Write of passage: Teen Manasi Patil brandishes Gen Z through her creative spirit
Written by: Ranjani Rajendra
(February 9, 2022) In the bustling city of Mumbai lives 15-year-old Manasi Patil, a budding Indian teen author, TEDx speaker, and Stem aspirant. As she navigates life through a fast-paced city, her looming board exams, and varied interests, one thing is clear – if you have the will to do things, you will, regardless of the juggle involved. Through it all, she has been keen to reinforce the Gen Z potential through articles, events and workshops at schools.
In fact, this Indian teen author’s work has earned her five awards in 2021 itself. From Indian Achievers Award for Gen Z empowerment, 20 Under 20 Influencer Awards by Sri Venkateswara College, Inspiring Leadership Award, The Daily Point of Light Award, which is given in memory of former US President George Bush, to the Global Sustainability Award, Manasi has been raking in laurels through her grit, determination, and hard work.
Books started her journey
Born in Bhusawal, Maharashtra, to Gauri Patil, a math professor, and Mahesh Patil, a software engineer, the class X student now lives in Mumbai with her family, including her younger brother Shreekrishna. The student at St Paul’s Convent High School, discovered her love for books early on and confesses that she could spend hours curled up with a good book. “I’ve wanted to be an author since I was eight-years-old and have always loved reading. However, things began moving when the lockdown happened. Stuck at home, I began writing a little story in a notebook,” Manasi tells Global Indian, adding, “Before I knew it, this story grew into a full-fledged book.”
As she completed her book, she began looking for publishers. Her research led her to discover self-publishing and the teenager decided to go down that route with the support of her parents. So, in May 2020, this Indian teen author released her first book The Cousins’ Crime, a mystery, through Kindle Direct Publishing. “When I began writing, I wrote predominantly for myself. Selling my books was not on my mind. I wrote to Ann Evans, one of my favourite authors to review my book, and she did,” beams Manasi. The positive review encouraged Manasi to write her second book Why Ignore Them, a non-fiction work on the nine problems of the world.
Manasi during her TED talk
Then came the blog…
Her success spurred her to start her blog and she also began contributing as a writer and editor for various publications such as The Scientific Teen, RobinAge and Mind Champs. Manasi, who has a keen interest in all things science, plans to pursue a career in Stem also joined the New York Academy of Sciences in 2021 and is currently working on a project to restore aquatic ecosystems. The teen, who has been writing about space science at RobinAge for a year now, says that her favourite subjects are math and science; specifically, astrophysics. Space science is also an area of interest.
However, writing and space science are only a small part of her varied interests. At the core is her interest in reinforcing Gen Z’s potential through articles, events and workshops. To this end, the teen was also invited to deliver a TED talk on Being Your Own Candle for a TEDx Youth Event in Australia in 2021. “TED talks were always a dream; I would religiously watch TED videos and always wanted to be on the platform,” quips Manasi, adding that she delivered her talk online due to the pandemic.
Being the change
One of the biggest advantages of her global exposure through her work, says Manasi, is the fact that she has had the opportunity to work with changemakers from across the world including with Illana Raia of Etre, a mentorship platform for girls. Manasi is also on the board of several organisations including Etre, Nexteen, and The Clippers Child Council of India. The 10th grader, who loves bringing ideas to life, also loves listening to music and counts Arijit Singh and Taylor Swift as her favourites.
So how does this youngster, who has a finger in several pies, juggle her routine? “My principle is that you can if you have the will to do things,” she smiles, adding, “I usually break up tasks as either urgent or important, and address them accordingly. The rest I do once I’ve ticked off everything from the first two lists. However, if there are exams around the corner then my extra-curricular activities take a backseat.” As they currently have, as this bibliophile gears up for her board exams in the next few months.
(February 16, 2023) As per a recent study by German food ordering company Lieferando, Indian food is the second most popular cuisine on social media and had the fastest growth rate of 41 percent. In the last two decades, several young chefs from the Indian diaspora are tapping into the potential of regional Indian food and stacking it with consciousness, innovation, and creativity. Interestingly, a young chef from Kolkata - Naureen Shaikh - recently won the bronze trophy at the International Young Chef Olympiad, defeating 50 participants from various other countries. And she is not the only one. The culinary world is witnessing a rise of many young Indian or Indian-origin chefs, who are carving a niche for themselves. Global Indian puts the spotlight on young chefs who are changing the international perception of Indian food from spice-laden meals to delicate cuisine. Naureen Shaikh Going against her mother, who wanted her to pursue a degree in social sciences and become an IAS officer, Naureen Shaikh took admission to a hotel management institute to follow her dream of becoming a chef. And making her mother very proud, the 20-year-old recently won the bronze cup at the International Young Chef Olympiad, held
a chef. And making her mother very proud, the 20-year-old recently won the bronze cup at the International Young Chef Olympiad, held in Goa. The chef, who prepared two portions of French omelette, four portions of a prawn entree, and dessert for the finale, shared in a press conference that her love for cooking started at quite a young age. " My interest in cooking started when I was in Class VIII and I would always look for feedback on what I had prepared because that would help me improve,” she said.
