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The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Meet Mahi G, an Adivasi rapper from Maharashtra, who uses the mic as a weapon to fight social injustice
Born in the Bronx as a voice of rebellion, hip-hop is more than just music. It's a culture, a language of the oppressed, a sonic space where the truth cuts sharper than a melody. In India, where mainstream rap is often hijacked by commercialism and mimicry, conscious rap remains a lesser-traveled path; one that dares to dig deeper, confront capitalists, question patriarchy and government and echo resistance. Conscious rap isn't about flexing riches or fast cars, but is about awareness,using the mic as a weapon. Emerging from this powerful lineage of genre is Madhura Ghane, aka Mahi G, a 28-year-old Adivasi rapper from Maharashtra, whose music is reshaping the meaning of Indian hip-hop. Inspired by poetry Mahi's journey into rap didn't begin in a studio, but her village in Ahmednagar during the first phase of the lockdown. As the world paused, she found time to 'reflect, reconnect and write'. Her verses found rhythm in rage. An IT engineer-turned-rapper from the Mahadev Koli tribe, Mahi turned to hip-hop as a means of storytelling, inspired by poetry she once penned in solitude. She acknowledges her parents' role in nurturing her social consciousness. 'They listen with enthusiasm, every single time,' she shares. Her debut track, 'Jungle cha raja', captures the struggle of Mahadev Koli Adivasi community, and is against the systemic neglect in the name of development. During her stay in the village, amid the pandemic, she noticed how 'the government tried to strip people's independence, offering rationed supplies while quietly building dams and disturbing ecological balance and agriculture'. It 'infuriated' her and was the genesis of her first rap — one that changed the trajectory of her life. It was only when she decided to pursue rap seriously that she met rapper-producer, Ajith Shelake, also known as Rapboss. Mahi says it is with his support 'Jungle cha raja' came to life. In a few years, Mahi traversed the home ground to perform at India's most prestigious academic and cultural spaces, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, IIT Bombay, Kalina University and TISS. She received the 18th Vidrohi Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Puraskar and in 2025 was honoured with the Fatimabi Savitri Puraskar (for fearlessly speaking out on social injustice). Dedicated to transgender community Mahi uses her poetry to highlight the erasure of tribal identity, caste inequality, the rights of the transgender community and ecological destruction. Her track 'Haq se hijra hun' is dedicated to the transgender community. It was a result of a question that haunted her during her college days — why did transgenders have to beg for money, while cisgender folks accessed jobs and opportunities? While working on the track, she reached out to the Pune-based Humsafar Trust to ensure the song's accuracy. Once they greenlit it, the song was made. Her desire to cast trans-women in the video, was squashed by budgeting issue. So, she asked a male friend to perform instead, which he did for free. Every track is self-funded, making her journey financially-challenging. Yet, it did not dilute the impact of her work. Environmental issues Her music video, on deforestation in Hasdeo for coal mining, went viral. 'Every voice counts in stopping destruction. It's home for animals and tribes. Why should they leave?' she asks. Her recent single 'Heatwave', in collaboration with Greenpeace, highlights the soaring temperatures, burning forests and the reality of millions, who work under the scorching sun unnoticed and unprotected. Mahi's greatest inspiration 'is Nature'. As a tribal woman, she feels connected to it and finds serenity and strength in it. When injustice stings, she turns to her notebook, knowing she has to speak up. s She's often asked, 'Aren't you afraid to call out those in power?' And, she responds: 'I'll stop talking when these issues are solved. Till then, I will rap about them.' She also hopes that her songs initiate conversations. 'I want my music to plant a seed of thought,' says the rapper, who doesn't call herself a 'rapper, but a storyteller — one who is still learning, growing and refining' her craft. Mahi dreams of adding melodic hooks to her songs to make them more memorable. She has an upcoming collaboration with the Swadeshi movement and urges artistes to stand their ground. 'Believe in yourself. No matter what.'
