Manobhiram Nellutla: A polymath in progress, inspiring thoughts across continents and disciplines

(November 4, 2025) With a journey spanning three continents, four countries, more than five languages, and multiple career lanes, Canada based Manobhiram (Manu) Nellutla has built a multifaceted life. From helping write Rwanda’s workplace safety law to playing a role in steering the film industry’s recovery during COVID-19 in Canada, from ergonomics research to a war novel rooted in Indian mythology that has attracted readers far and wide, Nellutla’s story bridges science, leadership, and creativity. A finalist in the Top 75 Canadian Immigrants Awards 2020 and recipient of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering’s Regional Outstanding Achievement Award the same year, he moves easily between disciplines. “I’m a polymath in progress,” he smiles, speaking to Global Indian.

A childhood of languages and a career of continents

Born in Hanamkoda, Telangana, Nellutla spent his formative years moving across Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka, gaining exposure to India’s linguistic and cultural diversity long before his international career began. By the time he completed his master’s in physiotherapy from Mangaluru, he could read and write Telugu, Hindi, and Gujarati, and speak Oriya and Kannada. “Moving between states taught me flexibility,” he says. “Every new place brought a new way of thinking, and a new language.”

When he later moved to Rwanda, it opened another world for him, one that would shape the course of his career. Over the years, his professional path took him from India to Rwanda, then to Canada, and now to the United States, where he works with Amazon in the health and safety side. “Every country brought a different rhythm, different systems, different ways of work,” he reflects. “Each move was a restart but also an expansion of knowledge.”

A lifelong learner with many disciplines

Nellutla describes himself as a lifelong learner, and his academic record more than proves it. Along with his master’s in physiotherapy, he holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business, postgraduate qualifications in education and ergonomics (from the UK), and leadership certificates from Harvard and MIT. Professionally, he is a Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist, a Certified Scrum Master, and a Psychological Health and Safety Advisor accredited by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

The diversity of his learning stems from a belief that adaptability requires preparation. “Every time you start fresh in a new field or country, you must re-establish credibility,” he says. “I wanted to make sure that wherever I go, I can contribute from day one.”

From healing people to designing systems

Nellutla began his career as a physiotherapist, helping individuals recover from injury. But soon, his attention shifted from rehabilitation to prevention. That transition led him into the field of human factors and ergonomics, where he studied how design, process, and environment shape human performance and safety. “Physiotherapy fixes what’s broken,” he explains. “Ergonomics prevents it from breaking. It’s about creating workplaces where people can thrive.”

His approach to ergonomics has always been human-centered, viewing safety not as regulation but as empowerment. “Workplace health and safety is about culture,” he says. “It’s not just compliance; it’s how people feel and function.”

Building systems of safety in Rwanda

Rwanda remains one of the most transformative chapters in Nellutla’s career. As Head of Physiotherapy at the University of Rwanda, he extended his role beyond academics, joining the technical team that drafted Rwanda’s Occupational Health and Safety law. “Writing that legislation and presenting it to Parliament was a turning point,” he recalls. “It’s something that continues to protect workers long after I’ve moved on.”

Equally innovative was his initiative to introduce ergonomics education into Rwanda’s primary schools, teaching children how to sit, move, and study safely. “We wait until adulthood to learn posture or workstation habits,” he says. “Why not start early? Prevention begins with awareness.”

His contribution went further. Collaborating with Handicap International, the World Health Organization, and Belgian universities, he helped establish Rwanda’s first schools of Prosthetics and Orthotics, and Occupational Therapy which was the first such institution in East Africa. “After the genocide, many survivors lived with disabilities but lacked rehabilitation services,” he says. “We built capacity for generations to come.”

Leading safety in Canada’s creative industry

In Canada, Nellutla first started with Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC where he went onto become COO, and then led Actsafe Safety Association as CEO the only health and safety association in North America dedicated to the motion picture and live events sectors. When the pandemic halted production, he spearheaded efforts to create protocols that enabled a safe reopening. “It was surreal,” he recalls. “Film sets were silent one day, and within months, British Columbia became a magnet for production again because of the protocols we created together with the industry.”

