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The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
From Milongo to mainstream, Kruti Gandhi Sarda's Tango story
With her signature blend of musicality, connection and cultural depth, Kruti Gandhi Sarda is leading a new wave of Indian talent on to the global Tango stage. A prominent figure in India's Tango community, Kruti's success stands as an inspiration for dancers across the country and reaffirms India's place in the evolving narrative of western dance. She recently made history by becoming the first Indian to win an award at the Indonesia Tango Championship Preliminaries 2025 — an official qualifier for the World Tango Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Kruti secured third place in the Social Tango category, a uniquely challenging division where partners are switched after each song and all performances are completely improvised. Her achievement marks a significant breakthrough for India on the international Tango stage. Kruti's journey with Tango started in 2015, during a two-month trip to Europe where she learnt it. Once she returned to Mumbai, a city where Tango was almost non-existent back then, she started teaching what she had learnt. That is the genesis of Abrazo Tango, a Tango school founded by her. 'It has been an incredible journey of exploration and growth,' says Kruti, who started with just six students, both of whom went on to compete at the Indonesia Tango Championship in Bali. Kruti teaches and performs within the country and overseas, with students ranging from amateurs to Bollywood actors. 'While previously, Kruti conducted regular Tango classes at IIT Mumbai, she now takes classes with Ajinkya Deshpande on Saturdays. They also organise milongas (Tango socials) and practice sessions to build and support the local Tango community. In March this year, she taught at Tango Amistoso, one of London's leading Tango schools. In the past, she performed at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), IIT Bombay's Mood Indigo, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival and Soho House Mumbai. In July, Abrazo Tango will host its annual Tango Dance Marathon in Mumbai — a weekend-long immersive celebration of social Tango, bringing together hundreds of dancers from across India. 'It will be three-days of non-stop dancing, inspiring performances and a strong sense of community. Attendees can expect high-energy milongas, workshops and a Tango flea market that celebrate the spirit of the dance. It is a welcoming space for dancers of all levels,' elaborates Kruti. Tango, in India, is niche and Kruti had her own share of upheavals. For this reason, she is actively working to expand the Tango community in India — a challenging journey that demands continuous learning, creativity and adaptability. She believes India has potential for a vibrant and expansive Tango scene. Her goal is to share the magic of Tango with as many people as possible and build a strong, supportive dance culture. 'Every new dancer, who falls in love with Tango, brings us one step closer. It is not just about the dance, but about connection, expression and creating something meaningful together.'
India.com
02-07-2025
- General
- India.com
Success Story: Meet Boy Who Failed In Class 11, His Father Sells Panipuri In Mumbai, Now Secures Admission In IIT...
Harsh Gupta, a 19-year-old whose father runs a small panipuri stall in Mumbai, has achieved the unimaginable. Even after failing his Class 11 exams, Harsh secured a seat at IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand and now aims to become a civil servant. Harsh, who had failed his Class 11 exam, chose not to give up and, with concentrated effort and support from his family, cleared Class 11 and 12 and enrolled at a coaching institute in Kota, Rajasthan. Harsh scored 98.59 percent marks in JEE-Mains in his first attempt and qualified for JEE-Advanced. However, he did not get admission to the college of his choice. With determined effort, he was able to earn an IIT seat on his second attempt. 'After failing the Class 11 exams, I decided to go to Kota. My family supported me in my decision... I always dreamt of clearing IIT and securing a seat in either IIT Mumbai or Roorkee,' NDTV reported, quoting him as saying. Harsh, who is the first IITian in his family, has a message for other aspirants: don't let failure define you. 'My message for other aspirants is that you shouldn't let failure define you. I never gave up, even though I failed in Class 12. I am the first IITian in my family and my school,' he added. His journey to securing an IIT seat was not easy. Harsh said that after he failed in Class 11, his classmates mocked him and doubted his ability, saying the son of a 'pani puri' vendor cannot clear IIT. He ignored all negativity and focused on his studies, studying for 10-12 hours a day, including coaching and self-study. 'But I didn't pay much heed. I worked hard,' he said, thanking his family and friends 'for always supporting' him. His father, Santosh Gupta, expressed his joy at his son's achievement and said, 'I may be a pani puri vendor, but I will go to any extent to support my children's dreams.' Despite limited income, he arranged funds from his savings for his son Harsh's studies. Santosh Gupta, who has two more sons, also wants his other two sons, Shubham and Shivam, to pursue higher education. 'I also want my two other sons, Shubham and Shivam, to pursue higher education,' he said.
