Global Indianstory Ashoka Young ChangemakerA bright Spark: Akarsh Shroff impacts thousands with his non-profit & social entrepreneurship

A bright Spark: Akarsh Shroff impacts thousands with his non-profit & social entrepreneurship

Written by: Amrita Priya

(April 26, 2022) Akarsh Shroff’s journey into volunteering started in school. As president of the social welfare committee, National Public School, RNR, Bengaluru, he visited orphanages and schools meant for the visually impaired. Appalled by the conditions, this changemaker decided to be proactive. Upon discussions with friends, he realised that they all wanted to do something for a social cause but lacked clarity on how to go about it. So, in 2018, the class 12 student started the NGO, Spark (socially productive and responsible Karnatakans) with an aim to address the gap and help the youth bring about progressive change.

Akarsh Shroff | Young Changemaker | Global Indian

Akarsh Shroff, founder and president, Yuva Spark

The young changemaker’s NGO has already impacted 82 lakh people in eight districts of Karnataka, raised ₹43 lakh, and rallied support in the form of medical equipment (oxygen concentrators etc) worth ₹17 lakh. In a conversation with Global Indian, the 21-year-old, who is now a final year computer science student of BITS Pilani, says, “My purpose has been to empower young adults to exhibit leadership skills for the welfare of others.” The initiatives earned him awards and titles galore – Forbes Teenpreneur ’20, Diana Award ’21, and an Ashoka Young Changemaker.

Leveraging social media’s power

Akarsh and his core team of nine members, leveraged the power of social media to activate youngsters as impact makers. Through his micro-influencer strategy, he has built a team of more than 600 volunteers from 35 institutions helming several youth-led projects.

The student-driven crowd funding organisation has partnered with communities and clubs in schools and colleges, and raised funds through events and social media campaigns. “In a span of 15 months during the first and second wave, we were able to raise ₹43 lakh,” smiles Akarsh.

Projects of impact

NGO Spark was renamed Yuva Spark, and it focuses on library enrichment and development initiatives to improve the quality of libraries in government schools with book collection drives through its project Lead Initiative. Its other projects, Utsaaha is a linguistic skill development initiative with weekend volunteering to develop presentation. Project Ullaasa is meant to develop communication and comprehension skills, while project Vineeta is a weekend volunteering programme at orphanages to provide academic mentorship and a support network.

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Focusing on child welfare Yuva Spark has come up with an orphanage in Bengaluru for 26 children in partnership with an organisation that takes care of day-to-day running.

“We have also recently signed an MOU with government of Karnataka for designing scalable digital education solution for 1,600 aganwadi centres,” informs Akarsh.

Statistically updated

Talking statistics, the young changemaker mentions, “Yuva Spark has impacted 5,000 plus through education projects, 11,000 when Covid was at its peak by means of ration, masks, sanitisers and other essentials, and 66,000 through medical equipment during the second wave. Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur Kuldeep Dantewadia of Reap Benefit helped me design impact assessment metrics,” says Akarsh.

Dream accomplished

The core team has very good representation from high school students, and with this, Akarsh’s aim to develop leadership in youngsters has seen fruition. All smiles, Akarsh mentions, “Our volunteer recruitment head has been a student of class 9 taking interviews of MBA-level students applying for internships. A class 11 student is the head of external relation and collaboration, while the head of finance has been a class 12 student who practically managed ₹43 lakh of our campaign!”

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Support matters

The final year student has learned to manage time with experience admitting that his third semester was difficult, as he was multi-tasking – a startup that closed, raising funds for his nonprofit, a research internship along with academics. However, he learned to manage time. “By the fifth semester, things started falling in place. I am able to manage my academics and non-profit with active participation of the NGO’s vice-president, Akarshan Mazumdar,” adds the social entrepreneur.

Akarsh with BITS Pilani friends

The young changemaker’s father is a former senior manager (HP), while his mother is a manager at Apple. His parents have been very involved with their non-profit which looks into healthcare in rural areas, making dialysis more affordable. “Right from the time I was eight, I was exposed to the social development sector. I got an opportunity to meet community workers and understand social impact because of my parents,” says Akarsh.

