Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveGuyanese labourer’s daughter Aruna Sukhdeo is Miss India Worldwide 2023

Guyanese labourer’s daughter Aruna Sukhdeo is Miss India Worldwide 2023

Compiled by: Amrita Priya

(July 7, 2023) The daughter of an Indian-Guyanese labourer and a stay-at-home mom, Aruna Sukhdeo created history by winning the Miss India Worldwide 2023 competition becoming the second Indian-origin Guyanese to achieve the feat in the pageant’s 33-year-old history.

Since 1990, Miss India Worldwide pageant has seen the participation of young girls of the Indian diaspora from across the world. Conducted by the US-based India Festival Committee (IFC), it provides a common platform for the international Indian community to shine in the world of pageantry. It was a proud moment for the Guyanese diaspora when Aruna raised the Guyanese flag at the international stage upon winning the prestigious title and crown.

Indian youth | Aruna Sukhdeo | Global Indian

Miss India Worldwide 2023, Aruna Sukhdeo

Aruna who belongs to a family with humble backgrounds would be using the platform to work on the mental health issue – something which is affecting the well-being of youngsters across the globe. The concern comes from her own life experiences. Talking about mental health and depression, she said, “This is something that I have dealt with. In high school, I felt pressured and depressed by just trying to keep my grades up and at the same time, trying to fit in with my friends and dealing with the pressures of society.”

The fourth-year student of business economics at the University of Guyana (UG), Turkeyen Campus also won the Miss Beautiful Hair title in the competition. With music being her ‘escape’ the youngster who calls herself ‘an aspiring economist and singer’ mesmerised the judges with her singing talent during the competition. Proud of the diversity of India in the final round of the competition she said, “Everywhere we go Indian food and music is celebrated. Diversity is key in my culture and I love it.”

Overcoming fears

The only child of immigrants Bonita Baijnauth and Narhootam Sukhdeo, Aruna visited her native country, India for the first time as the competition was held in Pune. Coming from humble background and owing to fear of height the twenty-year-old had never taken a flight to India or anywhere else but has been raised to respect and identify with the Indian culture.

Every year Miss India Worldwide competition takes place in a different country. Luckily for Aruna it took place in India which gave her an opportunity to come to her native land. Talking about her flight experience, she said, “I felt like I’ve conquered one of my fears right there and that was an experience in itself before even reaching the international stage.”

The Indian experience

Not only did Aruna relish every moment of being in India, she was highly inspired with the ‘amazing’ Indian-origin talent that had travelled from different parts of the world to participate in the competition.

It was intimidating for her to see the best Indian-origin representatives from different countries competing against her. But at the same time, it was a huge opportunity for her to learn. “Simply being with those phenomenal girls, hearing their thoughts, seeing what they bring to the table, was a great experience,” she said after winning the crown.

Being in spotlight

Being on stage is something that Aruna loves right from her nursery days. When she got to know about Miss-India Guyana competition which eventually gave her entry into Miss India Worldwide pageantry, she looked at the platform as an opportunity to work on an issue which is closest to her heart – mental health.

“I looked at the pageant as an opportunity to create a platform for my voice to be heard. If you don’t have a platform, no matter how much effort you make, no one is really going to hear what you’re saying,” the twenty-year-old remarked.

She has been living with her family on the East Coast of Demerara and is totally in love with Guyana as she was born and raised there. By winning the crown Aruna’s goal has been to also ‘put the country into spotlight.’

Multitasking along the way

Although Aruna considers her time management skills to be good, participating in Miss-India Guyana and subsequently Miss India Worldwide posed many challenges as her exams were around the corner while she prepared for the two back-to-back competitions.

Just a day before the Miss-India Guyana competition the timing for her final exams and the final stage rehearsal clashed. She felt like quitting, but then reminded herself that if she wants to do something extraordinary, she would have to take the challenges in stride. “In the end, winning both the local and international titles was a testament to my hard work and determination, and was a very rewarding experience,” she remarked.

