designers and skilled hands,
mastered in bringing the best interior
design solutions that transform creativity
into a captivating reality.
A TEAM THAT TRIUMPHS
Manjari’s eyes sparkle while she says,
“Oh! I have a wonderful team and I
am so proud to have them by my side
always. They are a true blend of what’s
requisite in any interior design business -
creativity, innovation, and flexibility.”
Each team member at Wagma Designs is
conversant with their domains. Collec-
Award, National Property Award and  MSME – Remarkable Women’s
tively, they work towards the common
Global Excellence Award, to name a few. Enclave, 2021
goal of providing each client with the
best returns on every investment and  NDTV Design And Architect Of The
Her dedication towards building Wagma
building loyalty across every touchpoint. Year, 2014, Autodesk
Designs reflects quite well when one
sees the accolades that the company has  Global Business & Leadership
Manjari also recounts the days when her to its name. Awards, 2015, Prime Time
life turned upside down while struggling
with breast cancer but her team handled
 Interior Design, Creative Minds Next Interior design is the alchemy of
Wagma Designs and all its projects with By Foaid, 2021 aesthetics, lateral thinking, and science.
indubitable intellect and precision. “I do not want to limit the idea of crea-
 Most Prominent Interior Design
Firm, 2021, Architecture & Inte- tivity within myself. Instead, I want this
THE UNCOUNTABLE rior Design Excellence Awards & to be fanned out in the industry so that
APPLAUSES Conference it can inspire and motivate others to
Ever since Manjari stepped into the explore this field,” says Manjari.
 Best Home Interior Designer Guru-
industry, she promised herself better
gram, 2018, Global Excellence Award
and never looked back. She is living with “No one goes on, but what we leave behind
an absolute vision of creating differences  National Property Award 2018 keeps us alive for someone else.” Manjari
in life and the lifestyles of hundreds of – 2019
is a design maestro, working day and
families. She is the recipient of many  Agent Of Change, 2017, Skc night to spread the magic of creativity
prestigious awards like the NDTV Grohe Consulting and design all over the industry.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 45
 Glorifying
Businesses

We, at AIMC, empower

people to feel better, do
better and become better by
helping them identify their
blindspots, build on their
strengths, unlearn old &
negative patterns, learn new
skills, connect with others
and connect with self.

SAMIRA GUPTA
Founder,
Executive Presence Coach (MGSCC),
Life Coach (PCC-ICF),
Chief Image Consultant & Facilitator,
Auraa Image Management & Consulting
E
xecutive Presence’, A term often enveloped in mystique, that may sound elusive to
some, whispered as if it’s something magical, holds profuse gravity in the corporate
world. It is a skill which can be learnt and developed. It is the ability to exude grav-
itas. The concept indeed sounds great but some people struggle to understand its
significance. India’s leading Executive Presence Coach, Samira Gupta steps in with her
experience to empower individuals with Executive Presence Coaching and Facilitation
and deliver tangible results through her dynamic approach.

46 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 47
 Glorifying
Businesses
Samira is an alumnus of the Indian Insti-
tute of Management, Kozhikode where
she studied Business Administration and
Management. She is an Internationally
Certified Life & Executive Coach: PCC
(ICF), Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder
Centered Executive Coach, Global Lead-
ership Assessment (GLA-360), Advanced-
Level MBTI, Image Consulting (IMPA
– National Award Winner), NLP (Neuro
Linguistic Programming), Advanced -
Level Hypnotherapy, Rapid Transforma-
tion Therapy, Life Coaching (Including
Spiritual-Emotional Wellness), Franklin
Covey – 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People.
Samira is also a Licensed Fire-Walking,
Glass-Walking, Arrow-Snapping
Instructor from Ireland, these are great
team-building activities as well as they
work on self-confidence at the deep
sub-conscious level helping the partic-
ipants break their limiting beliefs and
barriers.
Successfully juggling different balls at
once, Ms Gupta is an expert Executive
Presence Coach, Life Coach, Image
Consultant, NLP Practitioner, Hypnother-
apist & a Firewalking Instructor.
A DESIRE TO EMPOWER
PEOPLE
“Having spent more than two decades
in the corporate world, I started ques-
tioning what was next for me in career
and in life? What am I going to leave
behind? What is my purpose? What is
my passion? What makes me happy?
The usual question, we all ask at some
point of time in our lives,” wondered
Samira. This introspection made her
enrol in Image Consulting Program (ICP).
With Samira’s passion for learning and
growing, she continued her journey of
personal development and over the
years studied and learnt to become
a coach, consultant and a facilitator.
Completing almost a decade of trans-
forming lives, she has coached and
trained several individuals to create and
achieve success.
In a move that would mark a significant
departure from the Corporate World,
Samira recognized her impact and
incepted Auraa Image Management and
Consulting in 2014.
Another prominent reason that made
her foray into the entrepreneurial
journey was her being an Indian Air
Force kid. Samira knew the importance
of discipline, value addition, service and
contribution. She made it her mission
to help people through her knowledge,
skills, expertise which she had gained
48 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
over all these years and combined it with
her actions.
Since AIMC’s inception, Samira has
coached over 500 individuals as well as
trained over 2,50,000 mid & senior level
business professionals in industries such
as manufacturing, fast-moving consumer
goods, medicine, information tech-
nology, technology-enabled services, real
estate, hospitality, banking, insurance,
consulting firms, advertising, education,
legal, and airline. Additionally, she has
coached and consulted politicians and
government of India officials. Samira has
significant experience working in multi-
cultural organizations with a diverse
range of executives.
Samira builds an open, encouraging
and honest learning environment,
providing professionals with realistic
perceptions about skills and behaviors
that deepen their understanding of self
and others. Based on personal observa-
tions, 360˚ feedback interviews, targeted
surveys and self- assessment instru-
ments, Samira designs her one on one
coaching, group coaching and training
engagements customized to the needs
of each client.
EXECUTIVE PRESENCE
MATTERS!
As corporate professionals, organiza-
tional leaders, entrepreneurs, business
owners or independent consultants, we
all work in dynamic and fast-paced envi-
ronments. Amidst high stakes, significant
deals and decision-making, we often
forget to ‘lead’.
Executive presence is that key that helps
you to CONNECT, ENGAGE & INSPIRE. It
is your ability to make others feel heard,
valued and important in your presence.
Your presence is a reflection of your
grace, power, warmth, authenticity,
communication, visual self-presentation
and overall conduct.
It is an ability to demonstrate the quin-
tessential leadership presence – driving
teams to success, influencing internal
and external stakeholders, main-
taining grace under difficult situations,
commanding the boardroom or inspiring
others to do their best.
Executive Presence coaching and facil-
itation has helped many leaders with
effective communication, influencing
skills, public speaking, strategic planning,
leadership skills, powerful appearance
and body language, emotional maturity
& empathy, gravitas, decision-making
ability, and more.
GOT EXECUTIVE PRESENCE?
Samira quotes the words of Sylvia Ann
Hewlett to help people comprehend the
meaning of Executive Presence. Sylvia
writes, “How you act (gravitas), how
you speak (communication), and how
you look (appearance) count for a lot in
determining your leadership presence.”
Whether one wants to emerge as a
strong and powerful corporate profes-
sional or aspires to become an inspira-
tional leader, executive presence is of
utmost value. It not only fills your lungs
with courage but also prepares you to
stand up and speak up.
In Samira’s words, “Executive presence
is a perfect blend of confidence, clarity,
credibility, competence, communica-
tion and gravitas. These attributes help
executives to inspire trust and influence
among their employees.”
Coaching and training can have a signifi-
cant impact on the way your presence is
perceived, the impressions you create on
others and in the process to become a
better leader. Her coaching and training
engagements focus on enhancing
self-awareness, reflection and introspec-
tion that has the power to bring a funda-
mental transformation. This journey can
help you and your leaders:
 Build Power to make a distinct mark
in a highly competitive & ever-evolv-
ing business environment
 Build Poise to Connect, Inspire and
Influence stakeholders in all profes-
sional settings
 Enhance Emotional Maturity,
Grace and Tough Decision Making to
become a leader of substance
 Build Charisma to lead, give direc-
tion and transform the team with
Gravitas
EXECUTIVE PRESENCE IS
VITAL TO CREATE SUCCESS…
Offering elite training, consultancy, and
coaching services, AIMC stands tall in
the Corporate Training industry as a
premium company catering to niche
areas and co-creating success with indi-
viduals and corporate clients.
AIMC provides intricate corporate solu-
tions – Image and impression manage-
ment, business dressing, executive
presence, emotional intelligence, body
language, strategic planning, leadership
skills, stress management, work-life
balance, selling skills, self-awareness
and management, conflict management,
interpersonal relations, time manage-
ment, and firewalking.
In addition, the company specialises
in Executive Presence and leadership
coaching for top-level & C-Suite Execu- BUNDLE OF ACCOLADES &  Visiting Faculty – RICS, Amity Univer-
tives, Senior Executives, Entrepreneurs, RECOGNITION sity, Noida
and Business Owners. Catching sight of Samira’s calibre, one
can easily guess that she is a woman of  Visiting Faculty – Image Consulting
influence. Her indefatigable commitment Business Institute (ICBI)
ROLLING WITH THE
PUNCHES towards honing the appearance, behav-
iour, and communication of each indi-  Social Responsibility – Patient
No entrepreneur has ever got success
vidual defies description. Samira is the Support Partner – Fortis & Max
without facing hindrances along the
recipient of many awards and accolades, Hospitals
way. Samira’s journey was no different.
some of the prestigious ones are:
Despite facing myriad challenges, she
didn’t stop and left no stone unturned Samira has written numerous articles
 “Exceptional Woman of Excellence
that came her way. What kept her going for premium Indian publications Like
- 2018” – by Women’s Economic
were her mentor’s words - To succeed TOI, ET, HT, Indian Express, India Today,
Forum (WEF)
in any new venture, you must beat a New Indian Express, Entrepreneur, and
thousand days. Difficult, but she was  “Leadership Award 2017 - Business
Telegraph (UK) to name a few. Besides,
determined to do it. Excellence” – National Award by
she is a published Co-Author of an inter-
Image Management Professionals
national bestselling book “The Successful
Association (IMPA)
Her innermost call motivated her to Mind”, along with other renowned
dedicatedly invest 3 years in building,  “Female Real Estate Professional of
the year - South 2012” – by Realty coaches around the globe.
nourishing, and expanding Auraa Image
Management and Consultancy. Now, it’s Plus Excellence Awards
been almost 9 years and Samira stands She is committed to help more and
with her broad shoulders, making her ASSOCIATIONS: more leaders through her coaching and
company strong inside out, transforming  Chairperson Gurgaon Chapter– All training services, empowering them to
Ladies League
lives and organizations. live and lead better.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 49
 THE 3RD EDITION IS BACK!

CELEBRATING
WOMEN LEADERS
AND ORGANISATIONS WALL OF FAME
WHO ARE
#BEINGPOWHERFUL
IN TODAY’S WORLD.

JOIN THE TRIBE

Share the passion and excitement that comes

from #BeingPowHERful in today’s business world.

#ETBESTORGANISATIONSFORWOMEN

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 Glorifying
Businesses

SM Express is
committed towards one
single goal- ‘You
Promise, We Deliver.’

T
here is no force equal to a woman determined to rise; these words put in a nutshell
the story of Seema Chaudhary, an iron lady leading a progressing logistics business to
sky heights. After the untimely demise of her husband, Mr Shrawan Chaudhary, Mrs
Chaudhary put herself in his shoes and is leading SM Express with the same vision,
enthusiasm, and values as framed by her husband. SEEMA CHAUDHARY
Chairperson & Managing Director,
SM Express

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 Glorifying
Businesses
Mrs Chaudhary, while taking care of SM
Express like her own baby, has developed
fortitude and resilience, coupled with a
willingness to be authentically happy. The
business incepted by Mr Shrawan Chaud-
hary in 1996 is today scaling heights and
the due credit goes to Mrs Seema Chaud-
hary as she never let her emotions over-
power her intelligence. She is holding the
position of Chairperson and Managing
Director of SM since 2019.
Little did she know about business affairs,
when responsibilities fell on her shoul-
ders, she emerged like a superwoman
and managed everything. She devel-
oped an ultra-fine understanding of the
logistics business in a very short span of
time and rose significantly as a proficient
Chairperson and Managing Director who
speaks her mind, drives the business to
make an impact and also understands
the business needs.
ONCE A LEARNER, ALWAYS A
LEARNER
At times when issues like gender
inequality were persisting in the board-
room and the dearth of women in the
corporate world was a grave concern, Mr
Shrawan Chaudhary was teaching Mrs
Seema Chaudhary how to handle busi-
ness meetings, fulfil client’s needs, devise
strategic plans, and many other things
that would make his wife understand
different facets of the business world.
“Shrawan Ji has taught me everything.
He had been very progressive and
supportive. I strongly believe that his
values are keeping us together. We all
are taking SM Express forward following
his principles and values,” asserts Mrs
Seema Chaudhary.
She along with the entire team of
SM Express is able to skillfully frame
strong strategies and sharp-witted busi-
ness decisions which is fuelling the
growth of SM Express and helping it stand
among India’s top 10 logistics companies.
Following the ideologies of Mr Shrawan
Chaudhary that says “My People Are
My Strength And My Possibility”, Mrs
Chaudhary emerges as an ardent leader
liked by all.
54 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
“It’s been almost 26 years and we still
stay true to our company’s tagline “You
Promise, We Deliver”. Believing in the
‘Customer is king’ philosophy, we provide
cost-efficient, reliable and quality
logistical solutions with peace of mind
all around the world,” mentions the CMD.
Along with being the matriarch of the SM
family, Mrs Chaudhary is also a home-
maker and a mother of three children.
She is also an avid reader and listener of
spiritual & religious texts. As a believer
of the mystic poet Saint Kabir Dasji,
she works with keeping the humanity
approach alive. Saint Kabir Das Ji's phil-
osophical tenets have taught her how to
directly communicate with employees
& clients, understand and solve their
issues, and much more to list.
She often quotes one of his famous
sayings, ‘Aisi Vani Boliye, Man Ka Aapa
Khoye Auran Ko Sheetal Kare, Aaphu
Sheetal Hoye’ as this saying has taught her
how to speak with every single person
with patience and wisdom. “This practice
not only keeps me happy but also leaves
all the people surrounding me delightful,”
believes the CMD.
THE LEGACY OF SM EXPRESS
India’s leading logistics company, SM
Express, provides exceptional logistics
services across multimodal operations
in Pan India. It also provides 3PL and 4PL
services and is coming up with E-com-
merce solutions very soon.
The journey of the company started under
the name SM Worldwide with a focus on
the international business vertical. Real-
ising the potential of the B2B segment,
Late Mr Shrawan Chaudhary expanded
the company’s operations covering both
the international and domestic markets.
Growing at a rapid pace, the company
registered itself as SM Express Logistics
Pvt. Ltd. in 2014. Since then, it has been
walking on a growth trajectory catering to
over 3500 customers across the country.
Starting with just one office, today, SM
Express has a network of over 200 fran-
chise businesses.
Serving the entire supply chain of
customers, SM Express offers a unique
mixture that comprises the reliability and
knowledge of large companies and the
friendliness of small businesses. Building
the trust of thousands of customers, the
company uses the power of technology
for an advanced tracking system and
real-time information for providing them
with a hassle-free experience.
“I am proud to mention that SM Express
is equipped with highly qualified profes-
sionals who work dedicatedly with a
motive to excel in the customer's expec-
tations with timely delivery of products
and best-in-class customer service. The
approachable and collaborative manage-
ment is one of the biggest reasons why
customers trust SM Express for their
logistical needs,” explains Mrs Seema
while highlighting the significance of
maintaining client relationships.
THE STAGGERING NUMBERS
 300+ Commercial Vehicles
 26 Years of Brand and Goodwill
 1,00,000 Sq Ft Space
 200 Franchisee
 3500+ Loyal Customers
The skilled team of the company ensures
top-class services with a strong network
of 10,000 locations, 5,000+ PIN codes,
and 700 cities. “At SM Express, we
believe in teamwork and the capabilities
and expertise of our team members.
Together we are walking forward for
collaborative growth for all,” mentions
Mrs Chaudhary.
The Founder believed, “Give to the world
the best you can, and the best will come
back to you automatically”. Aligning with
this thought of the Founder, SM Express
also runs the Shrawan Chaudhary
Foundation, which works for the uplift-
ment of the needy and underprivileged
people.
SERVICES OFFERED BY THE
COMPANY
Be it end-to-end supply chain manage-
ment or a customised logistics solution,
SM Express has the expertise in all. With
its robust infrastructure and advanced
technology, it offers unmatched logistics
solutions with 100% customer satisfac-
tion. The service portfolio of SM Express
includes:
 SM Rapid: A premium product devel-
oped for the safe and swift deliv-
ery of important and day-definite
consignments. SM Rapid comes with
a money-back guarantee to ensure
full customer satisfaction.
 SM Domestic Express: Ensuring
faster delivery compared to the
surface mode. Enabling door-to-door
delivery services within India for bulk
consignments via cargo flights across
various destinations within 24-48
hours.
 SM Rail Express: Facilitating bulk
movement services at cost-effective
rates, SM Rail Express is a cost-effi-
cient and reliable product that deliv-
ers the consignment from one place
to another without any problem.
 SM Ground Cargo: Keeping in mind
the affordability of the product, the
company introduced SM Ground
Cargo with competitive pricing and
superior quality. Without any maxi-
mum weight limit, SM Ground Cargo
delivers in all metro cities of India.
 SM COD & TOPAY: For providing the
utmost convenience to the custom-
ers, the company offers Value Added
Services like Cash on Delivery.
Through COD, the company added
an extra element to its exceptional
services along with prompt delivery,
updation, and proactive response.
 SM International: With a strong
delivery network, the company deliv-
ers in over 220 countries across the
world.
THE CROWNING JEWELS
Standing tall in the industry as an industry
leader for the last 26 years, SM Express
adds many accolades and achievements
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
to its name. Some of the most note-
worthy recognitions are:
 ‘10 Best Logistics Companies In India’
Award by “The Global Hues” in 2022
 ‘The 10 Most Trailblazing Companies
To Watch In – 2022’ Award by “The
Business Fame”, a certified media
firm
 ‘Brand Of The Year – 2021’ Award
in Logistics Category by “The Global
Hues”, a Global Media Organisation
 ‘The Most Preferred Logistics Part-
ner’ Award by HEMTEXTIL INDIA for
the Year 2018
THE WAY AHEAD
Continuing the vision of Shrawan Chaud-
hary, Mrs Seema ensures that SM Express
grows significantly to match the global
service standard by innovating new
products & services, investing in talent
& technology and ethical management
practices.
The company is also on a mission to
create entrepreneurship opportunities
for the business community through its
franchise system. With customer-cen-
tric innovations and strategic expansion
plans, SM Express is moving forward to
position itself as a legacy brand all over
the nation.
Witnessing the double-digit growth of
SM Express, the company will soon make
its place in the Supply Chain industry
too. “We plan to achieve that by creating
entrepreneurship opportunities for
aspiring enthusiastic minds through a
unique Franchise system, diversifying
business, inorganic growth, talent acqui-
sition, continuous training and by the
adoption of the top-notch Industry prac-
tices,” asserts Mrs Chaudhary.
‘BEHIND EVERY EXPERIENCE
IS A LESSON’
Mrs Seema is an optimistic woman. She
believes that every experience, however
bitter, teaches you a lesson. Always keep
learning and moving ahead.
She advises other women entrepreneurs
to take on every project as it can be an
opportunity to learn, to figure out prob-
lems and to invent & reinvent.
| 55
 here is a famous saying that passion
has no age limit. And when it comes
to following your dreams, age is just a
number. You can be in your 30s and
still pursue graduation or you can start
your own business at the age of 40.
You should not allow your age to limit
the opportunities to make your dreams
come true. Bearing testimony to this
statement, Mukta Singh broke all the
stereotypes of the glamour world and
became a model at the age of 58.
Mukta pursued a Master's in English
Literature and is married to a fighter
pilot. The frequent transfers of her
husband and the job of resettling in new
places took precedence over Mukta’s
career. Then she got busy taking care
of her children and ailing mother. Along
with all these, Mukta worked as a free-
lance writer and wrote for magazines
and corporate training programs.
After her mother’s health worsened,
Mukta realised that her visits to salons
and parlours to colour her hair were
taking too much of her time and energy,
so she decided to go natural and grey.
Today, Mukta embraces her grey hair
elegantly and conveys the message that
grey is also beautiful.
After having shared an image of herself
in a designer’s sari, she was approached
by the same designer to model for
him, and thus began Mukta’s journey
in modeling. Her family plays a very
important part in her entire journey by
wholeheartedly supporting her dreams.
“I feel encouraged by my family”,
mentions Mukta Singh.
56 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Mukta never thought of pursuing a
career in modeling. Although, while
growing up she used to admire fashion
models. Mukta says it was her vague
dream to become a model but she never
thought of it as something that she
would ever pursue seriously.
MUKTA’S LOVE FOR ARTS
Besides being a fabulous model, Mukta
is also a brilliant artist. While taking
care of her children and mother, Mukta
felt the need to do something. After
her sister’s suggestions, she resumed
her love for painting and arts. In fact,
Mukta’s Instagram page was originally
created by her daughter to post pictures
of her paintings.
Now, if you look at the Instagram
account of Mukta Singh, you will find
astonishing pictures of Mukta and her
beautiful paintings.
But, unfortunately, Social media is
a place full of all kinds of people.
Therefore, along with lots of positive
comments, she has to deal with negative
comments as well. But ignoring these
comments, Mukta looks at the brighter
side of the picture. She believes that “we
should have so much self-belief and faith
in ourselves that we should not get affected
by negative comments”. Mukta says she
feels proud when a lot of young women
admire her saying “when we look at you we
are not afraid of ageing anymore”.
Today Mukta is an inspiration to millions
of people. She is the true embodiment
of ‘it’s never too late to pursue your
passion’.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 57
 Glorifying
Businesses

Through Mayaa,
we aim to redefine
the word finance for SONALI
both parents and BANSAL
Founder & CEO,
teens by solving their Mayaa Money
problems in unique
ways.

