Shell Entertainment presents “12 Names to Know: People Making a Difference in Modern India,” a special editorial feature celebrating twelve individuals whose achievements, ideas, leadership, and contributions are making a meaningful impact across diverse fields. From business and entrepreneurship to entertainment, journalism, innovation, and social initiatives, the feature recognizes individuals whose work reflects the talent, ambition, and changing aspirations of modern India.

RISHI DEEPAK BUDHADEV

Rishi Deepak Budhadev brings over 20 years of experience in India’s travel and hospitality industry, with expertise in operations, strategic relationships and industry growth. As National President of the Professional Travel Agents and Hotels Association (PTAHA), he represents sector professionals, encourages collaboration, strengthens industry networks and supports opportunities for a connected tourism ecosystem.

He also serves as General Manager of Royal Park Resorts in Manali, overseeing hospitality operations, team leadership, guest experience and business development. His work combines

industry engagement with resort management, focusing on relationships and lasting value. Through these roles, Budhadev remains committed to service excellence, professional collaboration and the continued development of India’s tourism and hospitality sector. 

ADVOCATE JATIN SHARMA

Advocate Jatin Sharma combines corporate legal leadership with advocacy for social change. As Founder and Managing Counsel of Jurist & Jurist International, he advises businesses on corporate transactions, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, insolvency, cybersecurity and data protection, alongside commercial and international arbitration. His work supports MSME recovery, startup preparedness and cross-border business, advancing ease of doing business through stronger legal foundations.

 As National Chairman, Legal Services Committee, AACCI, he promotes international legal cooperation. His commitment extends to representing labourers and oppressed communities, drafting relief procedures for rescued persons, and securing a high-level committee for Delhi’s fire safety implementation—bringing commercial insight and public accountability together in a practice serving enterprise and society. 

GOURAB MAJUMDER

Gourab Majumder is not running another marketing agency. He is dismantling the entire model.

After a decade of self-taught learning, early financial losses, and being a victim of widespread fraud running on both sides of the industry, Majumder founded Renoweb Digital Solutions as India's first and only Growth Provider, replacing vague industry promises with revenue-quantified roadmaps backed by genuine, measurable performance guarantees.

Every engagement is personalised, and begins with a 90-day Critical Action Phase, fixing foundations before chasing growth.

Beyond full-service work, Majumder is also building Renoweb+, a growing suite of AI-powered tools including SimpLeads, Snooptel, and Flawdits, giving early-stage founders enterprise-grade marketing power without agency-level budgets.

After serving 300+ clients across 120+ industries, Renoweb is proving modern India rewards accountability over activity, one guarantee at a time.

ALI MEHDI HEMANI

Ali Mehdi Hemani is an engineer-turned-AI educator, keynote speaker and Founder and CEO of the Digitalist Institute of Innovation & Technology (DIT), Mumbai. An alumnus of Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, he founded DIT to help students, professionals and business owners put artificial intelligence to practical use. The institute has trained more than 1 lakh learners.

He has trained students and teams at the University of Mumbai, NMIMS Hyderabad and NSE-listed Orient Technologies, and is a recipient of a National Award from the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Deloitte Best Innovation Award. DIT's two-day AI

Bootcamp helps participants build AI assistants, websites, AI visuals and automated workflows. 

DR. BINU VARGHESE

Dr. Binu Varghese is a social activist and investigative journalist dedicated to public awareness, accountability, and community welfare. Through journalism and social advocacy, he highlights issues of public interest, promotes transparency, and encourages informed civic engagement. His work emphasises responsible reporting, public accountability, and effective communication to empower communities and drive positive social change.

His notable honours include the National Excellence Award 2026, presented by the Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Jishnu Dev Varma, in September 2026; The Gems of Maharashtra Award 2026, presented under the Times Network – ET NOW Swadesh banner in June 2026; recognition among India’s 100 Most Influential Leaders 2026 presented by Actor Arbaaz Khan in Delhi and the Lokmat Excellence Award 2026, presented by Lokmat Media Pvt. Ltd. in April 2026. 'Maharashtra Ratna Puraskar 2026' presented by Actress Isha Koppikar at YB Chavan Centre,Mumbai, In 2025, he was honoured by the Nelson Mandela Global Brilliance Foundation and many more Awards in recognition of his contributions to social work and public service. 

NIKUNJ THAKKAR

Nikunj Thakkar is co-founder of Snezzi, an AI visibility platform helping businesses understand how they appear in answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google. He leads growth, showing businesses whether AI tools recommend them and which competitors appear instead. His work addresses how customers use conversational AI to explore options and compare services.