Proving the worth

Aruna considers her mother as her greatest source of inspiration who taught her the virtues of kindness, contentment, and compassion. “My mom has taught me to never look down on people, always be confident and brave in life,” said the youngster. She is also grateful to her father who despite having meagre means ensured that Aruna got the best education and all the necessities of life. “My parents support and encourage me to be independent and to give back to others.”

The youngster considers her humble upbringing as a catalyst to work towards making a positive impact in people’s lives, and is determined to make her parents even prouder. “I want to show them that their investment in me has not gone in vain,” says the beauty.

Follow Aruna Sukhdeo on Facebook

Name*

Email*

Name*

Email*

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Published on 07, Jul 2023

Share with

ALSO READ

Laalitya Acharya: The Indian American raising awareness on global water crisis

(October 16, 2022) A family trip to India was nothing short of an eye-opener for the Ohio girl Laalitya Acharya, who was a witness to the glaring water gap and the lack of access to clean drinking water and its implications. Seeing the damaging impact of contaminated water on health - leading to stomach flu and other ailments - made her dig deep into the statistics. In 2017, nearly 75 million people in India had no access to safe water. The startling numbers made her think hard, but after she fell ill from consuming contaminated water despite taking precautions, Laalitya knew it was time to make a change. "When I returned home, I found that this is a global crisis that affects billions all across the world. I decided that I wanted to find a solution to this problem and thus the foundations for The Nereid Project were born," the changemaker tells Global Indian. Nereid - a low-cost device that can detect water contamination within seconds using Artificial Intelligence - made Laalitya bag the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes recently, for making a positive impact in people's lives and communities. In the last few years, the Nereid Project has

aking a positive impact in people's lives and communities. In the last few years, the Nereid Project has grown by leaps and bounds, and Laalitya calls it an organisation that "aims to raise awareness for the water crisis through research, advocacy, and policy." They are now working on implementing Nereid in Ohio, India, and Morocco.

[caption id="attachment_23046" align="aligncenter" width="415"] Laalitya Acharya developed Nereid[/caption]

Foundation laid by curiosity

While Nereid has put this Indian-American teen on the global map, Laalitya's interest in technology and science began at a tender age. The Bengaluru-born grew up in a suburb of Ohio after her parents moved to the US in search of better opportunities. Being a first-generation Indian American, "the importance of education was constantly emphasised," and she naturally gravitated toward scientific experimentation. It was in high school that her passion flourished as she found herself participating in scientific research and science fairs. "My high school did not have a traditional research program, so I decided to do 'at-home' independent research instead. This was where the basis of my research, Nereid, began," the changemaker reveals.

It was creative thinking that led her to explore scientific research, something she calls "crucial" to her journey. While most think science and creativity are separate entities, Laalitya begs to differ. "People tend to believe that science is not for the creative but I could not think that falser. All of the research and novel developments that we have, are born out of creativity, not in spite. The Nereid device, for example, utilises an intersection of biology, computational science, and artificial intelligence - it required unique thinking to create a unique solution," she elucidates.

[caption id="attachment_23047" align="aligncenter" width="501"] Laalitya Acharya recently won the Gloria Barron Award for Young Heroes[/caption]

Making an impact with Nereid

So, what exactly is Nereid? It's a portable device that works as a microscopic camera that takes images of a water sample which are then analysed using AI technology to determine if it's safe or contaminated, thus helping to alleviate the global water crisis. Such is the feasibility of the device that it can be easily integrated into a water system. "The coming months will help me to gather real-world data to hopefully implement Nereid globally," adds the changemaker. Not just this, the Nereid Project also expands to hosting STEM education programs and water summits which "are conferences centred around ways each of us can mitigate the global water gap." Along with it, they are working to use the legislative arm of policy to ensure access to this global necessity for all.

A STEM champion

Laalitya, who is currently majoring in biomedical engineering at Columbia University, is keen to work at the "intersection of STEM and public policy" to create legislative changes that incorporate science-based solutions. A STEM champion, she calls it the need of the hour to solve issues such as climate change or reform US healthcare. The 19-year-old is happy to see girls "crushing the game" in STEM. "The growth that I have seen even in my career of the science fair, and research has truly shown the power of women in science. I've also worked to create educational programs for young girls interested in science through The Nereid Project. Seeing their excitement and being able to support them on their STEM journeys has always been immensely gratifying for me," adds Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021 finalist.

