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S4 E01 Lumiere Learning Monday with Nehal & Seema Tiwari - Life on the Autism Spectrum On this World Autism Day, we are deeply inspired by the story of Nehal Tiwari, a young Indian woman navigating her life on the autism spectrum. As Nehal’s mother, Seema Tiwari, shares in this conversation with us, their family did go through an initial phase of struggle to come to terms with Nehal’s condition. The turning point was a shift in perspective. As Seema mentions, “If I am unable

musings from an observer's diary Introduction My first session of the Observership program was a session on mind maps. Deepa introduced me to the concept by drawing a mind map of an elephant. While she got pulled into a client call, she asked me to continue building on the mind map. "Don't give it much thought, put down whatever comes to your mind", she said. A serendipitous choice or coincidence? I chose to build a mind map about the Sun, instead of continuing with the one

musings from an observer's diary After a very long time the written words hit me home with such intensity. It felt like a personal note shared by a best friend who has known me, co-navigated the varied life stages and seen me through my highs and lows. The same friend who exchanges notes and glances with your parents and husband about your idiosyncrasies every time you act or behave in a way that is uniquely "you". Hold on- Have they spoken to my close friends? Is someone spy

musings from an observer's diary To work or not to work For a woman, the decision to take a career break or to rejoin the workforce is not taken overnight. On the contrary, it comes through many nights of deliberation and weighing the pros and cons of these decisions. Surprisingly, most of the time she doesn't keep herself at the center of this crucial decision. Whether it is relocation due to marriage, taking a break for child care, or being a primary caregiver for elderly p

In today’s research landscape, online interviews have become faster, cheaper, and more accessible than ever. From metro cities to small towns, researchers can now connect with consumers across geographies in just a few clicks. But does that mean offline research is no longer relevant? Not at all. The choice between online and offline research should never be driven only by convenience or cost. It should be driven by the kind of understanding the study requires. Online intervi

There is an inexplicable thrill about re-reading one of your favorite books, which you had almost forgotten. For the past couple of months, I had been hunting for Arthur Hailey's 'The Final Diagnosis'. I had first picked it up from a cramped library in the bylanes of Matunga during my summer vacations in school. And then I had read almost all his books, but ‘The Final Diagnosis’ remains an all-time favourite. However, to my disbelief, I could not find my copy. Did I not own o

musings from an observer's diary "Let us go with Fear over Faith". I heard Deepa mention this to a project team on my first day of joining the Observership program at Lumière. These words felt like music to my ears. After having decided to participate in the program, I had been filled with many doubts- will I be able to restart, what will the program be like, and will I be able to contribute effectively? But once I had decided to go ahead, I wanted to silence these thoughts,

S5E04 Lumière Learning Monday With Rekha Kotia Catch the Lumière Learning Monday with host Deepa Soman, 🎙️ in conversation with Rekha Koita, Co-Founder and Director of Koita Foundation, which focuses on digitally transforming nonprofit operations to optimize performance and growth 📈. Rekha is passionate about education, healthcare, and livelihoods. Her work includes spearheading digital health projects in India,🖥️ such as the Koita Centre for Digital Health, and contributi

In this episode of #StartupSaturday, 🎙️ host Deepa Soman talks to Rahul Verma, Founder and Director of Frubon, a dairy and ice cream brand under Dev Milk Foods Pvt. Ltd. 🍦 An alumnus of IIT Bombay (B. Tech & M. Tech) and IIM Ahmedabad (PGDM), Rahul spent a decade in the banking sector across Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. 🌏 Under his leadership, Frubon has grown into a significant player in the dairy industry. The brand is committed to providing innovative and high-quali

A Legacy of Empowerment: Mrinalini Kher’s Vision for a Better Tomorrow Catch the Lumière Learning Monday with host Deepa Soman in conversation with Mrinalini Kher, a passionate social worker with over 20 years of dedicated service in the social welfare sector. Co-founder of Yuva Parivartan (YP), a transformative project of the Kherwadi Social Welfare Association (KSWA), she also serves as Honorary Secretary and Trustee. Under her leadership, YP has grown into one of the large