W
Women in finance are breaking the glass ceiling of the
finance industry. Bringing a unique perspective to the table,
women are pushing the barriers and diversifying their
role in the finance sector. Standing among many powerful
women in the finance industry, Sonali Bansal envisions
promoting financial literacy and financial inclusion
in India. She says, “The alarming disparity of financial
knowledge between demographics has spurred me to
pursue a career in this field”.
Around 70% of the Indian population struggles with finan-
cial security, controlling rising expenses, and bad financial
habits. To help people with effective money management
and implementation, Sonali incepted Mayaa Money in
2022.

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 Glorifying
Businesses
The supportive professionals working at
Mayaa Money are committed to making
India financially sound and literate by
using the power of technology.
THE JOURNEY OF
DETERMINATION
“She will rise with a spine of steel and
a roar of thunder”. This line by Nicole
Lyons truly fits the story of Sonali Bansal.
With immense perseverance, grit and
resilience, she is making her unique
identity in the business landscape. The
entrepreneurial blood is in Sonali’s
veins. Coming from a business family
of three generations in the financial
services sector, Sonali grew up listening
to conversations at the dining table that
were always around finances.
With a strong educational foundation
of a major in Economics and a minor
in Mathematics from the prestigious
Wellesley College, US, Sonali paved her
way to professional success. She gained
deep insights into the economic world
while studying at the London School of
Economics.
She gained on-hand experience by
working with Fortune 500 companies
like EY, KPMG and Equirus Capital.
The experience further cemented her
financial expertise and armed her with
the importance of financial literacy. After
returning back to India, she found out
that the disparity in financial knowledge
between demographics had been rising
alarmingly. This spurred Sonali to pursue
a career in this sector.
THE GENESIS OF MAYAA
MONEY
At the young age of 25, Sonali took an
entrepreneurial leap of faith and laid the
foundation of Mayaa Money. Sonali says,
“Despite finances being ingrained within
me, I realised that personal finance in
particular was never at the forefront of
our discussions.”
Shedding the light on some hard-hitting
facts, Sonali mentions, “There are 440
million millennials, out of which, over
60 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
250 million are financially dependent
and lack awareness about investing and
having financial goals, which means that
70% of them are financially illiterate”.
This void offered a huge opportunity
for Mayaa Money to propagate as an
investment platform that would provide
modern solutions for smart savings and
investments.
Once the idea of Mayaa Money was
conceptualised, she realised that having
the idea was the easiest part. The actual
hard work lies in the execution of the
idea. The vast amount of research,
licence approvals and software devel-
opment led to a lot of sleepless nights
for Sonali and her team. “While I might
be the brain behind its inception, equal
amounts of credit goes to my team
who have treated it like their own and
have been instrumental in its growth at
a managerial as well as ground level,”
asserts the Founder.
A SMART SOLUTION FOR
MONEY MANAGEMENT
Mayaa Money is a one-stop money
management platform for smart savings
and investments. It is an interactive plat-
form designed for parents and youth to
become financially aware and indepen-
dent with the help of gamified learning
tools, savings and investment options.
The concept of financial stability is
rooted in effective money management
and implementation. It helps people
in mitigating the risk and be better
prepared for unforeseen circumstances.
The youth having access to financial
apps not only helps them gain disci-
pline when it comes to money but also
introduces them to financial knowl-
edge, which can help them shoulder
financial responsibilities alongside
their parents. Exploring this trend of
the financial app, Mayaa Money was
launched with the aim to make the next
generation financially empowered and
independent. It also makes parents
more conscientious in their planning for
their kid’s future goals and dreams.
The Mayaa Money app has a unified
dashboard for managing family savings
and investments and keeping track of
the progress in an easy, distinguishable
manner. Teenagers are inculcated into
the process through gamified financial
learning, which helps them understand
and incorporate responsible financial
habits.
Mayaa Money also offers a prepaid card
for people of all age groups, the card
enables users to save and spend digi-
tally along with analysing expenses
to get insights into their spending
habits. In addition to this, the company
offers microsavings in digital gold and
silver with fixed deposits and mutual
funds coming very soon.
Sonali asserts, “With respect to
age through digitised pocket money and THE WAY AHEAD
marketing strategies, I am a strong
gamified financial learning solutions. Driven by the fact highlighted in a recent
believer in the fact that your product
study, more than 76% of Indians still do
needs to have the pull instead of it being
“Mayaa is poised to bring about a revolu- not have a basic understanding of the
the other way around.” Understanding
tion in the savings and money manage- financial management domain, Mayaa
the needs and wants of the customers,
ment space by allowing families to take Money envisions empowering Indians to
the expert team at Mayaa Money builds
charge of their financial goals and instil be financially stable, smart and secure.
a customised product that suits them
a sense of financial responsibility within Channelizing the power of technology,
the best. This is also one of the key them,” says the brainchild. the platform is reinventing the way
reasons why customers trust Mayaa for money is perceived and handled in
their financial needs. THE CROWNING today’s digital era.
ACHIEVEMENTS
In April 2022, the company launched the ‘THE GRIT IN THE OYSTER
A SMART WAY TO MANAGE
MVP version of its app with an approach MAKES THE PEARL’
YOUR FINANCES
to understanding user response and Sonali believes “you cannot lose in life;
The platform of Mayaa Money offers a
testing. The app received a phenomenal you either win or learn”. Do not be afraid
smart way to manage finances and make
response from across the country and of failures, make mistakes, but make
intelligent saving choices. Currently, the
the company onboarded more than 20k sure to accumulate the lessons from
user can track expenses, and start saving
users and pulled Rs. 13 crores worth them and move on to the next step. She
& investing in the form of digital gold of transactions within a span of just 6
further adds, “Confidence and passion
and silver through the Mayaa app. More months. are the two things that you should
interactive options like fixed deposits & always have by your side. There will be
mutual funds shall be added to the list For a stellar entrepreneurial journey and many hurdles, but you have to believe in
very soon. great leadership stint, Sonali was also yourself and strive towards excellence”.
featured in the “Women Entrepreneur
It enables the youth to become finan- Magazine” India as one of the Top Chief Do not let anything stop you from
cially independent and smart at a young Business Officers. achieving your ultimate goal.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 61
 Glorifying
Businesses

As a startup, we are
always agile and
iterative, which gives
us the advantage of
constantly keep on
improving.

Zaiba Sarang

D
CO-FOUNDER,
iThink Logistics

espite the fact that women have what it takes to face the unique challenges of
logistics and supply chain management, the number of women working at the
top levels of these companies is far less than the number of men. Fortunately,
there has been a paradigm shift in the past couple of years. One prominent
personality to look up to in the rapidly advancing logistics industry is Zaiba
Sarang who despite facing potholes in the way stood tall with her AI-enabled
shipping platform, iThink Logistics. “There were few women in the leadership
role that I could look up to in the logistics space and make her my role model.
So I had to be my own role model,” puts Zaiba.

62 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 63
 Glorifying
Businesses
While growing up, Zaiba’s life revolved
around technology and business. While
pursuing Bachelor in Computer Science
from Nagindas Khandwala College, she
went into the depth of understanding
how technology works. As she was also
inclined towards strengthening her
business acumen, she did a Diploma in
Entrepreneurial Studies from the Indian
Institute of Management, Bangalore,
and a Certificate Course from the Indian
School of Business after completing the
Goldman Sachs 10k Women Ambas-
sador Program.
“Before starting iThink Logistics, I
Co-Founded a digital transformation
and technology services company which
holistically taught me the ins and outs of
a tech-enabled business,” says Zaiba.
With sacks full of confidence, Zaiba
Sarang was ready to take the next big
move. In 2017, an end-to-end AI-en-
abled multiple courier aggregator
shipping platform was born under the
brand name ‘iThink Logistics.’ In just 6
years of inception, iThinkLogistics has
added staggering numbers to its name.
“We have 5000+ satisfied customers,
an impressive daily volume of 25,000+
shipments, and a comprehensive reach
64 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
to all parts of the country demonstrated
by 26,000+ pin codes served in India,”
Zaiba grins.
SELL, SHIP, AND TRACK WITH
EASE
iThink Logistics is a Mumbai-based
end-to-end AI-enabled multiple courier
aggregator shipping platform. The
company’s state-of-the-art online portal
can be linked with marketplaces or
online stores through APIs (for importing
orders) and has a built-in channel
that connects with multiple renowned
courier partners. Users can also book
parcel shipping services and print labels
using the service while also enjoying the
benefit of real-time shipment tracking
updates.
Patented 6-step NDR, an insightful
dashboard, and a dedicated key account
manager place iThinkLogistics ahead
of other market players. In the past
few years, iThink has made its model
stronger by generating revenue from
different paid features of the platform
by launching the following:
 Same-day COD Remittance:
Helping the customers make funds
available in real-time.
 Post Shipping Experience: Helping
sellers drive 11% additional orders
from the tracking page by using the
most curated cross-selling feature.
 Connect Plus: Helping sellers to
reduce COD orders and convert
them into prepaid, Curated order
confirmations from WhatsApp
(Preventing RTO) and order updates
in real-time.
Under the stewardship of Zaiba and
other Founders, iThink is scaling heights.
The company has recently launched 2
new services - International shipping
and SND. On one hand, the company is
making international shipping conven-
ient and faster than industry bench-
marks, while on the other hand, the
Same and Next Day delivery (SND) is
facilitating e-commerce sellers with the
ease of growing their business.
WHERE THE GOAL OF
LEADERS IS TO SERVE
“As a Co-Founder of iThink Logistics, I
am proud to share that all the Founders
share a common philosophy - Servant
Leadership,” puts Zaiba while also
highlighting the fact that the primary
purpose of a leader is to serve those
who are being led and that the true
leaders are the ones who put their
followers' needs first.
Now that this philosophy holds utmost
importance, the company is investing
wholly in training programs curated
specifically for managers and team
leads. As the ultimate objective is to
make employees feel supported, valued,
and empowered, this philosophy is being
instilled at the ground level. Every busi-
ness decision in iThink is taken keeping
in mind ‘Empathy, Zero doubt, Collabora-
tion, and Iteration.’
iTHINK HAS A DIFFERENT
WAY OF DOING THINGS
When Zaiba understood that the E-com-
merce brands in India need the right
support system, tools, and skills to scale
their business, she developed a robust
framework for product innovation using
a customer obsession behaviour. This
helped Zaiba and Team iThink to identify
the needs of customers and delight
them with solutions.
NDR (Non-Delivery Report) is a word
often heard time and again in the
e-commerce world. iThink developed
the robust NDR system which is helping
customers to reduce shipment RTO to
as low as 9%, the lowest in the industry.
“We have patented this particular
feature,” mentions Zaiba with pride.
iThink’s Dashboard is designed as per
the customer's most critical needs.
Even a non-tech person can use it with
ease. Besides, the company is equipped
with Dedicated Customer Success
Managers who stay with the client at
every stage. Be it Product adoption,
Suggesting necessary business process
changes, Customising tech solutions, or
Training & Hand holding, or Improving
customer NPS & CSAT Score, the
Managers stay ahead of time to support
the clients and resolve queries.
WHAT’S THE ULTIMATE PLAN
“We envision revolutionising the e-com-
merce logistics space by connecting with
the right partners. Darkstores, Aggrega-
tion, and International logistics will help
brands create the best customer delivery
experience,” asserts Zaiba.
iThink also looks forward to creating
an open logistics network powered by
smart technology which would make
it possible for e-commerce companies
to get their brands across to every
customer on Earth.
“I am proud to say that the well-
thought-out implementation of different
initiatives has helped us to carve a
successful journey for 100+ e-commerce
brands. The brands that were delivering
just 5 orders in a day have now scaled
to 10,000+ orders in just a few months
after availing the services from iThink
Logistics, hence helping us record 2x
sales growth every year,” smiles Zaiba.
JEWELS IN THE CROWN
Zaiba’s business acumen coupled with
the intelligence and servant leadership
of other Founders place iThink under the
top-notch logistics firms. The company
has bagged many awards to its name.
 Tech30 Startup in Tech Sparks 2018
by YourStory
 TiE Global announced AIRSWEEE
Global Fellowships in collaboration
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
with the US Embassy in 2019. Zaiba
was one of the top 3 women entre-
preneurs to get an opportunity to
travel to the USA and get mentor-
ship from a startup in San Francisco.
 Leaders of Tomorrow by Economic
Times in 2020
 40 Under 40 by Times Group in 2022
BELIEVE YOU CAN AND YOU
WILL
“She, who is never afraid to share ideas
and is confident can climb the ladder of
success. She, who takes calculated risks
and makes an effort to establish strong,
trustworthy relationships along the
road can prove herself.” Zaiba believes
wholeheartedly.
As fascinating as it sounds, establishing
and proving herself in a male-dominated
logistics sector had never been easy for
Zaiba. “Only a few women and girls are
encouraged to seek careers in science
and technology. As conventional as it
may seem, society loves to see men in
certain sectors, and women in a distinct
set of disciplines. I feel that I have
challenged that stagnant notion and
changed how we need to see women. If I
can, many other women can too!” Zaiba
signs off.
| 65
 I
f there is no purpose in fashion, it is no
more fashion; it is null,” says Aishwarya
Sharma, India’s First Fashion activist.
Combining the power of fashion and
social media, Aishwarya is creating
awareness about climate change and
its adverse impacts on women and
children.
Breaking the stigma that fashion is only
for the elite and not a serious profes-
sion, Aishwarya shows the world that
it can be purposeful too. Being the
Global Goals Ambassador of the United
Nations, she is a new-age revolutionary
who is standing bravely for humanitarian
causes.
Recently, Aishwarya participated in a
global event, COP27, which was held in
Egypt. There, she joined global activists
and the international community of
changemakers to create awareness and
tackle the issue of climate change effects
around the world. She is also the
Goodwill Ambassador with “Youth Of
India”. She has partnered with Gucci,
Togetherband (a UN movement), Morris
Garages and many more to create
awareness and raise funds for social
causes.
Let’s know more about fashion activism
and Aishwarya’s journey as a Fashion
Activist in her own words.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR-
SELF AND YOUR JOURNEY
AS INDIA’S FIRST FASHION
ACTIVIST.
My journey as a Fashion activist and
sustainability advocate started in 2018
66 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
after I completed my graduation. I
started my blog, “figuramoda” as my
media project when I was doing fashion
blogging. At that time, I was also associ-
ated with Chaav Foundation as an intern
and was working for the cause of “Stop
Acid Attacks”.
I remembered watching Laxmi (an acid
attack survivor) walking on the ramp. It
was an eye-opening moment for me. It
was like an epiphany for me that fashion
is meant for more. Taking inspiration
from this, I made my first video in 2018
on stopping acid attacks that went viral
on Instagram and got millions of views
overnight. After the video went viral, I
comprehended that social media is a
powerful tool to raise awareness and
reach the greater masses at once.
Since then, I am trying to go above and
beyond in bridging the gap between
fashion and society. I started working
with the UN as a Global Goals Ambas-
sador in 2020 and working for the social
causes of marginalised societies, acid
attack survivors, sexual abuse victims
and many more.
FASHION ACTIVISM IS NOT A
CONCEPT THAT IS FAMILIAR
TO MANY IN INDIA. HOW
CHALLENGING IS IT FOR
YOU TO WORK IN THIS
PROFESSION?
Generally, people think fashion is what
is on the surface. But in reality, the way
we see fashion is so much different than
what it is and what it should be. It is a
common mindset in India that fashion is
associated with privileges.
Fashion is still not considered a serious
profession and changing that mindset of
those around me and people, in general,
is the biggest challenge of taking up
the unconventional career of fashion
activism.
I truly believe that “Fashion is how it
makes you feel and how it transforms
the entire ecosystem around you”. This is
what I advocated from all my heart since
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
the beginning of my career. Breaking the
conventional stigma around fashion, I
am working hard to build a new niche
that will work parallelly with the tradi-
tional fashion industry.
ELABORATE ON SOME OF
THE FASHION ACTIVISM
PROJECTS AND THEIR
IMPACT ON SOCIETY.
We organised our first campaign which
was Period Poverty Campaigns with
NGOs based in New Delhi, Himachal
Pradesh and Haryana, keeping in line
with SGD’s 2030.
We have partnered with Gucci for their
Generation Equality campaign under
the banner #ChimeForChange. This
campaign raises funds to support femi-
nist organisations as a part of Gucci’s
5-year commitment to the UN Women’s
Generation Equality Action Coalition.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE
PLANS?
I am looking forward to legitimising
the fashion industry in such a way that
brands, corporates and the government
understand that there are no two ways
of fashion. Purpose and Fashion work
hand in hand.
I wish to collaborate with like-minded
young generations because they are
the future of our planet. I would also
like to work with policymakers and
higher authorities to include purpose in
policies whether it's fashion or climate.
Together, we all can bring a big change
by harnessing the power of social media.
DO YOU THINK YOUTH
TODAY CAN BRING A REAL
CHANGE IN SOCIETY?
The youth today are more aware of
their social responsibilities and have
the potential to bring significant change
in the world. The way today’s youth
are using the power of social media
is commendable. I truly believe that if
guided properly, they can bring revo-
lutionary change and will work for the
betterment of the planet.
| 67
 M
eet Baljeet Kaur, the First Indian
Woman to summit Mount
Manaslu without oxygen. She
is also the youngest woman to
do so. Belonging to Dev Bhoomi
of Himachal Pradesh, Baljeet is
breaking records with her coura-
geous nature and firm determination.
In September 2022, Baljeet completed her expedition to Mount
Manaslu which is at the height of 8163 M without the support
of any oxygen. She is the first Indian to climb 7 mountains of
8000 M height and also the fastest person in India to climb 6
of them in 5 months and 2 days. Baljeet is also a world record
holder for running 9490 km with 20 runners in 960 hours.
The story of Baljeet is full of ups and downs but it is her
perseverance and determination because of which she is able
to achieve her dreams. Here is Baljeet’s journey from a simple
village girl to a record holder Mountaineer in her own words.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF AND
ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY AS A MOUNTAINEER.
Belonging to the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, I was
always fascinated by snowfall but unfortunately, I never expe-
rienced it. So I have had this fascination with snow since I was
a kid.
My entire childhood was spent in the village, I was not good
at academics. But a few things were very clear to me from
the beginning and that was to work and improve my educa-
tional efficiency and transform myself into a more powerful
personality.
I never thought of mountaineering as a career option. In 2014,
when I was waiting for my examination results, I came across
a newspaper article about a girl from Rajasthan who had
climbed Mount Everest. That article inspired me a lot. And that
was the beginning of my dream of becoming a Mountaineer.
68 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED FAILURE
WHILE CLIMBING MOUNTAINS?
I have never failed but I have learned. I believe that when
we try to do anything good and it doesn't get completed, we
don't lose, instead we learn more. I got to learn a lot in my life.
Especially when I was selected for Mount Everest and went
to the mountain but I had to come back 300 meters from the
summit. But the fighter spirit inside me motivated me again
and I started preparing for my next summit.
YOU ALSO HOLD THE RECORD OF THE FIRST
INDIAN WOMAN TO SUMMIT TRUE MOUNT
MANASLU. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
After the failed attempt of 2016, I was determined that I have
to give my everything for this. And I am not going back without
doing it. The determination to summit Mount Manaslu was
strong in me that brings me where I am today. I still remember
the feeling of reaching the top of Mount Manaslu, and that
happiness I cannot describe in words.
With the aim to win the world, I started climbing in 2021. I
became the First Indian Woman to summit Mount Pumori and
Mount Dhaulagiri. In 2022, I summited Annapurna, Kanchen-
junga and Everest which are above the height of 8000 Metres.
I usually say to myself that I am limitless. And I challenge
myself with new difficulty levels to test my limits and capabili-
ties. That’s what I did when I climbed Mount Manaslu without
any oxygen. I know what I am capable of and that is why I won
the title of “first Indian woman to summit true Mount Manaslu
without any oxygen”.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT TO CONVEY
TO ASPIRING MOUNTAINEERS?
I want them to know that nothing is impossible. No mountain
is too high if you have firm determination and confidence in
yourself. Don’t ever think that you cannot do this. If you at
any point in time have self-doubt then take a deep breath
and think why have you started and start once again with full
power.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 69
70 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 71
 Glorifying
If
Businesses
Learning On The Go
Had A Face
The idea of establishing my own consulting firm was to be
able to do interesting work on a daily basis.
L
ast week, a Facebook memory from four
years ago popped into Bharati’s feed
which took her back to the days when
she used to work as a Vice President
(Portfolio Planning & IP Litigation) at Sun
Pharma. Everything was going well but
she wanted to try something new now.
Bharati grins and excitingly talks about
how her career has taken a complete
shift now. It has been four years since Dr
Bharati Nadkarni started her business
- Appropriate IP Services and is gaining
momentum and strength.
DR BHARATI NADKARNI Dr Bharati is a pharmacist by qualifi-
Founder, Appropriate IP Services cation. She obtained her Bachelor’s,
72 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Master’s and PhD degrees from the
University of Mumbai. She has been a
student of the prestigious K M Kund-
nani College of Pharmacy and Haffkine
Institute of Mumbai. During her PhD
program at the Haffkine Institute,
she was also a Class I Officer with the
Government of Maharashtra, in the
Analytical department at Haffkine. After
submitting her PhD thesis, she applied
for a job at Sun Pharma and got the
position of Executive in the Intellectual
Property (IP) Cell in 2000. She worked
there for 19 years and quit the company
as the Global VP for IP litigation and
portfolio planning in 2019.
Bharati did not plan her career. Assign-
ments were thrown at her and because
Bharati kept learning, she saw every-
thing as an opportunity and excelled at
it. When she joined the IP team of India's
biggest pharma company, she did not
have a formal degree in IP. Bharati was
sure of one thing- Learning should never
stop. She took a weekend course in IP
after three years and then gradually
started accepting bigger responsibilities
at Sun Pharma.
As years passed by, she started
managing a big team. As the projects
and related litigations increased, Bharati
started working on product identification
and selection, learning about business
development, marketing, supply chain,
production and regulatory aspects that
possess high relevance in the pharma-
ceutical industry. She also enrolled for
an Executive MBA to be able to better
understand and manage the business
aspects of her job.
THE LEADERSHIP WITHIN
“While I was working in the corporate
world, my leadership coach Nirupama
Subramanian helped me a lot in honing
my leadership skills,” says Bharati who
can never forget the contribution of her
mentor.
Most of the leadership qualities that Dr
Bharati is now using in her company
were learnt while juggling different balls
in the corporate world. There she not
only learnt how to build, manage, &
motivate teams, and handle personnel
issues but also excelled in forging
cross-functional alliances and building
relationships.
Bharati runs Appropriate IP Services
keeping clarity and credibility as the
backbone. Bharati loves working
with different people, teams and
cultures. She works with people that
add to her experiences and provide
her with creative freedom in strategy
development.
The golden rule at Appropriate IP
Services is that the firm only recruits
women employees. “We only recruit
women leaders who are compelled
to take a career break for multiple
reasons like health issues, childcare
or family relocation. This helps these
women continue their careers, while
also enjoying the flexibility they need to
manage their lives.
IP SERVICES TO PHARMA
COMPANIES
As fascinating as it seems to transition
from an employee to an entrepreneur,
the challenges to list are uncountable.
“I am fortunate enough to utilize my 2
decades of rich experience to fight these
hurdles. I also won’t deny that nurturing
my business for the last 4 years has
brought me the highest highs and the
lowest lows,” laughs Dr Bharati.
Dr Bharati laid the foundation of Appro-
priate IP Services in 2019. The company
provides IP Services to pharma compa-
nies and law firms. It provides support
on patent and prior art searches,
landscape reports, freedom-to-operate,
invalidation strategies, product identifi-
cation, competitor activity tracking, due
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
diligence, IP creation and varied support
on IP issues overlapping with busi-
ness and regulatory aspects of generic
pharma development and launch.
In the world of IP, confidentiality, ethics
and clarity are of prime importance.
“We fully understand our client’s goals
and deliver quality services on time.
We provide a lot of pro-bono updates
to clients on their projects. We try to
provide the inputs in real-time and help
them craft strategy in this dynamic
scenario,” explains Dr Bharati.
With a mission to provide the highest
quality IP offerings in the Pharmaceutical
and Life Sciences industry, Dr Bharati
along with her all-women team is aiming
high in the industry.
THE CROWNS SHE CARRIES
Although Dr Bharati’s extensive experi-
ence is itself an award, a few prestigious
recognitions make her the queen of the
business world. She has received:
 The 3rd Annual Women Leaders in
Life Sciences Empowerment Award
by ACI’s Women Leaders in Life
Sciences Law, in Boston, USA in 2018
 IP Leadership Award by the Niti
Aayog of India in 2020 for remark-
able contribution to the field of
patents
‘ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS A
GOOD RIDE’
Running a business and trying to build
new things seem challenging but you
should keep moving. Dr Bharati believes
that “in the initial years of career, one
should gather experience and assert
oneself through the work. Building a
strong network is also quite important
as one can always use the network to
learn and grow. Do not shy away from
asking for help. Have a confidante
to bounce your ideas and vent your
thoughts. Entrepreneurship, in this way,
can become an easy ride.”
| 73
 Glorifying
The
Businesses
Corporate Training
Magician
We aim to mark ourselves as change makers to imbibe better
performance, personal effectiveness, and personal growth
mindfully into individuals we train.
W
ell, I practise before I preach, where I
ensure my actions speak for me,” says
the unstoppable Binita Kadam for whom
entrepreneurship has come hereditarily.
Binita’s grandfather has a renowned
name in the elevator industry in Gujarat
and her parents are self-employed
doctors, hence the eagle vision to drive
people for an intended objective has
been a part of Binita’s behavioural make.
In 2011, Binita stepped into the Indus-
trial Organisational Psychology field
and incepted RGB Training Services
with an aim to help people learn better
BINITA KADAM workplace dynamics scientifically and
Chairperson & Principal Trainer, RGB Training Services develop a higher degree of the human
74 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
factor as morale. While describing the
core essence of her company, Binita
puts it quite beautifully, “RGB stands for
Renaissance, Gain and Bee, which when
combined together remind me and
all those associated with RGB to keep
thriving to gain the nectar of knowledge
like a busy bee amidst the reforms that
occur throughout our lives.”
Many hurdles came Binita’s way but
could never affect her ability to always
look at the brighter side of life. When she
was struck with cancer, Binita witnessed
a sudden jerk. “The way people around
me and specifically my clients perceived
me & my ability to serve them were too
lethal,” recounts Binita. As she continued
to persevere, she passed that hurdle too.
BINITA: THE HARDCORE
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
PRACTITIONER
Binita proudly carries with herself 15+
years of experience as a Behavioral
Coach, having worked with Corporates,
Industries and Academic institutions.
That is the reason behind the trajec-
tory growth of RGB Training Services.
Via RGB-TS, Binita along with her team
provides Psychological Skill Development
for Workplaces and Universities. Under
the brand name, RGB Study Abroad,
Binita offers Immigration Services &
Coaching for International English Tests.
Binita puts her firm differently from the
rest of the market players. This is quite
evident from the fact that RGB caters
to Organisational Development Inter-
ventions scientifically entrenched in I-O
Psychology.
No human or unit can behave or
perceive things similarly, therefore each
client in RGB, under the strict guidance
of Binita, is served with customisable
services with the ultimate objective of
improving Organisation Behaviour (OB)
and Organisational Development (OD).
BRIDGING SKILLS TO
SUCCESS
In order to stay competitive in the
business world, organisations need to
manage their human resources. One
of the effectual factors that can help
achieve this, is by the use of behavioural
and psychological training.
“By understanding various industry
trends, analysing the changing work
cultures, we try to understand their OD
and OB requirements, create effective
OD intervention schedules, and iden-
tify individual potentials to uplift their
existing human resources,” says Binita
while explaining the process that RGB
strictly adheres to.
RGB offers top-notch behavioural
and psychological training. While
Behavioural Training helps businesses
understand how people think, feel, and
act in different situations, Psychological
Training helps to identify consumer
needs that can be used to create an
effective behavioural transition.
THE HEALTHY NETWORKING
RGB has the potential to work with firms
of any size: small, medium or big. The
company has and is continuing to prove
itself in Manufacturing Sector, Hotel
management, Chemical and Pharma-
ceutical industries, Marketing, Real
Estate, BPOs, EdTech firms, Colleges and
Universities.
Since the company’s establishment,
Binita has been cultivating the human
aspect in addition to strategic psycho-
logical abilities for effective professional
and social identities for everyone's
personal advancement. “Since our
success is solely based on the recom-
mendations of our clients, we are able
to maintain good client relationships
through personalised solutions and
by keeping the secrecy of discussions,
thereby leading to healthy networking.”
Binita understands the importance
of digital platforms, therefore RGB
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
networks on digital platforms organically
to create awareness about the impor-
tance of Psychology for Workplaces.
She takes pride in mentioning that RGB
services have brought transitional devel-
opments at workplaces.
Binita envisions providing customised
solutions to ensure beneficial transi-
tions which would help people achieve
personal growth. She aims to mark
RGB as a changemaker to imbibe better
performance, personal effectiveness,
and personal growth mindfully into
individuals the company trains. “We will
mark our presence in the Asia Pacific
and North American demographics
soon,” says an optimistic Binita.
THE HONOURS
It’s been just a decade since the
company’s inception and Binita’s
RGB is outshining everywhere. Out of
numerous recognitions, some of the
prominent ones to count include:
 Recognition under ‘Top 10 Corpo-
rate Trainers’ by ‘Women Entrepre-
neur India’ in 2022
 Honoured with ‘ABP Asmita Shik-
shan Parishad 2022’ by ABP Network
under ‘Exceptional Efforts & Support
during the Covid -19 Pandemic in
Education Sector in Gujarat’
 Recognition under ‘Top 10 Promi-
nent Women Business Leaders in
Asia 2023’ by CEO Insights Magazine
Binita believes “Women are self-driven
personalities. Every woman should
follow their heart and focus on accom-
plishing her goals.” While sharing a piece
of advice for women, she says, “Let your
actions speak louder than your words.
You should practice before you preach,
only then you can fight with any chal-
lenge that comes your way.”
| 75

