Jiya Phutela, the ‘Google Girl’ is not your average eleven
year old! This child prodigy, a genius is the epitome of extraordinary. The power
of her senses, memory and mind leaves one surprised. A student of Hallmark
Public School in Panchkula, she has made headlines for showcasing her
remarkable intelligence and abilities.
Jiya is brilliant at
finding someone during hide ‘n’ seek. All she needs to do is pick up on your
scent and then she follows you effortlessly being blindfolded the whole time. She
has mastered chemical reactions, formulae and even the periodic table. The
Periodic Table of Elements is on her fingertips. She has a photographic memory
and can instantly memorise any set of numbers across columns and rows. On
being told a date and year, she can tell the day. She even remembers the names
of all Presidents and Prime Ministers in serial order.
She is the perfect example of an age-old saying: “A genius is made, not born.”Jiya’s father, Mr. Vinod Phutela, a trainer and an educationist himself, conducts parenting workshops, and states: “We nurtured her amazing potential with the help of Neuro—Linguistic Programming (NLP), that establishes a connect between neurological processes, language and behavioural patterns learnt through experience, which is essential in bringing out positive vibes among children.”
She has conducted many motivational and training sessions in various schools, colleges and universities, including IIT Roorkee. She has keen interest in pursuing a career as an NLP Practitioner; as the youngest such practitioner in the country.
‘Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain
way to succeed is always to try just one more time’- Thomas Edison
Shrradhaa Deven Kakkad truly personifies the above. She’s
the epitome of a fighter. She has blossomed and achieved so much in such a
short period of time.
Born and brought up in Naisik, early stages of her life sailed easily when her Dad’s business was flourishing and successful. Everything went happily. It was during her schooling years when she took the first step towards her dream by winning Miss Naisik 2000 followed by Miss Superb Model 2002.
Dark clouds bestowed upon her until
the gleam of hope when her father’s business started to point downward when she
just 16. She branched out to Pune when she worked for Idea Cellular from
2001-03 in sim-card sales to sustain herself. Simultaneously, she pursued her
education in Bachelor of Commerce from Pune University. Time wasn’t on her side
as it was difficult to even meet the most of basic needs. She also worked in ICICI home finance from 2003-04
in Pune as a banker. Even during these times, Shrradhaa never gave up her
love towards the Fashion Industry as she won the title of 1st Runners-up in the
“Miss Pune” pageant in the year 2005.
The next step proved to be the turning point of her life as
she did her Diploma in Interior Designing from Sinhagad Architecture College,
Pune. Her eye for detail helped her get the ball back her court. She formed her
own venture in interiors by the name of Bliss Interiors in 2006 in Pune which
quickly converted into a source of steady income. She also formed own venture,
in reality called Pyramids Properties in 2015 in Pune. Her talent helped her to
win 1st Runners-up for Mrs. India Home Makers 2018.
Over the years, with life being a roller-coaster ride, she has gained interest in Spirituality and reads extensively on the subject by known authors. She regularly practices meditation including Vipassana for a healthy lifestyle.
She was awarded the title of “Mrs. Asia United Nations 2018” and represented Asia in the “Mrs. United Nations” at Jamaica in July 2018. Glam Glitz Femme is organising the GlamGlitz Miss & Miss India 2019 pageant which will be endorsed by Shrradhaa Kakkad in association with Garnet & Gold. Her journey inspires all. Shrradhaa’s lively spirit and her confidence gives hope and delivers the essence of hardwork and passion.
Sushant Divgikar is an indian model, actor performer, singer and video jockey who appears in television shows and films. He is widely known for participating in indian reality show BIGG BOSS in Season-8. He has represented India at Mr. Gay World 2014 and he also won various special awards in that. He is the only Indian delegate who won 3 Sub Awards. Sushant was born in a goan konkani family. He lives in Bandra, Mumbai. He has done his schooling from Arya Vidya Mandir School in Bandra West. He started his TV career with UTV Bindass’s Big Switch Season 3. After that he hosted Atyachaar Ka Punchanama for UTV Bindass. He has also worked on TV commercials for brands like Maruti Suzuki, MTV India, Channel V India, Idea Mobiles.
