Meet the MAKER: Nandita Das – Actor, Filmmaker, Activist

Nandita Das needs no introduction. The 50-year-old actor-filmmaker is one of India’s most celebrated faces in parallel cinema, and she's an activist too. 

From fighting for children’s rights and spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS to speaking out against gender-based violence and working towards the upliftment of Indian widows, Nandita has been a crusader for all seasons and all reasons.

Her latest initiative India’s Got Colour seeks to celebrate the diversity of skin tones in this country, challenging the desi unhealthy obsession with fair skin.

She says, “We are a nation of 1.3 billion, and there are that many skin tones. We are no one thing. How we look is not the only way that defines us. Each one of us is unique and should be comfortable in our own skin colour."

In a conversation with MAKERS India*, Nandita Das, our ChangeMAKER for the month, tells us how she became the “default face” of India's anti-colourism campaign, her 'accidental' acting career, and more.

*MAKERS India is a feminist brand that seeks to accelerate the women's movement in India through powerful, real-life stories of bold, trailblazing women. MAKERS India was launched in India in October 2019 as part of a strategic partnership between Verizon Media and YourStory Media.

Paytm in talks to raise another $1B funding

Digital payments major Paytm is looking at raising another round of funding of $1 billion, and is in discussion with multiple investors, including former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, according to sources. Sources close to the development said the discussions are on and might take a few weeks to get finalised.

Born out of a Bengaluru-based distillery, how Amrut became the whisky of the year

Amrut Distilleries, founded in 1948 by the late Radhakrishna Jagdale, was built into a globally-renowned liquor company by the late Neelakanta Rao Jagdale. Now, the third generation of the family is taking its malt whisky brand to greater heights globally.

Silicon Valley-based ZNL Ventures launches new angel fund

This new-age fund’s mission is to create the strongest community of founders, investors, and evangelists aligned with its “India First” mantra. With a Silicon Valley experience deep-rooted in Indian culture, it plans to bring in success for early-stage startups.

Why this young graduate turned down a job offer from Estee Lauder’s CEO

Estee Lauder CEO William Lauder personally offered Aditya Narang a position at the New York-based cosmetics MNC. But the 26-year-old had other plans and in 2016 launched SafeHouse Technologies, a mobile-first cybersecurity startup that provides military-grade safety.

It is inexcusable to have founders who cannot get along to run a company

In this episode of 100X Entrepreneur Podcast, Sasha Mirchandani, Founder of Kae Capital, talks about his transition from angel investing to starting a seed-funding firm, what he sees in a potentially successful founder, and some market theses that didn’t pan out as anticipated.

India’s first powder room for women in Mumbai is more than a restroom

The powder room near Thane railway station provides many facilities like a small cafe, convenience store, sewing kits, and more for women using local trains. Shivkala Mudaliar, Co-founder of WOLOO shares details of this unique concept.

Top 2019 logistics trends shaping the sector’s growth in India

Emerging technological solutions have transformed logistics, a sector that was marred by inefficacies for decades in India. The year 2019 saw the fast-growing sector increasingly focus on B2B and last-mile augmentation. Here’s a closer look at the top 2019 logistics trends.

Now get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!