McLean resident Shobila Kali began her American journey by coming to the U.S. in 2007. Taking an accelerated class load, she received her Masters Degree from Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn New York. In 2008, she took over ownership of Ripple Korp, an IT consulting and manpower firm in McLean.
Kobali continutes here deep compassion and commitment to those still living in India. She is a Director of 5th Pillar, a human rights organization dedicated to eradicating the bribery system that currently exists in India.
5th Pillar brings lawsuits on behalf of citizens against official demanding bribes. The organization has offices throughout India. The name 5th Pillar represents the idea that there are four pillars of democracy, and if those begin to fail, a 5th Pillar of citizen participation must step up to support the correct running of a government for the interest of the people.
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On to the interview featuring our 5 weekly questions!
What brought you to McLean?
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McLean is an excellent hub of business in the United States. I took over ownership of Ripple Korp in 2008 and McLean was the obvious choice as a place to do business and because of its proximity to D.C.
Where is your favorite place to eat, shop or hand out in McLean?
Tysons Galleria. I love the variety of international food selections there. I am a vegetarian so sometimes it is more difficult for me to find foods suitable for me. The Thai Restaurant there is amazing.
What do you spend your days working on?
Most of the time my work is related to my consulting firm. We place employees with specialized IT experience to our client's sites to meet all of their IT, programming and logistics needs.
The rest of my time I am completely devoted to helping the people of India through my work with the 5th Pillar organization.
What fellow McLeanian has inspired you?
I must say that I do not know that many people because I work all of the time. My work consumes virtually all of my time and does not allow much room for social pleasures or getting to know people.
What is your greatest life lesson you would like to share with the young people, friends and neighbors in McLean?
Do not take for granted how lucky you really are. Being from India and then coming to the U.S., I am still amazed at how freely basic necessities come to all of the citizens. It is an excellent example of how a system can work well, in contrast to how it has failed in India where people are not given their basic rights.