Yashveer Singh, founder of Ashoka Young Changemakers, and a school alumnus is hugely supportive, and helps Akarsh with ideation and networking.

The youngster sees himself immersed in social entrepreneurship, and upliftment of people in the future. He is all set to pursue a master’s in non-profit leadership from the University of Pennsylvania (he already has admission). The social leader, and development sector enthusiast finds Netflix, cricket and occasional badminton his go to if at all time permits.

Follow Akarsh Shroff on LinkedIn and Instagram

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Published on 26, Apr 2022

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How Tanishq Joshi danced his way from Indore to LA

(October 28, 2022) A dance career came through a twist of fate, when Tanishq Joshi met with an accident in his hometown in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. It set in motion a new phase in Tanishq's life and since then, he has trained with choreographers like Devin Solomon, Samantha Caudle and Denzel Chisolm. In October 2022, Tanishq, or 'Taneesky', as he is known, became the first South Asian artiste to be signed by MSA (McDonalds/Selznick Associations). Now, the young dancer is among an elite group of global performers, including Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Brown, all of whom have worked with MSA. Taneesky is already a well-known name, both in India and abroad, as the Global Indian has quite a list of achievements to his credit. He grew up in India and went on to train extensively in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. It has resulted in a unique style, a blend of western street techniques with Indian dance styles, that has allowed Tanishq to fit both with American and Indian audiences. Tanishq has performed as the lead dancer for Yo Yo Honey Singh and opened for the award-winning singer/rapper Pharrell Williams at the Something in the Water Music festival

pened for the award-winning singer/rapper Pharrell Williams at the Something in the Water Music festival in Virginia, before an audience of 100,000.

[caption id="attachment_23516" align="aligncenter" width="402"] Tanishq Joshi. Photo: Instagram[/caption]

From Indore to the United States

Growing up, Tanishq wanted to play soccer, like most boys his age. Although he showed a natural talent for dance, taking inspiration from Hritik Roshan and Ganesh Hegde to perform at school events, he never thought about it as a career. That changed when he was in the tenth grade. Tanishq was hit by a car, leaving him with multiple fractures in his left leg.

After a series of painful surgeries, which involved the insertion of metal rods and screws, Tanishq was put in an extended rehabilitation programme. "After a year of long recovery, I had been advised by the doctors to undergo physical therapy. Instead of signing up for a traditional physical therapy session, I joined a dance class in the area and that's where I discovered my passion for dance," Tanishq told VoyageLA. It was a slow, slow process. "In the beginning - and in a super-beginners'-level dance class, there was one step that took me three or four days to get," he told Dance Spirit.

A couple of years later, Tanishq moved to the United States to study Finance at Drexel University, where he had been awarded a full scholarship. "I even earned $25,000 from Live Mas Scholarship by the Taco Bell Foundation for showcasing my outstanding leadership in dance," he said.

Rising above challenges

Even with all the doors that had opened for him, life in the US was not easy. Tanishq devoted himself to training as much as possible, supporting himself with a 9 to 5, working at part-time gig as a barista in Starbucks and taking a full course load at university. It meant a packed schedule with half a dozen classes to attend, work hours till 10 pm and returning home to catch up with academics until midnight. Still, he would go out into the streets at night to freestyle, to choreograph and to learn.

Tanishq's hard work paid off when he was spotted by dance crew, Creative Reaction. Every weekend, he would hop on the bus from Philadelphia, where he lived, to New York city for classes on weekends. "My perseverance started paying off when I choreographed and danced for my team at World of Dance, Philadelphia and won second place," he said, in the interview with VoyageLA.

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A post shared by Tanishq Joshi (@taneesky)

However, his student visa prohibited him from working anywhere except the university itself. He was not allowed to earn money through dance. Instead, he hosted free classes, holding open sessions and putting out calls to dancers across the city. Tanishq wanted the dance circuit to know his name. And although his talent was appreciated, he was still stereotyped.

LA calling

When he arrived in LA, Tanishq had to deal with what is possibly another form of racism - the stereotype. "I was always seen as a good dancer 'for an Indian'," he says. "This notion bothered me until I started making this my strength." Instead of shunning his cultural heritage, Tanishq learned to lean into it. Now he teaches at some of LA's biggest dance studios but makes sure he fuses Bollywood music with Hip Hop or Popping.

