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Newsmakers of the Week DECEMBER 19, 2025 | The Indian Eye 28

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

HARSHIM SALUJA FORAM & SANJAY SHAH

Student wins global economics More than 200 attend 2nd

forecasting challenge “Classically Yours”- A Unique

Musical Extravaganza

niversity Park, PA: Harshim Saluja, a junior studying computation-
al data science, was selected as one of five worldwide winners of the
U“Forecasting the Future: A Modern Economics Challenge,” organized rinceton, NJ: More than 200 music lovers and community supporters
by Bridgewater Associates in collaboration with Global Citizen. attended the 2nd Classically Yours, a unique musical celebration orga-
In her award-winning analysis, Saluja used sophisticated computational
models, economic visualizations, and systems-level evaluation to assess de- Pnized by Foram Music under the leadership of Foram Shah and San-
jay Shah on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at Royal Albert’s Palace, New Jersey.
veloping global trends. Drawing on methods from computer science and data Classically Yours showcased Raag-based songs of Indian cinema spanning over
analytics, she produced a detailed forecast of how artificial intelligence, auto- 75 years, presented by 15 talented singers and supported by 4 accomplished
mation, and evolving trade networks may reshape global power dynamics in musicians. The evening was gracefully emceed by Dr. Tushar Patel who provid-
the coming decade. ed details of all raags and uniqueness of each song.
“The idea came from doing a lot of research on the stock market and re-
The event was generously supported by Grand Sponsor Piyush Patel, a
ally trying to understand it as someone without a finance background,” Saluja noted New Jersey entrepreneur. Additional supporters included Rupen &
said. “I spent time learning complex market terms and used the resources Hina Patel, Della, Utpal, and Nirmal Jagad, whose contributions helped make
Bridgewater provided about mercantilism.” the event a grand success. A major highlight of the evening was the presenta-
Saluja said she read countless articles and news stories to understand
market shifts, which helped her take a more global, macro perspective. The tion by the exclusive music workshop members, who trained throughout the
year under Foram and Sanjay Shah. They delivered over 30 beautifully curat-
project, she said, required her to combine that big picture thinking with data ed songs based on more than 15 Hindustani classical raags, including Raag
skills and economic reasoning to develop 20 detailed forecasts. Khamaj, Yaman, Shivranjani, Bhairavi, Bhupali, and Pilu, among many others
“After collecting the data, it came down to using the right amount of math
and analytical skills to develop the forecasts,” she said. “Even though I didn’t that have enriched Hindi film music for decades. Foram and Sanjay Shah also
treated the audience to several soulful performances of their own, captivating
fully understand all the complex market terms back then, I was confident in the hall with their melodious renditions.
my math and analytical abilities. I knew I had the problem-solving skills to Foram Shah emphasized her commitment to promoting the foundation
work through it. That confidence in my technical foundation really carried me of Indian classical music within the community, especially among the young-
through the challenge.” er generation eager to learn. She noted that while the tri-state area is home
The international competition drew more than 1,000 submissions from
120 countries, challenging participants to forecast how “Modern Mercantil- to over 50 singing groups and many talented vocalists, many lack structured
guidance and classical discipline. With dedicated mentoring, rigorous train-
ism” will shape global trade, technology and geopolitics through 2035. Win- ing, and sincere effort, Foram and Sanjay aim to help singers refine their skills
ners were announced live at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City’s and elevate their musical journey.
Central Park, where Saluja’s work was recognized on stage by Bridgewater The event also featured professional photo and videography by Sunil
CEO Nir Bar Dea and actor Hugh Jackman, who serves as a Global Citizen Dubey, with sound engineering by Nikul Shah, ensuring a polished audio-vi-
ambassador, before a worldwide audience. sual experience. Guests enjoyed a delightful spread of appetizers and dinner
While Saluja did not attend the festival in person, she learned of her
win during a Zoom call with Bridgewater representatives. Winners received provided by Royal Albert’s Palace, making the evening truly memorable.
$25,000 and an opportunity for employment or an internship at Bridgewater. Continued on next page... >>

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