Ayan Ray — frankaffe

Mumbai is a maximum city. There's nothing quite like it.

I was first introduced to Ayan Ray in early 2017, as a part of interview/photography assignments for my lifestyle publishing passion project (titled ‘Art Should Tempt’). It was memorable working together, our acquaintance continued, and so did my curiosity and admiration for him.

Seeking an opportunity to talk to Ayan earlier this year, I was keen to be updated on how his work and academics have been developing so far. What struck me again was his poise, bright-eyed enthusiasm and a polite demeanour that actively participates in a conversation. He has varied interests, and he ‘talks’ to each one of them—‘listening’, delving deep, and taking notes in good memory.

“I honestly love cities. Mumbai - there’s something intoxicating in the glimmer of the skyscrapers you see from Marine Drive. The speed of the cars, the sea, and the salt all mixing into one unanimous whole. They all look magnificent to me. The city lights, in the evening, are absolutely beautiful because each of them signifies a life—a family, a person, a story. I think Mumbai has shown me a glimpse of the hustle and of what's possible. You could always visit a play at Prithvi, a film screening, or maybe Symphony Orchestra of India's performance at NCPA. There's always a nice gig happening somewhere in this city.”

“Since I was very young, I have been extremely passionate about computers. I still love how technology empowers our lifestyle. From the start of college, I also started to see the design in everything—architecture, software, graphics, music, and life. The intention of engrossing myself in a multitude of forms of design, led to me exploring various places and projects.”

“In my first year of college, I had started working on freelance projects as a photographer. I was as divergent with my craft as possible. That year, I remember doing product shoots, interviews, and exploring the nuances of food photography. In this time, I managed to meet people who shared a love for photography and started exploring the city along with them. This evolved into one of my favourite hobbies—street photography—which led me to explore some by-lanes and streets of Mumbai which I had never thought I would explore before.”

“Along with photography, I had picked up graphic design as a skill in college. In my third year, I worked as a creative director for a startup, and learned how to design corporate identities, creatives, and logos. Whenever I am given a problem, I tend to read as much material I can find around it. That is how I self-learn. Most of my work comprises research and experimentation. In this manner, I also picked up web designing and implemented that on multiple freelance projects. With my work, I often don’t know the entire process, but I like to approach things from a design thinking framework and I keep asking questions until I find a solution.”

“And also—being extremely curious about the historical essence of a place—I often start with its name. From where did the term ‘Bombay’ come from?”

One of the stories is, In Lendas da Índia or the Legends of India, written in old Portuguese by writer Gaspar Correia, the city was referred to as Bombaim, meaning 'good bay'. 'Bombay' is an anglicised version of the Portuguese name used by the British when they took control of the city in the 17th century.

“Or, perhaps, ‘Bombay Duck’?”

Bombay Duck, or ‘bombil’ as it is called locally, is one of Mumbai's polarising culinary experiences. This charmingly misnamed delicacy is actually a fish, whose pungent odour is part of that special love-it-or-hate it-Mumbai smell. It got its name in the days of the Raj, from being transported on an iconic train, the Bombay Daak, ‘daak’ being the Hindi word for ‘mail’. The term ‘daak’ was then bastardised to ‘duck’, which stuck.

“Later, the words such as Churchgate, Colaba Causeway, Watson House, and Kalaghoda struck me too, and I began reading up on their stories. This has made me appreciate places around me in the light of their origins.”

This particular aspect of our conversation had me smiling wide. It felt as if I was reading a book. Ayan continued sharing how the pandemic has affected the city, and how he built his way out.

“Due to the COVID-19 situation, we are all staying at home due to the nationwide lockdown. It was tragic to see the world through news and through social media. With a couple of colleagues from my previous workplace, I started this initiative called HelpBox. We raised funds through our network and managed to deploy masks and face shields to prominent hospitals such as JJ Hospital and Cooper Hospital in Mumbai. In the second phase, we also provided face shields to the Mumbai Police. We received immense support and help for this cause. Although the number of items we managed to provide was minuscule compared to the scale of the event, it made a difference, an impact and that mattered a lot to me, in these times.”

“Also, I worked remotely for a global team science consortia—Open Health Systems Laboratory (USA)—as a digital product lead and marketing strategist for six months. This led me to interact with people across various universities—Arizona State University, Duke University, and IIT Delhi among others. The experience reinforces my drive for working on exciting projects and collaborating with inspiring people.”

“One of the biggest highlights of this year has been winning the Harvard World Model United Nations 2020 Social Venture Challenge (SVC) hosted by The Resolution Project and becoming a Resolution Fellow. SVC is a platform for university students around the world to pitch their ideas for a social venture to a global panel. Winning the SVC along with my best friend has made me realise my dream of contributing to the society as a social entrepreneur. The Resolution Project will be providing seed funding for our social venture—Tavishi.”

