JKYog International Women's Day

Dr. Madhavi Reddy – Changing Lives Award

Dr. Madhavi Reddy is a global ophthalmologist based in the United States. Originally from India, she has been practicing ophthalmology in Brownsville, TX, for twenty-five years. Dr. Reddy received the 2019 Humanitarian Award from SEE International, a global eye-care organization, for her work in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania over the last twenty years. She travels globally as a volunteer eye surgeon, mainly to remote places like Myanmar, Liberia, and Vanuatu. This work keeps her excited and inspired.

Madhavi also holds affiliations with the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine and UT School of Public Health as a teaching and research faculty. Recently, she founded an affordable eye clinic in collaboration with the Brownsville Community Health Center to care for uninsured patients in the lower Rio Grande Valley.

Dr. Sejal Mehta – Woman of Distinction Award

Dr. Sejal Mehta is a passionate physician, motivational speaker, businesswoman, and community servant. She has been a psychiatric physician for 25 years, specializing in child, adolescent, adult, and senior care. Dr. Mehta is the president of Psychiatric Medical Associates in Plano and serves as the Medical Director at several facilities. She has also conducted over 70 clinical pharmaceutical research trials. Many medical and community events have invited her as a speaker and panelist. She currently holds leadership positions in multiple medical and community organizations. Dr. Mehta has also received awards for her community work.

Originally from Ahmedabad, India, Dr. Mehta attended medical school there before moving to the United States in the 1990s. She completed her residency and fellowship in Psychiatry at the University of Kansas Medical Center and became board-certified in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry.

Ms. Avani Modi Sarkar – Women in Business Awar

Ms. Avani Modi Sarkar is the Co-founder of Modi Toys, a renowned children's brand specializing in toys and books that celebrate South Asian culture and the Hindu faith. Since its launch in 2018, Avani Modi Sarkar's Modi Toys has brought over 30,000 smiles with their delightful mantra-singing plush toys, receiving accolades as the Best Toys by Good Housekeeping and Parents magazines.

After the birth of her first child, Avani and her brother Viral embarked on a mission to ignite children's curiosity about their heritage. Avani's outstanding contributions have earned her recognition from esteemed platforms such as Forbes Next 1000, Inc. Female Founder 100, Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for New Jersey, and New Jersey Family's Mompreneur of the Year.

Besides curating and publishing children's books as part of the Modi Toys collection, Avani also contributes her writing skills to Parents and The Bump. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children. 

Ms. Debjani Biswas – Positive Impact Award

Debjani Biswas is a Power Leader who is internationally recognized as a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and change agent. Ms. Biswas' two TEDx talks, But You Don’t Look Like an Engineer and Common Ground on Gender Bias, have each received over a million views. She received the 2022 USICOC Women Helping Women and 2021 Top 10 Influential Female Leaders Awards. She has received the ACT Award for Journalism, is an NAPW Woman of the Year, and an Institute Gold Medal winner (IIT Madras). Ms. Biswas has delivered keynotes to prestigious corporate and conference audiences worldwide and appeared in the international media, including ESPN, CBS, and Dallas Morning News, for her leadership expertise.

Her bestselling books, such as Miserably Successful No More and Unleash the Power of Diversity are popular worldwide. People in 23 countries use her innovative frameworks.
 

She holds a B. Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras, a PGDM/MBA in Marketing from IIM Bangalore, and an MS in Organizational Strategy from UT Dallas. She is also a certified Executive Coach and EQ Practitioner. She serves on multiple boards and can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/debjanibiswas/.

Ms. Sujata Gautam – Environmentalist Award – Rising Star

Sujata Gautam is a sustainability professional. She is passionate about bringing more mindfulness to how people interact with the Earth and each other. She has a degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering and a master’s in social innovation and sustainability leadership. Sujata has worked in various roles throughout her career. 

She recently moved to Texas from Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, she was a sustainability engagement coordinator for the Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables. She led outreach and education efforts and managed Trash Lab and the Dane County Sustainability Campus projects. Sujata also helped secure nearly half a million dollars of federal funding for composting in Dane County. She is excited to return to her home state and supports sustainability projects in her local community. 

Currently, she is assisting the RKT Dallas Prem Yoga Center with their composting and greenhouse revival project. Sujata is also a meditation and yoga enthusiast. She enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoors in her free time.

Ms. Nawaz Merchant – Arts & Culture Award – Creative Writing

Nawaz Merchant is an Indian-born author who has achieved several literary accolades. Her debut novel, Murder in Old Bombay, won an Audiophile award and was a finalist for six national awards, including the Edgar and Anthony awards. In her series of books, she explores issues of identity, race, and moral boundaries, and The New York Times and other publications have featured her work. Nawaz also writes screenplays and teaches creative writing online at Rutgers University. 

Nawaz began writing stories when she was eleven years old. She later studied Economics and Psychology and earned three master’s degrees in economics and health policy. After working in the pharmaceutical industry for a long time, she returned to her genuine passion – writing fiction. NPR has featured her, and she has written for magazines such as Mystery Tribune and Mystery Scene Magazine. Nev also took on the role of editing issues of the FEZANA Journal, while her articles found publication in Parsiana, A Lotus in The Mud, and other publications. She currently serves as the president of the NY chapter board of Mystery Writers of America and provides support to the Mercer County non-profit Shine and Inspire. 

She is also Vice President of ZAGNY, the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York.

Learn more about Nawaz Merchant and her work at NevMarch.com.

Ms. Rathna Reddy – Humanitarian Ambassador Award

Ms. Rathna Reddy’s has numerous achievements to her credit. She is an incredible visionary who has established an herbal park with hundreds of medicinal plants. She started an Ayurveda Hospital to treat patients with various disorders thought to be incurable. She also developed medicinal herbs with extracts that have helped thousands of patients with serious illnesses. She is making a true difference in the lives of people.