en have emotions too, they also need
support, but how many of us actually
care?” These words of Barkha Trehan
compelled us to think- Do we really
think about the social rights of men?
Why do we often forget about the
issues related to our male counterparts?
Taking a much-needed step towards
Gender Equality, Barkha Trehan, India’s
first Men's Rights activist discards
all gender-specific prejudice and
stereotypes.
Raising her dauntless voice, she takes
the cause of men’s rights to the masses
and makes it a mass movement. She
advocates the protection of males
against abuse, male empowerment, and
the legitimate rights of male victims.
Building a gender-neutral society,
Barkha institutes India’s first and only
International Men's Day celebrations.
Upholding the flag of social justice, she
laid the foundation of Purush Aayog-
National Commission for Men, a civil
society organisation.
Her YouTube show #MenKiBaat
demands justice for men. She also
Directed and Produced a documentary
film, “The CURSE Of Manhood” which
represents the unheard cries for justice
of Indian men.
In an exclusive conversation, Barkha
Trehan sheds light on her journey as
India’s first Men’s Rights activist.
I am an entrepreneur cum social activist.
76 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Well supported by my husband and kids,
I have an outgoing personality. I have
always fought against injustice and isn't
afraid to swim against the tide. When
the outcry was of women's victimisa-
tion, I realised the scenarios in which a
woman faces discrimination and men
are marginalised even more.
When women face violence, they are
well protected by law but men do not
have similar liberty. Husbands are
punished for cruelty against their wives
but if husbands face cruelty, they have
no respite. On the contrary, I found that
men do not have any forum to be heard.
Therefore, I decided to provide a plat-
form for men where they can be heard
equivocally without being judged.
has raised concern over the alarming
increase in false cases related to rape,
Indian society is traditionally consid- dowry and domestic violence. The
ered a patriarchal society, however, absence of a “no-misuse clause” in these
it's balanced; men and women play acts could be one of the reasons for this
their roles to maintain social harmony. increase.
However, because of solely following
patriarchy as philosophy in changing I remember a case in which a man was
times where there are role reversals jailed for 20 years for rape charges. After
of both men and women in changing the investigations and court proceed-
socio-political situations, men are ings, he was found innocent and falsely
suffering at the hands of women but the accused in the rape case. His entire life
same is not considered in the guise of changed in those 20 years; everything
empowerment. Legal bias and imbal- was finished for him. Such is the impact
ance further strengthen women's situa- of false cases on men. That’s why we
tion and men are left to prejudice. are demanding equal law so that we can
save every life from injustice.
Be fearless. Men are often trauma-
I think that the prevailing law system tised and unheard, they face a trust
deficit especially when a woman is
should be reframed, keeping in mind
a complainant. Men become vulner-
the equal rights of all citizens. The law
able when women are perpetrators.
should be equal for every gender, be
They need to gather courage, become
it women, men or transgenders. As a
emotionally strong and fight for their
men’s rights activist, I came across cases
rights however biased the law may be.
where a man is falsely accused of rape
or domestic violence. Delhi High Court
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 77
 A
Glorifying
Businesses
New Age
Storyteller
Today, I stand at the
helm of digital-first
natives who are
constantly redefining
brand communications
to help businesses
build stronger
identities.
Young entrepreneurs and their innova-
tive ideas are spearheading a significant
change in the business landscape. This
success is driven by their unrelenting
dedication and commitment to make the
best of every obstacle. Muskaan Arora,
the Founder & CEO of 11 Ouest, is one
such new age leader. Her philosophy
revolves around the timeless connector
that is storytelling. “Be it stories narrated
by our parents or tales of travel that
we discuss with our friends, stories
have always been the pillars of human
MUSKAAN ARORA connection,” says Arora. Her journey
Founder & CEO, 11 Ouest
from New York to New Delhi is a
78 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
culmination of many such stories, which
led her to establish 11 Ouest.
While age is no bar for any entrepre-
neurial venture, many assumed her
young age to be a potential barrier.
However, her ‘less experience’ turned
out to be a double-edged sword. In her
own words, “For every professional who
doubted my capabilities, many more
took a chance on us and appreciated
the new ideologies & working culture we
brought to the table.”
After graduating from the Fashion Insti-
tute of Technology - New York, Arora’s
first step in the industry was guided by
seasoned retail marketers. In her asso-
ciation with esteemed companies like
Reliance Brands Limited, Havas Group
India, and Spike Brand & Content Studio,
she honed her craft of digital story-
telling. Arora adds, “Each of my prior
experiences played a vital role in laying
the groundwork for setting up my own
creative agency.”
Today, she stands at the helm of a team
of digital-first natives who are constantly
redefining brand communications to
help businesses build stronger identities.
The CEO adds, “While we are an equal
opportunity employer and are agnostic
to gender, it so happened by coinci-
dence that today, we are a women-run &
women-led company and this is a matter
of great pride for me.”
THE 11 OUEST JOURNEY
In today’s business era, where most
communication is digitized and human
touch is minimal, the element of authen-
ticity is all the more important in inter-
actions between brands and consumers.
Arora iterates, “Every brand has its own
story waiting to be unleashed and our
job, as brand custodians, is to get that
story to the hearts of their audience.”
With exceptional branding, insightful
strategies, and memorable content, 11
Ouest augments such brand stories,
influencing hearts and minds alike.
11 Ouest specializes in boutique
branding and marketing services for
brands in the RE (Real Estate) and Retail
space. The company’s two-pronged
service model focuses on Brand
Consulting and Digital Storytelling to
offer end-to-end brand communications
and innovative positioning for every
client they take on. “Our portfolio spans
across corporate names such as Unison
Group and PVR Cinemas, while including
newer players like Mi Arcus and Liberty
Lifestyle. No matter who the client is, 11
Ouest emphasizes high quality output
accompanied by personalized attention,
dynamic collaboration, and a deep-
seeded understanding of the brand; this
is how we have built the 11O family”,
says Arora.
THE COMPANY ETHOS
The company’s USP lies in the ethos of
humanizing brands and crafting love-
marks not just trademarks. In founding
this team, Arora employed three key
values: Emotional Intelligence, Dynamic
Risk Taking & Adaptive Agility. Combining
them with a shared sense of ownership
and collective growth, 11O’s dream team
was established. Her thought process
is deeply rooted in a desire to do more
than just optimise the efficiency of the
teams.
She believes in empowering individuals
to hold their own, thereby fostering a
positive work culture. At first glance,
autonomy and collaboration may come
across as contradictory; however, the
team strikes a perfect balance between
the two. Each of the executives are
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
responsible for making decisions for
their respective teams, while also
engaging in creative discussions when
working on a project. The team at 11
Ouest believes that creative collabora-
tion and collective effort are the core
values that drive the organization’s
operations.
Arora also believes that being a team of
young digital-first natives is an asset of
immense value to the organization as
well as the clients. “Our team constitutes
of people who have grown up with the
social media, the era of digital influx
has been our natural habitat. So, we
understand the pulse of digital India and
the pace at which it has been evolving
in terms of the consumers’ priorities,
expectations, and aspirations.”
THE WAY FORWARD
Arora concludes, “The ‘digital future’ is
now our present, which is why 11 Ouest
has curated a team of new-age story-
tellers who are not only a significant
part of current consumer group but will
also be major decision-makers in the
near future. This is where the natural
talent of Team 11 Ouest lies such that
the team brings with itself a primary
understanding of the digital landscape
which in turn strengthens the connec-
tion brands want to establish with their
consumers online.
Every brand is transitioning to this novel
landscape, allowing us to explore new
horizons faster than ever before. I’m
grateful for our team’s stronghold in
the Real Estate & Retail space, which
continues to grow every day. As we
embark on our next growth phase, tech
enablement and product development
of this business shall be our unique
proposition moving forward.”
| 79
80 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 81
 Glorifying
Businesses
A
Wizard of Cyber
Psychology
I am enjoying wearing three different professional hats - Business
Woman, Trainer & Counsellor and Cyber professional.
H
itting us on our sentiments, cybercrimi-
nals have mastered the art of deception
using emotions”, says Nirali Bhatia. The
growing influence of cyberbullying inci-
dents is taking a serious hit on people
and becoming a leading cause of anxiety,
depression and even suicide. Spreading
awareness about the dark side of the
online world and cyberbullying, Nirali is
the first Cyber & Counselling Psycholo-
gist in the country. She was also the part
of popular MTV show, Troll Police, as an
official therapist and on-set counsellor.
The show was based on tracking the
NIRALI BHATIA trolls of Bollywood personalities and
Cyber Psychologist & Psychotherapist unmasking their realities.
Director, V4WEB Technologies; Founder, CyberBAAP
82 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
With the mission to combat the evil
of cyberbullying, Nirali Bhatia creates
awareness about cyber threats and their
effects. She is the Founder of Cyber
B.A.A.P, an acronym for “Cyber Bullying
Awareness, Action and Prevention”.
For 2 consecutive years, the Cyber
Psychologist has been bestowed with
recognition as ‘India's top Women Influ-
encer in Cyber Security’.
In a conversation with The Global Hues,
Nirali sheds light on the mysterious
cyber world and discusses the impor-
tance of spreading awareness about the
same.
GIVE US A GLIMPSE OF YOUR-
SELF AND YOUR JOURNEY AS
A CYBER PSYCHOLOGIST.
It has been a wonderful journey of two
decades of being a Businesswoman,
Trainer & Counsellor and Cyber profes-
sional, and is still on. I began my career
by teaching how to make websites way
back in 1997 and moved on to front-end
development with V4WEB and soon
led the young dynamic team of the
company.
My keen interest in the human psyche
led me to the next milestone of my
career which was Usability (user
behaviour) Analyst. Diving deeper
into user behaviour study motivated
me to take up my second master's
in Psychology which led me to the
next milestone of my career in “Cyber
Psychology”.
My shift to entering the cyber security
domain was gradual. As IT professionals
running a web services company, we
kept receiving cases of cybercrimes,
website hacking, and cybersquatting.
Growing website attacks, data breaches,
cybercrimes & harassment led us to
establish “V4WEB Cybersecurity'' to offer
cybersecurity services & cybercrime
investigations as our niche.
The next milestone of my career was
founding an anti-cyberbullying organisa-
tion called Cyber B.A.A.P. which stands
for Cyberbullying Awareness Action &
Prevention as I was deeply concerned
about the fact that there was very little
or no information available on how
to deal with growing cyber crimes &
harassment. Cyber B.A.A.P. is a portal to
educate users on cyber harassment &
offer the victims much-needed guidance
& counselling.
CYBER PSYCHOLOGY IS
STILL A NEW PROFESSION IN
INDIA. WHAT INSPIRED YOU
TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THE
CYBER DOMAIN?
Cyber Psychology is still a very new
concept to take up as a professional.
I am privileged to be the first Cyber
Psychologist in the country. Being
a mother of a teenager, I am also
concerned about what my child is seeing
on the internet.
The usage of the internet has grown in
quite a few domains, be it education,
entertainment, or gaming. Children are
directly exposed to the online world. So,
that’s all when the transition happened
and I started using the knowledge in two
main fields i.e., the research domain
(why does this happen?) and Prevention
- that’s when awareness and counselling
work starts.
AS A CYBER EXPERT, TELL
US THE BASIC STEPS WE
CAN TAKE TO PREVENT
OURSELVES FROM FALLING
INTO THE CYBER ATTACK
TRAP.
First and foremost, we should be aware
of cyber hygiene and follow cyber
etiquette. Always be polite with everyone
in the cyber world because in that space
we can only perceive the message and
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
hence you cannot really tell when your
one comment or message hurt them.
The other thing is not to panic when you
receive any message or warnings. Cyber-
criminals hit on our emotions and trick
us when our logical reasoning abilities
are off guard. They deliberately create
panic so that a person falls into their
trap by clicking on the link.
WHY IS IT SO HARD TO
CATCH CYBERCRIMINALS?
The anonymity has become a double-
edged sword for us. Cybercriminals hide
behind anonymity and commit fraud.
These criminals are getting technically
smart and well-equipped and that is also
the reason they cannot be tracked. The
tracking process is very long and time
taking.
The other reason why it is so difficult to
catch cybercriminals is that people are
not reporting the incidents. There is a
huge gap between cyber reporting and
getting a resolution due to our law &
order process which does not encourage
the victim to report.
As a Cyber Psychologist and expert, I
would like to humbly request people
that if such things happen to you, come
forward and report it. Your one step
today may save someone else’s life.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE
BE FOR YOUNG CYBER
ENTHUSIASTS?
The Cyberworld is facilitating the real
world, not replacing it. So do not forget
to live in the real world. You can have
a safe experience in cyberspace if you
practise these 2 principles - “Practising
the Pause” & “Zero trust”.
| 83

