Jharna Madan: The Community Catalyst, The Daughter, The Mother — Celebrating Culture & Togetherness

Welcome to India Numion News. Our guest today is Jharna Madan. She is going to be honoured at 10th annual New England Choice Awards Gala with Community Catalyst Award. We are going to talk to her about her journey. Jharna, welcome to our studio. Thank you so much, Upendra ji. It's such an honor and pleasure to be here. Excellent. And we are very excited to honor you on November 14th. I am so grateful and humbled with this award. Thank you so much. Sure. So now, in that context, on the Community Catalyst, Uh, you. are associated with so many causes in the community. You are on the board of IEGB, India Association of Greater Boston. You have been a key player at Hindi Munch, done a lot of initiatives there, and many other community organizations. Initially, you were our emcee as well as the woman of the year at India News. So now you have, as a professional, you are an interior designer. And almost every community event you are involved with. So my question is, those people who have seen you in all these places, I want to know is, behind all these organizations and activities, who is Jharna Madan? Who is Jharna Madan as a person? A very loaded question, Upendraji. So my profession, as you mentioned, I'm an interior designer. At heart, I feel I'm an artist. By instinct, I'm a storyteller, and by choice, I'm a community volunteer. I wear a lot of different hats, and I enjoy most of them. Of course, I'm a homemaker, I'm a mother, I'm a friend. I love creating and bringing people together. But if you ask me at the core of who I am, I... That's what I was going to say. Yeah, I was coming. You have still not answered my question. Yeah, yeah. So at the core, sir, I think I am who my parents made me. The values that were instilled by me, by my parents and my sister is who I am. They taught me the value of Nishkam Seva, which is selfless service. They taught me that service is not about recognition. It's just a way of life. And I have tried to practice that in my life and in all the community work that I do. It's been a wonderful, wonderful journey. And I have tried to do my best for the community to my ability. I'm sure there's much more I could have done. I love creating. I love bringing people together. I love creating platforms that give people an opportunity to shine. I love embracing new experiences and working with the next generation because they are our future. They're the ones that are going to take this community forward. That's a sum of what all makes me, I'm still a work in progress. I'm still learning and growing every day and still trying to make things better bit by bit. So still you have not answered my question. So anyway, let me try this one. Okay. So, I'm glad you mentioned about your parents, Balu Sirbai And many of us have lost our parents at this age. And the pain is tremendous. Nothing can save us from that pain. But I have noticed something very different in your case. Because sometimes I do get your social media feeds. The way you describe your mother, for example, and now lately your father, that it seems that they have never left you and their pain is still lingering somewhere inside you. So tell me about your mother and then your father. Absolutely. I might get emotional while answering these questions. I think it's true for everybody because I think each child Just a sum of the parents, I am who I am because of mom and dad, the way they've raised me, the way they've taught me my values, the way they've shown me a way of life, the way they gave me wings to fly when I needed to. Thank you. They're, I think, in my heart and soul, and that could never change. Mom was 16 when she got married. 16. 16. Mm-hmm. And, uh... I think, so when she had me, I think she was just about 24, 25, so I was very young. So I kind of grew up with her, saw her evolve. She's the most charming and beautiful lady and always will be. She's the one who taught me, as we were talking about community service. She would go to Tihar Jail every week and volunteer in the library. She would take us to different villages to distribute food. She was a total fashionista, loved wearing sarees, I'm wearing one of hers, and just such a beautiful soul, and when I became a mom, that's when mom had fallen sick. And how old were you at that time? I was 33 when I had Aria, and I lost mom when I was 38. And, um... There was so much more that I wanted to learn from her of how it is to be, how to be a mother because she was such an, she is, not was, she's always there. She's such an exceptional mother and I wish I could have learned so much more from her. Jeanne, if you can talk about a couple of key lessons you learned from your mom. Of course. I think mom always showed up, no matter what. Whatever the task in hand, if her community needed her, if her family needed her, if her friends needed her, she, no questions asked, she would just show up and do what she could to make things better or what she was called for. So I think that's what she taught us in some way and I think my sister is a complete reflection of her. And I watch my sister do the same thing. And your sister is older than you? My sister is older than me. She's a professor at McGill University. And she, I think she's my second mom. And she took up that role of being my mom. So what is the age difference between you and your sister? Six years. Yes. And she has a heart of gold. I don't think, I think I'm blessed to have exceptional parents and an exceptional sister who, you know. Who've taught me so much and I'm just always in awe of them. And