"I'm challenging the stereotype in the baddest way I can," he remarks. "I'm proud to be an Indian and it runs through my veins." Indian he might be but Tanishq has found appeal among American audiences too, making a name for himself in the LA dance industries, starring in music videos and taking on other big projects. "I'm not just a really good dancer 'for an Indian'. I'm skilled and my craft speaks for itself. Period."

All this resulted in Tanishq developing a style that is uniquely his own. The boy who wanted to hide from the world - his culture, background, country and family - became his source of strength. He auditioned constantly for multiple agencies and failed to get into any. He learned then that it wasn't about skill, it was the fact that he wasn't 6'2, muscular black man. So, he leaned into who he was, rather than who he imagined himself to be and began dancing to Bollywood.

The entrepreneur

When he graduated from college, Tanishq decided to establish his own e-commerce business, Asha Creative, LLC, providing dance and choreography services to brands across platforms. The big brands came calling - "I worked as a choreographer and director for a social media ad campaign for Fanta," he said.

As his social media presence increased, Tanishq was invited to take classes and attend programmes around the world, including India, London and the Middle East. The pandemic hit around this time although he didn't let it get him down. "I trained at home and taught online via Zoom in multiple countries," he says. Tanishq's dance videos were reposted by superstars like Shakira, Missy Elliot and the Black-Eyed Peas. "I also became one of the first South Asians to teach at globally renowned dance studios like Tmilly TV, Snowglobe Perspective and the West Course Dance Theatre.

Follow Tanishq on Instagram

The strong Indian presence at Sweden’s Children’s Climate Prize

(January 10, 2023) Indian-origin youngsters have set a benchmark in global Spelling Bees and have, over the last few years, begun to make their mark in environmental activism too, surging past their peers from around the globe to bag the International Children’s Climate Prize. For the last four years, Indian-origin innovators have won the SEK 100,000 awarded by Swedish company Telge Energi as part of the prestigious prize. The winners of the prize also receive a diploma and medal along with the cash award to continue developing their projects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-glFd5QsUoc Telge Energi is a frontrunner in renewable energy and deals with solar, wind, and hydro power. To support young people's actions to bring sustainable solutions for the planet earth, it set up the Children’s Climate Foundation. The initiative is an integral part of the organisation’s ongoing work for sustainable development and production of renewable energy for improved climate and environment. Global Indian celebrates the Indian-origin winners of the International Children's Climate Prize. Sparsh Nirav, winner 2022 Resident of Patna, India Solution: The Thermal Floater Coming from the rural side of Patna, Sparsh Nirav understands well the pain of frequent power cuts. As a solution, he designed a thermal floater, a

s an integral part of the organisation’s ongoing work for sustainable development and production of renewable energy for improved climate and environment.

Global Indian celebrates the Indian-origin winners of the International Children's Climate Prize.

Sparsh Nirav, winner 2022

Resident of Patna, India
Solution: The Thermal Floater

Coming from the rural side of Patna, Sparsh Nirav understands well the pain of frequent power cuts. As a solution, he designed a thermal floater, a device that converts thermal energy from the sun into electrical energy. Sparsh's floating device can easily be installed on inland or stagnant water bodies. The device is small – a mere 15 cm x 15 cm – and can be connected to several units to generate increased amounts of energy. The jury was impressed to learn that his solution is three times more efficient than a typical solar panel of the same size. Apart from converting thermal energy, the device provides a range of environmental benefits, including the reduction of evaporation (increasing water availability for other uses) and the reduction of algal bloom in freshwater. 

[caption id="attachment_26347" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Sparsh Nirav[/caption]

 Since it makes use of water surfaces, such as dam reservoirs, wastewater treatment ponds or drinking water reservoirs, it reduces pressure on land resources. The jury of Children's Climate Prize found the idea innovative, easy to implement and accessible enough in countries where land resources are scarce, “This solution creates a huge potential globally,” remarked the climate prize jury.

