Chat with Babul Supriyo

Gauri: Welcome to Foundations TV everybody. Our guest is very special today, the one and only Babul Supriyo. Welcome to Foundations TV, Namaskar. So happy to have you here in Boston. Welcome to Boston.

Babul: Pleasure. I have been here before and everytime I come back to Boston it looks new with colors on the trees

Gauri: Yes, this is a good time of the year. Is this your first time in the fall here? Have you seen the colors before?

Babul: No, I’ve been coming here. Infact my first ever show, the first city in which I performed in America, that was way back in 1993, when I had toured with Amitab Bachhan. So the first show was in 1993 and I don’t know how 20 years have passed by. The only sign I see in the mirror is probably a little bit of gray hair

Gauri: Oh no, you don’t look 20 years older, you look 20 years younger. I was very impressed when I saw you for the first time today. I have seen your pictures but when I saw you, I was like, Oh My God, He is even better looking than his pictures.

Babul: Well , It might sound flattering but I will take a little time to accept that compliment and then I will get back to you.

Gauri: No No truly, so does this bring back any memories with Bachhan ji. Can you relate some memorable incidents that come to your mind, coming back to Boston?

Babul: Absolutely. Every time I leave the Logan airport, and the car oozes past the Boston Downtown, I can see the hotel in which we stayed. I am a small town guy from the outskirts of Calcutta, Kolkata, rather in India now, worked in a standard bank. I come from a musical family, so I have learnt music. My grandfather is N.C. Baral, a very famous composer. But then like a very cliché, only son does, I got a job in the bank, but realized that music was one quality that was given to me by nature or God for free. I wanted to pursue that so I had a fight with my entire family including my dad, left my job, and just ran away to Bombay. So, coming back to the question, why I am saying all this is because, I came to Boston in October 1992, and two months prior to that, I still remember the name of the cinema hall. It is called ‘Paradise’ in esplanade , I had seen a show which was Bachhan saab’s performance in London. It was picturized and released as a movie.vIt was called ‘Jumma Chumma in London’ and we all had watched that movie. My friends and I went from the bank to watch the movie and we saw the magnanimity of a live show and how a show can be so grand and how can there be so much of grandeur and you know 6 months from that 1993 , March, Kalyanji Anand Ji, after I got a chance to meet them and sing for them , they chose me ahead of a lot of other people for that tour. So, in 6 months , I was there from paradise cinema hall watching the movie and thinking what it was, never did I know that that in just 6 months of time, Life would throw such a big surprise to me. Boston does bring a lot of great memories for me. My first camera clicking of Bachhan saab performing on stage was here. I was really a kiddo, looking at a star in his every right, standing next to him, breathing the same air as him . It was huge. And the euphoria is something unique, like when you get your first bicycle, that euphoria is something. You might get a Q3 or a Bugatti in your life, but you can never match that euphoria.

Gauri: Absolutely. This is such a beautiful story. It got me flowing with it too . It was so nice. And there was no stopping from there on. You’ve been performing live, been a playback singer , been every where, singing old songs, new songs , and doing so many other things as well so that’s a fantastic journey

Babul: As they say, life begins at 40 , so I’ve just crossed 40 and I am on the other side of it . I’m 41. There is famous quote by George Bernard Shaw, ”Youth is wasted in the young”. Now that I have gained this 20 years of experience, I am trying to go back to what he said. But wait, I still didn’t accept the compliment you gave me…(Laughing) I try to make myself a little more fit, more agile because I think that the experience that I have got in the last 20 years is something that I can really use now and ‘caterpil’ myself in the next orbit instead of just being spoon fed, going to the studio, singing a song and then traveling the world, doing shows, making money etc.. I want to do something a little more worth while. Singing is what gave me this platform mentally and to think in this manner. Now I  have the experience now and from here, I can take it a little forward probably. I hope that life throws in afew more surprises for me.

Gauri: Absolutely. I’m sure . I can feel that you are following your heart and it’s not just about what the need of the market is but you’re doing what you want to do, what you like to do, that’s what you’re doing right now.

Babul: Need of the market is very important, I would say.  Because you don’t want to make albums or do films that don’t do commercially well. They do go hand in hand. But it is very important to find a path in life because otherwise it is the same thing over and over again. You just keep performing , and keep on singing in different parts of the world. You get paid and life gets into a cozy area and you don’t want to move away from it. So, I want to bring the euphoria of the struggle back. I want to do a few new things. I am not saying what they are. If they unfold, if I meet success then that is something that is definitely going to be on screen so lets wait and see.

Gauri: excellent. That’s a great message that you just shared , ‘come out of your comfort zone, and that’s where life begins’. So, our audiences would certainly like to know what other things you are doing besides singing. I know singing is a huge attraction to all of us in Boston here, specially tonight for Durga Puja celebrations. But other than that what are you other passions in life. You HAVE to share those with us.

Babul: Singing is what brings me here. Basically , if I have any dreams that I want to follow, if there is anything else larger than life , for my life that is, that I would want to add into my career then it is the singing that I have done in the last 20 years that takes me there. I am a singer first and everything is an extension of that. Whether I get into acting or direction or TV hosting . Actually I have done all of that. ‘K for Kishore’ is a show that I hosted and was very popular in America. People loved that show . And I feel that probably it is not fair to talk about what I’m trying to do in the next few years. (smiling) I would just say that today, in Boston , I really want to throw the best of Babul Supriyo as a singer on stage today because the organizers have been great. They’ve fed me good food..:) and I’ve experienced lot of warmth in the cold Boston weather . I do have a few surprises in store . I hope that the surprises are pleasant enough for the audience.

Gauri: I’m sure they will be. Thank you so much. We are all very very excited. We are all looking forward to your show a lot .

Babul: Thank you so much. I would just like to tell my audience that right now in Mumbai, there is a little bit of a scenario where the regular play back singers, as you may say, the generation that came in after Kumar Shanu, Udit Narayan  and Abhijeet and that era, myself, KK, Sonu, Shaan …we do have lesser songs than what we had may be 3 years back. There is a new wave of finding new voices. And singing is not something that is absolutely required to be a famous singer any more , pun intended, cause we have great softwares that can help you sound great at a studio. The indispensability of a singer has actually reduced. But I would tell my audience that if you’ve ever loved any of the singers for their live performances, for what they’ve sung at the studio, then stick by them because good music never fades away. I have a new solo music album, from Sony music which released in India, just about a week back . It’s called ‘Khushaamdeed’. So, people can go to iTunes and search for Babul Supriyo songs, and you should get that. It is a nice easy flowing song, you’re going to love it.