I feel even if I can light a little candle in front of them, I would feel as if I've done my bit. What about your father, his influence on you? Dad was a man of, dad is a man of principles and integrity. For him, honesty was very, very key. He was in, he was a finance professional in one company for about 40 odd years, you know. As his straight arrow, as straight as one can be, of course, you know, and we saw him struggle how to keep up with that honesty, but he was a proud man, absolutely honest. And that's what he taught us is to have integrity, be honest, and be very proud of the work that you do. And because at the end of the day, you have to live with yourself, you have to look in the mirror and say, this is who I am. So, earlier, rightly, you said that you are what your parents are. So now you have one child, just your daughter, right? Aria, yes. Aria. And so tell us about some of the lessons you learned from your mom and you will love to transfer those things to your daughter. I think the importance of being part of the community, I think, came from mom. um she was very involved with her social work also within um the place we were staying you know in the Ananiketan community so first she would organize cultural events uh she would participate in dance dramas you know and uh do all of that so i we saw doing that and of course it so happened that i kind of picked up on that being part of the community here creating events And celebrating all kinds of cultural events. And I feel Arya is no different from me. She's kind of taken. She would come with me for all the TV Asia coverages, help me with all the events. And she has been very helpful with 20 Under 20. 20 Under 20. You know, she's now emceeing. Like she's currently in Northeastern, but her first term is abroad. And she's organized a supper club there. Every Monday, all the Indian students get together and she cooks. You know, they're planning what they're going to do for Diwali and stuff. So I think that creating and being part of the community is something that's kind of been embedded in me. And Arya has kind of taken from that. So now let's move forward to the community here. Yes. So which year did you move to Boston? We moved here 2001, Christmas Eve 2001. 2001. And as you start growing up, networking with the community, meeting people. What was the one turning point which you said, oh, I really need to do this. And your involvement in the community started to get. So when we came here, sir, at that point of time, the Indian community was just about growing, building, building. So there wasn't too many avenues at that point of time. And we were here, you know, immigrants, you know, just with aspirations and bag full of memories. And did you guys know anyone in Boston? We just had one friend. So that's where it came out that we didn't know anybody. And we had Arya. And obviously having a child changes a lot because that's when you realize that. You want... She was born here? She was born here. Before that, you know, we were, you know, too young, married, traveling, you know. You don't realize the value of community that time because you're so kind of, you know, traveling the world and building your life. You were on your honeymoon. Yes. So after Arya, I think that sense of community became even stronger and there enters DJ Yogi. I had reached out to him. to rent a speaker and uh you know he was extremely kind and you know you know yogi yeah absolutely an entrepreneur and he's like so we started talking and then i was part of a dance studio and i said hey let's do a bollywood dance party and i said you will you dj because yeah so he came he dj'd it was a great event in manchester new hampshire of all places and then So this was in a club at home? This was a dance studio. Dance studio, okay. I used to learn Latin and ballroom dancing. Okay. And we hosted a Bollywood night there. And it was a great success. And I think that kind of started my... association with yogi and I he and I started working together and we started throwing new year parties and you know and through him I met you I met Dr. Sheth, Ranjani Saigal, Ishan Isha and of course Pritesh Srivastav so you know what once I and that's where Pritesh comes in so one after the other I met such incredible people like you and One thing led to the other and little by little, event by event, association by association, I started getting more and more involved. So, what is the one thing lacking today in the Indian American community here in New England? I think, Upendraji, we're absolutely blessed. We've got a vibrant Indian American community. There is so much talent. Such amazing professionals, artists, entrepreneurs, organizations that are doing such good work. And I feel there's room for everybody. But I think the one thing that we can work on is collaboration. Everybody doesn't need to come up with a new event. We need to have more collaborative work. Because it's and be more inclusive, which we were starting to do. We're very proud of our culture and heritage. And we're showing it to our American counterparts. And I love that aspect. I would love to see more. Organizations coming together to create something even more because I think there's going to be a lot of magic in that if you were to join forces and do stuff together. So what drives you in, I don't know, how do you get so much time? And what drives you to get associated, involved, and doing work for these organizations? So the cause has to be... Now, the last one is... You have become the director of India Association of Greater Boston. So, tell me about that, how that happened? What happened? So, of