The Wire
17 hours ago
- Business
- The Wire
7 IITians Behind the Most Disruptive Startups of the Decade
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have long been recognized for nurturing some of the brightest minds in the world. These institutions don't just produce engineers, they nurture problem solvers, critical thinkers, and leaders with a strong sense of purpose. An IIT education blends academic rigor with real-world application, equipping students to make meaningful contributions across industries. Over the years, IIT alumni have made their mark far beyond borders of India, leading companies, launching startups, influencing policy, advancing science, and even making waves in creative fields. Their journeys highlight the depth and diversity of talent that IITs continue to produce. More than just degrees, IITs instill a mindset to challenge, innovate, and leave a lasting impact on the world. Here's a list of 7 IITians from different sectors who ventured into diverse fields such as business, AI, foodtech, global tech and more leaving an indelible mark on the global landscape. 1. Deepinder Goyal (IIT Delhi) Founder and CEO, Zomato: Deepinder Goyal revolutionized online food delivery in India. His vision transformed a restaurant directory into a leading food tech giant, significantly impacting how millions discover and order food, and expanding Zomato's global footprint. The idea for Zomato originated from his realization about the daily struggle to find restaurant menus while working at Bain & Company, leading him to create Foodiebay. 2. Nandan Nilekani - IIT Bombay - Co-founder, Infosys Nandan Nilekani has truly been a pivotal figure in putting India's software industry on the global stage. He's widely recognized as an exceptional strategist, a brilliant analytical thinker, and an extraordinary communicator, qualities that have clearly driven his remarkable success. He has also served as the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), playing a pivotal role in implementing India's biometric identity program, Aadhaar. 3. Mehul Goyal – IIT Bombay - Co-founder, BoldCharter An IIT Bombay alumnus and former Partner at AlphaGrep Securities, Mehul is building deep learning-based financial systems that are 10x more efficient and adaptive than traditional algorithmic trading models. He aims to build intelligent, autonomous, and evolving AI frameworks that can outperform existing quant strategies. By merging hands-on trading expertise with cutting-edge AI research, Mehul is reimagining the future of financial markets through machine-led innovation. 4. Sundar Pichai - IIT Kharagpur - CEO, Google Sundar Pichai has been instrumental in the development of popular products like Google Chrome and Android, significantly shaping the global technology landscape. His journey from humble beginnings in Chennai to leading one of the world's most influential companies showcases his strategic vision and deep understanding of product development. Under his leadership, Google has focused heavily on AI, cloud computing, and user-centric innovations. 5. Bhavish Aggarwal - IIT Bombay - Co-founder and CEO, Ola Bhavish Aggarwal disrupted India's transportation sector, building a massive ride-hailing and electric vehicle ecosystem. His entrepreneurial drive continues to shape urban mobility and sustainable energy solutions in the country. His journey to founding Ola began after a frustrating personal experience with a taxi driver, sparking his vision for a reliable, tech-driven cab service. He has since expanded into electric vehicles with Ola Electric, aiming to lead India's transition to sustainable mobility. 6. Vivek Raghavan - IIT Delhi - Co-founder, Sarvam AI Dr. Vivek Raghavan is a pioneering technologist and founder of Sarvam AI, focused on building generative AI solutions for India in local languages and contexts. With key roles in Aadhaar, Bhashini, and the Supreme Court's SUVAS, he's contributed to some of India's largest digital public infrastructure. An IIT Delhi and Carnegie Mellon alum, Vivek brings deep expertise in AI, governance, and scalable technology for social impact. 7. Shiva Dhawan - IIT Delhi - Co-founder, offers AI-first solutions for estimation in commercial trades like construction and landscaping. By replacing manual takeoffs with intelligent software, it streamlines complex processes, enabling businesses to bid on more projects, minimize errors, and accelerate growth without expanding their teams. Through this automation, founder Shiva is helping transform the construction and field services industries. (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NRDPL and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR This is an auto-published feed from PTI with no editorial input from The Wire.