Reshma Kosaraju, winner 2021

Resident of Saratoga, USA
Solution: AI against forest fires

US-resident Reshma is well aware of forest fires and the damage they can cause. The problem exists on a global scale, causing thousands of premature deaths and posing a threat to animals and nature, making Reshma’s project stand out in the eyes of the jury.

[caption id="attachment_26348" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Reshma Kosharaju[/caption]

Her AI based solution claims to predict forest fires with almost ninety percent accuracy. Reshma’s solution makes use of open data like temperature, humidity, wind speed, soil moisture and human behavior, along with artificial intelligence, to calculate the probability of the forest fire and its extent. “A clear and scalable business concept, with a global approach to accessibility,” is what the jury felt about Reshma’s solution.

Vinisha Umashankar, winner 2020

Resident of Tiruvannamalai, India
Solution: The Solar Ironing Cart

Vinisha has seen numerous ironing carts on Indian streets, all using charcoal to heat the device. ‘There are millions of ironing carts in India and together they must be using tons of charcoal every day’, she thought. Realising that the coal consumes large amounts of wood, pollutes the air and contributes to climate change, Vinisha created a solar powered ironing cart to find a sustainable alternative.

[caption id="attachment_26353" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Vinisha Umashankar[/caption]

My generation and I would live to see the consequences of our action today. I am not just a girl from India, I am a girl of the earth and I am proud to be so. We need to stop talking about old debates but a new vision for new future,” remarked Vinisha at the COP26summit.

Aadya Joshi, winner, 2020

Resident of Mumbai, India
Solution: The Right Green

Deforestation is the second-leading cause of climate change and an issue that Aadya Joshi wanted to address. She founded The Right Green, a BioPower Index, which is a database carrying information about more than 15,000 plant-insect feeding relationships from different eco-regions of India. The Index enables gardeners, landscapers and civic authorities to plant the best biodiversity supporting plants as per the characteristics of the region they are based in.

[caption id="attachment_26350" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Aadya Joshi[/caption]

Aadya has also conducted educational and outreach workshops enabling and empowering communities to restore healthy ecosystems, which are rich in biodiversity, to address climate change. “As the winner of the Children’s Climate Prize, I was given the chance to talk at the India International Science Fair and it was a very big moment for me. India’s Prime Minister was there as well as all the heads of the scientific departments in the government,” she said in an interview.

Shreya Ramachandran, winner, 2019

Resident of Fremont, USA
Solution: The Grey Water Project

Shreya witnessed the wastage of water in households and came up with a solution to address this. Realising that almost fifty percent of water used annually in a household can be reused for activities like watering the plants in the garden, she developed the Grey Water Project.

[caption id="attachment_26351" align="aligncenter" width="613"] Shreya Ramachandran[/caption]

She built a grey water cleaning system with soap nuts that make grey water reusable. Shreya has been teaching people how to install their own grey water systems with regular workshops on water reuse and conservation. “Shreya is working to save the source of life,” remarked the jury of children’s climate prize.

Vihaan and Nav Agarwal, winners, 2019

Residents of New Delhi, India
Solution: One Step Greener

Siblings Nav and Vihaan Agarwal founded an NGO, One Step Greener, to fight the deadly air pollution of the Northern India, especially the NCR region. Their organisation strives for a zero-waste future with the goal to reduce air pollution and improve the health and wellbeing of people.

[caption id="attachment_26354" align="aligncenter" width="719"] Vihaan and Nav Agarwal[/caption]

Since they live in New Delhi, which is one of the worst cities in terms of air quality, they have been educating people about the importance of recycling waste at source and offering door-to-door dry waste pick-ups, to counteract the garbage that is burned on large dumps. “We realised that trash and air-pollution are heavily interrelated, and we wanted to do something to change this. This situation can be avoided by taking simple steps,” said Vihan Agarwal in a video to promote good garbage dumping practices.

