(April 28, 2022) Watching his pulmonologist uncle at the forefront during Covid work tirelessly, 18-year-old Ayush Gharat was deeply affected by what he saw – his uncle’s never say die attitude, the plight of frontline workers who put their health and that of their families at risk to treat the Covid inflicted and the stress they experienced. “When the pandemic had kicked in, equipment and facilities were scarce and information was inadequate. The demands on frontline workers were enormous, especially at a time when they needed empathy the most. Many like my uncle moved their families to distant locations out of fear of infecting them due to nature of their jobs. I could feel that all this was affecting frontline workers’ emotional well-being. I was worried, and this was why I started Aashwas to bring a smile to the faces of these unsung heroes,” says the changemaker in a interview with Global Indian.
Ayush Gharat, changemaker and innovator
The young changemaker and teen innovator, who has developed two apps, positively impacted 5,200 frontline workers, and raised ₹7 lakh Covid relief funds. He has presented his work at the international youth conference, where he represented India as the 1M1B youth ambassador to showcase the work the youth has been involved in, during the pandemic. He also received Young Achievers Award by Indian Achievers Forum 20-21.
Assuring happiness and empathy
Ayush and his team (a mix of his friends and volunteers) virtually conducted fun and entertaining events like antakshari, scavenger hunt, quizzes and comedy events, across Covid hospitals in 80 cities of India, in a bid to relieve stress. The project was aptly named Muskaan as the purpose was to bring in smiles. The funds raised were used to donate 3,500 PPE kits, snacks and soft drinks for 4,000 healthcare workers at St John’s Hospital, Bengaluru.
“Talking to my uncle, I understood what healthcare workers were going through. They were risking their lives to protect others against the virus,” he adds.
Ayush has also been showing gratitude and empathy to frontline heroes through his advocacy on Aashwas’s social media platforms so that people are able to go beyond their problems to the plight of healthcare workers. “I even collaborated with a healthcare magazine (Inflame), and conducted interviews of how professionals have been coping with the pressure during the pandemic, and their advice on staying safe,” says the changemaker.
Strategies to serve
His pulmonologist uncle has been a mentor and guide helping him with feedback from professionals on initiatives laid out. Later, Ayush started reaching out to medical associations through social media, and managed to gain the attention of the Indian Medical Association too. He collaborated with its Maharashtra and Punjab chapters and impacted 20 hospitals staff with project Muskaan – encouraging frontline workers to bring their families to these virtual extravaganzas so they can spend some fun times together.
Even as frontline workers grappled with long hours and busy schedules, he persuaded the management to believe in Aashwas team’s intent and capabilities of putting up a good show, albeit an uphill task.
Leveraging technology for larger benefits
The class 12 graduate of Head Start Educational Academy, Bengaluru is a passionate coder, and has developed two android apps prior to his Aashwas initiative. “I have always been a techie and that’s why I plan to pursue computer science,” says he adding that the process of studying abroad is underway.
My goal is to make a difference in the lives of people and if my app can help lakhs of anganwadi workers identify malnourished children easily, it would be the first step towards realisation of my dream!@PMOIndia@MoHFW_INDIAhttps://t.co/Djzu6zUdTK
— Ayush Gharat (@_AyushGharat) May 4, 2019
“I have been learning coding through YouTube, Coursera etc since I was seven,” says the changemaker who designed his first app mNutrition while studying in grade nine. It can diagnose malnutrition in children, and it earned him international acclaim as a regional finalist from the Asia-Pacific region at the Google Science Fair 2018-19. Ayush has been named by Indiatimes as one of the ‘14 Young Innovators whose ideas can save the world, and make it a better place’. His second app Medrive, enables patients with chronic illnesses to store medical records online.
Inspirations and more….
The young changemaker’s parents, Leena Gharat (dentist), and Aniruddha Gharat (businessman) are his inspirations. “I have always looked up to my dad. He is very cordial and amiable. Looking at the relationship and bond he creates with people, I would like to emulate his persona,” says Ayush.
Ayush with his family
In awe of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, he gushes, “The entrepreneur and radical visionary is doing inspirational work to change the world for the better.” Aspiring to be an entrepreneur himself, away from his social initiatives, and coding, strumming the guitar is a stress buster, and he plays tabla as well. “I used to be shy and introverted. Aashwas helped me to come out of my comfort zone, gain confidence and grow as a person,” smiles the effervescent Ayush.
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