Gauri: And you also have another one “What the Folk” coming out soon?

Babul: It is already released. See we do sing in a lot of languages. Bengali being my mother tongue, I do sing a lot of Bengali music. In fact the song that I sang with Shreya 2 years back actually one the National award. The film got the National award, the song got the National award. In Bengal, I had released an album, a dance mix of folk songs and a little mischievously I named is “What the Folk” . and it really clicked . It is Number 1 in all the FM stations and commercially as I said is very important, it is selling like hot cakes .

Gauri: Good time for Durga Puja. Congratulations for that . And all the best for tonight .

Babul: Wishing The Foundations TV all the best .

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chat with Satinder Sartaaj

Gauri: तो आज हुमारे साथ हें Satinder Sartaaj जी। He is such an idol for the youth, I’ve heard your music. आप इंतना अच्छा गाते हें, कि आपके गाने सुनके तो बैठना मुश्किल है. पाओं अपने आप थिरकने लगते हें. Welcome to Boston. आप Please बताएं हमारे दर्शकों से कि आप कहाँ से हें.

Satinder : Basically में Punjab के Hoshiyarpur के एक गाओं से हूँ।लेकिन आज काल Chandigarh रेह रहें हें. और Punjab University से मेरी सारी study है education है। M.A music, M.Phil Music, PhD Music, diploma in Persian language और वहीं च्छे साल परहाया, M.A class को. Boston हम लोग दूसरी बार आयें हें. हमारा एक गान है, “दिल सबड़े वखरे जी”, उसकी shooting हमने यहाँ पे की थी. और बोहूत अच्छा लगा था Harvard University घूमें, यहाँ के students ने घूमाया फिराया. बहुत अच्छा लगता है जब भी हम लोग Boston आतें हें. मुझे ऐसी पुरानी इमारतें बहुत पसंद हें. जैसे ही हम land हुए, हमने तस्वीरें खींची. और सबसे खास बात येह है की America tour 2013 की येह हमारी आखरी मेहफिल है, और हम येह उमीद करते हें कि हम यहाँ के श्रोता गनों की उमीद के काबिल हो सकें.

Gauri: Oh Absolutely, I could feel the excitement outside. बहुत सब लोग आयें हें आपका गाना सुनने के लिये, और बहुत excited हें और हम लोग बहुत ज़्यादा खुश हें कि आप Boston आये और आपको Boston अच्छा लगता है. तो आप गाना कब से गा रहे हें, आप फटाफट से हूमें येह बता देजिये.

Satinder: गाना हम लोग, में बहुत छोटा था, मेरे खयाल से, में 3^rd class में था, तब से गा रहे हें, तब शौक से गा रहे थे, पर 10^th class ke बाद, मेने proper guidance शुरू की, phir graduation with music honors की. उसके साथ साथ मेने indian classical, North इंडियँ क्लास्सिकल का पांच साल का diploma किया. संगीत विशारत उसको केहते हें. बाकी तो मेने आपको बताया कि सारी कि सारी education मेरी मूसिक में है. लेकिन Sufi-ism में मेरे जो रिझां हें, या जो मेरा interest है, जब मेने doctorate शुरू की, तो मेरी PhD का topic था Sufi music. उसके तेहेत में बहुत से लोगों से मिला, ज़ुबाने सीखे, फारसी ज़ुबान सीखी specially. और Iran का culture, वहां से जो सूफ़ी पेदा हुए उनका लिबास कैसा था, उनके साज़ो समान कैसे थे, वो कहाँ रेहते थे, क्या गाते थे etc. तो हर एक चीज़ मेरे thesis में है. हम बहुत ज़ल्द ही उसको translate करके छपवाने कि कोशिश करेंगे as in बुक form, और उमीद करते हें कि वो लोगों को अच्छी भी लगेगी.

Gauri: I’m sure. आपकी रग रग में music भरा है, आपकी education में पूरा music है. So do you have a family background of music as well?

Satinder: बिल्कुल नहीं, मेरी proper farming family है. में किस्सान का बेटा हु और खुद खेती बारी की है हाथों से. लेकिन येह इतफाक हुआ है ki में इस field में आया. खुशी की बात येह है कि मेरे अम्मी अब्बा हमेशा इसी बात को प्रोत्साहित करते रहे हें कि मुझे music में ही जाना चाहिये था. नहीं तो लोग केहते हें कि यार आप doctor बनिये, engineer बाइये, आप advocate बनिये, लेकिन मुझे इस बात का फक्र है कि मेरे father साहब ने मुझे specially कह के Masters Of Music में admission दिलवाया था.

Gauri: Excellent. So did you ever dream of being so successful in life?

Satinder: नहीं, कभी ऐसा सोचा नहीं था. मुझे लगता था कि मेरी जो शायरी है बहुत संजीदा है, और मासूम सी है, तो बर्रे हुजूम तक जब पोहुँचायेंगे, तो शायद समझ में ना आये, पसंद ना आये, क्युकी इसमे कुछ भी इतना ज़्यादा sparking नहीं है. लेकिन जब मैने Canada tour किया 2009 April में टो बहुत से लोगों ने, खास तोर से जो Punjabi परदेस में रेहते हें, उन्हों ने बहुत ज़्यादा रुतबा दिया, असीस दे, दूआएं दी, और मुझे इस काबिल बनाया, और आज आपके सामने हें. 

Gauri: आप एक message देना चाहेंगे हमारे दर्शकों को, the people who are aspiring to be like you.

Satinder: में यही केहना चाहता हूँ कि, इस field में जो भी आना चाहते हें, वो मेहनत करें. सिर्फ एक रात के लिये, शानो शौकत के लिये, या famous होने के लिये ना करें. तमाम उम्र अगर आप गाना चाहते हें, तो उसी तयारी के साथ आयें ताकि लोग आपको मोहोब्बत दे सकें तमाम उम्र.

Gauri: बहुत ही प्यारा message है. Thank you so much for being with Foundations TV today And good luck for your show.      