Along with all of this he also focussed on his singing talent and won many awards and titles between 2011 and 2013. He has also been a guest of Indian reality shows like India’s Got Talent on Colors TV and Zoom’s Style Panga. He was also the guest in the grand finale of and TV’s Killer Karaoke Atkah Toh Latkah. Presently he is working with his Bigg Boss inmate and a good friend Diandra Soares will soon be seen in an online series ‘love, life and screw ups’. Two documentary films, both based on his life have been nominated and screened at various National and International festivals.
After hosting shows and exploring the non-fiction genre with ‘Bigg Boss’, on which we saw a glimpse of his singing skills, Sushant Divgikar, former Mr Gay India and LGBTQIA flag-bearer, will now be seen as a participant on the music reality show, ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’.
Interestingly, he will be performing as Rani Ko-HE-Nur, his drag queen avatar, which came into being a year ago. Says Sushant, “I have always been passionate about music. While I’ve been hosting shows since I was 16, I continued to do live performances as a singer. Later, television happened and I was excited about it. At that age, you do whatever it takes to be on screen. However, music has always been closest to my heart and what better platform than a show that I have grown up watching, to showcase my talent and introduce Rani — my drag alter ego — to people across the country. It’s the right time to do that, as Section 377 has been struck down. Earlier, people were apprehensive about being inclusive, fearing backlash, but sincethe landmark SC judgement, things have changed.”He made this journey because of his honesty to himself.
In an interview Sushant said, “I did face some challenges, given my orientation. I have done TV shows where people have not been friendly. But there are also those who don’t give a damn as long as the work is getting done. I was lucky to have these people supporting me”.
Ask him whether it will be a case of style over substance, considering there are serious singers who have been a part of the show, and he says, “I know there will be participants who are more trained than me, but what I bring to the table is unique. I sing in both male and female voices. In fact, many participants assumed that I was on the show for a special performance or to host it. They were shocked to learn that I would be participating with them. I would tell other contestants that “Aap apne performance par dhyaan do. Aisa na ho ki main trophy lekar chala jau aur aap dekhte reh jao.”
Talking about his choice of performing as a drag queen, Sushant says, “There hasn’t been a drag queen before me on TV. I want to introduce drag as a performing art on stage and to people, because it hasn’t been introduced in mainstream entertainment.”
“With the help of Sushant’s voice, I aspire to put Rani in the forefront. I have realised that music makes me happy and I feel no shame in admitting that I sing for applause. People make comments on the way I walk, talk and look, but once I hit the right notes, their jaw drops and they ask me for a picture (laughs!). Winning the show is secondary, all I want to win is people’s hearts with my talent. It’s normal to have preconceived notions about a certain section of people, but one can change minds with talent.So, will he be Rani Ko-HE-Nur throughout theshow? He jokes, “If Rani gets tired, then maybe, Sushant will take over briefly.It’s so funny that while other contestants came casually dressed on the show, I looked like I was there to get married on stage. Rani is a complete package — she is visually appealing, magnanimous in her appearance and a good singer. Interestingly, a day before I started shooting for the show, it was my drag avatar’s birthday, who turned one on September 21. What better gift than this show for Rani?” Ask him if the move also marks the beginning of Indian television being more inclusive now and he replies, “Absolutely. There have been shows featuring people from the LGBTQIA community, but the treatment wasn’t filtered and the job profiles were restricted. Fortunately, people have started accepting diversity now, as that provides equal opportunity. Now, what I do with that opportunity is totally up to me. Just because I am gay, I am not expecting them to make me win the show. I am not asking for more rights. All I am asking for is equal opportunity. And having a show like this, with no barrier of any kind, is a big leap in the right direction.”
Sushant Divgikar aka Rani Ko-He-Nur launches Love Is Love, India’s first Pride Anthem. The former Mr. Gay India 2014, features in a single “Love is Love”, a pride anthem by Swedish artiste Petter Wallenberg, founder of international LGBTQIA organization Rainbow Riots
‘Love is Love’, features India’s first openly gay celebrity and drag queen, Sushant Divgikar. ”Love is Love” is India’s first Pride anthem, a mix of classic Western dance music with both English and Hindi lyrics. Divgikar, former Bigg Boss contestant will be out on iTunes, Spotify and all major digital platforms worldwide on April 2nd.