Follow Children's Climate Prize on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn

Reading Time: 7 mins

Meet Sneha Revanur, the Gen Z activist championing AI governance

(September 16, 2023) In an ever-evolving world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, a glaring gap in governance looms large. Despite the awe-inspiring strides of AI and its integration into our daily lives, governments worldwide have yet to craft the essential regulations and laws needed to both unlock AI's immense potential and guard against its unforeseen risks. There, however, is one young Indian American activist who is taking these issues head-on - Sneha Revanur. The 18-year-old student of Williams College in Massachusetts, is the founder and President of Encode Justice, the world’s first and largest youth activist group in AI. And just about a few days back, the young activist was recognised on the ‘Time AI 100,’ the magazine’s maiden list of people who work with this emerging technology and “make critical decisions on when and how to best use it." "I am working towards safeguarding human rights, you know, democracy and equity in the age of artificial intelligence," the Global Indian recently said in an interview, adding, "Encode Justice emerged from that ballot campaign with a focus on the use of AI algorithms in surveillance and the criminal justice system. It currently boasts a membership of 600 high school and

://www.globalindian.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Indian recently said in an interview, adding, "Encode Justice emerged from that ballot campaign with a focus on the use of AI algorithms in surveillance and the criminal justice system. It currently boasts a membership of 600 high school and college students across 30 countries."

Diving in the world of AI

Originally from San Jose in Silicon Valley, the young activist started getting involved in tech advocacy when she was just 15. In 2020, she volunteered for a campaign that stopped a law in California that wanted to replace cash bail with a computer system. She got interested in it when she read an article in The New York Times about a clever AI chatbot. Lately, people have been worried that generative AI might trick and control people, and they're also concerned about a more advanced type of AI called "artificial general intelligence."

Speaking about her involvement in the campaign in California, the activist shared, "I came across an investigation into an algorithm called COMPAS, which is a risk assessment tool used to evaluate whether a defendant is at risk of committing further crimes or recidivating in the period between their arrest and sentencing. That really was my first encounter with this realm of algorithmic injustice and the existence of AI bias. What I found out through that investigation was that the algorithm was actually twice as likely to rate Black defendants as high risk even when they weren't going to commit any future crimes. We oftentimes perceive technology as perfectly scientific, objective, and neutral, but in reality, it's actually amplifying and encoding the existing systems of oppression. That really shocked me. Later, when I found out that there was a ballot measure in my home state of California in the US that would have expanded the use of the same sort of algorithms, I knew I had to do something."

[caption id="attachment_33104" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Sneha is a student of Williams College in Massachusetts[/caption]

The activist adds, "I was outraged to see that there was almost no youth involvement in fighting the measure and there was no organised pushback to it. So, I decided to jump onto the scene and we formed Encode Justice and our first initiative was focussed on fighting that ballot measure, California Proposition 25. After dedicated organising and advocating we were able to eventually defeat the measure by a 13 percent margin. That was a pretty energising victory for all of us."

Leading the way

In her inaugural year as a college freshman, Sneha couldn't help but observe the swift integration of the term "ChatGPT" into the daily vocabulary of our world. It struck her as a compelling development, one that bore witness to the remarkable adaptability of Generation Z in embracing generative AI tools. For the activist, this newfound omnipresence of AI in her generation's lives seemed to beckon an essential question: if they were at the forefront of its utilisation, should they not also play a pivotal role in shaping its regulatory landscape?

[caption id="attachment_33105" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Sneha speaking at a conference held at the White House[/caption]

"Our generation possesses probably the highest rates of digital literacy, we have been exposed to technology all of our lives; it's always been at our fingertips. And I think that it gives us a unique understanding of human-computer interaction, our relationship with technology, and also how it shapes our worldview. And that's why I think it is important for young people across the world to talk about this new technology and its long-term impact on society at large," the activist shared.

In 2022, the activist took a leading role in orchestrating an open letter, urging congressional leaders and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to integrate the perspectives of the younger generation into AI oversight and advisory boards. Her advocacy didn't go unnoticed; shortly thereafter, she received an invitation to participate in a high-level roundtable conversation on artificial intelligence, graciously hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris. “For the first time, young people were being treated as the critical stakeholders that we are when it comes to regulating AI and really understanding its impacts on society,” she told Time, "We are the next generation of users, consumers, advocates, and developers, and we deserve a seat at the table.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnfumRZL0Go

Talking about her future plans, the activist mentioned, "I am planning to continue to expand our current initiative to ban facial recognition. I also hope to continue to expand internationally and to elevate diverse perspectives, especially perspectives from the Global South, on AI development. I wish to reach out to more and more young people - especially through Encode Justice's workshop programmes."