In conversation with Social Entrepreneur Satish Jha

Niraj: Welcome to Foundations TV. Today we will talk about a very interesting topic, a topic that impacts all of us living in this community, in this society. We are going to talk about Social Entrepreneurship. Social Entrepreneurship is very unique, in a way that it’s success is measured on two dimensions. The first dimension being, its positive impact on society and the community and the second dimension being, obviously, the financials. This is very different from a business entrepreneurship, where the success is primarily measured on profit and loss of the venture. So, with that background, I would like to invite in our studio Mr. Satish Jha, who has been a serial entrepreneur as in a corporate entrepreneur, a business entrepreneur as well as a social entrepreneur. He has worked in 5 continents, was most recently the chairman of “One Laptop Per Child” initiative in India and most currently is working on is latest social entrepreneurship venture ECCO. With that, background I would like to welcome Satish.

Satish: Thank you very much. I am happy to be here.

Niraj: So, Tell us more about ECCO. What exactly are you doing? I have read something about it. It sounds like an interesting concept. Do share with our audience, the background, the motivation behind such an initiative and what is the path you are treading with this.

Satish: In my journey to take ‘One Laptop Per Child’ to every State, every entrepreneur I knew, and virtually everyone in the past 5 years that I did that, I realized that India had not created a product in 60 odd years of its freedom. Early, in the 90s I had been a chairman of a product creation company, I knew it was very very difficult, and that’s why India had not done that. But after seeing OLPC , my  thought changed. I thought that if you can take the principles of OLPC, perhaps you can create something. I met some people and they were thinking along those lines independently of us. One investor told me that ‘someone I know has a similar passion as you have about creating something Indian’. So when the founder came and met me, I was totally surprised and pleasantly shocked to see this product concept. When I saw this for the first time, I thought that if this is true, then we can actually do something in India, where we can imagine, design, manufacture and create in India. A product that is made in India but make it world class.

Niraj: Really? All global standards

Satish: Exactly. And not only that , but in every area, we stretched the boundary, stretched the frontiers. Whatever the solar lamp specs were in the world, this one went a step better. To the extent the International Corporation of Finance said, ”It is one probably of the finest solar lamps in the world” And that too designed in India. That is what got me hooked. And they asked me to join them on the board and finally couple of months back, made me the chairman because most people don’t understand what product creation is, it’s complexity. They usually don’t have time to, as they are busy doing what they do. It’s not that they can’t understand, it is just that this requires time. Product creation process is difficult and complex and there is investment required and time is needed for that. Nobody wants to invest in design in the trader mentality and trader phase. When you approach people, they say, ”How much can you make and in how short a time?” But  this required lot of time. It took almost 2 -3 years, along with couple of million dollars investment. So you have to find investors to do that. When I saw this, I said, “Now India is entering a new phase.” And so here I am.

Niraj: So, Given the fact that India has not designed, produced and manufactured a product solely in India, and you were the first one, I’m sure you would’ve come across some challenges in terms of finding the right skills, right mentality, investors etc. So, what were those challenges to reach to this stage?

Satish: I think first thing is that they are exceptional people. So this team is of exceptional people. Bowny is the guy. He is an absolutely exceptional person. He has done a few things before in life. They were all exceptional. He did not want to leave India. He is a BITS Pilani topper of two streams. His wife is a BITS Pilani topper as well. So they are a team who just believe in doing something interesting. His history is such that for 50 odd generations, they have been the painters to small kings. That is the recorded history of their family. So they always imagine things. They created things, they designed things. They are two brothers and they are both doing different things. But primarily, he is an exceptional individual. It’s like you can say, India’s new Edison. Though its too early to say that but if I look at the 6 – 7 things he has done, if only we had a business partner in each of them, I think he will be one of the most talked about guys from the developing world.

Niraj: So now, is the product ready?

Satish: Yes, the product is ready and has reached more than 100,000 people. We have created 3 – 4 versions of it and each one is very unique. If you charge once , it lasts for 350 hours. I don’t think you can find another lamp that would do that. We have designed one for Chhatisghar, we call it ECCO 36, because in Hindi chhatis is 36. It basically looks at the tribal art, takes the aesthetic forms from there and creates something that show how tribal forms will look like in modern times.

Niraj: So, you have localized the lamp design to meet the local needs as well.

Satish: You can say that we have localized or you can say how we have take the local form and taken it to the next level of technology driven local forms. So, it is very interesting.

Niraj: This product that has been designed and built in India, is it primarily for rural sector or government sector? Who is the real audience for this?

Satish: Basic idea is very simple, that if you look at the solar power that is available in India, which is several times more than the power producible with conventional sources. India produces very little power if you look at per capita consumption . It is about 1/20^th or 1/30^th or any other comparable economy. When I say comparable economy, I mean any economy that has 2000 dollars of per capita income, compared to that, we use fraction of that power and it is distributed very very unevenly. Villages of course may have literacy line crossing the villages but those lines don’t really give power to the homes in the villages. Even if the government say the 80 – 90% of India is electrified, I would say only 20 – 25% people are.

Niraj: So they may be ‘wired up’ but they may not have power on those lines.

Satish: Right, So wire is basically those lines that cross the villages. They won’t let the power come down.  This way every individual can find the power that they need. It is light. Before the power, you need light. Our lamp not only offers power, but actually offers light. You can even charge a mobile phone. Mobile phone charging has been a big problem in villages. Normally  they would walk 3 – 5 Km or go by bicycle and pay 4 – 5 rupees per charge, just to keep the mobile phone going. This allows them to charge the mobile phone as well as if they have tablet tomorrow, that too can be charged by these lamps.

Niraj: Very interesting

Satish: And what we have done is that we have used latest technology lithium ion LED lamps with lithium ion batteries, so they don’t have the lead acid batteries environmentally challenged either.

Niraj: So all the entire product set that you have used for manufacturing parts, they are all environmentally friendly.

Satish: Exactly

Niraj: That’s awesome. What are the distribution strategies that you are using to distribute it throughout India?

Satish: You know since the goal is to go to the poorest, this large scale work can only be done with the help of the government. We reached out to various governments. Government actually made lot of plans. So in this case we have done the Chhatisgar, the one state with lot of tribal population. You must be hearing about some violence there. So we thought that was a great place to start. And Government has asked us for 800,000 lamps to be distributed . Now we are trying to produce that many. We have already done several tens of thousands there. Ladaakh had a problem about 2 years ago. There were some natural disasters. We supplied some 30,000 lamps there. Uthrakhand recently had a natural disaster, we supplied 3000 there. So, I would say more than 100,000 lamps have basically gone out . The capacity now is about a million that we can produce, in India , in our factory.