“The single ‘Love is Love’ speaks about equal love, about being true to one’s authentic self,” Sushant Divgikar said.
Model, VJ, reality show participant, actor, singer, and now drag queen—Sushant Divgikar wears many hats. The 27-year-old, hailing from Mumbai, debuted as a drag queen in Delhi in September.
“This track is very close to my heart and spreads the message that love always wins. This is a great time for this anthem to be introduced to the world and a new India that finally allows people to love freely and without fear.” added the former “Bigg Boss” contestant.
After scrapping of Section 377, India is slowly moving into a space of acceptance and inclusion, making all love legal. Sushant Divgikar as an LGBTQIA flag-bearer has showcased himself with belief. Sushant Divgikar has found himself a place internationally with, Rani-Ko-He-Nur his drag avatar.
This outstanding participant in a music reality show ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,’ has been a passionate singer since he was a 16-year-old. His hard-work has led him to showcase his talent on television. Sushant started out with ads, progressed to TV shows, and gradually ventured into singing in both male and female voices.
He also had his TED talk in TEDxBangalore in which he talks about how can one discover that they are a part of the fringe. He has also been featured in Vogue magazine for the pride month of June 2019.
To live, learn, grow and play is the essence of childhood. Every child deserves the right to a healthy and joyous childhood, just like we have been fortunate to have. We often come from the sorority where things are just spoken about without any consequent actions. India ratified in 1992 the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Children. All children are born with Fundamental Rights- Right to Survival, Development, Protection and Participation. About 40% of India’s population is under the age of 18. Unfortunately, their rights along with their dreams are often crushed. There seems to be a range of Child Issues that India faces- Child Labour, Malnutrition, Child Trafficking, Poverty, Child Marriage, Girl Child, Illiteracy, etc. Their rights have been and continue to be violated every single day. The statistics prove the horrific crime rate and negligence in the country and around the world:
1 in 4 Children is a dropout in school (Census 2011)
Everyday around 150 children go missing in India (National Crime Record Bureau 2016)
1 in every 3 brides in the world is a girl in India (UNICEF)
2O Million children below the age of 6 are malnourished
I have been a part of CRY-Child Rights and Youth, a NGO working towards the development of underprivileged children. They organise various activities and provide educational support. Through this the child gets full scholarship to develop and realise his full potential. It also provides a platform to showcase their talents. Nobel Peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi started his own venture in this regard. Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation is a NGO working for Child Rights through their Bachpan Badhao Andholan(BBA) programme.
Working for benefit and upliftment of the underprivileged enables us to understand how distant we truly are from the reality of living in a world with equal opportunities for all alike. Instead of taking from the society, you for once do something to give back.
Written By-Neha Thadani
Published By-GarnetnGold
Tuesday, 18th September 2018: Orana convention gurgugram: Today’s award
event was all about the achievement of those remarkable people of gurugram
who do things extraordinarily, and contribute their time to help and
motivates others to do great in their lives. Garnet & Gold Present Gurugram
Achiever Awards 2018 Powered by Ottimo Visuals is a special tribute to
those incredible achievers.
It’s a one of a kind award and an initiative by Jacqueline Jindal the
Director of Garnet and Gold. GarnetnGold is a Public relations/ event and
media communication.
The show started with Lamp Lighting by Guest of Honours Respected Mr
Sandeep Marwah Director of Asian Academy of Film & Television & Asian
School of Media Studies and the founder of Film City in Noida and Mr
NarenderBhasker( Head of India news and Ottimo Visuals ).
Each awardee was considered as chief guest in the event.
Jury member for Gaa 18 awards were Simmi Harding, Neha Kala, Tammana Singh
, Harvinder Mankar, Vineet Jain, and Amit Gupta (Gem Mines).
GAA’18 recognizes the achievements of the individual or organization in
the area of Education, Entrepreneurship, Journalism, Innovation,
Hospitality, Sports, Bravery, Social Causes, Arts and Culture etc.