Follow Sneha Revanur on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Reading Time: 5 mins

Scientist, innovator, TEDx speaker, trainee pilot – how teenage prodigy Gitanjali Rao is raising the bar

“I know a lot of people say that kids are the future, but I want to spread the message that we are here now, and we can make a difference.” - 11-year-old Gitanjali Rao in 2017 Meet Indian American teen scientist and TIME’s First Kid of the Year, Gitanjali Rao. She is wise, confident, knowledgeable, self-assured and loves reading Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s websites. A chat with her is refreshing: Lucid thoughts flow almost as if scripted. It’s hard to fathom how a 4 foot something girl with sparkling eyes oozes such clarity. Picture a pre-teen walking into the Denver Water Treatment plant with a lab coat over gummies, and holding forte among science professionals. https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1356357624376287233?s=20 In an exclusive interview with Global Indian, She radiates poise as she speaks on her first prototype in use – Tethys, which detects lead contamination in water and shares that information through Bluetooth. Her occasional giggles make this child scientist more endearing. Today, at 15, she has 11 innovations to her name, of which three are in the prototype stage with one released. Innovation-driven by empathy Gitanjali, named after Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s famous book of poems, has an altruistic sense of scientific purpose that takes one aback. In 3M’s Not the Science Type docuseries, she says: “All of us can make a difference. It’s just about finding that one thing

, She radiates poise as she speaks on her first prototype in use – Tethys, which detects lead contamination in water and shares that information through Bluetooth. Her occasional giggles make this child scientist more endearing. Today, at 15, she has 11 innovations to her name, of which three are in the prototype stage with one released.

Innovation-driven by empathy

Gitanjali, named after Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s famous book of poems, has an altruistic sense of scientific purpose that takes one aback. In 3M’s Not the Science Type docuseries, she says:

“All of us can make a difference. It’s just about finding that one thing you want to change, and changing it. I want to use science to inspire kindness. Find yourself with it.”

https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1334727929037606912?s=20

Wearing multiple hats

A weighty quest for science guides the toothy teen scientist. She is described as a Forbes 30 Under 30, America's Top Young Scientist, TEDx Speaker, STEM Promoter, TIME Top Young Innovator, author and student. Moreover, she is a proficient glider, pianist, classical dancer, fencer, and a (self-proclaimed) average cook. This quest started with her proclivity to ask questions. Years on, those very questions led her to solutions. First, she tackled water scarcity and contamination that led to the Tethys prototype at just 11.

[caption id="attachment_5592" align="aligncenter" width="426"] At the age of 15, Gitanjali Rao has 11 innovations to her name.[/caption]

The technology, Rao says, can be easily enhanced to other contaminants. “More students, especially in the recent Regeneron Science Talent Research, Stockholm Junior Water Prize, etc have taken the same technology and enhanced it for other contaminants or water purification with doped nanotubes. Arsenic, Mercury and Cadmium are a few,” she tells Global Indian in an exclusive interview. Further, she has provided some Brazilian students her solution for further research.

“I am in the process of working with American Water Works Association to explore influencing state and federal policies on water testing,” says Rao.

She paid for Tethys materials through her Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge prize money, which she won when she was barely 12.

Addressing the opioid crisis

Rao became fixated with another question – how to address the opioid crisis - when a family friend was prescribed opioids after an accident. She developed Epione – a tool to diagnose prescription opioid addiction using an ELISA-based protein detection method. Epione works on a fluid sample and uses protein expression from the mu-opioid receptor gene to find out if a patient is at the onset of addiction. “The device uses standard colorimetry processes to identify addiction status. Results on a mobile app show the status of addiction, and includes a map of the nearest addiction centre,” Rao adds about this early-stage research.

[caption id="attachment_5611" align="alignnone" width="852"] Gitanjali Rao enjoys talking about science with kids.[/caption]

Parental guidance

Rao feels her upbringing - thinking, trying and ideating differently were encouraged - made problem-solving a habit. She probably inherited intellectual rigor from her parents - Rama and Bharathi Rao, who migrated from Mangalore to the US and have strong academic credentials. Her parents instilled the freedom to choose and that she says taught her to be resourceful and take risks.