Niraj: Million per day or…

Satish: Million per annum. But effectively it can be scaled up as per the demands. As of now we are working with State Governments within their bugdets. In retail, we have tied up with Mahindra, Anand Mahindra. He liked it very very much and he wanted to do that. So, in retail we are their partners and we are trying to find local social entrepreneurs. There is a company which is in one district of Uttar Pradesh . They have taken it to 5000 people. So what  they do is, that they don’t sell it to them. They charge Rs100 a month per user and they make sure that they have access to it. They charge for them. They deliver it to them every day so at night they have lights. So many models are emerging now.

Niraj: So you have been a social entrepreneur but you are creating other ventures and other avenues for other people who want to use the product and take it to the masses also.

Satish: basically the idea is this, About 80% India doesn’t have idea of what the markets offer. How did you go about it , so in that white space, many of us can contribute and if I go to villages and look at villages. We can train them to begin using what improves the quality of life from the point of view of basics of life, to hygiene , to learning , to helping them understand how the world is shaping up and explore whatever they want to explore as a full human being rather than working as just landless laborers or someone who has no opportunities. So look for things which will create opportunities for the majority of humanity . India has the largest number of poor in the world. India has the highest potential in terms of number of people it has. In terms of our faith in learning , I think we are culturally wired to become a learning society , except opportunities are not being given. So, lets see who all can join this movement, so to say. How do you all become entrepreneurs in our social setting where we earn , not according to what NYSE says, but according to what our local environment allows us and be happy with it.

Niraj: With the success that you have achieved in India, are you taking   this product outside Indian market as well? If yes, which countries?

Satish: Yes, we are part of ‘Lighting Africa’ of the International Finance Corporation  and ‘Global Lighting’ , ‘Lighting Asia’ , and ‘Lighting India’ programs, As we speak, last week some were sent to Thailand. If we can support anyone who is clear enough to start seeing the benefit of this in any country.

Niraj: So we have talked about the product, but we have not shown our viewers what it looks like.

Satish: Ok, I am hiding it right here. (smiling) (Demonstrating the product) So if you see it, when I show it to all my friends who are chairmen of Indian companies, they say, “Tell me, where is this from. Is it from America, Japan ?” and I say, ”Imagine India” and they feel shocked

Niraj: (laughing) No Way!

Satish: So if I have to open it, just see..(opening it) There are two parts. We are trying to make it simple . In one piece, it is a lamp that you can hang from the ceiling, or carry it as a torch. (Twisting the bottom) It is a table lamp. At a certain level of light it can go for 250 hours, at the peak it can go for 10 hours . So you have a choice as to how much light you need.

Niraj: If you can repeat that for our audiences, how long do they need to charge it for and how long does it last?

Satish: You can charge it using solar power, you can use electricity as well . Electricity from 70 V – 290 V would work for it does not impact its circuitry. It has lots of proofing done against deep discharge, against current reverse flow and all kinds of possibilities that you can imagine, we’ve proofed it that way. It is maintenance free . You know you’ve heard the principles of One Laptop Per Child, to be dust proof, sun readable, shock proof, water proof etc. all those principles got applied into this as well. So if you see this, you can actually hang it on the wall as well. (Removing the bottom portion of the lamp) Now you can take to the wall and hang it on that as well, either upside or down, whichever way you like it. So, it is something which you can use as a table lamp , a ceiling lamp , a torch or even to charge mobile phones.

Niraj: So, That was a pretty amazing story. I am sure many of our viewers who are itching right now, watching this interview would be curious to know , if you have a message for budding Social Entrepreneurs out there. 

Satish: I would say that, that India needs in every village, one social entrepreneur. I think there are about 3 million Indians in America. They basically mean about 700,000 – 750,000 families. If they can just adopt one village each , support one social entrepreneur . I think they will make a huge impact. Look at lighting, look at education. Look at things that may not be immediate, but look at things that will help them look into the future. If you support one, there is enough business to be done locally which can actually meet the expectations of someone who is investing in that. That can lead to a social entrepreneurship, a movement for that and I would say that if an investor says I will support 100 social entrepreneurs. Now you have a good business model, you’re actually talking about a few million dollars. You scale it up and it’s a great business opportunity for people here and you make a new India as well .

Niraj: That’s a great message for all our viewers and we really appreciate your time over here Satish, Thank you

Satish: Thank you for discovering me.

Chat with Mansee Sangani, Miss India Tristate 2012

1. What was the most exciting and memorable part of the participation for you?

As far as participation in the pageant is concerned the entire journey was exciting as well as thrilling. I recall filling out my application towards the end of august and the pageant was in mid November last year and during this one an half month's not only did we learn new things but our meetings also helped shape our minds and confidence because at the end of the day we are all beautiful and we are all winners. You know how they say that it's the journey that counts not the destination. The biggest achievement that you can make while being in this pageant is by taking advantage of all the resources that are offered to you as a contestant. You are given chances to make friends, build contacts, get involved in the south asian community, get a deeper understanding of the world of fashion and have fun at the same time. 

I can't say that there was any one particular moment which was memorable because I still remember everything very clearly and I can't believe that it's already been one year since I was crowned. I still remember every detail of the pageant very clearly. But if I had to pick I would say it was the night of the pageant, specifically; when I was announced as the winner.     

2. What did this title mean to you? 

This title holds a lot of value for me and it always will. Majority of people tend to correlate the term 'Beauty Pageant" with being extremely good looking/attractive. I believe that there is a lot more to it than just being glammed up and looking good. As Indian women we are spiritually nourished and fortified by a culture that goes far beyond recorded history. We are physically resilient, mentally strong and spiritually fortified. And this pageant is really a test of that. To be kind, humble and gracious are all qualities that define a beautiful women and I feel honored and privileged to have this title.   

3. How did that change you as a person? 

I've learnt to nourish myself in so many different ways and absolutely love and cherish being able to inspire the youth around me. We are all beautiful but sometimes we forget to take time to nourish our unique beauty. I have found being part of the south asian community so fulfilling and uplifting. In my life, my title is a powerful vehicle for me to hold myself accountable on a daily, weekly and monthly basis in all areas of my life, with a focus for me on nurturing myself, through exercise, food, gratitude and acceptance especially because these practical exercises get you thinking, reflecting and creating the life that you wish to live. 