The young changemaker is taking baby steps to cause a tectonic shift in the world through her work, and is keen to see "a world where people have access to their basic human rights and necessities." Knowing that the world is in crisis right now, she says, "it is our job to fix it."

[caption id="attachment_23048" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Laalitya Acharya with US Senator Chuck Schumer of New York[/caption]

"The United Nations defined their Sustainable Goals (SDG)s as due in 2030. We are less than 8 years away from this and I truly hope that we can continue our exponential growth in solving these global crises. I am doing my part to close the water gap and I aim to help the UN reach SDG #6 (which regards clean water access)," adds the changemaker, who was a Casework Intern for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in May where she worked with the constituents of New York to resolve any issues they were facing.

Challenges and learnings

However, this journey came with its share of challenges, and COVID was especially a tough time. But Laalitya was able to see a silver lining in each of her difficulties. "A lot of what The Nereid Project did was dependent on in-person camps/summits. Overnight, this changed and we were forced to move to a virtual format instead. But this shift led us to engage with more people outside of my local area. We worked with students from across the world and helped them kickstart their scientific journeys. Today, in a post-pandemic world, we have decided to keep our online format and return to in-person events - thus allowing us to expand our reach," the changemaker says.

A voracious reader, she loves to devour historical fiction and memoirs. "I also play the violin and run as I find both activities to be very soothing. It helps me to take care of my body and mind which is crucial in this line of work," says the changemaker.

[caption id="attachment_23049" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Laalitya Acharya encourages kids in the space of STEM[/caption]

The last few years have been a learning curve for Laalitya as she extends some pieces of advice to youngsters looking to make an impact. "It's okay to be a one-person-show," she suggests, adding, "It can be super scary to put yourself out there as an 'organisation' when it's just you wearing 5 different hats at the same time. But in reality, we all start small, and even the smallest changes can cause a ripple effect." However, she emphasises the importance of finding one's niche. "Go narrow and deep. Delve into a few sectors that you are particularly fond of and then you can expand as you grow," adds Laalitya, who believes in building a network and finding a community - in terms of family, mentors, friends, advocates, and or organisations. But her biggest learning was understanding that the way to a 'yes' is through many 'no'. "You will face negative comments, criticism, and other not-so-fun conversations on your journey. But the best way to think about it is that every 'no' gets you closer to a 'yes'," signs off Laalitya.

Follow Laalitya Acharya on Linkedin and her website

Reading Time: 6 min

From classroom to startup: Yale grads Sneha and Anushka turn class project into a tech company

(November 6, 2024) What began as a class project has grown into a startup for recent Yale engineering graduates Sneha Sivakumar and Anushka Nijhawan. During their senior year, the two developed an AI-powered no-code automation tool designed to simplify and speed up the process of testing web applications without manual coding. Their innovative solution enables companies with web-based applications to verify functionality seamlessly, a concept that quickly gained recognition. Supported early on by a $500 grant from Yale’s Tsai CITY Student Exploration Fund and recently accepted into Y Combinator’s elite accelerator program with $500,000 in funding, the duo took their idea to the next level. This May, shortly after graduating with degrees in Computer Science, Sneha and Anushka officially launched their startup, Spur, building on the foundation of their college project. “A lot of companies spend a lot of time writing tests for their web applications, and our entire company is about automating that process and making it really easy,” Sivakumar explained in a recent interview. [caption id="attachment_40212" align="aligncenter" width="647"] Anushka and Sneha[/caption] From class project to startup Sneha and Anushka enjoyed working with each other on different projects since their first year in college. “We first met freshman spring

ian.com/youth/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1727374002020.webp" alt="Y Combinator | Indian Entrepreneur | Global Indian " width="647" height="431" /> Anushka and Sneha[/caption]

From class project to startup

Sneha and Anushka enjoyed working with each other on different projects since their first year in college. “We first met freshman spring at Yale,” remarked Sneha. As their first project, the innovative duo built a social planning application location for fun.

