A new kind of celebrity

MONISHA & KEYA HATKAR - Dancing on Wheels - Redefining SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) as I M Possible.

What happens when your daily life is a high-stakes battle against biology? What happens when a "terminal" diagnosis meets an unstoppable spirit? If you are the Hatkar's, then you 'Dance on wheels.' In this episode, we are joined by the powerhouse duo Monisha and Keya Hatkar, a mother and daughter who are transforming the narrative around Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) from one of limitation to one of limitless impact. Keya [https://keyafightssma.in/about-me], a 15-year-old, is a recepient of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, a three-time author (Dancing on my Wheels [https://www.bribooks.com/bookstore/dancing-on-my-wheels/?srsltid=AfmBOoo1I2gcrfM984Nnix7osf3AvH9OtPKQvX46JOZ4tzm5XJ89E8Ew], I M Possible [https://www.bribooks.com/bookstore/i-m-possible-/?srsltid=AfmBOooF527H4gL1ULC1ZocKbdmM2oLVHTL8ObMXCj1M-qgEXMwmqi6a], A book on how to write books [https://www.bribooks.com/bookstore/book-on-how-to-write-a-book/?srsltid=AfmBOor0_iB6tsgdnHiJYdtj2AHJ_XwnAAl6CRHpAtsvFHurcvGBLwZi]) , a TEDx [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W5CqTCPat0] speaker and a podcaster. She has won multiple awards at the National Young Authors Fair for her books. She doesn't view her wheelchair as a limitation but a platform to dance on. Her mother, Monisha Hatkar, is a professionally qualified architect who spent 25+ years in corporate real estate before pivoting her life to become a "Chief Belief Officer" for her daughter. A podcaster [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KV2puvzJAE00HyUzzSBt8]and community builder, today she is building the world's largest community on Inclusion. Through iniatives like I M Possible, SMAARTR [https://i-m-possible-and-smaart.com/f/smaartr-an-epic-journey-begins], they aim to generate revenue to build sustainability and self sufficiency for people affected by rare diseases. At month 10, Keya was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare progressive genetic disease. The doctors gave her 2 years to live, with Monisha's approach to life, they have far from beaten those odds. SMA affects 1 in 10,000 people and is one of the world's most expensive medical interventions costing crores of rupees each year. #rarediseases #SMA #resilience

PRADEEP & PREM - Generational change in tribal Maharashtra - EP38

Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) truly going to take over jobs across India? For rural and tribal areas, this feels far from reality. Melghat was the first tiger reserve created in Maharashtra. More than a 100 villages in the Melghat Forest Area, Maharashtra do not have simple mobile phone connectivity, most of them do not have paved roads as well. Taking a zoom call means travelling 40-60 kms to the nearest town. In the midst of these challenges, there are many literacy, malnutrition and employment challenges. Sadaya Foundation [https://www.sadayafoundation.org/] is quietly changing these statistics by working to provide quality education and nutrition to tribal communities. Led by a seasoned social worker Pradeep David and a young member of the Korku tribe, Prem, there is a fascinating story about intergenerational change that you must listen too. We are fundraising for solar electrification of two village centres, along with network boosters, laptops and bikes for transportation. If you would like to suppport this initiative, you can donate here [https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-tribal-korku-children-in-melghat].#education #tribal #rural #empowerment #intergenerational

JOANN McPIKE - The traveling school - EP37

Have you ever imagined a school without any building? Have you ever wished to take a year off and travel the world? Joann McPike has created a traveling school! Joann is a New Zealand native, an avid traveler and a photographer. She founded Think Global School (TGS) where students travel to 12 countries across 3 years. Everything they study is connected to the context of the country they are in. Traditional schools tend to focus on content to be taught. They have to make an extra effort to make learning relevant, with real - life applicability and build future skills like communication, critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, empathy etc. Think Global School by design keeps relevance, real-life applicability and future skills in the centre, with content being a mere vehicle. Listen in to learn more about the motivation, design, successes, challenges and lessons learnt. NOTE - This conversation was recorded in 2023 over zoom. #education #school #futureskills #skilleducation #projectbasedlearning #innovation

AMBUJAM VENKATRAMAN - Secret sauce of a 'Super-Ager' - EP36

Lifestyle and pollutants of today's world has fundamentally changed the profile of health and disease. Many diseases onset or diagnosis is showing up a couple of decades earlier. In India 50% [https://www.newindianexpress.com/xplore/2025/Feb/24/50-of-heart-attack-cases-since-2020-among-adults-below-40#:~:text=%E2%80%9CA%20decade%20ago%2C%20heart%20attacks,as%20early%20as%20their%2030s.] of the heart attacks post 2020 are of people below the age of 40! A study showed that 20% [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/20-of-cancer-patients-below-40-study/articleshow/110647060.cms] of the cancer diagnosis were also people below the age of 40. Along with this, the flipside exists as well. We have 'Super-Agers.' These are people 80 years and above with cognitive function comparable to those 20-30 years younger, along with better mobility and better control on all parameters. A research shares that there maybe less than 10% [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/well/mind/super-agers-study.html#:~:text=Most%20notably%2C%20the%20super%2Dagers,more%20active%20in%20middle%20age.] of the population who qualify as Super-Agers Today, we celebrate one such Super-Ager, Ambujam Venkatraman, a 92 year old inspiring lady who currently writes and publishes an Income Tax Law journal, regularly practices yoga and lives independently. We speak about her motivation, inspiration and practices that drive her. #superager #health #motivation #purpose

USHA CHAUMAR - From Manual Scavenging to Padma Shri - EP35 [HINDI]

This episode we celebrate Usha Chaumar. Usha is a social worker from Alwar, Rajasthan, India. From age 7, she used to work as a manual scavenger, or do the work of maila doni as it is called in her region. She is the President of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, the non-profit arm of Sulabh International. In 2020, she received the Padma Shri honour from the Government of India for her contribution in the field of social work. Bindeshwar Pathak was instrumental in her journey, you can listen to his journey in episode 11.