4. Did it open up any new doors for you?

Yes, absolutely. I can say that it has opened up many, many doors for me whether it's modeling, fashion shows, photo shoots or community events. It has brought me a lot closer to all the people in our community by giving me a chance to collaborate and work with them. 

In Conversation with Krithi Nanthan - Miss India Teen NE 2012

Gauri: What motivated you to be a participant for the contest last year?

Krithi: I heard about the pageant from a couple of friends and initially, I was apprehensive to join because I was extremely busy with school and I felt I couldn’t be fully committed. However, my family encouraged me and even today I thank them for it. Without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today and I would never have won Miss India Teen New England 2012 along with Miss Photogenic. After attending the practices, I felt a sense of confidence and that motivated me to become a part of the pageant experience.

Gauri: What was the most exciting and memorable part of the participation for you?

Krithi: The best part of participating was just being able to showcase my attributes on stage and meeting other wonderful girls from the New England area. Everything from getting hair and makeup done to answering the questions posed by the judges was exciting! The most memorable part would have to be hearing my name as the winner as the first Miss India Teen!  It was a completely novel experience which I will never forget.

Gauri: What did this title mean to you?

Krithi: For me, this title isn’t just a crown and a sash, but it is a huge responsibility. I should be able to use the influence to serve my community and do good for others and also, motivate others to do the same.

Gauri: How did winning change you as a person?

Krithi: This title definitely made me a better person. I am much more confident in my abilities, and am a better public speaker then I was before. I have gained more insight into learning how to be a more poised young woman and I feel I am much more involved in the Indian American community then I was before.

Gauri: Did winning this title open up any new doors for you?

Krithi: Yes, this pageant experience definitely opened new doors to me. After winning, I acted in the NE Hindi Manch Chitrahaar play and became a part of the organization. Early this year, I represented Massachusetts in the first ever Miss India Teen USA pageant, hosted by IFC, in New Jersey and was able to meet many talented Indian -American girls from across the country. I also attended and emceed several charity fundraisers for Saheli, Sankara Eye Foundation, Sankara Cancer Foundation, and many others. This summer, I volunteered at a Cancer Hospital and talked at an all-girls’ school to inspire them to be successful women, using my title as an influence. In the coming week, I will be representing the my title at the Diwali in Boston show by dancing to a medley of Bollywood songs. Overall, I feel I got exposed to many influential people in the New England Indian - American community and am looking forward to getting even more involved in my community in the future.

In Conversation with Sachi Badola

Transcribed by Sunita Badola

Gauri : Welcome to Foundations TV everyone, our guest tonight is the superstar of New England. We just got a glimpse of her singing and she is absolutely incredible, I am such a huge fan of yours,  Sachi Badola,  welcome her to Foundations TV studio. Welcome Sachi.

Sachi :  Thank You

Gauri : Are you happy to be here?

Sachi : Yes, I am really excited to be here, I was waiting for this day.

Gauri : Oh wow, excellent. Why don’t we start of with how long have you been singing?  For the listeners it seems   it is perfect, flawless singing.  So  I want to know and  I am sure our viewers  want to know, how long have you been singing for?

Sachi :  I have been singing for about five years. I started when I was four and music is something I really enjoy doing.

Gauri : That’s really good. Would you like to share who your Guru is for music.

Sachi : I have two gurus, one guru is for Hindustani music Mrs. Shuchita Rao and my other guru, well teacher in American, for Western is Rob Woodin.

Gauri: So, does that mean that you sing in more than one language? Do you sing beyond Hindi as well?

Sachi: I sing in Indian,  Western and I sing in French, German,  Italian and I learned  these languages from participating for one year in NEC, New England Conservatory of Music.

Gauri: Wow, so you just listed four languages, but from what I have heard, you sing in ten different languages.

Sachi: Yes, that is right.

Gauri : Wow, So I am sure that singing must take up lot of your time and energy. Do you have anytime left for other hobbies as well.

Sachi: Yes, I do. I have time for swimming and basketball.  I love reading, I also learn piano, and I love to draw and go to Zumba which is an exercise dance and I love math and science.

Gauri: So you are perfect in everything

Sachi: Well I would not say perfect but I do everything to enjoy it and you know practice makes better.

Gauri: She is a little philosopher there too, Miss Perfectionist. I am sure after listening to your singing I can be absolutely sure that everything you do , has to be the best because you know it is a talent, it is a skill, it is the passion that shows  in everything a person does and I am so proud that you are a part of our community.  You are such a huge inspiration for so many others out there who would like to be like you. That is really, really good and I won’t be surprised if you have a long list of awards that you have received.

Sachi: Oh well, I , when I was in first grade and kindergarten, I won Chelmsford Idol and then I also  won  Sa Re Ga Ma Pa  , New England Hindi Manch, award for my age group  and people’s choice award. I participate in lot of school fundraising events and fundraising events around my community and my favorite one was the Sham-E-Leher where we showed our musical talents to donate money for Sankara Eye Foundation. I can really relate to this one because my eyes are not perfect, so it gave me lot of joy to donate money to people who don’t have enough money to see perfectly.

Gauri:  That’s beautiful and it sounds to me like that you take it as your award as well, I should say your reward rather , where you are singing for a cause and donating money towards something that you believe in.

Sachi: Yes, exactly.

Gauri: So  beside this noble feeling that you get, let’s just go back a little bit and talk about the first award that you got which was the Chelmsford singing Idol award. So how did you feel? I want to feel what you felt so describe in as elaborative way as you can. I want to feel that energy within you.

Sachi: Well, I felt like it was a big surprise to me. I did not expect it. I went there to go out and show people that I really like to sing and I did not expect to win but I guess I did win. And you know I was really happy. You know I go out there to sing , enjoy and to have fun, and it is nice to win, it gives you a great feeling . I was little and I felt embarrassed, of course, but it felt really good.

Gauri:  I am sure and that was just the beginning. You have a whole long list of awards that you won after that . That is excellent, so with all these awards, these competitions and these fundraising events and singing plus swimming and zumba and drawing and math and science, how do you manage your time?  There are only twenty-four hours in a day.

Sachi: I don’t know I guess I just have so much fun doing it, you know we think totally separately. I think  time is going by so fast and each activity is going by too fast. I want the day to be longer. I want to do my activities longer. So I mean I wish I had twenty-four hours for each activity, that’s how I feel.