nowing your worth and not settling
for anything less is the ultimate power
of self-love,” are the words of Kshama
Bindu, who married herself. She is
India’s first sologamist who broke stereo-
typical concepts of marriage in society.
The act of sologomy was an unheard
concept in India, therefore when she
married herself, Kshama became an
internet sensation overnight.
To everyone’s surprise, she did not
marry a man or woman but herself.
Being a solo bride, she changed the defi-
nition of marriage. She always wanted to
be a bride but not a wife or bahu. Taking
a radical move in society, Kshama sets
an example by showing the new idea of
self-love.
The orthodox people of society blamed
her for disrespecting the rituals and
traditions, she received a flock of
criticism for her act of sologamy. But
Kshama was determined to make her
own decisions. Displaying her unique
way of self-love, Kshama tied the knot
with herself according to traditional
Hindu rituals. Becoming her own soul-
mate, she is an embodiment of self-love
and conveys the message that no one
can love you as you can do yourself.
No priest was ready to perform rituals
and temples were also not available for
her. Even after so many adverse circum-
stances, Kshama did not lose hope
and completed all the marriage rituals
in a private ceremony at her home in
the presence of her close friends. She
84 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
K
mentions, “My parents want me to be
happy. What if I would have married
a man as per the norms and wouldn't
been happy or may go through some
patriarchal norms where it would be
even hard to breathe? They accepted it.”
Currently, she is working with an MNC
and in her free time she travels and
explores places.
Let’s know more about the idea of self-
love from Kshama herself.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE
SELF-LOVE?
Love is the most powerful emotion with
complete euphoria, increased energy,
racing heart and accelerated breathing,
and it can help you grow if you learn
to love in a healthy way. Self-love is no
different from any form of love. This love
is unconditional without any expecta-
tions or compromises. It is when you
choose your happiness and yourself
over things without any conditions.
Others may ask you to compromise
with the thing that makes you who you
are. But this is not the case in self-love.
In short, knowing your worth and not
settling for anything less is self-love.
HOW CAN ONE LEARN TO
LOVE THEMSELVES?
I firmly believe that self-love is a must.
Everyone should love themselves no
matter what. To love yourself you need
to understand your values and your feel-
ings. When you understand your worth,
you also need to learn to say no to
others when it doesn't feel right to you.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Usually, in order to keep other people
happy, we forget our own happiness.
Let yourself feel what you are feeling.
Don’t worry about judgments or what
other people are thinking about you. You
just be yourself, others will keep talking
behind your back. You have the power to
make your own right and wrong. If you
think that it is right for me, do it, don’t
think about society.
Learn to forgive yourself. After all, you
are a human being too, right? So it's okay
to make mistakes, learn from them and
move forward. There is no need to feel
guilty about it.
The way you treat and love yourself,
you teach other people around you
how to love and treat you. Take the
responsibility for your own happiness.
We shouldn't burden the people around
us for making us happy. Real happiness
comes from within you. And only you
can choose the things that make you
happy.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU
WANT TO GIVE TO THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING
TO ATTAIN SELF-LOVE?
When you have high regard for your
well-being and happiness, you automat-
ically start to love yourself. The feeling
of contentment and fulfilment that we
can give to ourselves can not be given
by any other person. In a nutshell, why
wait for anyone else when we can love
ourselves?
| 85
 Defend
NotDepend
The need is to focus on addressing the deeply entrenched
mindsets that cause women to be treated unfairly.
F
ight for yourself. You don’t need anyone
else to protect yourself. Only YOU can
protect yourself,” preaches Ishita Sharma
every day while training hundreds of
girls. Ishita runs MukkaMaar, a Mumbai-
based NGO that trains girls of 6th, 7th
and 8th standard in different forms of
martial art, self-defence techniques, and
mental strength exercises. through a
3-year, bi-weekly free training program.
In 2022, nearly 31,000 complaints of
crimes committed against women were
received by the National Commission
for Women (NCW), the highest since
2016. These heart-wrenching numbers
clearly question the safety and security
measures of India. So, what’s the solu-
tion? Is relying on authorities to make
stringent laws would help? Is pinning
hopes on the current security system
would help? Although, a number of
initiatives have been launched by the
government, bringing an overall change
seems like a prolonged process.
ISHITA SHARMA
Founder & Managing Trustee, MukkaMaar Self-defence is the ultimate protector.
86 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
For many, learning self-defence stays
at the bottom of the list but having the
ability to physically stand up for yourself
is quite important. Self-defence makes
women more empowered, resilient,
and powerful. “MukkaMaar works on
the premise that each girl has a unique
strength to fight and navigate conflicting
situations that may arise throughout her
life,” says Ishita.
WHAT MADE ISHITA INCEPT
MUKKAMAAR?
Ishita Sharma is a feminist, an actor, and
a martial artist. She is known for her
appearance in the drama series Shaka
Laka Boom Boom and movies like ‘Loins
of Punjab Presents.’
Ishita had practised Kathak for almost
a decade and Martial Arts for three to
four years. The thought of laying the
foundation of MukkaMaar came into
her mind when she saw a documentary
based on the horrific rape of a 5-year-old
Gudiya. The documentary left her wholly
shaken, and she decided to rise and do
her bit at that moment. And that’s how
the foundation of MukkaMaar was laid in
Jan 2016.
“Everybody says that we should keep
girls and women safe. While that is
important, we equally need to under-
stand that we also need to empower the
girls so that they don’t need to rely on
others to keep them safe,” says Ishita.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
MukkaMaar classes started with just 4
girls on a Mumbai beach. Slowly and
steadily the number rose to 100. In
March 2017, MTV created a video on
Women's day that gained ~1M views.
The video also won the Promax award.
In the same year, 9-year-old Nabila and
Saniya participated in a district-level
Wushu tournament and won gold and
silver medals. MukkaMaar marked the
end of 2017 by celebrating the victory of
girls who brought home 14 medals.
In 2018, MukkaMaar established a
partnership with BMC with access to all
their 1100+ schools. The much-awaited
day came in July 2018 when MukkaMaar
got registered as a Charitable Trust
under Maharashtra Public Trusts Act. In
one competition after another, the girls
bagged medals and trophies.
By the end of 2019, the NGO reached 75
BMC schools, with ~3000 girls enrolled.
“Girls in schools had begun to speak
openly about harassment, without
shame, and reported responding posi-
tively and assertively to threats,” adds
Ishita.
During the time of Covid, offline opera-
tions took a halt but the team continued
taking online sessions and started
training the girls online with a new
campaign called ‘Mukki’. By April 2022,
this WhatsApp-based program reached
16,000+ girls.
“We started our offline classes again
with 526 girls across 10 schools in July
2022 and by October, we expanded to
1500 girls across 36 schools in Mumbai,”
states Ishita.
Ishita’s MukkaMaar works in part-
nership with government education
departments to deliver its programs to
students and teachers in government
schools for sustained impact.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
MUKKAMAAR’S NUMBERS
 4500+ Girls reached through
'MukkaMaar Girls'
 75+ Schools reached through
'MukkaMaar Girls'
 16,000+ Students reached through
the digital program
 876k+ Messages exchanged on
'POWER with Mukki'
 315+ Teachers trained through
'Equity Labs'
 50,000+ Indirect students reached
through teachers
POWER WITH MUKKI
Practice On WhatsApp for Empower-
ment & Rewards (POWER) with Mukki is
a chat-based learning interface. It uses
2-way conversational flows to build
fitness (stamina, strength, flexibility),
physical self-defence skills (punches,
blocks, escapes, kicks), identification of
types of violence, gender-sensitization,
assertiveness, soft skills to deter threats,
negotiation, awareness of rights and
more.
With just a few months of dedicated
daily chats and activities with Mukki,
children can feel confident and be
better prepared to deal with threats and
violence.
“A girl is safe if we work on building a
mindset of resilience and teach them the
skills which help them protect them-
selves,” iterates Ishita.
She advises girls and women to never
underestimate the power of their
bodies. “Love yourself & your body and
never place yourself second,” Ishita signs
off.
| 87
 o for one, what you wish you could do
for millions,” believes Sangita Gala, who
is inspiring millions to help abandoned
kids. Hailing from Mumbai, Sangita and
Rajesh are transforming the lives of
many kids by fostering them. The couple
fosters newborn babies and keeps them
for a few months until they get the right
family who adopts them. Looking after
so many babies is not an easy task, but
this couple took charge of them as if
they are their own children.
But how did the idea of fostering come
to the couple’s mind? The couple were
spending a well-settled life in the USA
but the duo decided to do something
for their own country. And that’s when
they came back to India and started the
journey of fostering.
Let’s hear the story of Sangita in her own
words.
FIRST OF ALL, TELL US HOW
THIS IDEA OF FOSTERING
CAME TO YOUR MIND. WAS
THERE ANY INCIDENCE?
The plan to adopt a child was always
there in our minds. We had three babies
of our own and we decided to adopt one
more child. But as we started our adop-
tion planning, my in-laws got sick and
we got busy taking care of them. As the
years went by we had to drop our adop-
tion plan because then the gap between
our own children and adopted children
would be too much.
I was aware of the foster system
because I saw this concept in the USA.
So I explored foster care options in
India. I really wanted to do this. Unfor-
tunately, India does not really have a
lot of fostering systems. After searching
really hard, I came across one foster
88 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
D
care centre in Mumbai. The foster home
contacted me to take care of a baby girl.
I was very happy at that time. It was a
wonderful experience when I brought
and raised the girl in my home. The envi-
ronment of my home was so positive
and joyful at that time and all my family
members were extremely happy.
One fine day, I received a call from a
foster home and they said that the
Government had found suitable parents
for the child to adopt so I had to give
back the baby. That was a heart-shat-
tering moment for me. I didn’t anticipate
the pain very well at first. I cried a lot for
several days, but then I finally under-
stood that to provide a better life for this
beautiful baby girl, I had to hand over
the baby. I told myself that I couldn’t be
selfish.
While fostering the babies, it’s quite
obvious to get emotionally attached
to them. I miss them a lot when I have
to give them back but the fact that
they have found their parents and will
receive care from them makes me feel
contended.
DOES THE CENTRE RECEIVE
ONLY ABANDONED INFANTS
OR DO SOME PARENTS LEAVE
THEM OWING TO DIFFERENT
REASONS? HOW DOES THIS
WHOLE PROCESS WORK?
No, foster centres don’t only receive
abandoned children but also kids who
are surrendered by their parents. When
someone finds an abandoned baby,
they hand it over to CWC (Child Welfare
Centre). Then, CWC decides which baby
will go to which centre for fostering till
adopted.
I remember an incident when the
Police found a nine-month-old baby at
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
a railway station in a very bad condi-
tion. The police contacted CWC and
they contacted the Family Services
Centre (FSC). The centre asked me if I
was willing to take care of him, which I
agreed to. When I saw the baby for the
very first time, I was shocked as he was
in a bad state with several injury marks
all over his body. He was very scared and
was crying a lot. After several hours he
got comfortable with me.
After minor surgery and treatments
together by FSC and myself, he soon
bounced back. All he needed was love
and care. After nurturing him with care
and love he started to laugh, eat and
play with all of us.
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR
YOU TO GET EMOTIONALLY
DETACHED FROM THE CHIL-
DREN YOU FOSTER?
The only language a child understands
is the language of love. They receive so
much care and love from the new homes
that they eventually adjust to the new
environment.
The parents are guided several days
before handing over the baby so the
transition for the baby is smooth. I
also guide couples for adoption. I have
guided over 390+ couples.
HOW CAN WE SPREAD
AWARENESS ABOUT
FOSTERING AND ENCOUR-
AGING MORE FAMILIES
ABOUT THIS?
I always believe that “If every family
fosters just one child in their entire
lifetime, there will be no children in
orphanages." Adopting just one child can
adorn their life. If everyone joins hands,
we can make this world a better place
for all children.
| 89
 Glorifying
Businesses
The Ardent Healer
Y
ou also
need to
believe in
yourself,
especially
if you are
ahead of your time with
certain ideas”, mentions Aarti
Kalro who is the first person
to conduct a live sale of
crystals in India on Instagram.
Amalgamating her different
talents of art, writing, healing
and counselling, she brings
a positive change in the lives
of people through her brand
Arura.
Her entrepreneurial journey
was not a conscious choice.
She started her journey in the
fashion industry and worked
9 years in that field. Then
she decided to expand and
move into her own space.
In the last 15 years, she has
worked in diverse fields from
retail, design, non-profits, and
healing. In Aarti’s words, “It
has been a journey of self-dis-
covery and growth, one that
will continue for a long time!”
TRANSFORMING
LIVES WITH ARURA
Incorporated in 2014, Arura
offers its expert services to
bring a transformational
change in the lives of people.
From being a wellness brand
that offered crystals and crys-
tal-related products, Arura is
now moving into the art and
wellness space. “The intention
is to spread joy through my
creativity, yet staying true to
being mindful of the planet,”
mentions the Founder.
90 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
“ I feel if you follow your heart and your inner
calling, you can find a way.”
AARTI KALRO
Founder, Arura
With an intention to empower
the mind, body and soul,
Arura offers products for
living that are natural and
enhance well-being. The
brand will soon be offering
a section on meditation and
experiences to participate in.
HER LEADERSHIP
PHILOSOPHIES
With the firm belief that lead-
ership is an ongoing learning
experience, Aarti iterates, “If
you are not willing to do it –
don’t ask someone else to”.
Even after so many years of
being an entrepreneur, Aarti
never stops learning. She
constantly aims to learn from
those who work with her and
this has always brought posi-
tive results for her and Arura.
Working with her intuition
has served her well in her
entire professional journey.
She is also preparing herself
with a backup plan by
learning the number game. “I
think it is important to have
a backup plan and be open
to things turning out vastly
different from what you
expected,” says the healer.
OVERCOMING
HURDLES
Taking inspiration from Sir
Edison’s famous quote, “I
have not failed. I've just found
10,000 ways that won't work”,
She always keeps a positive
approach. It is her enthu-
siasm, positivity and deter-
mination that keep her going
even in difficult situations.
Quitting was never a choice
for her. There were days
when she felt demotivated
but she never stepped back
and learnt to face them and
start over. Her father and
friends supported her greatly
during her entire journey.
She believes, “If we keep an
eye on our journey, we all can
succeed.”
MOVING AHEAD
With a hope to be a force
for something good, Aarti
envisions creating a positive
change in the environment
and helping people around
her by doing what she loves
the most. “I would like my
work to touch the lives of
all, not just a select few. This
motivates me,” asserts Aarti.
She has also contributed and
been featured in Mid Day,
Time Out and Vogue.
Establishing her unique iden-
tity, she believes in herself
and her capabilities and
advises the same to fellow
women entrepreneurs. “By
all means, if you have the
passion and the vision, go
for it. We are lucky to have
so many opportunities that
support us. Women are doing
great and bringing a positive
impact. Never give up.”
Glorifying
Businesses
The Educational Systems Expert
“We, at COAE International, empower educational leaders
to enable them to achieve excellence.”
E
ducation is the
backbone of
any nation and
it’s a weapon
that can ensure
the movement
from darkness to light for the
entire human race. Enkindling
a transformational change
in the education sector, Arti
Khosla an award-winning
woman entrepreneur in the
field of conformity assess-
ments for education is not
leaving any stone unturned
in the domain of quality
education. With years of
experience and deep exper-
tise in the field of Standardi-
sation, Management System
Audits, Certifications and
Accreditation, she estab-
lished the Centre of Assess-
ments for Excellence (COAE
International).
Her ingrained interest in the
education sector motivated
her to raise the standards
of educational institutions
through a research-driven
methodology and approach.
Arti iterates, “A unique, inno-
vative and result-oriented
approach that is based on
a growth mindset, can work
wonders for any business”.
With a firm belief that the
quality education system can
define the narrative of the
country’s future, she is also
authoring a book ‘Manage-
ment Systems in Education’.
Her papers on benchmarking
in educational assessments,
quality assurance frameworks
for the education sector have
been published in interna-
tional journals.
After completing her
post-graduation in
Economics, Arti pursued
Education Management and
Business Management. She
polished her entrepreneurial
skills during the Goldman
Sachs 10K program for
women entrepreneurs at IIM
Bangalore. She is associated
ARTI KHOSLA
Founder & CEO, COAE International
with many renowned organ-
isations and national &
international committees as a
registered expert in the areas
of service excellence, higher
education, skill development,
school education and indus-
try-academia collaborative
services.
In her prodigious professional
journey, she has played a
crucial role in supporting the
key policymakers of several
educational organisations
and other service sector
companies across the globe.
These institutions include
some renowned names such
as The Reserve Bank of India,
CBSE, BITS-Pilani, Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan Group, Ministry
of Water Resources, Delhi
University, Panjab University,
Bureau of Police Research
and Development, IIT-Delhi,
and many others. With her
knowledge, experience and
deep insights in the field
of standardization, Arti has
contributed in the develop-
ment of the Accreditation
standards for NABET and
CBSE and has trained more
than 10,000 educational
leaders from 20 countries.
Her auditing skills in the
areas of quality, educational
management, business
continuity management, six
sigma and risk management
have helped many businesses
in their growth. With an aim
to enhance productivity,
profitability and performance,
she helps them in achieving
excellence.
LEADING FROM
FRONT
With the mission to bring
transformation in the
management systems for
the education sector, Arti
incorporated the Centre of
Assessments for Excellence
(COAE International) in 2016.
It is an accredited assess-
ments and certification body
which aims to help organi-
sations and their people in
successfully achieving posi-
tive results. The organisation
is ISO 17021:2015 accredited
by The National Accreditation
Board for Certification Bodies,
Quality Council of India
(NABCB-QCI). COAE is known
as the best global company
that provides exceptional and
top-notch services in Assess-
ments, Audits and Certifi-
cations to provide holistic
improvement of the educa-
tion sector.
With her process-driven
mindset, the right use of
technology, and competence,
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Arti is leading COAE Interna-
tional from the front. She has
ensured a remarkable global
presence for her business in
more than 6 countries within
just 4 years of its inception.
COAE has successfully
coached 10,000+ educa-
tional leaders of 40+ nation-
alities in 500+ organiza-
tions. Spearheading many
verticals, Arti has created an
impact on the learning levels
of more than one million
learners, and the skills of
thousands of educators.
AWARDS AND
RECOGNITIONS
For her exceptional contri-
butions to the industry, Arti
has won many accolades and
awards to her name. She
has moderated many panel
discussions and has been the
keynote speaker at various
platforms that have covered
topics like ‘Women Empow-
erment, National Education
Policy, Role of technology,
excellence in service delivery
etc. She has been felicitated
by a large number of public
and private organizations.
In Arti’s words-“Client satis-
faction report received from
every single educational orga-
nization that COAE serves, is
nothing less than an award.”
THE ROAD AHEAD
“Through our Assessments
and Certifications, we
empower individuals and
educational organisations
to enhance their skills and
systems. We also help people
by making quality education
their utmost priority, to win
the lifelong trust of their
stakeholders,” mentions the
Founder.
Arti envisions making COAE a
leading organisation in deliv-
ering high-quality assessment
and certification services in
the education sector all over
the world.
| 91
 Glorifying
Businesses
The Creativepreneur
“We are here to provide gifts that are not only elegant and desirable but
also functional and memorable.”
C
reativity is
the founda-
tion on which
innovation
relies.”
This line
summarises the entrepre-
neurial journey of Aruna
Budhiraja. Since her child-
hood days, Aruna has had
an extremely creative bent
of mind, always visualising
things from a different
perspective.
Her passion to learn and zeal
to excel made her a certified
fashion designer and later a
Scientific Vastu consultant.
But we all know ‘Life is what
happens when we are busy
making other plans.’ At the
age of 42, the entrepreneurial
bug bit Aruna which led to the
inception of Kreative Konsul-
tants in 2007.
Aruna walked on the path
of entrepreneurship with a
meagre sum of Rs 5000. She
faced quite a few challenges,
be it sample development
or finding the right source.
As she started out, she had
to pay more to manufac-
turers, thereby making it very
difficult for Aruna to manage
her finances. “To overcome
that, I started with a limited
catalogue and offered only a
limited range while keeping
the quality intact.” Another
major hurdle was the issue
of payment delays. To solve
this, she shifted her focus
to IT companies and BPOs
that had a more fixed and
transparent payment system.
‘The journey has been very
challenging so far but I loved
every bit of it,’ grins Aruna.
92 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
ARUNA BUDHIRAJA
Founder, Kreative Konsultants
home appliances, and tech
A BIG SHOT
COMPANY products.
What started as a firm
Trust is the cornerstone
offering small tabletop gifts
behind a company’s success
is today manufacturing a and Aruna has sewed it to all
plethora of Corporate and intents and purposes. “My
Promotional gift options. entire venture is based on the
Kreative Konsultants offers trust which I have garnered
over the years,” asserts
a tailored catalogue for its
Aruna. Delivering top-notch
clientele – including trophies,
services while also strictly
writing instruments, note-
adhering to the timelines
books and organisers, with promised to the clients,
options to customise prod- Aruna along with her team is
maintaining a strong reputa-
ucts with the client’s company
tion in the market. Walking
logo. The firm also offers
the extra mile each day to
customised t-shirts, caps cater to the client’s needs has
and merchandise, along with always set Aruna’s firm apart
branded smart wearables, from other vendors.
Aruna and her corporate
gifting business have served
many leading IT companies,
MNCs, BPOs and KPOs, and
Banks. They also work with
Event management compa-
nies and Travel agencies.
KEEPING HER ARDOR
ALIVE
Aruna juggles many balls
in the air each day so as to
make Kreative Konsultants
synonymous with the best
gifting solutions. In the
long run, she sees herself
expanding the company’s
horizons by opening up
branches and establishing
itself as a brand across all
metro cities of India.
The company has also
upgraded its supply chain
systems for smooth and
safe deliveries pan India, to
streamline its operations.
LEARN, LEARN AND
LEARN
And that’s what keeps Aruna
ahead of others. “Learning
has always been a part of
my life. I try to keep myself
updated by keeping a beady
eye on the latest products in
the market.” As Aruna always
carries a passion for learning,
she never ceases to amaze
others with her creativity and
grow at a fast pace.
While emphasising the
importance of learning, Aruna
also advises other women to
“Never give up on learning
and always begin the day
with optimism and nights
with a dream in the eyes.’
She believes, “To achieve
something in life, one should
always be open to learning.
Ethicality and commitment
towards work surely lead to
success.”
Glorifying
A Creative Soul
Businesses
“We love creating a moment of ‘dream come true’ for every
client with no mess and no fuss strategy.”
A
well-planned
and strategic
interior
design adds
charm to the
beauty and
functionality of the home.
Understanding this aspect of
interior design to the core,
Divya Pentapalli, an inte-
rior designing expert turns
dreams into reality. With a
passion for designing, she not
only designs spaces but also
creates dreams.
Her love for design ignited
in childhood because of her
parents and grandparents.
Divya’s grandparents used to
create unique artworks and
display them in their homes.
In Founder’s words, “I used to
stay at their place a lot and
was always in awe of their
creations.” Holding a B.Tech
degree in IT, she never found
her heart in the computers
and IT sector. That’s when
she decided to pursue her
love for interior design. With
the support of her family,
she switched her career to
interior design and went to
Mumbai for her studies. After
doing multiple internships,
her business mindset paved
the way for starting her own
business, and that’s how
‘Designs by Divya’ was born
in 2016.
Divya is a calm-minded &
soft-spoken personality and
always respects everyone;
be it a contractor or her
own team. She does not
encourage the microman-
aging style of leadership
at her firm. She believes
“freedom to think and take
decisions is really important”.
DIVYA PENTAPALLI
Founder & Principal Designer, Designs by Divya
Divya successfully positions
herself as a great leader and
guiding force. She respects
the creativity of her team
and gives them the ulti-
mate freedom to showcase
their expertise under her
stewardship.
DESIGNS BY DIVYA
Incepted in 2016, Designs By
Divya is an interior design
studio that is known for its
creative ideas, trendy styles,
and functional designs.
Offering design services for
both residential and commer-
cial projects, the creative
team of the company ensures
that every design maintains
the latest trendy styles and
highest quality. With the aim
of bringing the WOW factor to
its designs, the professional
interior designers of the
company mix old trends with
new ones by taking inspira-
tion from Indian culture and
modern architecture. “We
offer bespoke and luxury
interior design services
with international trends in
mind for styling any space,”
mentions the Founder.
The core strength of Designs
By Divya is creativity while
keeping the maximum
functionality of the house.
Divya iterates, “We always
design with practical use in
mind, especially with Mumbai
homes which are small. We
specialise in luxury interior
design projects in South
Mumbai, Powai, and Thane.
Our tailor-made bespoke
interiors reflect the client's
personality and make each
space look and feel different.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
MAKING DREAM
HOMES
Designs By Divya envisions
delivering dream homes
and offices to clients with a
positive approach towards
the project. “With Mumbai’s
real estate rates being so
high, every client of ours put
their hard-earned money into
making their dream home a
reality. Comprehending their
emotions, we love making
that ‘dream come true’
with no mess and no fuss
strategy,” mentions Divya.
‘FINANCIAL INDEPEN-
DENCE GIVES YOU
VOICE’
Divya is a spiritual person
who loves reading books;
Devi Bhagavatam’s and femi-
nine powerful books are her
favourites as their thoughts
and writings keep her moti-
vated and energetic in the
game. She firmly believes that
“if a woman puts her mind
and heart into anything, she
will definitely succeed and
reach her goals in no time.”
Divya’s success mantra is
derived from her mother’s
philosophy that says, “Being
financially independent gives
you a voice in the family and
in society”. It is her mother
who inspired her to work
hard and create her own
identity in the world. The one
thought that is very close to
Divya’s heart by her mother-
“If you become successful
at what you do, your words
will have more impact”, fills
Divya’s life with purpose.
| 93
 C
cake or princess cake at home. I always
had that perception that we could also
make something like that also. I did have
an interest in baking and crafts, I had
baked a cake once when I was about 10
years, never realizing at that time that
this would be what I would eventually be
venturing into in future.
I started my professional journey as a
cake artist in 2012. Becoming a cake
artist was not a planned career for me.
In fact, I used to be a Financial Analyst
at a multinational company with a
promising career ahead of me there. It
was quite by chance that I had to take
reativity has no limits,” Prachi Dhabal a break from my work for a short while,
Deb is a living testimony to this state- and I happened to explore the cake
ment. Pune-based cake artist, Prachi, industry out of interest and hobby. With
makes unbelievably beautiful and one thing leading to the other, I was
creative vegan cakes that are majestic eventually hooked into this world where
in appearance and delicious in taste. I just felt that this was where I wanted to
be. In a few years’ time, I was fortunate
Taking her cake artistry to the world
enough to be mentored by Sir Eddie
level, Prachi has won many inter-
Spence, MBE, who got me into the Royal
national awards and holds two Icing Artwork. He is a legendary cake
world records to her name artist who made special occasion cakes
- “Biggest Vegan Royal for Princess Diana and the Royal Family.
Icing Structure” and for
creating the “Most Number CREATING A NEW DESIGN
Of Vegan Royal Icing EVERY DAY REQUIRES A
LOT OF CREATIVITY. WHAT
Structures.”
INSPIRES YOU TO STAY
CREATIVE?
Let us hear the exciting
When I took that break and started
story of Prachi in her own
baking, it made me feel very harmonious
words.
and I really enjoyed it. Moreover, I slowly
started working on cake aesthetics
GIVE US A focusing on Royal icing artwork. For
GLIMPSE OF me, it is like painting on a canvas with
YOURSELF AND my creativity and passion as my paints
YOUR JOURNEY and brushes. Cake decorating is not just
AS A CAKE restricted to baking a cake only. It is a
ARTIST. long process and there are a lot of visu-
I grew up in Dehradun alization, craftsmanship, and innovative
and there we used to approaches involved when it comes to
customising the décor of the cake. It
have a lot of bakeries
allows me to experiment with something
with great varieties
different and create something new
of tasty & fasci- every day.
nating cakes. I
was quite fond of As an artist, it is very satisfying and
the elegant and exhilarating to expand horizons with
beautiful-looking new designs and themes. I am quite a
cakes, particu- resolute person when it comes to work
larly. I remember and commitments, but for me, my work
once asking my is more of a stress buster which person-
mother, why we ifies what Sir Eddie used to say, “If you
love what you do, then you will never
cannot have a
have to work again.”
castle-themed
94 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
My family has been all along throughout
my journey. All of them are incredibly
supportive and keep encouraging me to
follow my passion.
HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH
THE CREATIVITY IN EACH
CAKE THAT YOU DESIGN?
I believe that my soul is of an artist.
When I have to bake a cake, creativity
is something that comes naturally to
me, and I do not have to force myself
much into thinking. I have been doing
this for the past 10 years, but it still feels
very fresh to me. The spark of creating
something new is what excites me the
most. And I must say that I can beauti-
fully utilise my creative energy with this
medium.
CHOOSING BETWEEN
PASSION AND RESPONSI-
BILITY IS DIFFICULT. WHAT
ACCORDING TO YOU A
PERSON SHOULD FOLLOW?
Yes, choosing a passion and what one
has to take up as a responsibility is
always a very difficult choice and many
times has a lot of uncertainties.
If one knows his or her true passion
and calling, then I think it will not need
to be a choice. The passion itself will
be the driver of dedication and will
eventually fulfil all aspects of broader
responsibilities.
However, it is “knowing that truest
passion” which is the elusive elixir and
leaves a lot to be weighed and balanced
when there is even an iota of uncertainty
there.
Thus, there may not be a right or wrong
indicator that I can point to, to follow
one’s dream or passion. But there
always will be a need to have a strong
determination and commitment to put
heart and soul into work and to give
a 100%, irrespective of whether one
follows dreams or need to assume a
path of responsibility. Both aspects are
equally important, and essential and
serve the greater good when hard work
is involved and will be equally rewarding
when that hard work pays off. It is only
when the two paths get aligned that it
automatically prompts the mind to aim
to achieve greater heights.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 95
96 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 97
 Glorifying
Businesses
The Zealous Entrepreneur
“When you work towards your goals with the right attitude, success will
follow you while you chase the world.”
T
ime has changed
for the better.
Women today
are unstoppable,
they are coming
to the forefront
and making it to the list of
achievers. Among many
names, one iconic personality
that bears testimony to this
is Gauri Awasthi. A digital
transformer, growth hacker,
mentor, storyteller, brand
consultant, investor, start-up
evangelist, and omnichannel
expert, Gauri is a woman of
substance.
Every day Gauri wakes up
in the morning, she hears a
voice inside whispering, “The
woods are lovely dark & deep,
but I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep,
and miles to go before I sleep..”
She believes in setting priori-
ties and pondering where she
sees herself five years from
now. This practice helps her
reset the way she is working
towards her goals.
The five superpowers Gauri
possesses include her
charisma, headstrong nature,
leadership skills, teamwork,
and optimism.
Additionally, Gauri is a
passionate blogger, avid
reader, and travel enthusiast.
She is a successful woman of
the 21st century; the greatest
struggle that she faces daily
is balancing the work-life
equilibrium. “Maintaining a
to-do list helps me sustain
this balance,” asserts Gauri.
THE DYNAMITE
BRAND WOMAN
With commendable success,
Gauri has led digital trans-
formation strategies and
marketing brand advocacy
along with programmatic