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Rujuta Diwekar on the 3 superfoods that can keep us fit: ‘Our mothers knew best, trust their food wisdom'
She may be a celebrity nutritionist now but what many may not know is that Rujuta Diwekar (51) began as an aerobics instructor. An average scorer and not too academically inclined, she thought a knowledge of diets could help her clients better. 'So when I came to know that SNDT University, Mumbai, had collaborated with IIT Mumbai for a new postgraduate course on sports and nutrition, I signed up and cleared the entrance test. We were just seven girls. Nutrition science back then was like the last resort for those who didn't have any other option,' she recalls. She, however, made the space that nobody wanted her very own. She dived into treatises and research on food sciences, understanding how each morsel affects the human body. The year was 1998, when an aspirational India was eager to globalise, evident through lifestyle changes like fashion, fine dining and fast food. It was the age of convenience, fads and indulgence. Along came processed foods, burger chains and heat-and-eats. Understanding food molecularly, she realised what processed food laden with chemicals would do a decade later— a nation with one of the highest burdens of chronic illnesses like obesity, heart disease and diabetes. That's when she chose to swim against the tide and tell people why they needed to return to traditional wisdom and food heritage that had sustained generations. 'I was just continuing what our mothers and grandmothers practised for centuries — fresh, natural, simple and functional food that keeps you disease-free. That was their only concern. They treated food as nurturing, as a healthy discipline,' says Diwekar, whose books became synonymous with weight loss, though she intended them to be more than just diet guides. 'It was my way of saving local and seasonal produce,' says the nutritionist, who is now also working to preserve native roots and shoots on her farm. 'We have lost so many herbs to climate change, so I'm trying to save those. My local food movement is about education and advocacy, about reconnecting people to the food that's in their DNA, so they choose it willingly — not because it's a fad.' Her latest book, 'Mitahara' (mindful eating) by DK India Publishing, goes a step further. 'Everybody thinks home-cooking in our rush-hour life is complicated. As a fourth-generation working woman, I relied on recipes from my maternal lineage — one-pot meals that are fuss-free, nourishing and logistically easy. All you need are 30 minutes and a pressure cooker,' says Diwekar, who believes in keeping a kitchen simple: some pots, pans and a few accessible spices. As a nutritionist, she insists weight management is about keeping to the food we grow up with. 'Let's look at science. We inherit our gut microbes from our mothers and the maternal bloodline. These organisms carry the memory of ancestral food. That's why when you eat something simple like dal-bhaat, you feel comforted and secure; you feed these microbes. But when you eat something alien — like quinoa or kale — they don't recognise it or have the enzymes to digest it. So even healthy foreign foods can cause gut issues,' she explains. This is not to say she opposes trying different cuisines. 'Think of eating out like learning a new language. You may know a few words for occasional use. Restaurant food should be treated similarly,' advises Diwekar. Familiar food, she says, aids weight loss. 'Observation studies show that people who eat what they like, eat less overall. Calorie intake drops. Over time, they lose weight, stay happy and motivated to exercise. They even recover better post-workout because they're eating the food that puts them at ease.' Diwekar, a proponent of using a teaspoon of ghee daily for its good fats, believes many Indian foods are underrated. She makes a case for pickles, which preserve produce year-round without additives. 'They only use oil and salt. Yet they're on the 'avoid high salt' list. But pickles were never side dishes—they're condiments. Their complex flavour satisfies our cravings and reduces the urge to snack on chips or pizza,' she says. Rice, she feels, is unfairly maligned. 'It's the best prebiotic, with resistant starch that feeds good gut bacteria. It also contains B vitamins and antioxidants. Rice is our circle of life, used in our birth and death ceremonies, used for both diarrhoea and constipation. Again people look at rice without context. Clinical studies are done with plain rice. But in India, rice, a carbohydrate, is seldom eaten alone, it is always paired with protein, legumes, lentils and fibre. Our traditional thali has a small portion of it in the centre, with other foods meant to be had with every morsel,' Diwekar reasons. Her super fruit? The banana. Traditional menus use everything from its fruit, leaves to its stalk. It contains complex carbs and fibre that delay digestion and slow blood sugar release. Potassium helps reduce blood pressure. 'It's such a filler food.' According to her, many meals can be made with just these core ingredients. 'Our cooking is so sophisticated and calibrated to the palate that you can do thousands of dishes with the same ingredients. Yet each will be complete and you won't need supplements.' Diwekar has an easy way to declutter all the advisories and voices on healing diets. As a nutritionist, she follows the global gold standard for dietary advice, which is FBDG — food-based dietary guidelines. 'That means I should talk about foods you're familiar with. Our mothers and grandmothers followed this intuitively through home-cooking. If you just go back to their kitchens, you will find all your answers. Trust them,' she says. So what's India's weight loss conundrum? Diwekar doesn't think Indians are lazy or less aware. 'Everyone knows they should eat healthy and walk 10,000 steps. That same Indian walks 15,000 steps abroad. But do we have an enabling environment? If you want home-cooked food, you need a gender-neutral kitchen. If you want healthy snacking, you need nutrition grading and front-of-pack labelling. We need walkable neighbourhoods and clean air. These are collective policy matters but essential for any anti-obesity drive,' she explains. Diwekar didn't set out to be a celebrity nutritionist. 'One of my first clients was filmmaker David Dhawan's wife Karuna. Remember this was before social media. So your first client almost decides who the rest of your clientele will be. Her son and actor Varun Dhawan found our recipes light and comforting in the middle of a busy day. That's when I realised that I would write books to reach out to more and more people,' she says. And she will continue till she finds that people following her advice have remained fit and trim 20 to 30 years later. Simply by eating right.
New Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
No end to curiosity: 72-year-old doctor masters IIT courses
RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Age is no barrier to learning, and veteran psychiatrist Dr Karri Ramareddy has proved it. At 72, when most people look take retirement, he continues to pursue academic excellence. He has earned 61 degrees, including three PhDs and 11 certifications through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), offered by premier institutions such as IIT Mumbai and IIT Kharagpur. He has topped eight of the NPTEL courses among thousands of learners across the country, securing Elite Plus Silver or Gold grades in each, which is his latest achievement. Born in Rajamahendravaram, on August 1, 1954, and raised in the small town of Anaparthi in East Godavari district, his journey has been one of relentless learning. He completed his early education at the Government Zilla Parishad High School in Anaparthi, his PUC at PR College in Kakinada, and his MBBS at Rangaraya Medical College in 1970. He later joined the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, where he completed his MD in Psychiatry.