Gauri: That is such a wonderful   level of energy you have and you are transporting it to everybody who is watching you today. I am so happy and so proud and I am sure so many people will fall completely in love with you after listening to you today. So what do you dream of? Tell us about what you want to be when you grow up.

Sachi:  I want to be a scientist, who studies the  human body and makes  medicine but I also want to continue my amazing journey of learning Hindustani music, Western music and all other sorts of languages because music is really my passion,  I love it.

Gauri: Do you play an instrument too?

Sachi: Yes, I play the piano.

Gauri: Oh great, great. So you have a whole life planned ahead of you, a dream ahead of you that you would like to follow. That is great. Would you have a message for other children who are watching you today.

Sachi:  Yes, I would definitely have a message to everyone who  is watching today, I want to tell them that even if you lose don’t give up keep on singing because if you really love singing, it is just something that will make you feel more relaxed, more calm. And always be happy when you are singing, be happy and feel good about yourself and don’t go too hard on yourself. Be happy.

Gauri: Such a beautiful message. I think Sachi has covered so many things, so many aspects of life. Being so young and still  so deep in her thought and so passionate about what she does in life, every single thing and not just music, that itself is a huge inspiration for not only children of her age but also adults such as us and everyone who is watching. Sachi, it has been such a pleasure to have you here today. Before we end today’s interview, Sachi, would you like to say something else.

Sachi: Yes, I would like to give a really special thanks to Gauri aunty and Niraj uncle for giving me this amazing opportunity and thanks to Foundations TV for doing such  wonderful community service.

Gauri: Beautiful, you are very welcome Sachi.

Chat with Rohit Bhambi - Co-Founder Boston Bhangra

Gauri: Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Foundations TV. Our guest today is Rohit Bhambi from Boston Bhangra. Rohit, Tell us something about the organization and your association with the organization.

Rohit: Boston Bhangra is a non-profit organization that promotes cultural awareness and mentorship amongst children. We’ve been doing this for about 13 years now. The organization was founded back in 2000. We’ve been competing as an organization , as a dance team for many years. Now we do more of the dance performances for different organizations, corporations etc for different events. We also teach classes on a weekly basis. We host our annual Boston Bhangra competition which is on November 16^th this year. We really just promote cultural awareness. That’s what our whole organization is about. As far as what I’ve been doing with the organization, I am actually a co-founder along with my brother, Amit. We basically started this organization back in 2000. The reason we started it was because we were both on rival bhangra teams. I started BU bhangra and he started  NorthEastern Bhangra and we would never actually compete with one another. So, we started Boston Bhangra in a way that we could actually compete together. It has taken on a life of it’s own since then. Obviously It has grown dramatically since 2000 and we’ve taken on a lot more initiatives to help to organization grow and help promote cultural awareness.

Gauri: What are the various events that Boston Bhangra Inc organizes?

Rohit: Boston Bhangra primarily organizes the Boston Bhangra competition. It is the big initiative that we have every year. This year it is going be our 10^th annual competition. However, we also do host a New Years party on December 31^st, along with out parent organization called South Asian Nation. We also partner with South Asian Nation on our 3^rd event that we end up hosting, which is South Asian Showdown, which is a Bollywood fusion dance competition for the best teams in North America. Boston Bhangra is an organization that focuses really on The Boston Bhagra completion along with supporting for  New Years event along with South Asian Showdown. Those are the major events. However, there are other events that come up once in a while, like we did bring Bolly Sagu one year, and we do host other events here and there based on what makes sense for the organization. But Boston Bhangra Competition is our main event.

Gauri: How many teams participate in the competition and what’s the format like?

Rohit: The format of the competition is based on 12 teams that submit their applications to us. Then we select the 12 best teams based on the style that they are representing. We have a format where we have different types of teams competing, both modern, traditional, guys team, girls teams, co-ed teams, and a mixture of modern and traditional. We like to mix it up a little bit, so it adds variety for the audience. We want to show and depict various types of bhangra. Its funny because even when you go across the States, the styles are very different ~ West coast vs the East Coast, North Vs South. All these things kind of come into play and we like to show all these different styles. Canada is also a different ball game. East Vs West are different from Canada too. So format is really based on 12 teams and we like to have a very diverse group of teams that are based on all these different styles and represent something that the audience and the judges will enjoy.

Gauri: Now all that sounds really exciting. I would like to know what the audience can expect from such an event.

Rohit:  The audience can expect a very high energy, a very fun, a very energetic type of event. Bhangra in itself is a lot of fun to watch. Teams also bring a very high level of energy and a different flavor based on what they are representing. Some have stunts, some have traditional elements. They all dress up in traditional garb. So the audience can expect something very unique and different as compared to other events or shows that are in Boston. It is definitely very entertainment focused. Bhangra in itself is a folk dance, but these teams are taking it to the next level, with the type of song mixes they’ve selected, the type of choreography that they do. These are very skilled dancers. We have a very selective competition in general. We only try to take the best teams from across North America, and we do like to have that diversity in teams, so kind of combining that with the energy, expression, the enthusiasm, and the audience participation. The audience does get very wild about the competition too, just in it’s nature, this being a competition. The teams get different audience and everyone is kind of rooting for their teams. So, it is a very sporting event. It is very unique. You got the crowd cheering, you got the great performances on stage. We also have an artist performing on stage as well. We have Jas Reign, who is one of the highest hit youtube comedians in the Western hemispheres. He has established himself very highly across the board right now traveling all across the world. We also have Sharmilla who is one of the prominent Punjabi artists across the world. He is coming from India for this competition. So you’ll see Bhangra, you’ll hear great singers, you’re going to see a fantastic comedian. So, overall the audience is going to have a fantastic time, high energy, a lot of fun, and it doesn’t really slow down. So, if you’re looking for a fun high energy type of event, this is the one to come to. It is also meant for all ages. It is a very family friendly type show. If you like Bhangra, if you like dance, this is a must see.

Gauri: That sounds super awesome. I’m sure a lot of people are already excited about this to come see the event. I for one, have not seen this before so, I’m certainly looking forward to this. So, could you share some event details, specifically regarding location, the date, the time and where can people find the tickets for this event?