course, IAGB is one of the renowned organizations and the oldest organizations. Of course, from time to time, I've volunteered for them. I've regularly covered them for TV Asia. I've even emceed for them a couple of times. And so my association with them has been growing for the last few years. And when the new presidency was to take place, I was approached to be a director. And I thought it was a very big honor to be a part of IAGB and to reach a... bigger audience because, you know, we do some significant work as IAGB. So I think that's how happened. And I said, Okay, let me try. So let's see if it works. Like I went to that thing. He said, If it works for me, I will stay because I as I said, I've It needs to resonate with me. If I'm comfortable and if I know I can add value, I will stay on. If I don't think I'm adding value, I will humbly bow out. So your real debut was with the Hindi Manch. Correct. So tell us about your Hindi Manch story. So Hindi Manch was very, very close to my heart. And I have to thank Dr. Sheth for that. Because she's the one who introduced me to the magnificent Priteshri Vastal. Um, and, um, It's such a beautiful concept of Hindi Manch. So which year you got involved with Hindi Manch? I would say that would be 2013. 2013. And my first interaction of course was covering him through TV, for TV-ish. Okay, sure, sure. And Hindi Manch started in which year? 2008. 2008, so five years later you joined. Yeah. So Hindi Manch is an extremely special organization where, you know, we work towards preserving language and culture. And I'm so grateful to this organization because it connected me back to my roots. When you come here, As an immigrant from India, you tend to speak more in English. You're interacting with Americans, you're talking the language, you're adjusting to the new culture you're exposed to. And somewhere, we put our language on the back burner. And I think being part of Hindi Manch helped me to reconnect with my own language, culture, and tradition. And I love what we do as part of Hindi Manch. My daughter, I think, gained so much from being part of Hindi Manch because she knows the language, she knows the culture, and she's so proud of her heritage. Um... And I think, so that's why it's very special. So for me, working with them has been one of life's greatest treasures. I've learned so much. I've met such incredible people, such talented people, and we all work together to create, you know, cultural programs. Dramas, programs on literature and of course from a very special we have a platform for our young youths You know, we have kids from 5 to 16 who take stage and who perform only in Hindi And I think that's one of our proudest moments as being part of Hindi Manch leadership that we see that happen So now you're going to know in... So its name is Hindi Manch and of course promotes Hindi and related languages like Urdu too. Yes Yes. Uh, But it is open to anybody who can join. Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. And so if you can talk a little bit about, do you have any upcoming events in the near future? Yes, we do have upcoming events on December 12th. We're actually having two dramas back-to-back at the Scottish Museum in Lexington. Thank you very much, Clinton. One play is written by Pritesh. It's called Badal Ke Do Rang. And Pritesh Srivastava, right? Who is president of Hindi Yes, president and founder. President and founder, okay. Yes. And that is a short play, a little more serious. And then we have Bahat Bara Sama, which is literally comedy satire, which is written by Mohan Rakesh. So I think that is you wouldn't everybody would enjoy both plays. So that's coming. Of course, we have. A lot of events planned in 2027 but what we're gearing up right now is for 2028 which is going to be our 20th anniversary and we are going to bring back The International Hindi Manch Convention. Which you had held in the past. Yes, we did that in 2018, which so coincided with our 10-year anniversary. This time we're going to make it even bigger and it's going to be the first international Hindi convention because Hindi Manch is the largest Hindi organization in the United States. Oh, excellent. So we're very, very excited to see what the next two years bring for us. OK, so now tell me. What does a community catalyst mean to you? I think I love the word catalyst. I think it's not just about leading. It's about creating a platform where you can bring an idea and create a platform for other people to shine. I'm extremely honored to be receiving this award and I don't think I could have done this alone. I think this award is a celebration of every single person that I have met with and worked with in the last so many years. So, Jharna, inch by inch we are moving closer to getting to know who Jharna Madan is. So, next question for you is to know a little bit about your professional career, what you do. What type of work you do and how did you get to do what you do? Sure, sir. I work as an interior designer. I'm a spaceman. I work for a company called Officeworks. I'm in the design department and I design office spaces. And I love what I do because it's a mix of creativity, public and puzzle solving. So, So when I was working back in India, I was in public relations. I had done my master's and I. I was doing PR for a couple of years, but when I came into this country, of course, being an immigrant, I had the same visa issue, newly married, settling, you know, setting up my house. I got interested in interior design and I went to school for an associate's program. And I did that here in Boston or New Hampshire? In New Hampshire. I