After working on several other projects, the youngsters realised that they really liked working on tasks together and came up with the idea of working on a startup. They decided to work on a user experience research application. “That side of tech companies is typically very underserved. We thought we could come up with a solution that would fix that problem,” shared Anushka. “We worked for three months during the fall semester in 2023 on the idea. Part of that was because we were taking this class at Yale called Software Engineering, which allowed us very dedicated, focused time throughout the semester to actually build it out in tandem with our other classes.”

Seeing their project come out well, they applied for the Y Combinator at the end of their last semester, and the rest is history.

[caption id="attachment_40213" align="aligncenter" width="513"] Anushka and Sneha[/caption]

What is Y Combinator?

Y Combinator (YC) is a top-tier startup accelerator that offers a three-month, high-intensity program aimed at rapidly scaling early-stage companies. It provides $500,000 in funding in exchange for a seven percent equity stake and includes tailored mentorship and a collaborative startup environment.

YC brings together founders at various stages—some just beginning, others more established—and pairs them with experienced partners for weekly guidance, along with bi-weekly group sessions. Founders connect via Bookface, YC’s exclusive platform for networking and knowledge-sharing, and participate in events like weekly talks from successful entrepreneurs, providing insights into startup growth and strategy. The program culminates in Demo Day, where founders pitch their startups to leading investors, often securing additional seed funding. Even after the program ends, YC alumni continue to benefit from ongoing support and access to YC’s extensive network, creating a lasting support ecosystem for continued growth.

“In YC, there's about 200 to 300 companies every single batch and they break these companies into different groups. So, it builds a community in which everybody is working on all of their startups together,” explains Sneha.

[caption id="attachment_40214" align="aligncenter" width="724"] Sneha and Anushka[/caption]

Help and support from other sources

Sneha and Anushka’s journey in creating Spur was bolstered by crucial support networks and resources at Yale. Assistant Professor Arman Cohan’s mentorship was instrumental, beginning with his class on AI Foundation Models, which inspired the pair to work with him on their senior thesis.

Throughout their last semester, Professor Cohan offered ongoing guidance, connecting them with other industry experts and helping shape their project. Additionally, a $500 grant from Yale’s Tsai CITY Student Exploration Fund provided them with vital workspace and resources. The fund, which awards grants of up to $500 to student-led teams working on early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship projects, became essential for Sneha and Anushka as they refined their product. With a collaborative workspace at Tsai CITY available daily, they had the ideal environment for brainstorming, teamwork, and advancing Spur to launch readiness.

[caption id="attachment_40215" align="aligncenter" width="728"] Anushka and Sneha during a Y Combinator launch live event[/caption]

Taking entrepreneurship in stride

Sneha Sivakumar and Anushka Nijhawan’s journey of building Spur has been challenging and a learning experience for the young entrepreneurs. They admit that taking the plunge into full-time entrepreneurship was nerve-wracking, but once they committed, everything came into focus.

Now, each day is a new lesson—not just in engineering but in marketing, sales, accounting, HR, and tax management, as they are currently handling all aspects of the business themselves. “We're just picking them up as we go,” remarks Anushka talking about the multiple skills that an entrepreneur’s life demands.

Although their life as an entrepreneur is far cry from their initial roles as developers, and while the hours are long and the work demanding, the youngsters find fulfillment in building something truly their own. Embracing the highs and the challenges alike, they’re learning that startup life is about so much more than just innovating something —it’s about adaptability, and the drive to bring their vision to life.