“Our mission is to train, support, and equip children to protect themselves against child abuse. Tavishi aims to bring awareness on this issue to parents and guardians. Being a Resolution Fellow is something that I had never dreamt of, and it’s very inspiring to connect with a global mentor network and work for a cause that introduces change to the society.”

“I recently launched my first Android application—Dignity Foundation's SmartSeva which aims to provide digital assistance to senior citizens. It works on a guardian-senior citizen model, where the guardian can check up on the seniors using the app. The primary features include Pill Reminders, One-tap Emergency Contact, Phonebook and Activity tracking. It aims to bridge the gap between guardians, counsellors, NGOs, and senior citizens. We collaborated with Dignity Foundation—a non-profit organisation—and they have launched it across their centres in India.”

“Another achievement has been to get the 'Google Ads Top Marketer' status for Google AdGrants Online Marketing Challenge (OMC) 2020. To be a top winning team globally to complete the challenge is a humbling experience. We worked for the African Community Fund for Education Group (ACFE) based in Zimbabwe and South Africa as our non-profit partner. ACFE Group works towards empowering disadvantaged children through education and leadership. It was a privilege to work with Stanley Ndambakuwa who is an inaugural Obama Foundation scholar and the founder of ACFE Group. He encouraged us to follow our vision at every step.”

Ayan at the Harvard World MUN conference (Spain)

“Last year, I was fortunate enough to be a delegate at the prestigious Harvard World Model United Nations (MUN) conference held in Spain. 2300 delegates from 113 countries in one auditorium—debate, discussions and diplomacy. It was one of the most (if I may) ‘culturing’ moments. I realised how essential it is to understand differing world views. It was humbling to be around people from different backgrounds and walks of life to come together to talk on global topics. There is this one moment, which I will never forget. Before the start of our closing ceremony, the organisers played the Queen song 'We Will Rock You' over the speakers at the auditorium, as people were gathering in. After the first verse, almost everyone started clapping, stomping, and started singing the song. I remember a group of Germans sitting behind me who started singing it in their language. It was truly a heartfelt moment.”

Inclusivity in diversity is a beautiful experience to have.
Divided by nations. United by Queen.

“Before I had gone to Madrid for the conference, our delegation had gone to Barcelona for a trip. I had taken a good amount of time to myself for walking the city alone. As I still look back at my steps—67 kilometres in Barcelona, in the span of four days. It was an unforgettable experience. A city stuck in beautiful sunrises and sunsets filled with stories with amazing people.”

“One night I was sitting at this tapas-tasting restaurant. Very small. This young person who was at the counter could clearly figure out that I was a little bit clueless about how to try out tapas. He spoke Spanish and understood sparing English. It was the other way round for me. It was the first time I had a conversation with a stranger for a while with hand gestures.”

“After my dinner when I called for the check, he asked me whether I could wait for a while, for about ten minutes as they were going to close. I agreed. Then he along with his girlfriend sat down with me, and we talked about India and Spain and how he had started with this restaurant along with his girlfriend—since they used to have a potluck in college and they had really picked up cooking—and how he likes theatre and music.”

“All in hand gestures, speaking Spanish and me replying in English.”

Ayan is currently pursuing a dual degree (MBA Tech) in business and information technology at the NMIMS University (Mumbai).

“As I near the end of college, I keep thinking about different ways to broaden my creative mediums. I definitely would love to do more photography. The format of a podcast is something that's coming up and sounds very interesting to me. It's good to talk to people about what I love and spread the same. I have been thinking about sharing my experiences of food, culture, and the unique stories of Mumbai through the voice of a podcast.”

“In the near future, I am thinking of pursuing a Master's degree abroad, since it gives me a scope to upgrade my skills and the opportunity to explore more cultures, people, and opportunities. Human-centered design and marketing are subjects that have exciting possibilities and they are something I would love to work on. Innovating on existing technology and understanding consumer needs is something that excites me about my work too.”

“My family has been extremely supportive of my work and my goals for the future. They are also one of the reasons I absolutely love to travel. Every year, we have a family trip, and those photos and experiences are something that I cherish the most.”

“As a person, I would love to travel the world as much as I can. The love for cities extends to so many places, and I don't think I will ever run out of places to be, and cafés to try different blends of coffee. I would love to hike to Machu Picchu someday. Definitely. I would love to feel the pace of New York City working there.”

Ayan shares a powerful quote he came across at the Harvard World MUN - ‘The world needs dreamers. The world needs doers. And above all, the world needs dreamers who do.’

He is certainly a dreamer who does.

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Words: Ayan Ray, in conversation with Sushrut Munje