Rohit: This is going to be the 10^th annual Boston Bhangra competition. We’ve been around for a while and we know that the audience is going to have a great time coming to the event. It is going to be hosted on Saturday, November 16^th at 6 p.m. sharp. Doors open at 5 o’clock. It’s going to be at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. You can buy tickets through our website, www.bostonbhangra.com\bbc . If you just go to www.bostonbhangra.com, the information is there as well. You can also call us for details 617 448 2508. You can email us if you have questions at info@bostonbhangra.com . We’ve been doing this for a while. We know how to run this competition. The performers themselves are fantastic. We are lucky enough to host the competition with all the great performances that are shown that day. If you are looking for  a fun event, its definitely one to come to. The tickets are not that expensive. They range anywhere between $20.00 and $100.00 . $20 to $40 is the primary. There’s $20 good view, $30 premium and $40 VIP along with VVIP being $100.00 . So there is different price range , but the goal is for us to keep it as cheap as possible. Also because we have a large attendance. We expect close to 3000 people at the event. It is a large event. We want everyone to come and enjoy Bhangra. That’s what it is all about. Our organization is about promoting our culture and for everyone to enjoy it. So if you like Bhangra, this is definitely something you don’t want to miss. Come on down on November 16^th  and you’ll have a great time.

Gauri: So, as you may have gathered by now, this competition is one of the largest and one of the most successful competitions in North America, which showcases the highly energetic and enthusiastic fun folk dance from Punjab, India, which is Bhangra. Most respected teams come over from all over United States and Canada and they will fight it out to be crowned Boston Bhangra champions. The tickets are selling fast , from what I hear and this has been a sold out event in the past. So, this is the time to buy your tickets to get the best seats.

in conversation with Saqib Syed

Transcribed by : Divya Mendiratta

Niraj :  Hello and welcome to Foundation TV. Today we are going to start our new series. A series which is focused on the corporate environment. Series which is going to bring to you corporate leaders, leaders from academia and other professionals. Before we start this series, I have a question for you, have you ever dreamt of getting promoted at your work place? Have you ever thought of leading a team, or have desired to lead your department or to lead the company? I’m sure some of us have dreamt of those things, and I’m sure some of us have accomplished those goals as well. While rest of us may be still dreaming about those things, and may have some questions which may not be answered. In the past the only way to seek those answers was to find a mentor, or to find a friend who have been successful. Well going forward you have a third avenue, which is the avenue of your choice. That is Foundations TV. At Foundations TV we plan to bring to you professionals who have accomplished a lot in their field, and best of all who are ready and willing to share their knowledge and information with you.

With that theme today with us we have a very young entrepreneur, the guy who has accomplished a lot and amazing amount of stuff in a very young age. If I have to give his background I’ll just give few references. He did his MBA from Apse School after he graduated from his engineering school. Post his graduation he started working into software jobs, which eventually led executive positions at Computer Associates and BMC Software. And eventually jumped onto to become an entrepreneur and a private investor. The best part of his story is, his success doesn’t not end there, his success starts from there. Once he became a private investor he went onto to invest on many companies that are focused on Cloud Computing, IT infrastructure and Data Securities Two of his Investments got acquired by Cisco and Novell. And he has few more investments in and around Boston area. This guy is very passionate about Cricket number one and number two is very passionate about sharing his ideas, his thoughts with each one of us. With that background please welcome to The Foundations TV Studio my friend Mr. Saqib Syed. He is the CEO of Array IQ, and he is Advisory and chief mentor at many other Companies.

So Saqib welcome to our studio. I’m not sure if I really did a true justice to your background, with the amount of stuff you have accomplished. Would like to elaborate if I missed something, which I’m sure I have.

Saqib :  First of all Niraj I would like to thank you for inviting me to your studio. It’s a great opportunity to share my thoughts with the viewers. I think you did a great job on my background.  A few things that I would like to add to my background is specifically around entrepreneurship. I never thought about entrepreneurship when I initially came to this country back in early 90s. I enrolled in a Master’s program at university of Michigan Ann Arbor. And then after that my first goal was to find a job in United States, where I could move on further in my career. And then first thing was to get a green card, so that I could accomplish what I needed to do in terms of the passion I had for the technology. From then on there’s been a lot of help that I got specifically from mentors. So during that process I was debating whether I should continue working for a bigger company verses making a jump towards entrepreneurship. So only thing I would like to add is specifically I had never thought about entrepreneurship in my first 10 years in my career. But later on, the situation was such that I got dragged into it because of the wonderful mentors that I got from all lot of other entrepreneurial organizations you have around Boston.

Niraj :  Great, so your thought process just evolved as you went along and just enjoyed the journey.

Saqib :   Absolutely. I believe as an entrepreneur you should be able to adapt to changes. It’s one of the things that I learnt over the period of time. My mind was all set when I initially started working, but during the process I saw technology changed quite a bit. And that also changed the thought process in me, that for me to accomplish what I need to do is keep up with the changes. I need to change myself. So I went in and specifically thought about what I should be doing to specifically get into those areas that I needed to, and I wanted to be in data center, infrastructure, security, and cloud computing which at that point was not so prevalent. So it was more about internet. And I can share with you a story specifically when I graduated from my University with a Master’s program. I had an option to go to a start up at that time was pioneering the entire internet. It was a company called Netscape, and it had about a few people in the company. At that time I made a choice to come here to Boston to join a bigger company Digital Equipment Corp, which was a multi-billion dollar company. So you can imagine for someone who has started his career at a big company to come and talk about entrepreneur ship and investing in smaller companies and startups, it’s a tremendous change.

Niraj :   So the lesson learned for all of our audience and especially the fresh graduates and their parents is, If your kids are graduating and they want to go to a small company rather than a big company like Digital, let them follow their dreams. Big companies may not be there forever, that is not true for small companies either, but let them follow their dreams, and you never know where they end up being.

So let’s ask the first question. Saqib, I mentor many people out in the industry and almost everyone asks the question, “should I go for MBA or not? “. And I have given them the advice based on my perspective. But you are a guy who have gone through MBA, so what’s your perspective on value of MBA in short term and long term?