News18
17 hours ago
- Business
- News18
7 IITians Behind the Most Disruptive Startups of the Decade
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have long been recognized for nurturing some of the brightest minds in the world. These institutions don't just produce engineers, they nurture problem solvers, critical thinkers, and leaders with a strong sense of purpose. An IIT education blends academic rigor with real-world application, equipping students to make meaningful contributions across industries. Over the years, IIT alumni have made their mark far beyond borders of India, leading companies, launching startups, influencing policy, advancing science, and even making waves in creative fields. Their journeys highlight the depth and diversity of talent that IITs continue to produce. More than just degrees, IITs instill a mindset to challenge, innovate, and leave a lasting impact on the world. Here's a list of 7 IITians from different sectors who ventured into diverse fields such as business, AI, foodtech, global tech and more leaving an indelible mark on the global landscape. 1. Deepinder Goyal (IIT Delhi) Founder and CEO, Zomato: Deepinder Goyal revolutionized online food delivery in India. His vision transformed a restaurant directory into a leading food tech giant, significantly impacting how millions discover and order food, and expanding Zomato's global footprint. The idea for Zomato originated from his realization about the daily struggle to find restaurant menus while working at Bain & Company, leading him to create Foodiebay. 3. Mehul Goyal – IIT Bombay – Co-founder, BoldCharter An IIT Bombay alumnus and former Partner at AlphaGrep Securities, Mehul is building deep learning-based financial systems that are 10x more efficient and adaptive than traditional algorithmic trading models. He aims to build intelligent, autonomous, and evolving AI frameworks that can outperform existing quant strategies. By merging hands-on trading expertise with cutting-edge AI research, Mehul is reimagining the future of financial markets through machine-led innovation. 4. Sundar Pichai – IIT Kharagpur – CEO, Google Sundar Pichai has been instrumental in the development of popular products like Google Chrome and Android, significantly shaping the global technology landscape. His journey from humble beginnings in Chennai to leading one of the world's most influential companies showcases his strategic vision and deep understanding of product development. Under his leadership, Google has focused heavily on AI, cloud computing, and user-centric innovations. 5. Bhavish Aggarwal – IIT Bombay – Co-founder and CEO, Ola Bhavish Aggarwal disrupted India's transportation sector, building a massive ride-hailing and electric vehicle ecosystem. His entrepreneurial drive continues to shape urban mobility and sustainable energy solutions in the country. His journey to founding Ola began after a frustrating personal experience with a taxi driver, sparking his vision for a reliable, tech-driven cab service. He has since expanded into electric vehicles with Ola Electric, aiming to lead India's transition to sustainable mobility. 6. Vivek Raghavan – IIT Delhi – Co-founder, Sarvam AI Dr. Vivek Raghavan is a pioneering technologist and founder of Sarvam AI, focused on building generative AI solutions for India in local languages and contexts. With key roles in Aadhaar, Bhashini, and the Supreme Court's SUVAS, he's contributed to some of India's largest digital public infrastructure. An IIT Delhi and Carnegie Mellon alum, Vivek brings deep expertise in AI, governance, and scalable technology for social impact. 7. Shiva Dhawan – IIT Delhi – Co-founder, offers AI-first solutions for estimation in commercial trades like construction and landscaping. By replacing manual takeoffs with intelligent software, it streamlines complex processes, enabling businesses to bid on more projects, minimize errors, and accelerate growth without expanding their teams. Through this automation, founder Shiva is helping transform the construction and field services industries. (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NRDPL and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 11:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
No time to cook? This AI-powered ‘up-liance' will prepare your hearty meals