“If I felt like learning to fly a glider, I had to earn it, find a scholarship. If I wanted to attend a space camp, I had to search for scholarships and apply. To learn more about a concept, they would help me search for an expert, article or professor. They ensured I was safe, and allowed me to take risks.”

Today, she has a student’s flying license and can fly a glider.

[caption id="attachment_5593" align="alignnone" width="1010"] Gitanjali Rao learning how to fly.[/caption]

The Raos knew they were raising a special kid very early on. As a 10-year-old, a parent can expect the kid to ask for a new video game or a toy but the Raos had to service a carbon nanotube request.

'Kindly' to prevent cyberbullying

Among the other technologies that Rao has developed is Kindly, where she started with the question of how to prevent cyber threats. Kindly is an anti-cyber-bullying app that detects words related to cyberbullying using machine learning and natural language processing. As trailblazers go, her meeting with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella helped guide her with the initial prototype for Kindly. In an awe-inspiring meeting, Nadella was “kind enough to meet a 13-year-old, listen to her ideas and support,” she says.

Kindly has a Beta standalone app and browser extension now, and she has partnered with UNICEF to roll this out as a product that can be used worldwide to measure the number of preventable cyberbullying events.

Promoting STEM education through innovation workshops

A three-time TEDx speaker and winner of the US President’s Environmental Youth Award, Rao is hoping to solicit new innovators to address the world’s problems through her innovation workshops. She has already reached about 50,000 students in 26 countries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBEPYDLD3vg

“I hope to reach out to 50,000 more by 2021-end in partnership with MJP Foundation for schools in Cambodia, Royal Academy of Engineering for students in the UK, Transformation Ghana, and individual schools in India,” says the girl, who is now working on parasitic water contamination detection using genetic engineering. The key is to inspire girls to be unafraid of science and technology and help them connect it to real impact. But challenges abound. A workshop for girls in Gaza was canceled due to security issues. In Afghanistan and Chile, her struggle was to help people understand her accent.

“In a refugee camp in Kenya, some students had to walk 45 minutes just to listen, and had to leave before dark.”

The students at Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp started their own STEM classes using Rao’s book (A Young Innovators Guide to STEM – 5 Steps for Problem Solving).

“Schools in India that reach out and facilitate are much easier, though I have to tune my message for kindness, empathy, and collaboration.”

The TIME accolade has amplified her voice to influence and introduce innovation into the early education system. Since April 2018, Gitanjali has been working with UNICEF and was recognized as one of America’s Top Youth volunteers by Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. She even donated to UNICEF’s India COVID-19 response.

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

A family girl

She is often teased by her family that she might be “Kid of the Year” but she still has to do her chores and clean her room. Her friends can’t fathom how America’s top kid scientist forgets adding key ingredients like melted butter while baking.

Her Indianness comes out in glimpses - eating hot bhajiyas on a rainy day. Or sipping on borrowed chai from her mom with a Parle G biscuit or rusk. Due to the pandemic, Gitanjali missed her yearly visits to India to see her maternal grandparents in Navi Mumbai and paternal grandfather in Hyderabad. But she’s thankful they are in the US now.

Mentored by icons

Having good mentors is an important crucible in any Global Indian’s journey. Rao speaks of being under the tutelage of Dr Kathleen Shafer from 3M (Tethys), Dr Selene Hernandez (Denver Water), and Dr Michael McMurray who guided her on genetic engineering concepts. Moving forward, her goal is to reach out to the US Department of Education to bring innovation into daily curriculum, which means innovations in education.

[caption id="attachment_4066" align="alignnone" width="425"] When Global Indians meet: Gitanjali Rao with 3M's chief science advocate Jayshree Seth in 2018[/caption]

Marvel’s hero project

Gitanjali was featured in the web series Marvel’s Hero Project as Genius Gitanjali for her valuable contributions to society.

“I think that being a scientist is like being a superhero, because superheroes save people, and want to do what is best for their society – scientists do the same exact thing,” she earlier told Google.