For about six months before the competition, she would spend almost 12 hours in the institute 'making the same dish over and over again'. “It was exhausting and at times frustrating. But hard work, consistency, and dedication matter. It was a Michelin-star restaurant. Working in the kitchen, I learnt that the customer gives us bread and butter and we have to give them value for money," shared the young chef, who wishes to open a restaurant in Kolkata in the next few years.
Arnav Kamulkar
While his classmates at J.P. Stevens High School in New Jersey were looking up which college to apply to, this 17-year-old chef was busy experimenting with new recipes and designing a menu for his restaurant - Clove 12. Redefining the genre of the typical Indian restaurant with innovation and uniqueness, Arnav Kamulkar began cooking at the age of 6 with traditional Indian dishes because that's what his mother made. When she became a "bit explorative" and tried other cuisines, Kamulkar, who was her sous chef, found his spark. "From there it just kind of snowballed. I started making my own stuff. Originally, I was just helping my mom cook vegetables and watching her cook and then slowly I wanted to make my own recipes, and do my own stuff. And that's how it kind of led to what I'm doing today," the chef told in an interview.
Drawing inspiration from across the globe, the young chef features fusion offerings at his restaurant, that according to him, "marry the best flavors from all cuisines to provide a one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience." Speaking about his plans for his restaurant going ahead, the teen chef said, "I'll explore gastronomy. I'll do molecular cooking. Like, sometimes I'll make plant-based caviar. And I'll also do fusion foods, like Indian tacos. Clove 12 is definitely a mix of all cuisines. Although I do like to keep a bit of a foundation of Indian food because that's how I first learned how to cook."
Madhumitha K P
Just 19, and already ruling the culinary world. Bengaluru's Madhumitha K P represented India at the 2019 Young Chef Olympiad and came back home with a shining trophy. Though none of her family members are into this profession, she was inspired by her mother and dreamt of becoming a famous chef. "Even as a young girl I would cook at home under my mom's supervision, and by the time I finished my schooling, I was sure that I wanted to do hotel management."
The young chef wants to work in a standalone restaurant in Europe in the coming years and hopes that it will give her the necessary experience in cooking. In the next five years, she aims to start her own food court chain across India. She also hopes to adopt orphanages and old age homes so that she can provide them with regular food.
Dev Mishra
Who can forget 13-year-old Dev Mishra - the young chef who bowled over top Australian chefs with his finger-licking lamb mughlai curry? The teen chef earned rave reviews from the judges on the show Junior MasterChef Australia, for his first-ever meal in the show, with chef Jock Zonfrillo saying, “I feel as if I’m eating at your table at home with your parents and your brothers.”
Like many chefs across the world, Dev's love for cooking was inspired by his mother. "I started learning to cook for as long as I can remember. My mum always wanted my brother and me to be independent and she encouraged us to learn cooking. My first memory of cooking is when my mum would give me some dough to knead and roll to make roti or mix and prepare ingredients," the youngster had informed during an interview. Currently running successful YouTube and Instagram food channels, the young chef plans on opening his chain of restaurants. "My restaurant will serve food from across the world. I cook different cuisines, and I try to recreate authentic flavours with my twist to them. That’s what I want to showcase at my restaurant," he shared.
(March 23, 2024) Prajwal Pingali loves to challenge his lungs and limbs, 24x7. Each time the youngster bounces his way down the rutted trails and rocks on his mountain bike, he’s on cloud nine. He has had his share of nasty falls and close shaves, but that hardly comes in the way of his next big adventure. “I love the feeling that no matter how hard you prepare for the race, you will always be bested by the mountains. They are brutal to everyone and especially those who set out to win,” smiles ace mountain biker and cyclist Prajwal Pingali, as he settles down for an exclusive with Global Indian. Racing life From the US to India and Belgium to Germany, the 22-year-old has been riding non-stop in the last few years, participating in one event after the other, both nationally and internationally. “Mountain biking really requires very little to get in. You need a bike, safety gear, and a positive attitude,” says Prajwal. The youngster has been cycling since his days in the US, where his family had shifted for four years, since 2001. “But I only started cycling as a sport around 2012 after moving back to Hyderabad when a
ternationally. “Mountain biking really requires very little to get in. You need a bike, safety gear, and a positive attitude,” says Prajwal.
The youngster has been cycling since his days in the US, where his family had shifted for four years, since 2001. “But I only started cycling as a sport around 2012 after moving back to Hyderabad when a friend of mine rode 66 km on his cycle with his dad for Independence Day,” he recalls.