Live Events co-founders MohitSharma and Mahek Mody. In today's fast-paced world, the pleasure of cooking requires more than just skills—it demands time. While working professionals are becoming more health conscious and recognising the benefits of home-made food, they often lack the time to cook. Understanding that thought, IIT Bombay alumni Mahek Mody and Mohit Sharma decided to merge technology with cooking and founded an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cooking appliance brand in upliance cooking package comes with AI-powered software installed on a tablet along with a set of utensils—a jar, spatula, steamer basket, butterfly whisk, blade, blade cover, crown, measuring spoons and blade lock. In the device, the jar and the tablet are adjacent to each other and the device automates various cooking steps such as heating, chopping and stirring your food. The software contains more than 500 recipes around the world with detailed instructions and any recipe can be Sharma and Mody bring together over a decade of experience in product development from their time at Chaayos and Ather Energy . During a casual meeting in the midst of the pandemic, the duo discussed how a lot of people, like themselves, were figuring out food and cooking for the first time.'Mohit had spent around 5 years at Chaayos, where every machine was designed to make specificand he was responsible for that. Mohit convinced me that food is a combination of art and science. We realised that if a machine could monitor every step of cooking in detail—for example, monitoring the exact temperature of food before you need to add an ingredient or how many tomatoes exactly are needed to make the dish tangy—it could make cooking much easier for people,' he duo then incorporated the company in 2021; however, it took them almost two years of research and development to come up with the commercial product.'For example, we spent one month just cooking tomatoes. Understanding different types of tomatoes and cooking them in different ways for Indian, Korean, or Italian recipes. The device should be able to cook in all forms. We needed to do all such tests to build this technology,' Mody can cook dishes ranging from pizza, butter chicken, and pav bhaji to rice products like pulao and biriyani. The recipes can be customised as per user preferences, such as by replacing onions and garlic with an alternative. It can even access videos from YouTube, and its customised recipe can be prepared in three its commercial launch in 2023, the company has so far gained over 10,000 customers. The entire upliance package costs Rs 27,999. There is no subscription charge now for upliance's software, but they plan to charge for it in the long run. The company has a production capacity of 5,000 units every highlighted that upliance can cook 5-6% faster than the time it takes to cook it through traditional means. 'It can take a person around 2-5 years of daily cooking to become well-versed and handy in the kitchen. With , you are already at a pro level and can indulge easily even in fancy food,' he Jain, Managing Director of Primus Partners, said that AI is quietly reshaping the way we cook. In India, AI-based cooking is gaining traction, especially in urban households and the food service industry. With busy lifestyles, young professionals and working families are turning to AI-powered meal planning apps, voice assistants, and smart cookers for convenience.'At home, apps like Yummly or Samsung Food can suggest what to cook based on what's lying in your fridge or your mood. Some smart ovens, like Tovala, even take care of the cooking for you—just scan the meal, and it's done. In restaurants, robots like Flippy in the US flip burgers, while Mukunda Foods in India has built machines that can make dosas, rice, or curries with zero fuss. Cloud kitchens are using AI to plan menus and reduce waste. The future kitchen blends creativity with intelligent automation,' he about challenges, Mody said that while initially it was difficult to convince investors during the R&D period, once the product was ready within 1.5 years, a live demo helped gain investment. also appeared on Shark Tank, which, although it did not result in any investment, did give them said while they do not have direct competition on the AI part, there are companies like Wonderchef, which have launched similar products that automate cooking processes like cutting, stirring, and even cleaning the 2023, raised Rs 11 crore in funding from Draper Associates (run by early Tesla and SpaceX investor Tim Draper ), Zerodha-backed Rainmatter, and Rukam Capital. In 2024, it raised Rs 34 crore in a round led by Khosla Ventures. clocked a revenue of Rs 1.5 crore in FY24 and Rs 6.7 crore in FY25 and is targeting Rs 20 crore in FY26.
