HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEENER!!!

Today is my sister Neener's birthday (you might know her as Reshma but inexplicably she's become Neener to me). Reshma means a thread of silk in Hindi. My sister is beautiful inside and out-if you know her you can vouch for that-but she's anything but soft and delicate, if you ask me. In my world, that's a high compliment.

Life is not about being soft and delicate...at least not most of the time (although it depends which path you take in life). I have no brothers, so my sister and I grew up not really knowing what it means to be a girl. We grew up thinking we were the same as boys. Of course, that's not exactly true. But my sister's fight and passion in life have always inspired me. Those qualities are especially useful here in India, where among one billion people, you have to be loud sometimes to get your voice heard (whether what you want is a cup of chai, or funding from an NGO for second-line ARVs).

My sister has lofty goals on the global business front, but the funny thing is that they are only lofty if you don't know her. If you do, you realize that her determination to harness market forces to solve global health problems is just about par for the course. She's already on her way there, with a prestigious internship at Gilead, a corporation known for its poverty-fighting activities in developing countries. She's also co-leading a team of fellow Stanford MBA students on an exchange program at the internationally renowned Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore.

With such an impressive resume building up, you'd think my sis would be getting a big head about it. That couldn't be further from the truth (she doesn't need fancy accolades for that! just kidding!!!) The truth is, she picked Stanford because of its commitment to fighting poverty with business acumen, and joined Gilead for similar reasons. God has blessed her with immense talent (plus, more importantly, she's the funniest person I know), so I really lucked out to get her for my big sis. Happy birthday Neener! You're good for the future of global public health.

One of my favorite Neener-inspired ideas: "The closest way to a public health solution is through business." Remember me when you're famous! And when you shop.