A client in the food industry sought to understand consumer perceptions and preferences for a new plant-based protein product. The goal was to refine the product's value proposition and identify optimal marketing strategies. Study Impact By conducting this comprehensive case study, the client gained deep insights into consumer perceptions, preferences, and expectations for their new plant-based protein product. The findings provided clear directions for product refinement, ma

Our colleague Pallavi Gadre shared a presentation on Oscar Trimboli’s book 📖 for one of Learning Monday’s sessions called 'Deep Listening'. Deepa Soman asked us to take a listening test 📋in the following session. We got our reports; some were Lost, Dramatic, Interrupting, and Shrewd listeners. Surprisingly, all were Shrewd listeners in the Design team. Some tidbits about listening. Image by Pallavi Gadre. In OPS, both Smita Khadpe & I are Interrupting listeners. Then, on th

We have been doing Lumière Learning Mondays, inviting inspiring people to engage with the team at the Lumière office. During Covid, we transitioned Learning Mondays to an online video podcast featuring two-hour conversations with guests to delve into their journeys. The sessions were aired live on Zoom Webinar and later on YouTube. A snapshot of an event aired in 2020 We launched other online events, such as Torchbearer Thursday and CMA Samvaad, each with specific inspiration

An engineer turned marketing fanatic Rajesh Srivastava has had one heck of a professional journey. After finishing his engineering at IIT Kanpur, he went to IIM Bangalore - "I thought I would be a bad engineer. So I decided to do what the world is doing. I joined the MBA program." Post his MBA, he joined the alcoholic beverage industry, which is very unlike his personality. This shy marketing enthusiast, who disliked partying, has helped create the finest and most popular alc

“Allow your passion to become your purpose and it will one day become your profession.” A conventional path from the beginning Anil Nair, CEO of St. Jude India Childcare Centres was our guest for the Lumiere Learning Monday session on 4 July. At first glance, he comes across as quiet and unassuming but underneath it all lies a wealth of knowledge, leadership, and a passion for helping others. His journey was pretty much a conventional one - he went to the “ right schools and

A popular television network engaged Lumière to understand television-viewing behavior among groups of young and older women in April 2007. The channel hoped to gain access to viewer attitudes towards its longstanding programmes, to its newer offerings, and to those of other networks as an outcome of this study. The team at Lumière used a combination of N-Light© Behaviour and N-Light© Connect to conduct a dipstick research and ascertain attitudes of viewers to program conten

Wise Wednesday guest speaker Dr. T V Sairam is a founder-member of the Nada Centre for Music Therapy (2004) and the Indian Music Therapy Association (2018). He identifies himself as a former administrator, economist, ethnobotanist, and musicologist. He is a retired civil servant (IRS). He has done pioneering research on herbs, alternative medicine, environment, art, aesthetics, architecture, music therapy, and nada yoga in India for the last 30 years. He has written over 350

Dr. Sarita Subramaniam, Director, Earth Brigade Foundation our Lumiere Learning Monday guest, is a multi-faceted professional who raises the bar in everything she does. A dentist with over 32 years of experience, Sarita describes herself as an "incurable animal lover, nature aficionado, forest conserver, animal activist, tiger savior, and philanthropist". Born to pet-loving parents, Sarita grew up in a tiny urban apartment with pet dogs. The close bond with dogs and their way

Zarin Virji's Gopal's Gully is an ode to friendship. The author shares her journey as a writer on Lumiere Wise Wednesday. A creative writing graduate from the University of Sheffield, Zarin is passionate about teaching and writing. Her core profession is that of teacher, teacher trainer, and Principal of The Universal School, Tardeo - an IGCSE school. As a part of the core team of 'Education Today Society Tomorrow' - initiatives of the change program, Zarin expresses herself

As India inches close to becoming the most populous country in the world, one aspect that continues to be under constant scrutiny is how the country fluctuates in its health index. According to the latest Global Hunger Index, India, which ranks 100 out of 119 countries, is one of the countries with the “lowest reduction in hunger” in the nine years. Companies operating in India understand now the importance of addressing the BOP segment both for its volumes and its potential.