Follow Sneha Sivakumar and Anushka Nijhawan on LinkedIn
Discover more fascinating Stories

Reading Time: 5 mins

Rights of nature: Indian American teen Anjika Pai is working on saving the planet

(October 8, 2022) The world watched in awe when Anjika Ganesh Pai, dressed in a beautiful saree, took over the stage during the graduation ceremony, at UC Berkeley on May 21, 2022. Addressing her fellow students, the environmental justice student lobbied for greater diversity in the scientific field and more young environmental volunteers, during her speech. "After countless lessons in my environmental science classes about the catastrophic, unavoidable effects of climate change, I would ask my professors, 'Do you think we'll be able to make it?' Everyone responded that our generation will be the one to reverse the destruction we have witnessed thus far," she said during her speech. [caption id="attachment_22763" align="aligncenter" width="583"] Anjika Pai[/caption] After she had to pause for the crowd to stop applauding, she added, "But this vote of confidence hasn't been the only thing that has reoriented me towards hope, time and time again. It has been the cutting-edge research that has shown me the potential to create radical, positive change." A first-generation Indian American, with roots in India’s western coastal state of Goa, Anjika was named the 2022 University Medal winner, the highest honor for a graduating senior. Winning a cash prize of $2,500, the

A first-generation Indian American, with roots in India’s western coastal state of Goa, Anjika was named the 2022 University Medal winner, the highest honor for a graduating senior. Winning a cash prize of $2,500, the young Global Indian is also the co-founder of the award-winning website STEM Redefined, which works as part of the Clinton Global Initiative University programme for social impact startups. Her deep sense of equality and justice earned the young environmental activist several awards and recognitions over the years.

A born leader

Anjika and her elder sister, Anisha, were born to Indian immigrants Ganesh and Samhita Pai, who moved to the United States from India in the early 1990s. Settled in the sparsely-populated town of Jamison in Pennsylvania, Anjika often went to the nearby woods after school and sat there for hours. While the sisters had the full support of their teachers, they had to face casual racism at school.

[caption id="attachment_22764" align="aligncenter" width="566"] Anjika with her parents[/caption]

To constantly prove herself, Anjika worked on a social science project linking the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. to the sinking of the Titanic in 1921 in her third grade. The project was a huge success and earned her a school medal at a very early age. Proving her mettle again, the now 19-year-old convinced her school principal to let students take part in a Day of Silence, an annual April event observed internationally to spread awareness about how LGBTQ-plus students are bullied and silenced. While she couldn't get all the students to participate in the event, more than 75 percent of the school observed the Day of Silence.

Fighting for nature

While most kids watch television to unwind, it was actually a show on Animal Planet that encouraged this youngster to take up environmental justice as her major at the University level. “Everyone I knew wanted to be a doctor and save lives, and I just kept wondering, ‘Where are we going to put all these saved lives? How long is this planet going to be here?’” she recalled during an interview with Daily California.

So when she started at Berkeley in 2018, she was clear that her focus should be not only to encourage her peers to join hands in saving this planet but also to work towards framing policies and study material around the subject. In her first year, the young environmental activist won the Cal Alumni Association Leadership scholarship and joined the California-China Climate Institute as a policy research intern.

Intrepid and entrepreneurial, Anjika, joined the Student Environmental Resource Center at the University and with the help of other fellow students co-founded a student club that produces the publication, Caravan Travel & Style Magazine. Her initiative led her to discover the relationship indigenous people in the US have with nature, which later became her field of research in the final year. She interviewed several hundreds of tribal members about how they work on preserving the natural resources in their area. The environmental activist's thesis about the rights of nature doctrine as a tool for Indigenous sovereignty across the US received grants from the Charles H. Percy Grant for Public Affairs Research and the Center for Research on Native American Issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA8dgfNnCjs

With a vision to continue her education and later work in the field, Anjika is now headed to Northeastern University in Boston to study environmental law on a full-tuition graduate scholarship.