went to a community college and it was a two-year program but because I had credits from my master's, I was able to finish. And where did you do your PR in India? I was working for a company in Bombay. Where did you do your master's from? In Delhi. In Delhi? In Delhi. Okay. Yes. So, when I finished my associate's degree of interior design, I joined a company as an intern and then one by one I joined their design department and of course over the couple of years I moved ship and now I'm working with a particular company. So now if you look at the, I mean it's a thriving industry, there's a lot of demand, especially in Boston, a lot of companies moving in and out, growing. But COVID changed everything in terms of the corporate interior design, office space design. So what is new in that area today that what tenants or companies are looking for when it comes to the office? So, of course, now the whole aim is to get the force back into the offices, right? And what we're designing more and more of is like living room spaces. We're trying to create... The office is to be more like an extension of your living room, more collaborative spaces, so more hoteling stations. Nobody has a permanent desk. You come, you sit, you work on any desk. You have a lot of community spaces. Again, somehow it always comes back to community. Even in the offices, it's all about where your people will come together as a community and interact with each other. So I think that has been very interesting to create those spaces. Of course, you have those traditional boardrooms and offices, So do you think that everybody is, you know, companies are trying to bring people back? But the data is saying that 30% people are not going to come back because they're more comfortable working. I think it's going to be somewhere there has to be a balance. Of course, you know, I think a five-day work may not be the thing to go back to, but a three- or a four-day work. As human beings we also want that community. Just sitting in front of your home office desk and not interacting with anybody is not the right way to go. I think we also crave that desire to go out, interact, learn from others because the more you step out, the more you meet people, the more you learn and the more you grow. So now let's come back to some fun stuff. Of course, sir. So, of course, you are... involved with so many groups and organizations and that is why we are honoring you at the New England Choice Awards. Now when you are not working as a worker with a community and all these things what is your fun? What do you do for fun? So I like to create, which me and I love to bake cakes. I love to do a lot of arts and crafts to make things pretty. I love to organize birthday parties, baby showers. And, you know, as I said, to bring people together gets me very, very excited. Now it's, of course, the upcoming Diwali festival is around the corner. So that's the focus on making the house ready for Diwali, setting up the decorations. What am I going to cook? How many laddoos am I going to make, you know. So I try to keep myself very busy, but these things give me joy that I can create. What about for entertainment? What do you do in a way it is very interactive people all the time you are meeting different people but it's still sometimes you feel okay this is my time yes so okay let me read my question so what is your time what what do you do when you are just sometime you want you know i just want to be myself here um i think that would you don't feel like that i i i always want I want my time. I have to have my time. I think my time would... Just be sometimes sitting with a good book, I'm obsessed with audiobooks these days, I listen to a lot of audiobooks. Sometimes it's just sitting and watching TV or having going for a coffee with a friend. And I think just the simple acts of life, you know, I think that's what gives me... So what type of books you read? Fiction. Fiction. I read a lot of thrillers. And I like the spies and the mystery novels and something because that I something that it's easy on me to read. Historical fictions are nice. I love the Amish Tripathi series, you know, when he's done the Ramayana and the Shiva. I like reading those. I know your favorite book is also Palace of Illusions. Absolutely. So that is the only fiction book, if you call it fiction. Yeah, historical fiction. Historical fiction. Yes, yes. But otherwise, I always read, you know, either the self-help or business or biography or history. That's true, yeah. So, what are some of your favorite books? So, of course, Palace of Illusions is one of my favorite books. I love Sita by Amish Tripathi. And I think, I guess going back to this, when we see these historical figures being shown as such powerful women, inspiring women. We've seen a very different side of them traditionally, you know, but they, I think these books have depicted them to be somebody else, somebody very aspirational, you know, somebody very human, but, and not like the goddesses, you know, but you can relate to them and you can get inspiration from them. So I'm glad you brought the topic of women. And so if you look historically, the women have always struggled. They have always been. Probably the most powerful source of care, love, affection. I mean, without them, the world will not move, right? But still, despite that, the treatment of women in many cultures has been absolutely horrible and terrible. And today, even sitting here in America, we think that, oh, but it is somehow that thing still comes up. So couple of advice, you yourself being Powerful women moving in the communities and society, what will