Saqib :  Thank you Niraj. That’s a great question. I always reflect back on my career on specifically the things that I did. And the decision making at that point because there’s always a 20-20 height side, when you look at it today it looks a little different.  But at that time when I had a growing family I had to make a decision, whether to do or not to do a MBA. And I’m sure a lot of folks who want to progress in their career will be asking the same question. So let me throw some light on what were the factors that led me into doing an MBA. And whether that was specifically useful in what I wanted to do in future.  Thinking back we were just acquired by a big company. And so I was a part of that big company, and I was getting restless at that time as I could not see a very clear career path in that company. Because specifically when companies get acquired the acquiring company would like to have their own people in key management roles. And at that time I really thought that maybe I should look at it from a bigger perspective, what is the goal that I wanted to accomplish. And look at it rather than from a small company, or that particular company I was working on, and look at it from a bigger perspective. So I had to really convince my boss at the company, that I would add a lot of value if I did a MBA and I wanted to move specifically into the mergers and acquisition side. So I used an argument with my boss to convince my boss, that I could to a MBA part time and still do my job at that time. And those were the times when people were moving from one job to another easily, so my boss was very keen to keep me in that role that he had, and he allowed me to do a MBA and also sponsored me for a MBA program. That helped me a lot eventually in my career. But let me answer that question on whether MBA really is one of the key factors or not. I should say that if you are an entrepreneur your ability to adapt to change matters a lot more than what you actually learn from your education. Education is important, but what you do after you finish your MBA or after you finish your Masters is more important than the program itself. And one of the things that I learned when I did my MBA in entrepreneurship was exactly that. So I was so energized when I finished my MBA that I said, ‘this has really given me what I need to go accomplish, what I came here to do.’ So I went off and started getting involved with many startups, and that kind of was the formation phase for me to understand startups and how they grow. That really led me to becoming a private investor later in my career.

Niraj :  Great. So if I have to sum up your response MBA or Masters in anything is education that is valuable to everybody that gives you a formation, a frame work of thought process. But unless you apply that knowledge that you have acquired in school you cannot really realize the value of that. Did I say it properly what you wanted to convey?

Saqib :   Absolutely Niraj. I think you’ve summarized that well. So when we talk to our youth and the budding entrepreneurs we need to inculcate in those entrepreneurs, ‘it’s about applying your thought, and applying your knowledge that matters more’. And that’s what entrepreneurs are good at, they make things happen, they are getting into unchartered waters and they have that ability to execute in those unchartered waters and deliver value. And if we can really get our youth and budding entrepreneurs to do that we’ll create a lot of value n United States.

Niraj : Great. I’m getting to ask one more follow up question on the same topic. Usually it is said that if you go for a MBA at an IV league it’s a great door opener for you in your career. But if you are in your career for 10-15 years and you have lead teams, lead functional team, and lead companies then MBA may not add as much value. What do you say to that though process?

Saqib :  I think it all defers, depends on how you think about that MBA program. IV league MBA is definitely very important, especially if you want to get into the big Wall Street firms, which no longer exists at this point they were tainted a few years back. Definitely in terms of managing organizations in bigger company, large corporates, they do look for IV league MBAs, and MBAs from one of these top schools. But I would kind of recommend that you seek your passion. Sometimes these smaller schools will have programs that really are one of the best in their specific areas. So understand what it that you are looking for and seek those programs, you’ll have better results. And that’s exactly what I did when I was looking for a MBA program back in late 90s to look for a specific program that really was in my area of interest.

Niraj :  Great. Again it goes back to the same thing, follow your passion. And if you find a program that meets your passion go for it. So Saqib you have transitioned from being a software engineer to being a merger and acquisition guy. Usually merger and acquisition requires skills which is pretty strong in financial background. So help our audience understand what skills do you need to be a M&A guy with no finance background?

Saqib :  Absolutely , I do believe that mergers and acquisitions specifically requires different areas of expertise. You start with market, the strategy, the product and then the finance. And then comes the cultural integration of the company when it gets acquired. So there are lot of different aspects of M&A.  I would recommend folks who want to get into to that specific area to look into to where are today, if they are on the strategy side, or on the product, or on the marketing side, they could get involved M&A. M&A is usually held very close to very few important people in the company, one of the key aspects is for you to get into to that small circle. And that require having a relationship specifically with those key people. There are different ways to go build that relationship. And that comes through some good ideas, if you are on the product, marketing or on the strategy side and you have good ideas to contribute towards M&A, there will be people willing to except those ideas. And once you become part of that group you will learn finance along the way. I do believe that finance is one of the very small component of M&A, so it’s basically those other three or four aspects that I believe are important when you want to really move into to M&A from where ever you stand today.

Niraj :  Great. So these are great ideas that we are sharing among us and along with our audience. I think my last question for today would be, you have been an entrepreneur what suggestion or advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs out there who are listening and watching our show?

Saqib :  Great question again Neeraj. I get asked this question in most of the panels that I’m on, and every time I answer the question it makes me think. I do believe the biggest asset that you could have to becoming an entrepreneur is your ability to ‘adapt to change’. If you are able to do that, if you are honest to yourself then you would be able to accomplish a lot. And remember entrepreneur are the ones who make things happen. So you should focus on execution while you have a clear thought process and making sure that you leverage all the resources around you to bring value, and that’s what you focus on. I do see that most people who come and ask me that question they get stuck on the fact that they are not able to go ahead and execute on the thought process, they get stuck on thought process. So I do believe that execution capability and ability to perform in unchartered waters is what make you an entrepreneur.

Niraj :  Great response. I’m sure our audience would’ve learnt a lot from today’s session in terms of what’s the value of education, what’s the value of MBA, what’s the value of following your dreams and having your parents allow you to follow your dreams, whether it is a big company of a small company. And how to transition career from products , strategy, technology, finance to whatever field you are in to mergers and acquisitions, because many people desire to go to that field. Saqib thanks a lot for sharing these thoughts with our audience, it was a wonderful session, and we enjoyed having you in our studio.

Saqib :  Thank you Niraj for having me over at Foundations TV. I enjoyed the discussion. I’m hoping that I’m able to inspire some of the entrepreneurs who are planning to form their own companies. And remember you always start small, I mean have dreams that are big but you start small. And I would really encourage budding entrepreneurs to take that big leap and jump into it once you have given a good thought process. And another thing that I would like to add, I have learnt a lot to becoming an entrepreneur through a sport called cricket, which is very pre dominate back home in India. So I grew up playing cricket, and I’m quiet involved working with youth here in the sport of cricket. So maybe next time I would like to talk about cricket, if anyone is interest on how to apply some of the principles that you have in sports to entrepreneur ship I would be glad to talk to you. Thank you

Niraj : Thank you.