media for Fortune hundred
companies. Dedicated to
bridging the gap between
digital innovation and the
organisation's business
98 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
GAURI AWASTHI
Founder & CEO; Chief Curator, The Artisan Street
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Digital Edify
objectives, she is an innova-
tive go-getter with a passion
for creating a great user
experience.
Digital Edify
Gauri started her journey of
entrepreneurship in July 2020
when she established Digital
Edify, a one-stop digital
transformation facilitator
for all business needs. “At
Digital Edify, we grow your
online sales up to 5X with
our proprietary Performance
Marketing Algorithm and
Tools. We also deliver Perfor-
mance Marketing Solutions
on Google Ads, Facebook
Adverts, Email Marketing,
Affiliate Marketing and SEO,”
explains Gauri.
The Artisan Street
Gauri spread her wings
further with a soft launch
of her next venture in 2021
- The Artisan Street, an
e-commerce marketplace
which offers a plethora of
handcrafted Apparels, Home
Decor, and Fashion accesso-
ries, beautifully created by
Women Artisans.
“The Artisan Street aims
to provide customers with
‘Dazzling Traditional’ and
‘Handcrafted Essentials’ all in
one place. It is a marketplace
created for all women artists
and artisans to exhibit their
handcrafted skill-sets in the
form of crafts in traditional,
contemporary, and modern,
fashion under the Make
in India & Vocal for Local
Mission.
The venture’s ideology is
based on 3 pillars – delighting
the customers, embracing
Indian ethnic arts and culture,
and blending traditional
regalia with trends of the
modern world. The ultimate
vision of the venture is to
"Empower the Artisans". Addi-
tionally, Gauri hopes to create
a world-class marketplace
ecosystem that will allow
importers and customers to
reach out directly to artisans.
Without any middlemen
involved in the process,
breaking down all barriers
between importers and
artisans would greatly benefit
the artisan community.
JEWELS IN THE CROWN
Gauri’s farsightedness,
prompt, innovative and solu-
tion-centric approach have
won her quite a few awards
and accolades. Some of the
notable ones are:
 In 2021, acquired Certi-
fication in Professional
Corporate Training IN
#DIVERSITY, #INCLU-
SION, #POSHACT2013
 Honoured with Presti-
gious titles in 2021 &
2022 - ‘Women Influencer
Of The Year’ Award &
‘Excellence in the Field of
Social Media’ Award
 Received the Prestigious
‘Most Admired Global
Indian - 2020’ Award by
Passion Vista Magazine
 Nominated as one of the
‘Top 35 Women Achievers
in New-Age Media’ by
Google in 2019
 Recognized as the ‘Super-
women Class’ of 2020
& 2022 on International
Women’s Day by Social
Samosa
Gauri has just entered the
world of entrepreneurship
and she is quite optimistic
about this ride. Empowered,
diligent, and self-assured,
Gauri Awasthi is no less than
an idol for other aspiring
women.
Glorifying
Businesses
Making People Beautiful ‘Inside Out’
“We are committed to ensuring healthy and happy lifestyles for customers
with our natural, toxin-free and organic products.”
D
ream.
Desire. Aim.
This simple
mantra
holds the
key to a
successful entrepreneurial
journey. A desire to bring
significant change that has
a positive impact on the
world. Aligning with the same
thoughts and perspectives,
Kusum Singh, the CEO of
Magna Group, is on a mission
to make this world a better
place to live, by making
it healthier, greener and
sustainable. Kusum firmly
believes in the philosophy
of ‘Beauty - Inside Out’. The
vision of the company also
aligns with this philosophy of
keeping customers healthy
and beautiful inside out.
An MSc and PhD holder in
Chemistry, Kusum has the
right skills when it comes to
starting, growing and main-
taining a purposeful business.
Aspiring to do great things,
Kusum incepted Magna
Group in 2012 to promote
healthy living in people. She
brings with her more than
24 years of experience which
helps the company to emerge
significantly in the industry.
Kusum follows the simple
leadership philosophy of
“leading the team from the
front” while guiding the team.
This helps the team in paving
the way, following the proper
SOP and working with a sense
of urgency. She ventured
into the business world in
2012 and since then she has
been leading the company
successfully as a passionate
entrepreneur.
KUSUM SINGH
CEO, Magna Group
FOR HEALTHY LIVING
Working with the aim of
the well-being of “people &
planet”, Magna Group offers
a wide range of world-class
superfoods and Health,
Hygiene & Beauty Wellness
Products. All products offered
by the company are free of
any kind of harmful toxins or
artificial & synthetic mate-
rials. The two major business
verticals of the Magna Group
are:
 SUPER FOOD
Available in various forms,
high-quality Super Food
(Quinoa, Millets) of Magna
Group contain high vitamin
and mineral content values
and is tasty also. It can help
your body ward off diseases
and keep you healthier.
“When incorporated into a
well-balanced diet, these
foods can promote heart
health, and weight loss,
improve energy levels and
even reduce the effects of
ageing,” iterates Kusum
Singh.
 HERBAL PRODUCTS
The top-notch range of the
company’s herbal products
includes Health, Hygiene,
Beauty and Wellness cate-
gories. Maintaining a high
standard of quality, all these
products are natural and free
from all the harmful synthetic
chemicals which otherwise
may prove to be very toxic to
the skin. Replacing the tradi-
tional synthetic products, the
company uses natural plant
extract in the products such
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
as Aloe Vera Gel, Olive Oil,
Argan Oil, Tea Tree Extract,
Onion Oil, Coconut Oil, and
many more.
MAKING INNOVATION
ITS STRENGTH
The strength of Magna Group
lies in its ability to innovate
and continuously upgrade
its products based on the
customer’s valuable feedback.
Team Magna ensures the
efficiency and quality of each
product by using the best Lab
Equipment and global test
labs for the revalidation of
raw materials and products.
Sourcing out the best talent
in the industry, Kusum adds,
“We employ the best talent
and offer them freedom for
Innovation by using method-
ical tools”.
THE ROAD TO
SUCCESS
Growing at a 30% YoY (Year-
on-Year) rate, Magna Group
is on a mission to become
a preferred partner in the
industry. Combining its core
strength of innovation and
reliability, the company is
envisioning becoming a
global brand in the herbal
product and superfood
category.
Kusum believes, “Every
woman has the natural
ability for management.” She
encourages budding women
entrepreneurs to not be
afraid of failures and keep
moving forward. She adds,
“Move consistently by taking
small yet firm steps”.
| 99
 Glorifying
Businesses
The Finance Genius
“At Armstrong Capital, Every relationship starts with a Financial Plan.”
I
tracked stocks when
I was in high school.
Then in my early
college days, I learned
to read Balance
Sheets. I would also
try to analyse the published
balance sheet of listed
companies.” Manju Mastakar
has always loved the world of
the stock market.
The future of finance is
female. A woman that bears
testimony to this is Manju
Mastakar whose entry into
the financial market reminds
us of ‘You don’t choose your
passions; your passions
choose you.’
Manju started her career in
the Dalal Street of Mumbai
advising Direct Equity
Traders. While working in
investment giants like Motilal
Oswal, MF Global, and HSBC,
she learnt the nuts and bolts
of the finance world. Manju
knew what to do next. She
commenced her entrepre-
neurial journey by gifting the
country an investment solu-
tion firm in 2010 that would
offer a complete spectrum of
wealth management services
to its clients.
Powered by research &
Driven to perform, in these 13
years of journey, Armstrong
Capital & Financial Services
has gained the trust of all
its clients. The company
manages a versatile portfolio
that covers a broad spec-
trum of Financial Services
like Direct Equities, Mutual
Funds, International Funds,
PMS, AIF, REITS, Structured
products, Passive Indexes,
Private Placements, Treasury
management, Risk manage-
ment, Corporate Bonds and
Fixed Income Instruments.
100 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
MANJU MASTAKAR
MD, Armstrong Capital & Financial Services
A COMPREHENSIVE
INVESTMENT
SOLUTIONS COMPANY
“Armstrong was founded
based on a passion for
research, a devotion to
transparency and a promise
to put the client's interest first
in everything we do,” says
Manju.
Having worked in the finan-
cial services industry for
over 25 years, Manju has
been very effective with
her policies, plans and
their implementations. Her
unwavering commitment
helped the organisation
empower its wings and fly
in distant skies. She is an
eternal optimist who does not
shrink away from challenges.
For her, challenges are no
more confined to achieving
scale but to align the strategy
of the organisation with a
changed environment.
While commenting on the
scenario of the financial
service industry during
2010, Manju states “When
I started in 2010, I felt that
something was missing in the
way Individuals' Investments
were managed. The finan-
cial services industry was
concerned only with selling
their financial products and
did not give advice seeing the
holistic picture of the past
Investments.”
She felt that there was a
visible gap and therefore
bridged it with her financial
plans. The plans devised
by Armstrong Capital take
into consideration all the
past investments and
current commitments. Post
successful analysis, the
company develops tailored
solutions that meet the
specific goal of the clients.
EMPHASIS ON THE
FINANCIAL PLAN
At Manju’s Armstrong Capital,
every client relationship starts
with a Financial Plan.
Since day one of the
company’s establishment,
Armstrong Capital is offering
a systematic approach to
financial planning so that all
financial goals can be identi-
fied and achieved. Each client
is serviced by Personal Invest-
ment Advisor along with a
Service Manager backed by
in-house research and tech-
nology platform.
“Incorporating technology,
software and digital tools,
help us streamline our
processes, and enhance the
client experience,” asserts
Manju.
HELPING WOMEN
CLIMB UP THE
LADDER
Armstrong Capital is a woman
driven organisation, there-
fore, the empathy toward
working mothers stays high.
The company hires women
who had taken a sabbatical
to raise their children as
in Manju’s words, “These
women have a lot of talent
and zeal. What they need is
to be accommodative to their
needs for flexible working
hours.” Manju’s firm hires
them and empowers them.
Manju believes empower-
ment comes through clarity
of mission, purpose, princi-
ples for action, removal of
hurdles and an unswerving
commitment to measuring
outcomes and acknowledging
& rewarding outperformance.
Glorifying
Businesses
A Magnificent Marketing Professional
“Leadership is all about influence and not authority.”
N
andita has
been on a
roller coaster
ride as both,
an employee
and an entre-
preneur, and she claims that
this has been exhilarating,
electrifying, rich with lessons
& joyful - just like the ride
itself!
A Marketing & Advertising
Professional for over two
decades now, having exper-
tise in the fields of Marketing,
Market Research and Digital
Marketing, she is enthu-
siastic about promoting
and achieving end-to-end
results using sales-oriented
marketing methods for
businesses.
She has been associated with
CDR Hospitals and Citibank
in the past, but her longest
stint comes with the Nasdaq
listed WPP Group, including
associations with TNS and
Kantar – cumulatively the
finest and leading Advertising
& Market Research Group
across the globe. She quotes
“Working with TNS and Kantar
has provided me with a wealth
of information, a world of
exposure and ample opportuni-
ties to create exceptional work
for fortune 500 companies in
areas of Market Research and
Media” recognizing her skills
& winning her laurels glob-
ally. A rare combination of
delivering operational, inno-
vation, technology & strategic
milestones. She was spear-
heading Artificial Intelligence
for Market research in the
year 2013, much before the
era of ChatGPT.
After this, she embarked
on her entrepreneurial
adventure and founded
the Strategy Consulting,
Market Research, and
Digital Marketing firm,
“eConcero Private Limited
Company”, which means “to
NANDITA KANWAR
Director Growth & Strategy, Hydromo
Founder, eConcero
electronically connect” and
the vision of the firm is to
Empower Brands. The firm is
highly renowned for achieving
important outcomes for
several businesses, including
local, national and several
worldwide businesses across
various domains.
Nandita believes in driving
sales and revenue needs
using the right marketing
tools and strategies, which
require them to be backed
by facts, insights & projec-
tions. Nandita excels at this
and is praised by practically
all her clients for generating
strong results in the form
of revenues via the use of
appropriate tactics and digital
marketing.
She also works as a Growth
Director for a family-run
environment & renewable
firm, Hydromo, where her
responsibilities include posi-
tioning the company's brand
and advancing marketing and
sales.
Nandita is devoted to
marketing and adores her
work and she gets high on
every sale her work yields.
She passionately identifies
with Robert Frost on “The
woods are lovely, dark and
deep And I have miles to go
before I sleep”.
HER HIGH 5’S OF A
SUCCESSFUL CLIENT
RELATIONSHIP
Communication, trust, flexi-
bility, expertise, and collabo-
ration are crucial aspects for
Nandita in creating a whole-
some long-term relationship
with clients. She emphasizes
on having frequent fireside
chats with clients for good
communication, building
trust for relationship building,
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
being flexible to unlearn
and learn about clients,
having expertise in both
market research and digital
marketing, and collaborating
with clients to create excep-
tional work products.
MANTRA TO EXCEL IN
THE INDUSTRY
Nandita stresses that to excel
in the industry as a business,
it is important to keep up
with market developments,
competition & trends and
be quick in identifying new
opportunities for product
launches or enhancements or
modifying marketing plans.
Data helps you to make
informed decisions. Market
research is imperative at
every product stage.
Encouraging Innovation in
business culture is THE key.
Finally – not letting go, and
adapting to the dynamics
of the market, preferences,
and technologies is equally
important- the faster it is, the
better will be the results.
ADVICE FOR
ASPIRING WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS
Nandita says, “Believe in
your vision and purpose and
keep going despite obsta-
cles. Focus on your desired
outcome and ignore distrac-
tions. Learn from failures
and keep acquiring knowl-
edge. Hire talented people
and prioritize a productive
work environment. Stay
informed about legal, finan-
cial, marketing, product,
operations, and innovation.
You cannot afford to delegate
this. There may be doers
but you have to not only be
aware but also lead these
relatively.”
She also believes that Lead-
ership is all about influence
and not authority, therefore
advises all budding women
entrepreneurs to build
meaningful relationships as
they go!
| 101
 r Anita Sharma, Founder of “Drive On
My Own”, is passionate about making
people with disabilities independent
by teaching them how to drive. Before
starting her entrepreneurial journey, she
was a Professor at IIM Amritsar. Anita
was doing well in her career but she was
meant for something bigger.
Anita Sharma wants to bring a subse-
quent change in people’s mindsets
about people with disabilities so that
they can also take care of themselves as
efficiently as any other person can.
It is not wrong to say that Dr Anita
Sharma offers people with disabilities
wings by teaching them how to drive.
Let’s hear her side of the story!
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR
JOURNEY.
I have done my PhD from IIM Indore in
Strategy & Entrepreneurship. By profes-
sion, I am a Professor and an Entrepre-
neur as well. I run an organisation “Drive
On My Own” that helps people with
disabilities to learn drivng and become
independent.
When I was 6 months old, I contracted
Polio and because of this, I have a 65%
disability in my lower limb. I cannot walk
without my clutch, stick or support. But
despite all this, I always say that my
condition cannot restrict me from doing
what I love the most i.e., driving.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA
OF YOUR DRIVING SCHOOL?
The story behind how I got the idea
of driving school is quite interesting.
102 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
D
I was attending an event on disability
when a girl with a disability came to me.
and said, “Anita, I want to be like you.
I want to drive like you and become
independent.”
I asked her if she wanted to learn to
drive then she should contact driving
schools but then she told me that driving
schools don’t teach driving to people
who have any kind of disability. After
much insistence from the girl and her
family, I agreed to teach her driving. I
used to teach her every weekend and
in a few weeks that girl learned how to
drive and bought a car for herself. That
was the moment when I felt like I didn't
just teach that girl how to drive but I also
gave her wings to go anywhere without
anyone’s support.
Apart from this, I already taught driving
to some of the people at my college
where I was the Professor. That was
when I realised that no driving school
in India trains people with disabilities.
After receiving positive feedback from all
the students, I decided to start my own
driving school.
THERE IS NO BOUNDARY IF
YOU HAVE A FIRM DETERMI-
NATION. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE
ON IT?
I believe that people with disabilities
have a different approach to looking
at things. Their courageous nature and
never giving attitude give them the
strength to defy all odds. When the
world tries to push them back by saying
that they can’t do it because of their
physical limitations then they do it with
even more determination.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
If we are determined to do something
then no one can stop us. Society can
stop us only when we have doubts about
ourselves. But if we have made up our
minds then nothing is impossible.
WHAT PASSION MEANS TO
YOU?
Driving is a passion for me. And I want
to help all those who want to learn to
drive. By teaching people how to drive,
I live my passion every single time. In
India, there are no driving schools that
teach people with disabilities but many
want to learn. Bridging this gap between
demand and supply, I am helping others
to fulfil their passion for driving.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE
PLANS? DO YOU PLAN TO
EXPAND YOUR DRIVING
SCHOOL TO OTHER CITIES AS
WELL?
I am planning to collaborate with the
Government and Corporates that are
manufacturing cars and auto parts.
Through “Drive On My Own”, we want
to create awareness in manufacturers
that this market is huge and has a lot
of potential. It is not difficult to teach
driving to people with disabilities but
getting a car with the right types of
modification is difficult.
I am trying to build an ecosystem where
a person with a disability not only learns
to drive but also can buy a customised
car with the modification according to
his\her needs. Basically, we want to
build a system that caters to all kinds of
needs right from the purchasing of a car
to getting a driving licence and driving
without any problem.
| 103
 Glorifying
The Opulent Designer
Businesses
“We put ourselves in the client’s shoes to understand them
better in terms of requirements and budget.”
W
hat makes
a designer
different
from other
designers?
“Versatility and Adaptability”,
answers Nikunj Sharma, a
renowned name in the inte-
rior design industry. Infusing
creativity and glamour in
each design is her forte. With
her attention to detail and
passion for design, she never
leaves an opportunity to
outshine.
She stepped into the interior
design field after taking the
technical qualification at
the tender age of only 16.
Thereafter, she started her
career as an intern during her
academics; she worked with
a few architects to sharpen
her skills. Post course
completion, she worked as a
Junior Interior Designer with
renowned interior designers
& architects and learnt deep
industry insights from them.
After a few years of gaining
technical exposure, Nikunj
relocated to Jaipur after
marriage and started working
as an educator for renowned
design institutes.
She founded Nikunj Sharma
Design Studio in 2000 to
teach interior design to all
those passionate about
this domain. It’s been more
than 2 decades since the
firm’s inception and Nikunj
has mastered the art of
changing the entire narrative
of glamorous designs quite
well. Delivering excellence
in designs, she has worked
with many clients in India and
abroad.
DESIGNS
THAT CREATE
IMPRESSIONS
Known for its unparalleled
ingenuity, Nikunj Sharma
104 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
NIKUNJ SHARMA
Founder and Principal Designer,
Nikunj Sharma Design Studio
Design Studio stands tall Innovating and bringing new
as an interior design firm possibilities in the interior
that creates stunning first design of each project, the
impressions. Choosing the company offers exceptional
services in BOQ & Estimates,
best textures, patterns
Creative Arts and Design and
and colours for design, the
Build. The proper supervision
creative experts of the firm
and detailed drawings of the
design spaces in a manner
design help the company in
that reflects splendour and
the timely delivery of the proj-
sophistication.
ects maintaining the highest
standards of quality and
From 3000 sq ft to 28000 sq
creativity.
ft projects, the firm has the
potential to handle proj-
“Our mission is to give the
ects of every size. Whether best of the services whether it
it's residential, hospitality, comes to drawings, detailing
commercial or institutional, or timeline,” iterates the
Nikunj Sharma Design Studio Principal Designer who envi-
does it all. “We explore sions expanding the firm to
and experiment with new multiple parts of India.
materials and technologies
that can meet our client's DELIVERING WITH
needs which makes us stand PERFECTION
out from our competition,” Nikunj ensures that each
asserts the Founder. project is delivered to the
client with perfection. Each
project, under Nikunj’s
guidance, defines a whole
new definition of elegance
and perfection. That is why
clients trust Nikunj Sharma
Design Studio with their
interior design requirements.
The firm has delivered many
successful projects for many
Indian and international
clients like Hakim’s Aalim, the
MPS group of schools, NIMS
university and many more to
the list.
JEWELS TO THE
CROWN
The Opulent Designer in the
town has won many awards
validating her outstanding
work in the industry.
 ‘Architecture and Interior
Design Excellence Award’
 ‘Trendsetter Interior
Design Firm of The Year’
2023 North India under
the category of premium
residential and commer-
cial projects
 ‘Jaipur Couture Show’
Award for interior design
excellence in Jaipur
‘DON’T LIMIT
YOURSELF’
Nikunj believes that accepting
mistakes is the only way
to move forward towards
success. She says, “When you
make a mistake, there are
only three things you should
ever do about it: first, Admit
it; second, Learn from it and
third, Don’t repeat it”.
She also advises budding
entrepreneurs to “Learn
from their peers as everyone
has something to teach; be
it work-related or personal.
Keep learning, this is the only
way we can be successful.”
Glorifying
Businesses
The Ultimate Healer
“I want to establish a huge healing centre where people
at large can be served under one roof.”
S
canning thoughts
and Simplifying
Life,” is the mantra
of Dr Prameela
Sreemangalam
who runs a Centre
of Healing, Inner Transforma-
tion and Life Evolution.
After completing her
schooling at Auxilium
Convent, Dr Prameela
completed Clinical Psychology
at the University of Madras.
Thereafter, she went ahead
to acquire licensing in Clinical
Hypnotherapy, and NLP
certification from NFNLP,
USA. Prameela’s indubitable
interest in academics, knowl-
edge and evolution made
her acquire a PhD in Psycho-
therapy and Counseling from
Swahili University.
After serving Aviation
Industry for over a decade,
Dr Prameela heard the
innermost call that directed
her towards serving
humanity with a larger cause.
“Combining my knowledge
of Psychology and Psycho-
therapy with Metaphysical
science and mindfulness
techniques, I incepted
Mind Scan in 2009,” says Dr
Prameela.
CONQUERING THE
MENTAL HEALTH
STIGMA
‘Why does bringing the issue
of mental health in the open
dispel the uncomfortable
barriers?’ This question
used to disturb Dr Prameela
oftentimes, therefore, she
decided to take the plunge
which could educate the
masses and help them iden-
tify the concept of psychology
and the related benefits of
therapies.
“The stigma of society to
approach a Psychologist,
DR PRAMEELA SREEMANGALAM
Founder, Mind Scan
apprehension towards
psychotherapeutic tools,
and fear of social labelling,
were amongst the many
limitations in the mindset of
people which prevented them
from openly approaching a
Psychotherapist. Therefore,
I addressed the masses
through magazines, media,
TV interviews and sessions in
schools and universities,” says
Dr Prameela with a sigh of
satisfaction.
Today, 68000+ people have
benefitted from Mind Scan
and 52000+ healings have
been done through books
and decks.
A HEALTHY LIFE IS
WITHIN REACH
Mind Scan focuses on mental
wellness for corporates, insti-
tutions, schools and univer-
sities. Dr Prameela along
with her team serves the
industry through psychology
tools, energy healing modal-
ities, zen-wellness, positive
re-enforcers, life coaching,
wellness workshops and
individual counselling online
and offline.
“Mind Scan books and decks
are available on Amazon.
Community services are
constantly delivered on
YouTube, Instagram and
Facebook. We also have a
monthly newsletter that
covers entire programs,
with reviews and testimo-
nials,” says Dr Prameela who
believes that the journey
towards health begins on the
path of Self-Love.
In order to make each client
feel valued and to bestow
them with hope, Team Mind
Scan handholds, mentors,
coaches, and resolves queries
on a regular basis. The
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
company is currently catering
to domestic and international
clients through several online
and offline sessions. It holds
its base in many cities in India
and internationally in Dubai,
Singapore, Mauritius, USA,
Africa & Canada.
SPREADING
HUMANITY
ALL-AROUND
Dr Prameela wakes up every
day with one thought in mind.
She envisions building a
huge healing and therapeutic
centre where people at large
can be served under one
roof.
She never forgets to mention
the contribution of her
team in building Mind Scan.
She firmly believes that
the gateway to success is
by forming a core team
built with strength & value.
Mind Scan is equipped with
passion-driven individuals
who are ever ready to provide
immediate aid to clients.
COUNTLESS
RECOGNITIONS
Some awards received by
Mind Scan are the Inter-
national Iconic Hero 2022,
Outstanding Mental Health
Service Achiever Award 2020,
50 Top Global Mental Health
Leader Award 2019, Speaking
Tree Good Karma Award 2017
in the Category of Life Coach,
and Young Women Achievers
Award 2017, to list a few.
‘BE THE LIGHT YOU
WANT TO SEE IN THE
UNIVERSE’
Dr Prameela who is living her
passion through Mind Scan
believes that every woman
should focus on her dreams
and strive hard to make them
real. She also advises women
to be open to change and
always place their dreams as
their top priority.
| 105
 Glorifying
Businesses
A Seasoned Recruiter
“At Maneva Consulting, hiring for niche IT skills is our area of specialisation.”
T
here are
no second
thoughts about
the fact that
an organi-
sation runs
successfully because of its
manpower. Relishing this
idea and the potential of
Human Resources, Prat-
ibha Rathi plunged into the
business world with Maneva
Consulting in 2016. Since
childhood, she has had an
entrepreneurial bug inside
her. “It also came from my
parents; my father, at the
age of 75, works no less
than a young man and my
mother seeks perfection in
whatever she does, and with
her passion to be an entre-
preneur,” mentions Pratibha.
Taking inspiration from her
parents and with the great
support of her family, she
transitioned her professional
journey from a successful
corporate career to becoming
an entrepreneur.
She loves to constantly
improve herself by learning
& exploring new things.
Other than being a powerful
entrepreneur and guiding
force of her company, she is
also a great puzzle solver. She
has solved a jigsaw puzzle
of 13,200 pieces. She says,
“Keeping the solution-ori-
ented approach, I’ve always
loved solving jigsaw puzzles.”
She is also planning to partic-
ipate in the upcoming World
Jigsaw Puzzle Championship.
With an extensive corpo-
rate experience of over 15
years, Pratibha, a qualified
Computer and HRM Profes-
sional with graduation in
Law & Science is running
Maneva Consulting. Show-
casing her entrepreneurial
skills and true leadership,
she keeps moving forward by
106 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
PRATIBHA RATHI
Director, Maneva Consulting
overcoming every obstacle
that comes her way. Prat-
ibha often recalls the days
when she was burning the
midnight oil to prove her
excellence and maintain the
trust of clients. With time,
she has proved that she
deserves every bit of what
she has today. “In my entire
entrepreneurial journey, it is
my team and family that has
always supported me in every
best way possible,” smiles
Pratibha.
She believes, “When we work
together, we grow together”.
Through collaboration, the
team learns from each other
and develops skills together.
Pratibha always encourages
an environment of open
dialogue and feedback within
the team, to bring different
perspectives and opinions to
the table.
AN EPITOME OF
EXCELLENCE
Being a one-stop HR solution,
Maneva Consulting uses a
unique on-site and off-site
delivery model to offer
training and staffing solutions
that are tailored for specific
industries and help its clients
achieve fast deployments
and world-class quality. Every
consultant of the company
is highly qualified and has
industry experience of more
than 10 years. The expert
team of the firm works closely
with the clients to learn about
their specific needs and come
up with custom solutions to
meet those needs.
The technical recruiters of
Maneva Consulting have
in-depth knowledge of IT
expertise to provide clients
with the best staffing solu-
tions. With a strong network
of talented people all over the
world, the company quickly
finds the best IT Specialists
that suit the requirements of
the clients.
“With a solid understanding
of the client’s require-
ments, we submit top-notch
resumes to match them with
the job specification,” says
the Founder. Aligning with
the main objective of the
company and with ‘100%
client satisfaction’, the team
ensures the highest level of
quality in its services.
THE ESTEEMED
CLIENTELE
Maneva Consulting has a
reputation for working with
the utmost professionalism
and providing the best in
class HR services. Currently,
the company is providing its
services to multiple IT and
a few non-IT Companies.
The reputed clientele of the
company includes IT giants
like Wipro and Oracle.
Pratibha asserts, “We achieve
client satisfaction and a
strength to deliver to the best
of our capacity by taking their
feedback into great consider-
ation and acting on it with the
best possible solutions.”
‘NEVER GIVE UP!’
Pratibha believes as an entre-
preneur, it's important to
take risks and never give up.
She says, “Follow your heart,
dream big, and never give up
on your dreams. If you have
confidence in yourself, take
that first step, nothing can
stop you from succeeding”.
Glorifying
Businesses
A Woman With Wings
“In Business at the end of the day, you bet on people and
I
f the entrepreneurs
are surveyed to name
one thing that is their
biggest headache in
running the busi-
ness; what would
it be? A majority of them
would immediately gravitate
towards the issues they face
while hiring the right talent
for their company because,
at the end of the day, you bet
on people and not just on
strategies. In spite of being
the most populated nation on
the earth companies face the
gigantic challenge of getting
the right talent. Backed by
decades of experience, Preeti
Phuskele (CEO, Concord
Talent Hunt & Pinacolish)
summarises these challenges
into three major categories.
First, companies are unable
to find the right talents,
second, skilled talents are
unable to get the right job
and third candidates may
be talented, but are unable
to project it as they lack
certain skills. The assortment
of companies established
by Preeti - Concord Talent
Hunt and Pinacolish works
as a remedial medicine to
this headache by providing
staffing, HR and outsourcing
solutions.
Preeti Phuskele has the
experience of working as a
professor in management
institutes in Pune. She has
edited many books and
contributed many articles
on Economics and Finance
which are available in world-
wide libraries. Her life as a
professor was a fulfilling one
but fate had decided some-
thing else for her. She had
to quit her full-time job and
retreat from her profession
for childcare. But the financial
challenges made her pivot to
the path of entrepreneurship.
Hence, Concord Talent Hunt
was born in 2017. Despite
facing a myriad of challenges
not just on the strategies."
PREETI PHUSKELE
CEO, Concord Talent Hunt & Pinacolish
as a working mother, she
kept fighting all hurdles and
flying high.
“The first Assignment of
Concord Talent Hunt was
from a world-renowned
company. With remarkable
performance in the automa-
tion sector, Concord Talent
Hunt gained momentum
among other Automation
MNCs,” puts Preeti while
recounting the inception days
of her first business venture.
One after another, Concord
Talent Hunt under the guard-
ianship of Preeti executed big
projects for brands belonging
to Automation, automotive
and engineering sectors.
Another perfect time came
for Preeti to take the next
move. After doing extensive
research, Preeti laid the
foundation of her next busi-
ness under the name Pina-
colish in 2020.
While Concord talent Hunt
provides Permanent Staffing
in the Engineering domain to
multiple sectors like Auto-
motive, Automation, Heavy
Equipment, Oil & Gas; Pina-
colish masters in providing
Temporary Staffing, Training,
Organization Development,
Mapping, HR Audits, Personal
Branding, and Employer
Branding.
EARLY & QUALITY
HIRING
The industry is changing.
Companies are always on
the lookout for ideal staffing
partners who are committed
and dedicated. “We work on
the philosophy of adhering
to quality standards. We
specialise in hiring niche tech-
nical positions, senior roles
and specific positions for
Research and Development
and operations departments
of Engineering Companies,”
says Preeti.
Concord Talent Hunt also
supports the Sales and Oper-
ations demands of the clients.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Preeti deals with many clients
personally; understands their
issues and puts forth the
best plausible solutions. “We
give rigorous training to our
recruiters and keep our TAT
time very less to maximise
client satisfaction,” asserts
Preeti.
Using technology-based
recruitment methods and
online media, the company
ensures that its clients receive
the best candidates.
BUSINESS CONSUL-
TANCY SERVICES
Outsourcing has made its
way into smaller and mid-seg-
ment companies too and is
not confined to large organ-
isations. Pinacolish by Preeti
provides consulting, advising,
mentoring, and training
services and helps in defining
the objectives of a business.
“Pinacolish offers assistance
in defining communication
strategy, marketing strate-
gies, facilitating marketing
planning, branding, improving
staff performance, employee
motivation, and customer
satisfaction,” explains Preeti.
From providing top-notch
IT Services and Solutions to
offering Augmented Staff
Services & Outsourcing and
Business Consultancy, Pina-
colish is making its name in
the corporate world.
WOMEN ARE
LEADING IN ALL
FRONTS
Be it Economic, Politics,
Engineering or Arts, Preeti
believes women are stepping
into the business world and
outshining. “Working mothers
are also setting an example
by balancing both work and
family. Women are making
it to the list of achievers and
are contributing to an overall
change in society,” says Preeti
with a big smile on her face.
| 107