Follow Anjika Pai on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 6 mins

Shifting the goalpost: Ananya Kamboj spreads awareness through football

(February 4, 2023) "Man up!" Footballer Ananya Kamboj would bristle everytime her coaches hurled the phrase at the girls' team. Were they implying that girls are inferior, she would wonder. Kamboj, the first Indian to be selected at the FIFA U17 global Football for Friendship (F4F) in 2017, decided veiled prejudice would not be taken in her stride. Today, she's an author, a goodwill ambassador for BRICS and addressed the United Nation's ECOSOC Youth Forum in September 2020. Now 17 years old, Ananya is part of various projects for gender equality, including Girls with Impact, Girl Up, Learn in India, She Mercedes and SDGs For Children. She has also been part of three Guinness World Record events, including most nationalities in a football training session in history (2019, the most users in a football video hangout (2020) and the most visitors at a virtual stadium (2021). For three years after her selection, the young Global Indian continued to represent India as a young journalist at the F4F, a programme aimed to unite children of different physical abilities from around the world. "The goal is the development of children's football, fostering tolerance and respect for different cultures and nationalities," she says.

continued to represent India as a young journalist at the F4F, a programme aimed to unite children of different physical abilities from around the world. "The goal is the development of children's football, fostering tolerance and respect for different cultures and nationalities," she says. "The key values that the participants support and promote are friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions and honour."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ananya Kamboj (@kambojananya)

The debutante author

When she returned from the Football for Friendship programme in Russia in 2017, her father suggested she write her memoirs. By this time, the teenager had a strong value system in place and was determined to work for equality within the sporting ecosystem around the world. That led to her debut book, 'My Journey from Mohali to St Petersburg', in which she shares the lessons she has learned. "If you are looking at famous sports professionals, don't look at the records they break or the games they win; instead, try to learn some valuable lessons from their approach and their lives too," she writes in her book.

Born in Mohali, Chandigarh, the first turning point in the young changemaker's life came in April 2017, when she happened to spot a FIFA U17 World Cup poster on her way to the bank in her neighbourhood. The poster announced a contest for young journalists, asking students to report on the Gazprom's Football for Friendship Championship in Russia. Applicants were asked to write an inspiring story on football, in under 200 words. That year also happened to mark India's first time participating in a FIFA World Cup and Ananya decided to give the contest a shot.

Incidentally, one month earlier, Ananya Kamboj, a footballer herself, had met Gurmangal Dass Soni, founder of the Youth Football Club at Lake Club, Chandigarh. "Soni is involved in a global campaign to stem out the increasing use of drugs among the youth in Rurka Kalan and surrounding areas. I found Mr Soni's story fascinating and inspiring. He is an ordinary person who has done extraordinary things," she writes. She knew that his story was the one she wanted to tell.

Leading herself to lead others

Her goal, she admits, was only to participate. When she got the call telling her she was the winner, Ananya was "completely surprised." She would be one of 64 participants to go to St Petersburg, Russia, for the social program sponsored by FIFA and Gazprom. In the meantime, she was also trained by Ranjit Bajaj, the owner, founder and executive director of Minerva Punjab Football Club, where she was provided leadership and motivational training.

Once quick-tempered and by her own admission, "prone to losing control when angry," the first lesson Ananya learned on her path to leadership was to rein in her own emotions. Also a shy person by nature, she learned to face up to her playground bullies, stand by her teammates and grow as a writer."

Rendezvous with Russia

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ananya Kamboj (@kambojananya)

A twenty-three hour journey later, Ananya stepped out into the biting cold of a rainy day in St Petersburgh, where she was welcomed by the F4F team, who told her, to her alarm, that this was summertime. "The warm, cramped streets of Mohali were left far behind," she writes. This was her first time so far away from home and she was nervous as she met her fellow Ambassadors from Armenia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Iceland, Slovenia, South Africa and South Korea. Ananya was making history that day - she was the first Indian to participate in FIFA U17 F4F.

For the next three days, Ananya Kamboj learned what it meant to be part of a team, braving the cold to spend hours out on the field. The 'Yellow Team', of which she was a part, made it all the way to the semi-finals, where they lost 4-3 to the Orange Team, who went on to win the championship. "Sports teaches us to take both defeat and victory. We eventually shook off our understandable disappointment," she says. She was also there as a reporter and contributed a number of articles for the daily F4F Newsletter and anchored the Football for Friendship video digest.

"The journey brought about a positive transformation, instilling confidence in me - the confidence to address a crowd over 1,200 people as one of the keynote speakers of the programme," she recalls. "I kept the Indian flag flying high at the F4F Social Programme at St Petersburg."