Snezzi works on website optimisation, customer-focused content and authority building through mentions on trusted sites. Businesses can use its AI agent to manage SEO and answer engine optimisation, or work with the Snezzi team. Thakkar collaborates with co-founders Upahar Sood, who leads product, and Gautham Seshadri, who leads engineering, bringing a growth perspective to AI-led discovery across channels. 

VEEIR CHAUDARY

Veeir Chaudary is an actor and producer working through Veeir Filmz Entertainment. His portfolio includes over 100 songs, alongside films, web series and short films. His productions reportedly create opportunities for artists and technicians, with one song involving 500–600 people across writing, direction, acting, dance, modelling and crew roles.

Chaudary supports emerging talent and opens doors for newcomers. Beyond entertainment, he has spent nearly 15 years in social service, feeding stray animals, supporting underprivileged families and helping elderly residents in old-age homes. His journey connects creative

production with employment, compassion and community support, reflecting his belief that success extends beyond recognition to meaningful contributions to society. He supports new talent.

SANYAM SETH

Sanyam Seth is the founder of Trueflix, a mobile-first OTT platform dedicated to horror and suspense micro-dramas. Designed for Android viewers across India, Trueflix features vertical, cliffhanger-led episodes of around two minutes, bringing short-form storytelling to audiences seeking entertainment. Through Trueflix Media and Entertainment Private Limited, incorporated in October 2026, Seth has taken the platform from concept to launch, with the app available on the Google Play Store.

Viewers can watch initial episodes free and access further content through affordable passes. The company’s lean in-house production approach is intended to keep costs manageable while the content library expands. By focusing on a genre often underserved by mainstream streaming services, Seth aims to build Trueflix, using viewer data to guide development and taking Indian horror storytelling to audiences beyond the country. 

DR. CHANDAN DASH

Dr. Chandan Dash is a Bengaluru-based corporate strategist, entrepreneur, author, social activist, and environmental conservationist with over 25 years of cross-industry experience spanning IT, manufacturing, infrastructure, and defense. The son of retired IPS officer Raj Kishore Dash and late philosophy professor Pratima Kar, he holds a doctorate in sales and marketing and a master’s degree in international business.

He specializes in corporate turnarounds, government liaison, defense tenders, and business transformation. Through CD & Sons HUF and Metamorphosis Business Consultants, he drives strategic growth while advocating artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, sustainable governance, and community empowerment, earning multiple national and international awards. 

DR. NIKUNJ VAGHASIYA

Dr. Nikunj Vaghasiya is an IIT Mandi scholar in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, a scientific innovator, and the founder of the Gujarat Institute of AI & Technology (GIAT). His work and research interests span Artificial Intelligence, AI engineering, intelligent automation, and computational biology, including the use of protein-language-model embeddings to investigate potential interactions between Klebsiella pneumoniae and bacteriophages.

Through GIAT, he aims to advance practical AI education, automation, and digital innovation for students and professionals. He is also the founder of N&G Wellness, reflecting his interests in natural wellness and herbal-inspired personal-care innovation. His broader vision connects scientific research, AI technology, entrepreneurship, and psychological well-being to create meaningful real-world impact.

DR. JIGNESH JANI

Dr. Jignesh Jani believes humanitarian work is a responsibility, not simply an emotion. He defines giving back through financial help, sharing time, creating awareness, and supporting people in difficult situations. For him, success means more than money, position, or recognition; it also means creating a positive impact on others’ lives.

In Borders and Bloodlines, Jani highlights humanity beyond national boundaries and the importance of peaceful coexistence. His message emphasizes dialogue, mutual respect, communal harmony, and compassion. He draws attention to war’s human and environmental costs, balanced global priorities, and responsible technology use. He encourages young people to combine progress and ambition with sensitivity, social responsibility, and care for all others.

MOHIT TOMAR

Mohit Tomar brings over two decades of education experience to his work as an influencer, podcast host and author. Through @mohitology06, GS EduCast and Out of Syllabus, he brings educators, parents and changemakers into conversations about learning and academic pressure. His work explores how public discussion can move beyond conventional measures of achievement.

Tomar uses social media and storytelling to question outdated beliefs about learning, parenting and success. He highlights the human experiences behind academic expectations and encourages audiences to look beyond report cards. His aim extends beyond content creation: he wants to prompt meaningful public discussion today and inspire better public questions about the future of education across India.