W
hoever says bodybuilding is a sport for men
should definitely meet Dr Maya Rathod. Breaking
all the stereotypes of gender boundaries in
sports, Dr Maya is undoubtedly an inspiration
for many whose stories are worth listening to.
Dr Maya is a gynaecologist in Sydney with roots
attached to the western state of Maharashtra,
India. Juggling between the different roles of a
doctor, wife, mother, bodybuilder and researcher,
she overcomes every obstacle that comes in her
journey with grace.
Dr Maya is a bodybuilding champion who won
the International Federation of Bodybuilding and
Fitness (IFBB) 2021 Championship in Australia.
She won the award in the Figure novice cate-
gory. Sometimes it is important to go against the
tide and Maya did the same. This determination
and strong willpower helped her to achieve her
dream. Let’s hear the inspiring story of Dr Maya
Rathod in her words.
108 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT
YOURSELF AND ABOUT YOUR
JOURNEY.
I am an obstetrician and gynaecologist
by Profession and also a proud mother
of 2 kids. For me bodybuilding is my
passion, I do it because I like being fit.
I have always been a sports enthusiast
but the journey somehow got put on
hold after my marriage and other family
responsibilities. After having my second
child, I started my fitness journey again.
I started participating in bodybuilding
competitions. During that entire journey,
I came to know that there are only a few
women who participate in such kinds of
competitions.
In Australia, I attended a workshop and
then one thing led to another. I got
the opportunity to participate in IFBB
Australia and I won it.
HOW HARD WAS IT FOR YOU
AS A WOMAN TO CHOOSE
BODYBUILDING AND HOW
SUPPORTIVE YOUR FAMILY
WAS IN YOUR DECISION?
Yes, I faced many challenges initially
because bodybuilding is a male-dom-
inated sport. Even today you will not
find many women bodybuilders. So yes,
the hesitation was there in my parents
about my decision. They were reluctant
to accept my career as a bodybuilder.
When I decided to do bodybuilding,
everyone advised me not to do it. Being
a gynaecologist, and mother, people
told me that this sport is not meant for
females. But I was determined to follow
my passion and I did.
THERE IS A CONCEPTION
THAT WOMEN SHOULD NOT
DO HEAVY WEIGHTLIFTING
EXERCISES BECAUSE IT
LEADS TO PREGNANCY
COMPLICATIONS. WHAT IS
YOUR TAKE ON THAT?
This conception is completely false.
Weightlifting is not just about building
muscles, it is about staying fit. Heavy
weightlifting does not create problems
during pregnancy but excess weight
does. Nowadays, most women in India
are suffering from PCOD or PCOS which
causes excessive weight gain. The cases
of diabetes, hypertension and mental
anxiety are also on the rise which leads
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
to weight gain. This is why everyone
should exercise to stay fit.
Usually, people think cardio is the
best way to lose weight but in reality,
weightlifting helps prevent weight
gain. It releases good hormones in the
body and helps a person to stay fit.
Therefore, weightlifting does not cause
any kind of harm to the body, it is just
a lack of awareness in people about
the benefits of the same that leads to
misconceptions.
YOU HAVE ALSO WON IFBB
AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPI-
ONSHIP. SO HOW WAS THE
FEELING AFTER YOU WON?
That feeling was something that I cannot
describe in words. I was on cloud nine
when I won the IFBB Australasian Cham-
pionship. Even now, I get goosebumps
whenever I talk about that day. The
winning moment was even more special
for me because I was the only Indian in
the auditorium. So, it was indeed a very
happy moment for me. I was also the
only brown-skinned woman to partici-
pate in the competition.
I believe this win is not mine alone but
also belongs to every woman who lives
for her passion and works hard for the
same. This win is also an inspiration for
a lot of women that you can also follow
your passion even after marriage.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU
WANT TO GIVE ALL THE
WOMEN OUT THERE WHO
WANT TO ACHIEVE THEIR
DREAM?
To follow your passion and turn your
dream into reality you have to come out
of your shell. You have the potential to
do anything just believe in yourself and
work hard. Don’t look for inspiration
instead be the inspiration for others.
| 109
 W
ith the firm
belief that
education has
the power
to transform
one’s life,
Kavita Sanghvi
emphasises the experiential approach
to teaching through STEM education. For
her great contribution to the educational
landscape, Kavita is honoured with the
National Award from the President Of
India, Droupadi Murmu. She has also
received “the Iconic Principal Award”
from the Government of Maharashtra.
With her passion for teaching, Kavita
is on a mission to impart experimental
knowledge in the learning process so
that students can also develop new life
skills. Being a fervent teacher, leader
and STEM trainer, Kavita has introduced
various modules for the STEM curric-
ulum to improve the competencies of
skill and knowledge.
Kavita sheds light on her excellent
journey as a teacher and elaborates on
the importance of STEM in the educa-
tional landscape in an exclusive inter-
view with The Global Hues.
GIVE US A GLIMPSE OF
YOURSELF AND WALK US
THROUGH YOUR JOURNEY
OF BECOMING A TEACHER.
My journey as a teacher began in child-
hood itself. Being the eldest of all three
sisters, I used to teach them. From there,
my passion for teaching united. I started
giving tuition to other kids to support my
education, hence kickstarting my journey
as a teacher.
I started my professional career in 2001
at Chatrabhuj Narsee Memorial School
as a teacher and was promoted to coor-
dinator in 2003. I spent the good 8 years
of my life in this school. When my son
was in the first standard, I decided to
leave the school. Because I believe that
a mother and a kid should not be in the
same school. Therefore, I changed my
job and started teaching at MET Rishikul
Vidyalaya in 2009. I was the Principal
there and learnt a lot while honing my
leadership skills.
In 2018, when the Principal of CNM was
retiring, the management contacted
me and gave me the opportunity to
become Principal. I took the opportu-
nity and joined CNM school in 2019 as
110 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
a Principal. The feeling was no less than
homecoming.
I believe now it is time for me to take a
step forward to connect with a larger
audience where I get the chance to asso-
ciate with more educators and students.
YOU ARE A STRONG AMBAS-
SADOR FOR STEM-BASED
LEARNING. WHY ARE
YOU EMPHASISING THIS
CONCEPT?
I strongly believe that STEM (an
approach to learning that integrates the
areas of Science, Technology, Engi-
neering and Mathematics) is not only a
subject but a way to connect you with
a practical world. It transforms the way
you think, live and perceive things. It
makes you think in a more structured
and logical manner.
The other amazing aspect of STEM
learning is that it helps you look beyond
the surface value of things and you start
exploring the facts and evidence about
the same. That’s why I am so passionate
about making sure that STEM becomes
an inevitable part of our culture in and
out. I have introduced the STEM curric-
ulum known as “Global Outlook” in my
school. Through this initiative, we want
students to research methodology, think
critically, and come up with a conclusion
on their own.
Initially, people were not familiar with
this concept. To create awareness, I
had to provide a lot of training to my
colleagues and other educators. Today,
all of them are efficient in imparting
STEM knowledge. I have also designed a
STEM course for educators which is in its
final phase and soon will be available all
over the world free of cost.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
YOU MADE IT TO THE HEAD-
LINES RECENTLY FOR
RECEIVING THE NATIONAL
AWARD FROM PRESIDENT
DROUPADI MURMU. HOW DID
YOU FEEL?
Receiving the National Award from the
President of India felt very surreal to
me. When I got to know that I had to go
to Delhi to receive the National Award,
I couldn’t believe it was happening in
reality.
I cannot express my gratitude and
happiness in words. I am so proud that
my hard work and passion have been
recognised by the Ministry Of Education
and there is no greater feeling than that.
MENTION THE AWARDS AND
RECOGNITIONS RECEIVED
BY YOU SO FAR.
By god’s grace, my work has been
recognised various times by presti-
gious awards. Some of them include
the National Award in 2022, the Top 50
Global Teachers 2016-17, the Iconic Prin-
cipal Awards from the Government of
Maharashtra, The Global Teacher Prize
and many more. Soon, I am launching
my own website that will aim at familiar-
izing teachers with the skills, knowledge,
and attitude needed by them to develop
STEM competencies for classroom
teaching.
WHAT WOULD YOUR
ADVICE BE FOR STUDENTS
AND THEIR PARENTS AS A
TEACHER?
Be an avid learner. Everyone must
keep learning and updating themselves
with the latest knowledge. Never let go
of any opportunity as it can help you
improve yourself. Always take out time
for your family because they are your
real strength and can teach you, guide
you and motivate you to always move
forward.
| 111
112 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023 | 113
 Glorifying
Businesses
Reviving The Handcrafted Fashion Retailing
“We envision becoming the biggest handcrafted
J
aipur is a melting
pot of heritage,
craftsmanship and
modern design
techniques. When
Priyanka experi-
enced the rich art culture of
Pink city, she made up her
mind to infuse trends and
style with heritage and local
craftsmanship. And here she
is, bringing the authentic
Tie-Dye legacy of Jaipur to
your doorstep via Maaesa
Creations.
“I was born and brought up in
Jaipur and raised in a conven-
tional middle-class Indian
family with strong deep-
rooted values. Becoming
an entrepreneur was never
a plan. However, the zeal
infused by seeing the strug-
gles of my parents ensured
that I had to do something
impactful with my life,” says
the Founder handling Maaesa
Creations for 7 years.
A STYLE FOR EVERY
STORY
The journey of Priyanka’s
Maaesa Creations started
as a B2B supplier but then
she pivoted it to becoming a
D2C brand in January 2020.
Currently, Maaesa offers
handcrafted garments and
fashion consumables in the
women's casual wear range.
She is planning to add kids'
wear verticals too.
More than 70% of the product
box is Tie Dye Craft-centric.
The creative genes of the
skilled craftsmen are helping
to build a craft-centric brand,
and with just one craft,
Maaesa Clothing has been
able to achieve heights in
such a short span of time.
The target audience of the
retail and fashion brand is
114 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
fashion brand in India.”
PRIYANKA GARG
Founder & MD, Maaesa Creations
women falling in the age
bracket of 18 – 55. “We are
serving a versatile group of
women with the common
trait of being seekers of
novelty in their mundane
lives,” smiles Priyanka. She
further adds, “Our product
box has a streak of craft
along with usual mass-market
fashion needs. We also collab-
orate with fashion influencers
and celebrities which help us
build a distinct relationship
with the clients.”
‘HURDLES ARE A
PART OF LIFE’
Everybody enjoys a success
story but nobody really
understands the pain that
goes into achieving it.
Priyanka believes hurdles are
just a part of life.
She says, “Creating a D2C
brand has a 2-way struggle;
firstly connecting and
establishing trust with the
ground artists’ starting from
very minimal order quantity.
However, constant interaction
with them has worked like
magic for me.
Secondly, establishing the
brand in a perfectly compet-
itive space of fashion is no
cakewalk either; but focusing
on quality keeps a tight hold
on costs and eventually
depends on the most crucial
thing- DATA. In Priyanka’s
words, “Our data-centric
marketing strategy is where
the magic lies.”
THE MILESTONES
ACHIEVED
Fashion is an ever-evolving
field but for an organisa-
tion to stick to one craft
and then build scale is an
unprecedented feat. Maaesa
Creations has established
itself in the hearts of many
Indian women. Some of
the awards and recognition
received by Maaesa are:
 ‘Brand to Watch For’ at
D2C conclave by Kami-
kaze, Mumbai
 Your Story identified
Maaesa Clothing as the
fastest-growing hand-
crafted D2C fashion
brand in India
 BrilliantRead – Influencer
Entrepreneur Journey
June 2022 – Priyanka
Garg & Akash Bansal,
Founders – Maaesa
Clothing
 Enpact Berlin – GIZ,
Germany recognized
Priyanka Garg as an
‘Impact Women Entre-
preneur from India’ in
2020-21
 TIE Rajasthan – Runner
Up – at The Women
Entrepreneur Rajasthan
2019
While taking business
decisions, Priyanka follows
a growth-centric along with
people-centric approach.
“Growth which comes with
poor people management is
not sustainable, your team
and your customers should
be key beneficiaries of your
growth and that surely
brings long-term sustainable
growth.”
Priyanka lives with a mission
to make Maaesa Creations
the biggest handcrafted
fashion brand in India and
establish connections with
more than 500 grassroots
artisans in the next 5 years.
Glorifying
Businesses
The Beauty Enchantress
“Flicka Cosmetics is here to cater to the beauty needs of true women of India.”
I
t is not easy to break
through a cosmetic
market in India that
is already dominated
by big brands. But
Priyanka not only just
entered the industry with her
revolutionary cosmetic brand
but also stood tall among the
finest makeup and cosmetics
brands. How? Via Flicka
Cosmetics.
Priyanka Nawani is a woman
entrepreneur with a curious
mind and creative heart who
carved out the path for Flicka
Cosmetics. Being the embod-
iment of two core virtues;
determination and ambition,
Priyanka brought together
the concept of Beauty and
Empowerment. She was an
engineer before establishing
herself as an entrepreneur.
As her creative heart wasn’t
satisfied in the engineering
profession, she ultimately
decided to start her own
business.
The entrepreneurial journey
of Priyanka started when she
stumbled upon the beauty
industry when she herself
faced an issue. She found
out that women who belong
to Tier 2 cities don’t have
the access to affordable and
good-quality makeup at all.
“It was either international
beauty products with high
prices or local cosmetics
that are not good for the
skin,” asserted Priyanka. To
bridge this gap of accessible
and affordable makeup &
cosmetic products, Priyanka
invented Flicka Cosmetics in
2017. Running as a totally
bootstrapped business, Flicka
is growing 100 times without
any external funds today.
THE EXTENSIVE
PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
Flicka has a diverse range
PRIYANKA NAWANI
Founder & Director, Flicka Cosmetics
of beauty and makeup
products including Beauty
Oil, Eyeshadow Palette,
Lipsticks, Beauty Blenders,
Blusher, Highlighters and
many more. Each product of
the company is crafted with
perfection to make one feel
beautiful every day. Priyanka
iterates, “We, at Flicka, bring
the right tools to propel the
beauty that already exists
within.”
Flicka has launched over 700
SKUs which are available in
250+ retail outlets across
India. The company contrib-
utes around 3.5% of the
retail cosmetics market
share in seven states. Being
a certified makeup brand,
the highly professional team
of Flicka ensures that all the
products are compatible with
Indian skin tones to cater to
the requirements of Indian
consumers. Taking pride in
Flicka’s cosmetic and makeup
products, Priyanka says, “All
our products are vegetarian,
cruelty-free, accessible and
affordable for all kinds of
customers.” The marketing
strategies of Flicka are
based on a simple equation
“Awareness + Guidance =
Conversion”.
BUILDING EMPIRE
TOGETHER
It is said that if you want to
build a successful business
empire, build a powerful
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
team. Understanding the
worth of this quote very well,
Priyanka is working diligently
to build a team of creative
and enthusiastic profes-
sionals to support her vision
of Flicka. “I understand that
building a powerful team is
not a one-day task but a time
taking process,” mentions the
Founder of Flicka.
As a Founder & Director
of the company, Priyanka
guides her team and helps
them upscale themselves.
She adds, “We believe in
providing them enough space
to come up with their ideas to
reach their true potential and
shaping them to be future
leaders.”
THE STRATEGIC
VISION
With the aim to celebrate
the beauty of every woman,
Flicka helps all women feel
good, make good and get
more out of life. The company
is looking forward to being a
top-tier makeup brand that is
affordable & accessible and
suited to every Indian skin
tone. Priyanka along with her
team is investing blood, sweat
and tears to make Flicka’s
product a must-have vanity
product with a long-term
strategic vision of expanding
globally with its local roots.
WORDS OF INSPIRA-
TION FOR WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS
Encouraging all the budding
women entrepreneurs,
Priyanka says, “No matter
how hard the challenge is, if
you have the determination -
there is only and always light
on the other side.”
| 115
 Glorifying
Businesses
The Skincare Solutionist
“Anchored in heritage & supported by science, Nourish Mantra
focuses on holistic wellness.”
T
he richness of
India lies in the
age-old wisdom
of traditions
and the
co-existence of
modern chemistry. Incorpo-
rating this unique essence
into a brand, Ritika Jayaswal
laid the foundation of
Nourish Mantra in 2020. It is
not easy for an entrepreneur
to leave behind a well-estab-
lished business and build a
new brand from scratch. At
first, Ritika joined her family
business of iron & steel
manufacturing, but soon she
pivoted her way to pursue
her passion for building a
consumer product brand.
Following her passion, she
enrolled in a renowned
art and design institution,
Parsons School of Design in
New York. After completing
her graduation, she asso-
ciated with an esteemed
beauty accessory brand in
New York and was respon-
sible for managing its global
distribution. Combining her
passion with valuable profes-
sional experience & expertise,
she began her entrepre-
neurial journey with Nourish
Mantra.
As a guiding force, her
grandfather played a crucial
role in her entire journey.
He introduced her to various
Ayurvedic practitioners and
industry experts who are
well-known in their areas of
expertise. Ritika asserts, “ I
took those insights to the US,
where I blended them with
cutting-edge science to create
distinctive, effective formu-
lations tailored to modern
lifestyles.”
116 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
RITIKA JAYASWAL
Founder & CEO, Nourish Mantra
BEST OF BOTH
WORLDS
“At Nourish Mantra, our
unique approach to product
development blends ancient
Indian wisdom with modern
chemistry which caters to
the diverse needs of our
customers.” This line by
Ritika holistically captures
the essence of her brand.
Offering a wide range of skin-
care, haircare, and wellness
products, Nourish Mantra as
a modern beauty brand is
successfully revitalising tradi-
tional Indian beauty while
also making them relevant to
today’s dynamic lifestyle.
Aligning with the ethos of
sustainable and mindful
living, all the ingredients used
in the products are ethically
sourced, 100% vegan, and
cruelty-free. In Ritika’s words,
“Our dedication to excellence
is reflected in every product
we create, and we take pride
in our ability to balance
science with tradition,
resulting in innovative and
reliable products.”
CHANGING THE
NARRATIVE OF
BEAUTY WORLD
With the mission to provide
result-driven beauty &
wellness solutions, Nourish
Mantra focuses on achieving
beauty from the inside out.
Ritika iterates, “Every day, we
are getting closer towards
changing the global narra-
tive about beauty. Nourish
Mantra is a platform where
beauty isn’t the source of
happiness, but happiness is
the source of beauty.”
THE ASTONISHING
MILESTONES
The flying numbers of the
company speak of its great
achievements. Nourish
Mantra is winning the trust of
customers with high-quality
products that are backed by
extensive clinical trials and
proven results that build
a strong customer base of
50,000+ happy customers.
The quality products of
Nourish Mantra have been
picked up by international
beauty subscription boxes.
The other notable achieve-
ments of the company are:
 Featured in Forbes USA
and Allure
 Recognized in "100 Most
Powerful Brands Script-
ing Success In India" in
D2C Yearbook India 2021
 Nominated in Vogue
Beauty Awards 2021
 Won Pure Beauty Awards
2020
‘BE BOLD AND
FEARLESS’
Ritika believes “It’s never too
late to start. Today is the first
day of the rest of our lives”.
She advises other budding
women entrepreneurs to be
brave and bold enough to
give themselves a chance to
pursue their dreams without
the fear of failure or rejec-
tion. “Don't shy away from
seeking advice from those
who have been there before.
Knowledgeable guidance and
support can often be the key
difference between success
or failure.”
Glorifying
Businesses
The Recruitment Expert
“As long as humans and companies exist, recruitment will exist.”
T
wo roads
diverged in
a wood and
she - she
took the one
less travelled
by, and that made all the
difference. The road had a
lot of potholes but she was
unstoppable. Ritu Khanna
used to work as a mechan-
ical engineer for Hindustan
Motors and Mitsubishi but
her career took a shift when
she decided to switch her
career and choose the path of
entrepreneurship.
Ritu named her company
Paradigm Ventures as in
actual terms, it was a para-
digm shift in her thought
process. It’s been 17 years
since the company’s estab-
lishment. Today, Ritu has
been quite successful in
leading Recruitment, Board
Consulting, and Family
Business Advisory Services.
Established in 2005, Paradigm
Ventures is doing quite well
under Ritu’s stewardship.
Ritu is a Professional
Recruiter and Relationship
Developer. She has designed
and implemented methods
that turned recruitment
from Art into much more
of a Scientific process. She
has conducted in-depth
research in different areas of
recruitment and technologies
and has also led cross-func-
tional senior management
teams that penetrated new
recruitment techniques
and increased their share
in existing markets. She is
highly skilled at utilising all
marketing methods and
market research methodolo-
gies to meet objectives.
RITU KHANNA
MD, Paradigm Ventures
RECRUITMENT
SOLUTIONS
“We are committed to adding
value at every stage of the
recruitment process. We
provide key insights into the
market direction, personnel
development, total bene-
fits packages and employer
branding. This way, we help
you grow your brand, target
stronger candidates and
plan industrial growth,” says
Ritu while emphasising the
contribution of Anusuya Roy,
the Co-Founder of Paradigm
Ventures.
The firm uses state-of-the-art
technology to meet recruit-
ment demands. Professionals
working under the guidance
of Ritu ensure that the candi-
dates shortlisted are experi-
enced, skilled, and have the
requisite expertise to advance
the company’s overall growth.
From Senior & Middle-Level
Hiring and Recruitment
Process Outsourcing to
Interim Management, Execu-
tive Search, and Recruitment
Drives, Paradigm Ventures
does it all.
Paradigm Ventures always
goes the extra mile for its
clients. Till date, the company
has served 2000+ satisfied
customers and completed
around 1250+ projects. The
specialization lies in serving
sectors like Oil & Gas /
Energy, Engineering, Manu-
facturing, IT / ITES, Tele-
communications, Banking,
Finance & Insurance, FMCG &
Retail, to list a few.
“My team has always been
my biggest strength. I feel
unbelievably proud about my
team’s performance that gets
better and better each day.”
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
‘MY FAMILY KEEPS
MY DREAM ALIVE’
Having a family that fully
supports you is a factor
in one’s longevity in the
corporate world. “My chal-
lenge-filled entrepreneurial
journey becomes easier when
I look at my family which
has always understood and
supported me,” acknowl-
edges Ritu.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Ritu’s expertise and proven
track record in the recruit-
ment business make her a
true leader. She has accom-
plished a 90% on-time/
on-budget project manage-
ment record over a 15+ year
period.
She has many awards to
her name- The ET Award for
Leaders of Tomorrow-2011,
Indian Achievers Award-2016,
Business with Style Award-
2019, Fox clues India Prime
Women Icon award-2022, and
MSMECII Award for Women
Recruiter-2023.
Ritu has also developed
and used a matrix and line
management style of team-
work based upon strong lead-
ership, detailed work plans,
clear direction & communi-
cation, the proper level of
delegation, open-mindedness
and empathy.
BE YOU
Ritu preaches and practices
Oscar Wilde's words - “Be
You; everyone else is already
taken.” She believes that the
world is a common playing
field. “We should never
underestimate our power.
The strength always lies
within us. We must find it and
use it to our advantage,” says
Ritu while signing off.
| 117