In 2018, she was invited to hold the world premiere of her book in Moscow. The book was released by Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors as part of the 6th Season of the F4F. She was also awarded the best young journalist award for her efforts.

[caption id="attachment_27177" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Ananya Kamboj is the first Indian to participate in the FIFA U17 F4F programme[/caption]

United Nations - and Guinness

In 2019 and again in 2020, Ananya was invited by ECOSOC Youth, to speak at the Youth Plenary in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the UN. The idea was to offer a platform for youth to engage with Member Nations, advocate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.

At the same, she participated in three Guinness World Record Events. "I feel proud, honoured and happy to have achieved something that on the one hand is rather rare, but on the other is simply the result of my passion for football as something that makes me whole," Ananya told the Hindustan Times.

Follow Ananya on Instagram

From Delhi to Stockholm via Madras: The journey of Mannat Kaur’s award-winning greywater project

(September 18, 2024) A few years ago, when Mannat Kaur witnessed her home tap run dry, she began exploring solutions for the widespread use of greywater (domestic wastewater) to address the water crisis. Little did she imagine that her curiosity and efforts to develop a water-conservation project would eventually lead her to being felicitated by the Princess of Sweden, and attend the Royal Banquet hosted by Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf. The 16-year-old, class 12 student spent an unforgettable week in Stockholm this August when she travelled to represent India at the 2024 International Stockholm Junior Water Prize, held as part of World Water Week. Winning the national championship at IIT Madras, which led to these remarkable experiences, had already been a golden opportunity in itself. [caption id="attachment_39296" align="aligncenter" width="482"] Mannat Kaur at the royal banquet[/caption] Accompanied by her father and the national organizer, Prof. Indumathi M. Nambi from the Department of Environmental Engineering and School of Sustainability at IIT Madras, Mannat joined participants from 30 countries for the prestigious event. Although the United Kingdom took home the international prize, the experience has filled Mannat, the Head Girl of DPS RK Puram, with immense confidence and unforgettable memories. 'Every moment

and School of Sustainability at IIT Madras, Mannat joined participants from 30 countries for the prestigious event.

Although the United Kingdom took home the international prize, the experience has filled Mannat, the Head Girl of DPS RK Puram, with immense confidence and unforgettable memories. 'Every moment was unforgettable,' she tells Global Indian.

The joy of being a national champion

IIT Madras served as the national organizer for World Water Prize. Mannat competed against 350 applicants from 23 states at the national level and emerged as the winner, earning the opportunity to represent her country. “The top 12 shortlisted teams were invited to present their projects in person at the IIT Madras campus, where my project was selected,” Mannat shares.

This was the inaugural year of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize India (SJWP India), an initiative by the Sustainability Venture Studio (SVS) at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. It was organised in collaboration with the SIWI - Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and sponsored by AquaMAP Center for Water Management and Policy, IIT Madras, to empower young innovators to tackle critical water challenges.

[caption id="attachment_39298" align="aligncenter" width="395"] Mannat Kaur with IIT-M Prof. Indumathi M. Nambi in Stockholm[/caption]

Calling her victory at the national championship a significant personal achievement, Mannat who had dedicated the past four years to this project said, “Receiving recognition at the national level in a competition focused on the water domain is truly rewarding. This recognition has also strengthened my determination to continue contributing to solutions that can have a positive impact on both my country and the world.”

Earlier this year, the youngster had participated in the Genius Olympiad, organised by the US based Rochester Institute of Technology and held at the RIT campus in India where the same project earned her an honourable mention.

The award-winning water project

Mannat’s project is an applied research project which focuses on the development of an indigenous, sustainable, cost effective, decentralized greywater treatment unit which collects, treats, and reuses greywater generated in a household at the source.

“This product driven intervention has two units: Scupper Valve and Bilge Vessel which help households save and fight the water crisis without any major modifications in the current home plumbing system and takes up very little space in the bathroom,” explains Mannat adding, “The preliminary prototype testing demonstrates its effectiveness in collecting and treating greywater to an improved level. The solution also has an image processing component which is able to distinguish effectively between the pre-rinse and post-rinse water from the heavily soapy flows, enabling selective collection of greywaters.