Economic Times
a day ago
- Business
- Economic Times
NSE is still the first achievement and probably the largest I will ever have: Ashish Chauhan
Ashish Chauhan, MD & CEO, NSE, says in a way, his life in the stock market started with the NSE. He was a part of the team that set up NSE originally and most of what is considered as NSE now including screen based trading or Nifty or derivatives were in a way reporting to him. After almost 34 years since he started working on NSE, it is still the first achievement and probably the largest he will ever have. ADVERTISEMENT A boy from IIT Bombay, IIM Calcutta to this glorious journey that you have had and now you have a book on your life as well. How does it feel? Ashish Chauhan: It is life as usual. Basically, the book is not written by me, somebody else has written and the book captures some portion of my journey from childhood. So, in a way, it is kind of déjà vu, but with somebody else's perspective. Absolutely. But it must feel special, right? You have a legacy and now you have a documented legacy. Ashish Chauhan: Yes, why not? In some ways, you feel a little different when somebody or some book comes about your life. I wrote a book on the Bombay Stock Exchange, The Temple of Wealth Creation. At that time, BSE was 140-year-old. So when you write a book, you need to do a lot of research and come up with lots of facts and remove the facts from fiction and so it is hard work. Somebody has done it for me, I am delighted and also grateful. Is the idea of one nation, one exchange feasible? Ashish Chauhan answers Absolutely. And it gives us a peak into your life and how you have gone from strength to strength. What a glorious past you have had BSE, IPL, and now at the helm at the largest stock exchange, National Stock Exchange as well. Ashish Chauhan: In a way, my life in the stock market started with the NSE. I was a part of the team that set up NSE originally and most of what you consider as NSE now including screen based trading or Nifty or derivatives were in a way reporting to me. So, after so many years, almost 34 years since I started working on NSE, is still the first achievement and probably the largest I will ever have. Absolutely that is a feather in your cap. But let us talk about the book a little bit. I was very intrigued by the concept of sthitapragya, rooted in the Bhagavad Gita. What does it mean? Ashish Chauhan: Sthitapragya is a very spiritual word in Bhagavad Gita and it embodies stoicism with spirituality. A person who is nothappy in happiness and not sad in sorrow, a person in equilibrium, who is always balanced and can continue doing their work. That is also the philosophy of sthitapragya . Pragya is knowledge, sthita means steady. The steady knowledge. The person who is steady in the knowledge is a sthitapragya . And in a way you continue to do your work without being elated or in a sorrowful state and continue your duties. And that defines Ashish Chauhan – sthita and pragya , steady knowledge? Ashish Chauhan: No, according to the author, that is how I would put it. ADVERTISEMENT You were part of the formative years of the National Stock Exchange 30 years ago. From there, did you ever imagine that today the National Stock Exchange would be what it is? Ashish Chauhan: The first time when I was told to shift, I was a project finance officer in IDBI in 1991. I joined in '91 after college at IIM and was basically doing project finance. That means you need to do a lot of projections of future cash flows and other things for companies. I was one of the young ones and at that time, computers were not in use. IDBI bought computers. And so people started going on strike. All officers and employees went on strike saying computers will take our jobs. I was just out of college and I started doing Lotus 1-2-3 which was there and my other colleagues would take a month to create those spreadsheets, but once I have prepared, it used to take me a few seconds to change the projections and that was like magic. So, my bosses started thinking that I am good at it, whereas I was actually not an IT engineer. I was a mechanical engineer, who knew how to do Lotus 1-2-3 or Excel sheet as we call now. ADVERTISEMENT But when NSE had to be set up, one of the initial team members dropped out. They needed a young person who was an engineer, who knew IT, and who would not say no – and that was me. That is how life sometimes happens through serendipity. I was moved from the 9th floor to the 19th floor and for me it was just another job. I had no idea of how life would pan out later on, but it has worked out well. So, from that upgrade of 9th to 19th floor, which floor are you headed in next? Ashish Chauhan: Now, of course, I am on the seventh floor of NSE, but life takes you up and down and I have seen my share of things. When you write books like this, you do not write about the not so glorious parts; but naturally every life has its own ups and downs and we need to be acutely aware that what you read is only a small fraction of trials and tribulations people go through and that has been the case for me. I come from a Gujarati medium school and did not know English. So IIT just went into learning English instead of engineering and things like that. I do not see any life without its own internal struggles even if you think that it is rich in so many other ways. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