be your couple of advices to women today that how should they deal with these type of discrimination? So discrimination is going to be there and it's you know even for future generations to come it's going to be there but I think if one person is confident within themselves don't I mean question things don't just Just take things for granted, you know. You have the power, you have the voice, you have the means, so stand up, raise your voice, and move forward. Sometimes, yes, it is hard because we're blessed, we're brought up in an educated society, we were given the financial support, we were given, you know, we have an amazing community that supports us, but there are sections of the world that don't have that. And I think education is so important when it comes to women and especially men. Our sons need to be taught that. Yes, absolutely. That's so important that our sons are taught the importance of respecting a woman. And I think little by little, that is changing. Change doesn't happen overnight. But as long as we can all take steps in that right direction, I'm always, I'm a very hopeful person. So, yeah, I mean, I think you make a great point there. It has to start with the sons period end of the story. Correct. And that is where the change is going to be and then it has to start from children it has to go to the men because they have to be also we assume that we are very you know great people and benevolent and take care of but in reality the story is very very so just being making them aware making them aware Absolutely. And I think I'm seeing what I, I, I, I. I say this a lot, that the next generation, which is the Gen Z, which is Arya's generation, and I've seen it's a very, very sorted generation. Yes, yeah. They have a head on their shoulders. They are very practical. They are very aware of their community. They're very proud of who they are, especially with the brown children. You know, like brown is now an acceptable term. They're very proud of their heritage. And I see the boys. I see them just interacting with them. They're cooking, they're doing stuff, they're learning Bollywood dance. I mean, it's somehow those breaking those little, little cliches that, you know, and doing their own work and how they're interacting with each other. So now through Hindi Munch and their youth program, you are dealing with hundreds of these kids, right? Yeah. So for those of us who are not in that group anymore, and because, you know, generation is changing, Do you see any change in terms of value system, in terms of their lifestyle? These kids are different than when we grew up and things like that. Oh, absolutely, sir. Just tell us about a few characteristics. Of course, our generation versus then, we grew up in a different world. In fact, the world they are growing up in is actually a very scary world. For us, life was very simple. But these kids... are born into technology, they're up and they're super smart and the world is their oyster. Every aspect of the world is open up to them. They're interacting with different cultures, different things. So one thing I feel that they're very, they're extremely observant, they're extremely smart, they make room for each other. It's pretty aspirational sometimes when I look at them that they're so sorted. that they accept everybody, they question when they need to question. They don't take things for granted. It's not a very materialistic generation. They don't like to possess. They like to experience. That's what they focus on. So I'm very optimistic about the future. And even when I'm seeing with the AI invasion, I see kids, they're not taking it for granted. In fact, they're like, no. We want to do this. You depend on AI. Everybody uses AI from time to time. But they're not taking that for granted. They know that this is something that, at least, and I speak because I have a kid in college. So I don't know what's happening with the generation below her. But I see that they want to learn and they want to do it right. Sure. So, Jharna, now, as we come closer to the interview, I have a couple of more questions for you. So, one is, still in the context of who is Jharna Madan, I still, I don't think that I've got the answer yet, but let's see. So, what is the, what guides Jharna Madan? What is your value system that this is, you know, the one thing I will never, ever compromise anything. What is your guiding focus in life? I would say. One thing that guides me forward is integrity and I don't think integrity is just about doing the right thing when it's when nobody's watching. I think it's beyond that. It's being honest with yourself. It's about respecting yourself and respecting others. It's what makes you at the end of the day look in the mirror and say yeah. I'm okay. I did right. I can do better. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't hurt anybody. I didn't maliciously do something wrong or be disrespectful. And I think that obviously has been my core for everything that I do, whether it be my office work, whether it be my community work, whether it be my interaction with my friends on a social setting and stuff At the end of the day, I need to. I need to be respectful to myself and I need to be sure, yeah, that Jharna, you did okay, you know, maybe not your best, but you didn't do anything to create harm or create, make anybody sad. So that's a beautiful integrity is maybe one of the most searched words in the dictionary in the world. Everybody is looking for that. And it's a very powerful, you know. We can have hours of discussion on what integrity is. But let's move on. My next question to you is, what really motivates you? What really gets you excited? That's a very interesting question. So what gets me excited? There are a lot of things that get me excited and up in the morning. Good morning. And if I was to go deep and if you'd ask me why or what gets me why, are you always so excited because I'm known for my over-enthusiasm. I think I want to, A, honor my parents, my sister. And I want to create or become that person that Arya looks up to. I want to be the mother that my mother is to me, or even get close to it. That's beautiful. As I said, I don't know if I can hold a candle against her, but, you know, in front of her. And I want to just be a good person. And, um... And as I said, you know, I love to create. I love to... Bring people together. I come up with a lot of ideas. If you talk to the people that I work with, I have a new idea every day. And of course, some of them are not practical. But I just try to make things more beautiful. Try to give platforms to other people. And I think we support each other and look out for each other and create things for each other. And I think... We can flourish as a community. What is your biggest weakness you have? It's balancing practicality with passion. I was thinking about when you said you have a lot of ideas, but having a lot of ideas is one thing. And executing them. Exactly. So I think that's one of my biggest weaknesses is like, which idea to let go and which idea to pursue. Yeah. Because as I said, I have a lot of ideas and I get very, very creative. But at the end of the day, you've got to be practical. So I think that's where the difference comes. Your strength? My strength is my hard work and my integrity. One person you would like to meet? And dead or alive and spend some time with. It has to be my parents. I wish I had more time. So now on this one, again, in a serious way, I'm asking this question. Your parents come and meet you and you have a date, dinner, whatever time you want to spend with them. And then before your parents leave, they ask you, OK, now I have this power. You can ask for anything and I'll give you that. Except that they cannot come back to live with you. So what you will ask for? Oh boy. Anyway, um... Just have them continue bless me and guide me the way they've always have. So Janna, one biggest mistake you think you have made in your life? I'm sure there must be many. But just one you think is... Oh boy. Don't regret anything, sir. No, regretting is one thing. But mistakes also... So, like, there's nothing that. It's glaring at me that I'll say, oh gosh, I should have never done that. Because it's always... Okay, I'm going to reframe my question. Yeah, which is going to be... So, Janna, what do you think the role mistakes play in life? Oh, I think mistakes are the ones that shape you, sir. We learn so much from them. And if we didn't make mistakes, life wouldn't be life. You have to learn, you have to grow. And I'm not saying you have to constantly make mistakes, but mistakes teaches you what you did wrong, helps you prepare for what you should be doing. And that's how you grow. And what about success then? Success? I know it's going to sound so cliche, because I think it's actually a journey. It's not a destination. And I think for me, there's a very famous quote by Ralph Emerson Walden, which kind of, it's a very long quote, But it ends with... If you know that even one life breath easier because you lived that's to have succeeded. So I think I truly believe in that quote and it's a journey and you keep doing your thing and you keep making life a little better bit by bit and I think the gratitude and the happiness that one feels when you get that is amazing. Now since you mentioned this is the last question. How do you define happiness? What is happiness? Vanessa. Multiple things. Happiness could be... Very tough question. Yes. Happiness, I don't think it'll be one particular thing. So I think it's multiple things and... You could wake up to a beautiful day that you could go biking and that gives you happiness. You could have a beautiful conversation with your sister and your daughter and that could give you happiness. You could have a wonderful cup of coffee that could make you happiness. And I think you just experience life and be open and open yourself to embracing all kinds of different things that are coming your way. I think happiness has a way of finding you if you're if you are open to it. I find happiness, I'm a very happy person. I find happiness in a lot of things. I feel happy and blessed just sitting here and talking to you. Of course, I'm extremely blessed getting that award. Um... I feel happy when I'm working with different organizations with my Hindi Munch crew. I'm happy when I go to office and I'm creating amazing spaces. Happiness is reading a wonderful book or listening to a song on repeat, cooking something amazing, sharing or giving back, creating an event which the effect of it lasts beyond the applause and beyond the force that people remember you for something amazing that you've created. So I don't think it's one thing. It's a multiple thing and it's where you are in your... Sure. And on that note, thank you so much and looking forward to November 14. Thank you so very much, sir. And my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the entire Nika team, to you, to Dr. Sheth, to Mandy, Aditi and the entire judging panel that, you know, considered me and bestowed such an amazing honor on me. And of course, as I said, I'd like to share this award with every single person that I've ...worked with because it's not just my award, it's a celebration of all of them.