[caption id="attachment_39300" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Mannat Kaur with IIT-M Prof. Indumathi M. Nambi in Stockholm[/caption]

Mannat estimates that a single-family can save around 5,000-6,000 litres of precious potable water per month and can reduce 50% of their water demand if her solution gets implemented. This decentralized approach reduces carbon emissions by 80-85 percent compared to the traditional centralized sewage treatment setups (water pumping and operational energy), offsetting 18,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

“Additionally, due to lower sewage output, it contributes towards embodied carbon savings linked to the plumbing network infrastructure and construction of sewage treatment plants. This solution, therefore, addresses two main challenges - water scarcity and operational carbon emissions associated with freshwater supply, wastewater treatment and conveyance of treated water,” says the youngster, who has applied for a patent at the Indian Patent Office.

It all started when…

In 2016, during an agitation, Mannat witnessed her home tap run dry as the Munak Canal, which supplies water to Delhi, was breached. Her entire neighbourhood struggled to secure even a single bucket of water. “This incident was a wake-up call, prompting me to explore ways to conserve water,” she says.

[caption id="attachment_39301" align="aligncenter" width="618"] Mannat while showcasing her project during Water Prize national championship at IIT-Madras[/caption]

She began monitoring her family’s water usage and identifying areas of waste, conducting water audits at home. Mannat noticed a significant amount of water going to waste and observed her family collecting greywater in a tub for reuse in flushing. When she inquired why this practice wasn't more widespread, she learned that collecting, treating, and reusing greywater requires major retrofit of the toilet and plumbing piping.

“This is how I started looking and developing practical solutions which can be easily implemented and bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application,” she says.

Experiences at Stockholm

Apart from soaking in the mesmerizing beauty of the European city of Sweden, Mannat got the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with experts. She was selected to participate in a talk show titled 'Bridging Borders and Generations with the Stockholm Junior Water Prize,' sponsored by Xylem, the U.S.-headquartered global water technology provider. Later engaging with experts from the Xylem team at their office and touring their facilities was great experience for the teenager.

Visiting the Indian Embassy and meeting Chargé d'Affaires, Mr Rakesh Tiwari, was a cherished moment too. Additionally, interacting with Taikan Oki, professor at the University of Tokyo and former Assistant Secretary General at the United Nations who won the 2024 Stockholm Water Prize in the senior category, made her overall experience even more enriching.

[caption id="attachment_39315" align="aligncenter" width="546"] Mannat Kaur at Stockholm[/caption]

A visit to the Royal Palace, not as a tourist but as an invitee to the Stockholm Water Prize royal dinner and banquet with the King and Queen of Sweden was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Future plan and good influences

Mannat has a deep passion for computer science, machine learning, and emerging technologies. “The myriad challenges that the world has to confront today, such as climate change and water scarcity have ignited in me the desire to work for environmental conservation,” she says adding, “I would like to make use of my technological knowledge to address the impending challenges our generation will inevitably face.”

As a Steve Jobs fan, the youngster believes in proactive resolution rather than passive observation. “I want to impact the world as Steve Jobs had, using technology to change the way we live life. Just as he made personal computing accessible through Macintosh, the first widely sold personal computer (PC), my dream is to make environmental sustainability the easier choice,” she remarks.

[caption id="attachment_39303" align="aligncenter" width="725"] Princess Victoria of Sweden with participants of the Junior Water Prize including Mannat Kaur at Stockholm[/caption]

Mannat lives in a close-knit family of five which consists of her grandfather, her parents and a younger brother who is in grade 10. Considering herself fortunate enough to have spent some time with her late great-grandmother during the formative years of her life, the youngster mentions “I have inherited my creativity from my architect father and analytical thinking from my mathematician mother, a blend of both has shaped my approach to both life and problem-solving.”

Follow Mannat Kaur on LinkedIn