His leadership earned him the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering’s 2020 Regional Outstanding Achievement Award, recognizing his contributions to advancing workplace safety. That same year, he was also a finalist in the Top 75 Canadian Immigrants Awards, an honor he treasures deeply. “Being recognized as an immigrant leader meant a lot,” he says. “It affirmed that the journey and the effort to adapt had meaning.”

Rebooting with Amazon in the U.S.

After years in executive leadership roles, Nellutla decided to “reboot.” He joined Amazon in early 2022, choosing to experience the scale and pace of one of the world’s largest companies. “After being a CEO, it might seem unusual to step into a different kind of role,” he admits. “But I wanted to learn from a new system, a new culture, and new processes.” Currently working in the USA for Amazon, his fourth country to work in, Nellutla says  “You need to prove yourself every time. But that’s the exciting part. You keep learning, and you keep growing.”

The author who asked a different question

Parallel to his professional success runs Nellutla’s creative pursuit as a writer. His debut novel, Janya Bharata: The War, reimagines the Mahabharata through the eyes of ordinary citizens rather than gods and kings. “If the war was real, what were common people in the rest of India going through?” he wondered. The question led him to research ancient tribes, social systems, and philosophies, crafting a story steeped in history, empathy, and reflection.

Published through Amazon KDP worldwide and in India through Notion Press, the book reached bestseller status in Amazon’s historical fiction and Hindu history categories for many weeks, and also earned him a feature in BC BookWorld. Recently, he released a revised edition with improved language and a new cover design, and he’s overseeing translations into Hindi, Gujarati, and Telugu. “Readers connect with it beyond mythology,” he says. “It’s about how ordinary people experience extraordinary times.” A sequel is now in progress.

Speaking, singing, and storytelling

Outside work and writing, Nellutla channels his love for communication into public speaking, broadcasting, and music. He’s a TEDx speaker, conference presenter, and radio jockey on the Neerajanam Telugu Show on Connect 91.5 FM, also available on SoundCloud. He hosts two podcasts titled Roots and Realities and Itihasa with Manu exploring culture, identity, and history.

Music, meanwhile, is in his blood. His paternal grandfather, father and uncles were singers and composers for All India Radio and Doordarshan, and he continues that tradition, performing on stage and even winning third place in a Canada-wide Telugu music competition. “I never learned music formally,” he says. “It’s just something that flows naturally.”

Heritage, family, and continuing legacy

Public service and creativity run in his family. His maternal grandfather, Indian freedom fighter Pendyala Raghava Rao was Warangal’s first Member of Parliament, remembered for winning one MP and two MLA seats in the same election in the early 1950s. “He had more vote difference from his opponent than Nehru had against his opponent during the first Indian elections,” Nellutla says proudly. The legacy continues as his elder son, now nineteen, recently worked with Canada’s election commission. “It felt like the family’s civic spirit finding a new form,” he smiles. 

Recognition and reflection

For all his accomplishments, Nellutla values recognition not for prestige but for validation of purpose. “If my work is impactful and it’s recognized, that’s great,” he says. “But chasing recognition alone feels hollow.” The honors from CSSE and Canadian Immigrant Awards symbolize two sides of his life: one for professional excellence, the other for resilience and reinvention. “They remind me that effort across borders can still be seen and appreciated.”

The next chapter

As he continues his work in health and safety, and develops the sequel to Janya Bharata, Nellutla remains committed to crossing boundaries with humility and curiosity intact. “You never know where the next decade will lead,” he says. “Maybe more writing, more speaking, more systems to improve.”

For a man who has written laws and novels, led industries, taught in classrooms, spoke in Parliament and TEDx platform, and performed on stage, one label never suffices. He is by his own admission and by every measure a polymath in progress, building a life where intellect, creativity, and compassion constantly learn from each other.

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