The award category consisted with the lights of Padam Shri Awardee Kathak
Dancer Shri Shovana Narayan, Padam Shri & Arjuna Award Winner Shri
Deepa Malik, Tarun Thukral Founder & Managing Trustee at Heritage
Transport Museum , Vivek Kalia Joint commissioner MCG, Sulochna Gajraj
DCP Traffic police, Dr Naresh Trehan Padam Shri & Padam Bhushan
Cardiovascular & Cardiothoracic Doctor ,Aditya Arya An Eminent commercial
and travel photographer ,Anup Kumar Captain of India Kabaddi Team and were
awarded as Gems of Gurugram.
Awards were divided into 17 categories according to their achievements.
Anubhav Wadhwa, Divyanshu Varshney, Taksheel Budhaadeo were awarded in the
category of Young Achievers Award. Neeti Kaushik, Anushka Panda were in
the category of Education & Academics. Naadir & Pia Sethi, Ravi Kalra,
Aparna Laxmi, Kushal Raj, Naveen Gulia, Prerit Rana were awarded in the
category of Social Achievement award. The award under the category of
Outstanding Contribution was given to Neela Kaushik(Gurgaon Moms), Seema
Rajput, Latika Thukral, M D Sinha, Sarika Panda & Amit Bhatt. Rita Gangwani
and Barkha Nangia were awarded in the category of beauty and glamour.The
award for Role Model of the Year was awarded to Khurrafati Nitin, Capt.
Rakesh Ahluwalia, Nachiketa Goyal, and Reena Rai.
DR. GEETA KADAYAPRATH who is the Director – Surgical Oncology in the Max
Super Speciality Hospital delivered a speech on Cancer Awareness and
presented awards to Sonia Bajaj and Aarti Kapoor in the category of
excellence in spreading cancer awareness. Bhavisha Buddhdeo, Pradeep
Sangwan, Osho Kalia were awarded for their contribution in environment
awareness award. Medical Achievement Awards were given to Dr Shubhank, Dr
Varun Katyal, Dr Roma Kapur, Dr Naresh Sharma(Ex President IMA Gurugram)
and Pasricha Hospital. Aman Bathla, Prerna Singh Bindra and Mr Pran Nevile
were awarded in the category of Pioneers of Gurugrams. Dr Thaneshwar,
Achlender Katiyar, Shahnawaj Alam and Raaj Verma were awarded in the
category of media achievement
The sweetest victory is the most difficult one. The one that requires hard work, patience, will power, passion, and the most of all faith in yourself. Expectations are those failures that become the steppingstones of later success. We are all so focused in life that we aim never to fail. Instead settle down in the life of mediocrity that we live in. We fear to come out of our cocoons and grow like a butterfly.
It`s all so strange to hear such deep words coming out of a twenty year old who doesn’t even remember what she ate last night. We all must have had a bad relationship with failure. But what separates people who succeed from those who don’t is the understanding of the power of failure. History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heart breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.
My relationship with failure was strange but it taught to be bold and confident. Being in the shadow of my brother, I learnt that the secret of success is hidden in my daily routine. It all started when I was seventeen. As I became a part of my school`s theatre team, I could see a new me! But balancing both, curricular and co-curricular wasn’t easy. It required more hours of practice. I tried to do each and every task with the best of my capabilities in the hope of being a good student and a good actress. As the months passed by, my school work started piling up on my shoulders. I had to quit doing plays so that I could get better grades. My theatre teacher was supportive and showed a keen interest to my problem. She gave me scripts a month before the actual play so that we can get time to practice and study. My life seemed to get back in shape. It had built my character in a very strange way.
Soon, I started gaining popularity because of my theatrical skills. My team became like a family to me. We represented our school in many competitions and won merits for the school. We not even managed to do our plays well but also get good remarks from our teachers. I have now become an integral part of my team. We have also been awarded as the best team by the Australian High Commissioner.
Failure is never as scary as regret. With each mistake made by me I have grown. I have made it a personal challenge to understand how I could have done better. If failure is no longer empowering but depressing, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I have now. I was elated that I had been to able emerge as a butterfly and that my theatre activities went well. Although I had to work hard in my academics, but I passed with flying colours.
Garnet Gold 