Get ready to experience an unforgettable evening of powerful stories, entertainment, and networking. Presented by NRI Pulse and Moh Jewels.
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MEET OUR 2026 STORYTELLERS
Dr. K.M. Venkat Narayan
Where My Story Really Began
Dr. K.M. Venkat Narayan is Executive Director of the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center and a professor of global health, epidemiology and medicine at Emory University. A leading international diabetes expert, he is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.
At NRIStories, Dr. Narayan will begin with his mother, Jayakka, who defied the expectations of her time, before turning to his own journey — from a questioning, rebellious young man to a doctor who discovered an unexpected calling. His story explores curiosity, challenging convention, and the choices that shaped his distinguished career in global health.
Abhijeet Singh
Built From the Ground Up
Abhijeet Singh is the Founder, President, and CEO of TechSera, a global technology firm specializing in supply chain, retail, and digital innovation. With more than 25 years of industry experience, he has worked with Fortune 500 retailers and consumer brands.
At NRIStories, Abhijeet will share the journey behind that success: building a company from the ground up as an immigrant entrepreneur while navigating uncertainty, setbacks, and difficult choices. His story explores what it takes to keep moving forward when there is no roadmap — and why character, resilience, and people matter as much as business success.
Stephanie Fraser
Searching for the Girl I Left Behind
Born in India and adopted at age three, Stephanie Fraser grew up in an American Catholic family in New York. For decades, career, motherhood, and adventure filled her life while the earliest chapter of her story — including her time at a Mother Teresa orphanage — remained largely in the background.
Now, DNA testing has connected Stephanie with biological relatives and other international adoptees, and she is preparing to return to India with two fellow adoptees she calls her “Indian sisters.” At NRIStories, she will share her deeply personal search for identity, belonging, and the missing pieces of her beginnings.
Bhavya Jha Chaudhary
I Know What It Means to Begin Again
Bhavya Jha Chaudhary is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Bhavya Chaudhary and Associates, an Atlanta-based immigration law firm. A graduate of Delhi University School of Law and Emory University School of Law, she is licensed to practice in Georgia and Tennessee.
Behind the accomplished attorney is a woman who knows personally what it means to begin again. At NRIStories, Bhavya will step beyond her professional credentials to share the upheavals, choices, and reinventions that tested her resilience and ultimately shaped the life she built in America.
Anurag Sharma
The Life I Was Meant to Dance
Anurag Sharma is a Kathak practitioner, choreographer, educator, and Founder of KalashramUSA in Atlanta. He trained under legendary Kathak maestro Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj and has performed at venues and festivals including Madison Square Garden and India’s Khajuraho Dance Festival.
For more than 30 years, Anurag pursued Kathak alongside a career in Information Technology. In 2026, he left the corporate world to devote himself fully to dance. At NRIStories, he will share how he confronted expectations and prejudice, embraced an unconventional passion, and ultimately chose the life he felt he was meant to dance.
Malika Jiwani
Chased on a Road I Call Home
Born in Mumbai, Malika Jiwani studied child psychology before moving to Atlanta in 2014. A mother of two who has largely raised her children on her own, she works as a legal assistant and also helps women gain independence by teaching and encouraging them to drive.
At NRIStories, Malika will recount a terrifying encounter when a stranger began following and chasing her on an Atlanta-area road. Her story explores fear, vulnerability, and what it means to feel unsafe in a place you call home — but also the determination not to let fear take away the independence she worked so hard to build.
Aastha Shastri
From the Wreckage, I Chose Life
Aastha Shastri is a mother, dance educator, choreographer, performer, and Founder of Aastha’s Dance Academy, where she has helped generations of students connect with Indian culture and find confidence through dance.
Her own life changed dramatically after a devastating crash left her facing profound loss and a long road to recovery. At NRIStories, Aastha will share how she rebuilt a life that had been suddenly shattered. Her journey from survival to purpose is a story of grief, resilience, motherhood, and choosing to embrace life again when the future looks nothing like the one you imagined.