L
arge muscular men bodyguards
dressed in black is a myth. Meet Veena
Gupta, India’s first lady bodyguard
who is breaking all gender norms with
her courageous attitude and deter-
mination. Making power her greatest
strength, Veena is a true embodiment
of bravery, power and supremacy.
Since childhood, she is known for her
rebellious nature and standing against
unfair behaviour and actions.
118 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
“I strongly feel that the belief that only
men can protect people is an incor-
rect belief system. Women are equally
capable of protecting themselves,
their families and society,” says Veena
oftentimes.
She also runs Seam Risk Solutions which
offers modern security services. Veena
specialises in formulating integrated
security solutions by using modern
security management techniques. With
over 20 years of experience, she has
expertise in various domains like Risk
and Disaster management solutions,
Business Continuity Plans, and Security
Consultancy & Audits.
Let’s hear the story of Veena Gupta in
her own words.
Give us a glimpse of yourself and
walk us through your journey
of becoming India's 1st female
bodyguard.
Born into an orthodox family, my nature
has been rebellious since childhood.
I always spoke against the voices that
say, “Don’t do this or that because you
are a girl”. I have 6 siblings and they
always used to ask for my help when-
ever someone disturbed them. I always
wondered how I could save my sisters
from eve-teasing, stalking, and any other
misbehaviour. After completing my grad-
uation, I started a job in the hospitality
sector. But a 9-5 job did not give me the
satisfaction I was craving for.
Life went on. I got married and gave
birth to a beautiful daughter. And once
again, the thought of protecting my
daughter from eve-teasing and all sorts
of vicious aspects of society came to my
mind. But I always believe that God is
listening to us all and he has the answer
to all our questions. The same happened
to me.
While we were in Gurgaon, I was looking
for a job that would also spare me some
time to take care of my daughter. An
MNC company was looking for a secu-
rity officer who could take care of their
business. And since I belonged to a
business and sales background and had
knowledge in the respective domain, I
fitted perfectly in the role. That’s how my
journey pivoted in 2000 and paved the
way for this wonderful career.
Since this is a male-dominated
profession, how difficult was your
journey as a Security Officer?
Well, the entire security industry in India
is male-dominated because people
believe that only men who have ‘giant’
muscles can protect someone. But this
is not the case in many international
countries. In other countries, people
don’t really care about the gender of the
person and only consider if the person
has professional competencies or not.
I worked with many international
agencies and firms that showed trust in
me and my abilities as a security officer
and hired me to provide security. I have
protected one of the richest tycoons in
the USA.
I can confidently say that a woman is as
good as a Security officer as a man can
be. It is just a misconception that women
are weak. People believe in my potential
and this is the biggest achievement that I
have earned in my entire journey.
You seem very attached to your
daughter, what role has she played
in your entire journey?
My daughter is my biggest critic and my
best buddy. She gives me the strength to
keep moving forward. I still remember
the days when I had to leave the home
for my work duties even when she was
down with fever. The mother in me
didn’t want to leave the sick child behind.
But it was my daughter who motivated
me to perform my work duties first.
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
She supported me through thick and
thin in my journey. She matured before
her age, she understood it quite well
that someone was trusting her mother
for their life. I can proudly say that my
daughter is my pillar of strength.
How do you feel at the end of the
day thinking about your work;
training hundreds of women across
the country in self-defence and
self-security for free?
I think this is a gift given by God to me.
My heart fills with satisfaction while
acknowledging the fact that I bring a
change in the lives of many women
out there. I feel fulfilled when I see the
transformation in girls when they learn
self-defence. The girls who come to learn
self-defence develop a unique bond with
me. They get so comfortable that they
share everything with me and I think
that is no less than a blessing. The peace
and satisfaction I receive from teaching
self-defence are beyond anything else.
What would your advice be for
women? How can they build their
inner strength?
My mantra in life is “Chance, Choose,
and Choice”. If you get the chance, work
hard to prove your worth to the world.
I believe that there is nothing that a
woman cannot achieve, provided she
has the zeal and passion to do that task.
It is your inner strength that can take
you to the ultimate heights and nothing
else. People can guide you, but ulti-
mately you have to fight your own battle.
| 119
 Glorifying
Businesses
The Career Strategist
“Our vision is to create the world’s best learner-centric seamless
platform where learners can learn, excel & get success on the go!”
N
o learner
should be
deprived of the
right mentor to
guide them to
the right set of
education, career and success
mindset. With this intent in
mind, Sapna Jha incepted
HapGen Educational Services.
An Avid entrepreneur, perfor-
mance coach, and career
strategist, Sapna Jha via her
learning platform provides
leading-edge learning expe-
riences with its diverse range
of educational offerings.
“During my school and
college days, I always felt
a lack of the right mentor
who could guide me. Hence,
since my childhood days, I
always had a great inclina-
tion towards contributing my
bit in the field of education,
training, career counselling,
and success-mindset develop-
ment,” recalls Sapna.
Sapna commenced her
entrepreneurial journey in
her two-bedroom flat with
the responsibilities of a
new-born. Although it was
quite challenging for her to
maintain a work-life balance,
she did it all with utter deter-
mination to bring an organi-
sation to a level where things
could work properly.
LEARNER-CENTRIC
COMPREHENSIVE
SOLUTIONS
Incepted in 2017, HapGen
Education is a one-stop
extensive platform that offers
a diverse range of products
to provide a leading-edge
learning experience for K-12
and College learners globally.
“Whether one needs help in
understanding a complex
topic, difficult assignment,
preparing standardised tests,
taking college admission or
needs career guidance to
select the right career path,
we are here to assist the
120 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
SAPNA JHA
Founder & MD, HapGen Education
students in every possible
way,” asserts Sapna.
HapGen Education becomes
the best-in-class learn-
er-centric seamless plat-
form through its top-notch
offerings:
 Individual courses for
holistic development
 Group courses where
sessions are held in a
group for peer-to-peer
interaction and for
increasing performance
with a global competitive
benchmark
 Personalised scien-
tific career guidance
mapped with AI-driven
psychometric assess-
ments and relevant
research and knowledge
tools for comprehensive
analysis of cognitive abil-
ity, behavioural approach
and intensive assessment
of aptitude
 Success-mindset devel-
opment geared up with
21st-century skills and
certifications for bridging
the academia-industry
gap that augments future
success.
“We also help the college
freshers, recent graduates and
people with career gaps to get
access to jobs with our skill-
based certifications,” adds Jha.
THE FOUNDER’S
VISION
Sapna via her platform
envisions imparting holistic
learning beyond boundaries
irrespective of the native
language, time zone and
physical location.
Sapna smiles while saying, “In
the last 6 years, we have been
able to deliver 10,000+ hours
of instant learning and skilling
through 300+ online courses
in 6+ countries with the
holistic learning advancement
being accessed in 9+ native
languages.”
THE AWARDS LIST
Since day one of the compa-
ny’s inception, HapGen
Educational Services is
building itself to become the
world’s most learner-centric
seamless platform where
learners can learn, excel & get
success on the go. HapGen
Education under the supervi-
sion of Sapna Jha has bagged
many awards to its name.
 ‘Top 10 EdTech Startups
in 2022’ by SiliconIndia
Magazine
 ‘Top 40 startups for WE
Ignite’ at Wadhwani
Foundation in 2022
 ‘Business Excellence &
Innovative Best Practices
Academia Award’ - 2020
by New Delhi Institute of
Management (NDIM)
 ‘Top 10 Fastest Growing
e-Learning Startups’
in 2021 by SwiftnLift
Magazine
 ‘Top 10 Women Entrepre-
neurs to Look Forward to
in 2019’
 Runner up for ‘Best
Woman Entrepreneur
StartUp’ in AEONIAN
Awards 2019
 ‘Best Emerging Coaching
Institute of the Year’ by
IARE Awards 2019
 ‘Exceptional Women of
Excellence’ in 2019 by the
Women Economic Forum
(WEF)
‘BE RESILIENT’
Sapna Jha had invested
her blood, sweat and toil
to build HapGen Education
from scratch. Her resilience,
perseverance, and Never-
Giving approach have made
her where she is today. She
always advises other women
entrepreneurs to also stay
resilient and never give up.
“Whenever I feel that some-
thing is bringing me down,
I just remember my vision.
That recharges me for
upcoming responsibilities and
whatnot,” Sapna grins.
Glorifying
Businesses
The Agro Game Changer
“We, at Agriforetell, make digital transformation easy,
accessible and affordable for farmers.”
I
ndia is a nation with
an agrarian economy.
Despite the fact that
a large portion of
the country’s popu-
lation still depends
on agriculture, the income of
the farmers is very restricted.
Exploring the voids in the
agricultural sector, Srishti
Arora with her Co-Founder
Piyush started brainstorming
on the idea of how to cope
with the uncertainty and
improve the unit economics
in the agricultural ecosystem
to make it sustainable.
After graduating from BITS
Pilani in Engineering in 2016,
Srishti started her career
in Reliance Jio, working on
location-based data analytics
and Big Data R&D in the GIS
department. It sparked her
interest in the potential of
data to change perspectives
and make decisions.
“We realised that the informa-
tion gap between the farmers
and the final buyers is huge
(mostly corporates and
large traders), due to which
farmers don’t have access
to a broader market and sell
the crops in the local market
at very low prices,” mentions
Srishti. Due to the low
revenue margins, there is less
scope for experimenting with
new technology or processes
- leading to very low tech
penetration and a heavy
disadvantage in competing
with the global markets in the
unit cost of production.
With this problem statement
in mind, the Founder duo set
out to explore how tech-
nology can provide visibility
and increase the efficiency
of farm operations through
SRISHTI ARORA
CEO & Co-Founder, Agriforetell
data-driven decision-making
and a scientific approach to
agriculture – leading to higher
yield, best quality and less
usage of harmful chemicals.
EMPOWERING
FARMERS THROUGH
TECHNOLOGY
With the mission to improve
crop productivity and yield,
Agriforetell was incepted
in 2018. Srishti joined the
firm as a full-time CEO in
2019. Agriforetell is a revolu-
tionary tech platform which
empowers farmers with
data-driven decision-making,
providing full visibility of farm
operations. The company
collects data from multiple
resources such as ground
operations, weather stations,
soil parameters, drones, and
satellite data. After analysing
this data, Agriforetell provides
actionable insights and
predictions for the farmers’
benefits.
The company focuses on
reducing input costs and
improving yield and quality
with practical solutions for
precision farming. Srishti iter-
ates, “We are currently oper-
ational in the tea industry in
South India, providing an inte-
grated business intelligence
suite for facilitating real-time
data flow and proactive deci-
sion making.”
LEADING WITH
INTEGRITY AND
ETHICS
Srishti believes that lead-
ership requires a great
deal of empathy, patience,
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
accountability, and the
strength to take difficult deci-
sions. While taking any busi-
ness decisions, she always
tries to keep her perspective
in the long-term that also
aligns with the company’s
vision. Keeping teamwork at
the forefront of the company,
the CEO says, “Major business
decisions are always taken
with the inputs of the entire
core team of our company”.
Srishti and her skilled team
keep updating themselves on
the state-of-the-art techno-
logical advancements and the
changing landscape of the
business world.
‘WE CONTROL OUR
REASONED CHOICE’
Being an entrepreneur
is more than starting a
company or being your own
boss. Srishti says, “Entrepre-
neurship asks for sacrifice
and dedication, and the
ability to thrive in a very
uncertain environment. At
the end of the day, what
you are working on should
really matter to you on a very
personal level; otherwise, it
becomes difficult to weather
the storms of building a
business”.
One thing that inspires her
throughout her journey
comes from stoicism, “We
control our reasoned choices
and all acts that depend on
that moral will. There is only
one path to happiness, and
that is in giving up all outside
of your sphere of choice.” She
adds, “It reminds me to focus
on what is in my control – my
own reasoning and my mind
– and not get affected by
things I can’t control.”
| 121
 Glorifying
Businesses
The Content Brainbox
S
ujata
Upadhyay, a
content consultant
and marketing
enthusiast believes
in curated,
coherent, and compelling
content that creates an
impact on the reader’s mind.
Let’s hear what Sujata has to
say about her journey and
her brand CDM Content.
1. Give us a glimpse of
yourself and walk us
through your journey of
becoming an entrepreneur.
While working with compa-
nies in the tech space for
14 years, the knowledge I
developed was – the right
positioning and credibility
building makes one stand
ahead of its competition.
Hence the choice of words
and the content you create
is essential and I wanted to
pass on this experience to the
startups. That’s how CDM was
founded - to help growing
businesses enhance online
visibility.
2. What hurdles did you
face while building your
career? How did you
overcome them in order to
succeed?
In 2018 when we started,
it was just the US market
that was well aware of the
credibility content could
bring. Meanwhile, most of the
Indian firms I connected with
were still struggling to find
value beyond SEO blogging
and were expecting to see an
immediate ROI. The market
was not ready for what we
had to offer.
In the last few years, the
importance of subtle
marketing, and the role it
plays in increasing steady
revenue has become clearer.
There has been a huge shift in
where the Content Marketing
industry is heading, and
we’re really excited about the
122 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
“We create content that sells.”
SUJATA UPADHYAY
Founder, CDM Content Design Market LLP
contributions CDM will make
as we grow.
3. What is your leadership
philosophy? What factors
do you keep in mind while
taking business decisions?
You cannot grow as an
organization if you do not
offer value to your clients,
your employees, and your
network. Every decision I take
is therefore guided by the
overall growth our offerings
can bring in terms of revenue,
exposure, and expansion.
4. Briefly describe your
company and the prod-
ucts or services you are
offering.
We are a Content Writing
and Content Marketing
firm mainly catering to the
needs of B2B firms looking
to expand their business.
The content we generate
and distribute is designed to
attract, engage, and convert
prospective audiences into
long-term, loyal customers.
We create content that sells.
The internet is filled with
unoriginal content that is
written for the sake of writing;
it does not provide value to
the end customer. The CDM
writers are marketing and
domain experts know how
to create content that is both
informative and effective.
5. Shed light on the clien-
tele of your company. How
do you ensure a successful
client relationship?
We have worked with over
200 clients since we started
out in 2018. Most of them
are among rapidly growing
tech-enabled firms, manu-
facturing, and EdTech
companies. Our project
coordinators and strategists
ensure that our clients are
part of our planning and
execution processes thus
building successful client
relationships.
6. How do you iden-
tify and explore new
market opportunities in a
changing world?
In a mature market like our
vertical, the ability to iden-
tify consumer needs, pain
points and to cater to them
via a customized offering is
the best way to grow. This,
combined with the fail-fast
approach that is vital for
sailing past competition,
has helped CDM continue to
thrive since its inception.
7. Shed light on the
mission of the company.
What is its long-term stra-
tegic vision?
We want to be the leader
in the B2B content writing
space, catering to tech-en-
abled firms with our rich
experienced strategists and
writers.
8. Mention the awards and
milestones received by you
and your company so far.
We were recognized as the
Best Startups in Pune to
work for in the year 2021, as
well as the Most Promising
Content Consultation Compa-
nies in 2022.
9. What would your advice
be for women, who also
want to become an entre-
preneur? Share your
favourite quote that keeps
you inspired.
Entrepreneurship is a
mindset, a journey, not a
designation. So, one doesn’t
plan and become an entre-
preneur, if you can stay
positive throughout the
roller-coaster ride – then just
start.
Words that keep me going are
- ‘being flawsome’ – accepting
your flaws (working on them)
but knowing that you are
awesome irrespective!
CONTEST WINNER
SPILL YOUR COFFEE LIKE
NO ONE DID BEFORE!
-BY SWATI CHAKRABORTY
A
s Nikitha brewed her evening
coffee, she spilled the coffee
onto her laptop. Shit! did I
mess everything up again?
How the hell was I getting
clumsier with every passing day?” she
thought to herself.
She wiped the coffee off her laptop,
grabbed the last sip of coffee left in her
mug and said in a low tone ”You are my
saviour for the day!”
She was on her way to the balcony to
witness the dramatic sunset the day
has set for when her doorbell rang.
She frowned at the extra bitterness of
the coffee and for a moment statued
herself and decided not to answer the
bell unless it rang for several turns when
she gave up on her cruel instincts and
pushed herself to open the door.
Shakib, It was! At such an odd hour, he
must be in the E-cell right now doing his
bit of part. What is he doing here right
now?
“Anything wrong? Why are you here?”
Nikitha asked in an earnest tone.
“Nikku, where are your Marketing assign-
ments? You didn’t submit it even today!
Today was the last date to submit all the
pending assignments?” Shakib said with
a solemn expression on his face.
“I was unwell yesterday, so, I couldn’t….”,
words died off her lips.
“This is not the way you should behave
in the final semester of your B-school,
with two pending backlogs. Nikku, you
are the only one besides Manick, who
has not made it to the placement desk!”
Shakib sighed heavily.
“I was not made for B-school, Shakib,
you know it well! I am the 119th in
the batch of 120. I am struggling with
myself every single day. I can’t take this
anymore. I feel I should leave the course
.” Nikitha said with a shaky voice.
“I have heard this a million times. And
you can never back out at the eleventh
hour, you promised me our convoca-
tion picture together. Nevertheless, I
came over for something else, Here’s a
Soap craving competition at IIT Cultural
Fest, I want you to participate.” Shakib
authoritatively.
“ No way, Are you out of mind? The
midsems are around the corner and you
want me to go there!” Nikitha said in a
high-pitched voice.
“Remember the soap you carved for
my 23rd birthday, when no one wanted
to befriend me at B-school judging my
plump body, you were the one who
carved superman in the soap and told
me, ‘ Superman is good in every shape’.I
want you to go there Nikku and here
are all my assignments, make sure
to complete them by tonight. Sikha
ma’am granted you another half day,
on my words. I want you to do this!
I am running late for the E-cell, See
you tomorrow.” saying this Shakib ran
hastily.
Nikitha turned straight to the cupboard
corner which she has not looked up for
months and fished out the box from all
the heaps of papers that have piled over
the months.
She smiled as she opened the box, it had
many coloured soaps, some carved with
beautiful designs, one with the portrait
of APJ Abdul Kalam Ji, and some left
unfinished.
She seemingly beamed with a glow of
happiness, as she held the knife in her
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
hand and started carving a soap bar. She
searched for a beautiful mandala design
on the internet and started carving it,
then she finished it off by adding some
paints. It looked pretty well. She started
doing another and then on a loop until
Shakib’s Notebook reminded her to
complete her assignments.
On the respective day, She reached
the venue with her tools and soaps
at Cultural Fest, the campus looked
magnificent, she has never been to such
a huge college festivity before, at least
not in her college at Delhi University and
even her B-school didn't hold such big
fest. Participants came from nationwide
and performed better than expected.
Judges did come over and appreciated
her work.
Even though she did not win the contest
but the pleasure and happiness of doing
something she loved doing once made
her heart light and ecstatic. She could
hear voices from within herself, “Soap
is where you belong” and she giggled at
her thought.
The first thing she could do after
reaching her room is opening her laptop
and order packs of soap. She created
an Instagram business profile “Nikki’s
Soapy Dreams” which earned millions of
followers and thousands of customers
over the year.
A year passed, and she is now the
manager of a food farm based in Delhi.
Her soaps have reached thousands of
customers around the globe. She holds
her exhibitions and weekend “ Soap
Carving Masterclasses”.
She wants to expand her brand even
more, she carves soaps not only for
serving customers now, but she has also
joined a noble cause of imbibing positive
thoughts on soaps which were delivered
to nearest hospitals at non-profitable
prices to boost patients while they were
being cleaned.
She had a big smile on her face, as she
handed over her resignation letter to
her boss. She had a big dream to live,
an indecipherable faith in her passion
and the indispensable support of Shakib
which made her face glow as she walked
out of the office alley confidently.
| 123
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 reativity cannot be restricted, believes
Smriti Nagpal who is the Founder of
Atulyakala, which is India’s first-ever
lifestyle brand run by the deaf commu-
nity. It is a social enterprise that consists
of 90% of team members with hearing
impairment who communicate via sign
language.
With a vision to bring inclusivity and
opportunities, Smriti through her
organisation Atulyakala empowers the
hearing-impaired community to live an
independent life with dignity and self-
esteem. Smriti has two siblings who have
a hearing impairment, so she under-
stands them more closely. She also
worked as a sign language anchor
with DD news and CNN Network 18
as an anchor and was responsible for
hearing-impaired news bulletins.
In an exclusive interview with The Global
Hues, Smriti Nagpal shares her journey
and her brand Atulyakala.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
AND YOUR ORGANISATION
ATULYAKALA.
I grew up with two elder siblings who
were deaf and mute. That’s why I learned
sign language when I was only three
years old. Since then, I have become
a bridge between my parents and my
siblings for communication. Growing up
with my siblings, sign language became
too organic for me.
Along with pursuing graduation, I was
working with a News channel as a sign
language anchor. And during that time,
I came across many designers and
fashion artists who were looking for
jobs but were unable to get any because
of their hearing impairment. After
exploring the market, I realised that
there were a lot of people who were in
similar situations because no one was
hiring them.
126 | The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
C
In 2013, Atulyakala was born to offer
job opportunities for deaf and mute
communities. All the employees we have
in Atulyakala are well-educated people
with proper degrees in their respective
fields. For me, hiring a person with a
hearing impairment is like hiring any
other person. It does not make any
big difference. At Atulyakala, we have
a team of highly creative and potential
designers and artists who design various
kinds of bags, home decor, stationery
items, and apparel.
DO YOU THINK THE CORPO-
RATE WORLD IS TAKING ANY
FIRM STEPS WHEN IT COMES
TO THE INCLUSIVITY OF ALL
PEOPLE?
Yes, I can say that there is a lot of growth
in the corporate world when it comes to
inclusivity. There is a lot more improve-
ment in comparison to earlier times. But
when we talk about the creative land-
scape or skill-based industries, the gap is
still prevalent.
The corporate world is still lacking the
required infrastructure and ecosystem
that encourages the inclusivity of all
kinds of people. We, as a whole, are
not taking that extra mile to include
everyone.
I believe that there is an improvement
in blue-collar jobs, but the creative field
and related industries still need signifi-
cant changes.
IS IT DIFFICULT TO MAIN-
TAIN COMMUNICATION
WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE
A HEARING IMPAIRMENT?
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR
DAY-TO-DAY COMMU-
NICATIONS WITH YOUR
EMPLOYEES?
I use sign language to communicate
with my employees. It is a rule in our
The Global Hues | Vol. 3 | Issue 3 | March 2023
company that whosoever joins Atulya-
kala has to learn sign language. It not
only helps employees build smooth
communication with each other but also
gives a sense of inclusivity to deaf and
mute people in the workplace.
This rule also ensures that no one faces
any kind of problem in carrying out the
operations of the firm.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC STEPS
ONE SHOULD TAKE IN ORDER
TO BRING A CHANGE IN
SOCIETY?
I think everyone should learn sign
language. It is fun to learn and also
it enables you to communicate with
anyone without using any particular
language.
If you encourage inclusivity and want to
take the step towards the inclusion of
everyone then you need to ask yourself
one question that is "Am I doing it just
because of the sake of it or do my efforts
really make an impact?"
WHAT IS THE ONE PIECE OF
ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO
ALL READERS?
I believe that there is so much in a
human being other than what we can
see from the outside layer. If you really
want to make an impact, start by taking
small steps. Take small steps by creating
an impact in your small areas and then
move forward.
If you can impact just one life with your
efforts, it means you are really making
a difference. Consider everyone equal.
Everyone has the potential to learn and
do something, we just need to believe in
them.
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 Muskaan Arora 11 Ouest Founder & CEO

