From Mumbai to the World : How KIS sparked a global mindset

Coming from the bustling concrete city of Mumbai, Niyati never expected that two short years at Kodaikanal International School (KIS) would significantly shift her worldview. At KIS, nature wasn’t just scenery, it was part of life. From walks around the lake to quietly watching giant mushrooms sprout in the soil, she experienced an environment where humans and nature were deeply connected. This awareness, nurtured at KIS, became the foundation for her lifelong journey in public health with a focus on global food systems and community health.

Science was always her passion. Guided by inspiring teachers like Mr. Nainan, she discovered that biology didn’t have to remain confined to glassware and laboratories. At KIS, experiments spilled beyond the classroom into the real world, showing her that science and later, public health was about people, communities, and context. Her first exposure to a truly global community undoubtedly began at KIS. Celebrating cultures through food, festivals, and friendships with peers from around the world, she gleaned that while people may come from different contexts, there are profound similarities that connect us all. This early understanding shaped her career and philosophy: to engage communities with curiosity, humility, and respect for context.

Even after leaving Kodi, the friendships she made remained authentic and lasting.

“When I hear people say that high school years are the worst years, I have no idea what they’re talking about,” she laughs. “I feel so fortunate that my KIS experience was so positive and transformational. I embraced it all and made the best of every day.”

Niyati completed her Bachelor’s in Life Sciences with a focus in genetics, a Master’s of Nutrition and a PhD in nutritional epidemiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2008, she joined New York University (NYU) as a faculty member. As a Professor of Public Health Nutrition at New York University, she has developed a robust area of scholarly inquiry in nutrition and chronic disease and introduced global nutrition into NYU’s curriculum. She has received prestigious honors including the Research Scholar Lifetime Award by the American Cancer Society, Fellow of the American Heart Association, and Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine for her work on expertise in lifestyle and chronic diseases. As a professor, Niyati deeply enjoys developing creative curricula and non-traditional learning modalities for her students. Most recently, she integrated an immersive experience for her Master’s students in Kodaikanal. She emphasizes that while issues like COVID-19 or industrialized food systems or heart disease may be universal threats to health, their root causes differ from place to place. Understanding the context and “engaging with local communities is Public Health 101”. The appreciation of cultural sensitivity, she says, began at KIS.

Her connection to KIS deepened years later through the Centre for Environment and Humanity (CEH), a program that embodies much of what she values from Kodi years: experiential learning, global awareness, and the deep interdependence between people and the planet. Students who experienced Kodi in their small cohorts formed strong bonds. Proof, she says, of CEH’s ability to foster authentic global bonds in unexpected ways.

CEH, for her, is more than an academic initiative. It’s a bridge between cultures, a space for students to engage with farmers and communities, and a reminder that learning is at its richest when rooted in context. Students consistently describe the program as eye-opening. Whether it’s their first encounter with South Indian culture, or their first time stepping outside traditional classrooms to engage directly with communities and the environment. For her, CEH stands as a living continuation of what KIS first gave her: an environment where curiosity, resilience, and global awareness naturally flourish.

Her work with students mirrors what KIS instilled in her: immersive, experiential learning that pushes people out of their comfort zones. She has seen how students, when exposed to realities different from their own, grow in character, self-awareness, and clarity of purpose. “Sometimes a student realizes this isn’t the right path for them, and that’s valuable too,” she reflects. “Some say this experience reaffirms what they want to engage in global work for the rest of their lives.”

Looking back, she calls KIS a

“very special microcosm” that shaped her trajectory. “It changed my point of reference and my perspectives. In my Mumbai circles back then, success was pre-defined in narrow ways. KIS opened my mind to the world of many possibilities and set me on a different path.”

Niyati spends time in KIS classrooms interacting with both High School and Middle School students when she is on campus. Her message to current KIS students is simple yet profound:

• Be present, listen, and absorb.
• Be both locally and globally minded—solutions must come from communities
• themselves.
• Stay curious, open to cultures, and willing to step outside your comfort zone
• Be lifelong learners

For her, the greatest gift of KIS was connection to nature, to people, to cultures, and to a global community.

“I am very lucky to have had those years at Kodi. I will always cherish the deep friendships I fostered during my time there and the memories I made.”