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How Bal Puraskar winners are shaping kid entrepreneurs

(February 11, 2022) These young achievers stepped up in the darkest times, helping society find relief during an unprecedented lockdown. They reached out to other children in need. The Bal Puraskar winners are in the limelight today, and are inspiring other pint-sized thinkers to address world issues. Holding his mother's hand and clutching an outsized bouquet, eight-year-old Pal Sakshi stepped out of the district magistrate's office, into a sea of cameramen outside. Despite the media attention, Sakshi's concerns were more pragmatic - as they walked through the crowd, he asked his mother where he could keep his bouquet at home. The eight-year-old prodigy, also a keen volunteer with the Swachh Bharat Mission, is one of four recipients of the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022. As the country battled the pandemic, trying to survive the lockdowns in safety, Sakshi began conducting musical performances online for charity, sending the proceeds to the PM Cares Fund. That’s not all, the pre-teen whiz kid even developed an app to create awareness about Covid-19, listing various ways to stay safe. These efforts cannot be allowed to go in vain. and while the award ceremony was cancelled last year, the awardees were given a digital certificate, using

l certificate, using blockchain technology created by the government for the purpose.

Shaping young entrepreneurs

As Bal Puraskar awardees dominate the public discourse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has even remarked, “While talking to you, I feel that the Indian government's efforts over the past few years to create jobs are having an impact. We have been promoting the idea of entrepreneurship in young people so they can make the nation stronger.” These words were said to 11-year-old Meedhansh, as he received his award at the local district administrative complex. When the Janta Curfew was imposed in March 2020, Meedhansh launched www.coronafreeworld.com, working tirelessly to post information on his online platform. He even started a medical helping service and has participated in the state-level corona prevention project, Mission Fateh, launched by a former CM of Punjab. He was also awarded by the government of Punjab for developing Mission Fateh's IT portal.

A solution to pandemic woes

The four young recipients are, undoubtedly, a powerhouse of talent. And each has tried to utilise those abilities towards making the world a better place. Through his portal, karnalcovid.in, 17-year-old Aakarsh Kaushal helped people in his district find access to real-time data regarding cases, deaths and RT-PCR test reports. Moved by what he saw during the pandemic, Aakarsh, always a passionate coder, decided to create the portal, which has had over 2,00,000 visitors. “Around the same number of RT PCR reports have been sent to patients directly on phones,” he posted on Facebook. He also created a portal to track the availability of beds in Karnal district, where the situation had grown dire. In the end, the initiative came to the authorities’ aid too, especially as it became a credible source of information.

Timely recognition can go a long way. Prasiddhi Singh, the 2021 awardee for social welfare, feels, “The award gave me recognition, and also a sense of responsibility towards society and the planet. To me, awards are not the destination but the motivation to achieve more.”

Driven to do more

Far from being driven to complacency, with recognition so early in life, these youngsters are even more driven. Prasiddhi is working on her latest mission, to plant one lakh trees by the end of 2022. Describing the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar as a “catalyst,” she says, “My mission to plant one lakh trees by the end of 2022 is almost complete, and I hope to accomplish the milestone with everybody’s support.”

It's the “magic mantra,” avers Anjali Razdan, director, academics, Meluha International School, Hyderabad. “Whether it is in a child or an adult, being recognised generates lifelong motivation. The appreciation coming from the Prime Minister will go a long way in shaping their character, building patriotic sensibilities and a liberated mindset, all ingredients for inculcating good citizenship.”

Visionaries beyond their years

Sixteen-year-old Abhinav was described as “wise” by the Prime Minister on Twitter. “Reading is among the greatest joys in our society. The wise Abhinav is using technology to popularise books and has helped many youngsters,” he tweeted. During the lockdowns, Abhinav helped 10,000 underprivileged children who couldn’t afford new books, by arranging second-hand copies through an online store, Cruise Books, designed for the purpose. He helped the reselling of some 30,000 books, and in the process, did the planet a good turn too. “I helped save around 19,000 trees,” he told the PM. His web store even provides low-cost printing services all over India, making it easy to sell and collect used books.

Although the young awardees say they would have no laurels without the support of their families and mentors, they are beyond doubt, stars in their own right. As the PM rightly emphasised, “for doing good, age is not a barrier. Youngsters have the potential to transform society for the better.”

(With inputs from Charu Thakur)

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