Founder; Director Growth

Nandita Kanwar eConcero & Hydromo
Glorifying & Strategy

Businesses Nikunj Sharma

Nikunj Sharma Design
Studio
Founder and Principal
Designer

V4WEB Technologies &

Nirali Bhatia Director; Founder
Name Brand Designation CyberBAAP
Aarti Kalro Arura Founder Dr Prameela
Mind Scan Founder
Senior Vice President Sreemangalam
Cignex & HR Association
Dr Ankita Singh & Global Head of HR;
of India Pratibha Rathi Maneva Consulting Director
Founder

Dr Anubha Walia Prism Philosophy Director Concord Talent Hunt &

Preeti Phuskele CEO
Pinacolish
Arti Khosla COAE International Founder & CEO
Priyanka Garg Maaesa Creations Founder & MD
Aruna Budhiraja Kreative Konsultants Founder
Priyanka Nawani Flicka Cosmetics Founder & Director
Dr Bharati Nadkarni Appropriate IP Services Founder

Chairperson & Principal Ritika Jayaswal Nourish Mantra Founder & CEO
Binita Kadam RGB Training Services
Trainer
Founder & Principal Ritu Khanna Paradigm Ventures MD
Divya Pentapalli Designs by Divya
Designer
Founder, Life Coach
The Artisan Street & Founder, CEO & Chief Auraa Image Management Executive Presence Coach,
Gauri Awasthi Samira Gupta
Digital Edify Curator; Co-Founder & MD & Consulting Chief Image Consultant &
Facilitator
Co-Founder & Chief
Ghazal Alagh Mamaearth Sapna Jha HapGen Education Founder & MD
Innovation Officer
Seema Chaudhary SM Express Chairperson & MD
Jayasree Madhu Aamodini India Founder & MD
Sonali Bansal Mayaa Money Founder & CEO
Kirandeep Dham Globus Infocom Limited CEO
Srishti Arora Agriforetell CEO & Co-Founder
Kusum Singh Magna Group CEO
CDM Content Design
Sujata Upadhyay Founder
Founder & Principal Market LLP
Manjari Sharma Wagma Designs
Architect
Zaiba Sarang iThink Logistics Co-Founder
Armstrong Capital &
Manju Mastakar MD
Financial Services All the names have been arranged in an alphabetical order, and it is not a ranking

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