That sparked something in Prajwal Pingali and he knew he had to give it a try. He joined his friend for a couple of short rides ranging from 2-5 km and decided to train up for the 100km Republic Day Ride. “It took a bit of time to build up the confidence and strength to undertake such a ride. Finally in 2014 I completed my first 100km ride with my friend on Republic Day.”
Long rides
Things developed quickly from there. In 2014, Prajwal rode 500-km from Hyderabad to Sevagram within three days. Thereafter, he kept riding the Ultra-endurance rides with different groups. In 2016, he met riders and the owners of The Bike Affair, a specialty bike store in Hyderabad. “They were extremely friendly and welcoming. I bought my first road bike at the end of the same year for an 800 km ride from Chikmagalur to Gokarna. It was with this same group that I enrolled for my first road race in December 2016,” he says.
But that turned out to be an unpleasant experience for Prajwal as he couldn’t keep up and didn’t finish the race in the end. “That was not going to pass with me. I was determined to race and win,” informs Prajwal, who then stepped up the focus and preparations which led him into full time racing.
First win
In 2017, he began participating in several cycling championships in Hyderabad and Bangalore. In October that year, Prajwal won his first Stage Race, Tour of Glory (a road race that takes place over multiple days with winners for each stage and an overall winner.
Around this time, two of his school friends who were also cyclists, convinced him to get a mountain bike (MTB) and join them on the trails. Prajwal’s first ever road racing bike was a Merida Scultura 200 2017 and his first ever mountain bike was a Merida big seven 20D. He now owns four bikes, all for different purposes and uses, which includes Specialized Tarmac SL6 2018 (road racing), Specialized Epic 2019 (Cross Country Racing), Merida Scultura 200 2017 (general purpose) and 4. Commencal Meta 29 AM 2021 (Enduro and Downhill race bike, his current primary bike).
The year of racing
The year 2018 was the year of racing for Prajwal. He would spend one weekend every month travelling to Bangalore to participate in races followed by a summer in Belgium to race there and upon his return, it was right back to travelling from location to location across India to race.
In 2018, he won the Inter-district Mountain Bike meet in U-18 category and set the fastest time of the track in all categories. He stood 2nd in the Inter-district road race (U18) and at the MTB Nationals, he placed 6th in the XCO (cross country olympic) and 9th in the XCT (Cross Country Timed). “To wrap up the year, I raced in the International Race, MTB Kerala, organised by the Cycling Federation of India and the Union Cycliste Internationale,” he informs.
Since then, Prajwal Pingali has been racing countless races in Road and MTB in many places across India. “I now race Enduro and Downhill races,” he says.
Competing in Belgium
Belgium is a world apart in terms of difficulty and competition, feels the young mountain biker. “Like many European nations, sports is an extremely important aspect of daily life and the culture around cycling is very supported there,” he says.
Prajwal rode shoulder-to-shoulder in a group of 60-100 at speeds between 30-80 kmph. He participated in nine races but could finish only two. “Racing in Belgium was quite difficult and required a lot of effort,” recalls the youngster.
Tough race
Prajwal’s personal pick for his toughest race is Monduro, a race held in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, organised by the Tawang Cycling Association in 2023.
The two-day Enduro race takes place at an altitude of 4000m above sea level, the highest enduro race in the world. “As this race takes place on herding trails, the trails have a raw feel to them, very chattery and bumpy and they stretch on for what feels like eternity,” says Prajwal.
The rock gardens are massive and technical and above all, the competition has strong riders from across the world. “Monduro has my heart. Apart from the race, it is the location and the kind and friendly people there that make me want to return to the place,” says the champ.
Hyderabad to US
Born in Hyderabad in September 2001, his family shifted to Philadelphia, US for about 4 years. Prajwal was just nine months old then.
In his growing up years, Prajwal was interested in many sports, physics, history, acting and theatre productions. His father, Pratap Pingali works as a Mentor for startups and businesses in T-Hub (Telangana Hub) while his mother runs the HUFT (Heads Up For Tails, Hyderabad) store chain.
Prajwal studied in no less than four different schools — Sloka (primary), Parkwood School International (primary), Glendale International School (middle), and Sancta Maria International School (high).
Work outs
Racing requires a lot of practice and working out, on and off the bike. Prajwal’s normal routine would include between 5-6 days of working out, ranging from on-bike high intensity interval training, on-bike endurance, skills sessions, fun trail rides, as well as off-bike strength training, Off-bike high intensity interval training, and muscle activation/engagement exercises.
Prajwal Pingali is not a strong advocate for strict diets unless there is a specific reason and it is monitored by a medical expert. The rule for him is simple — “everything in moderation. If you eat it, you have to burn it.”
Destination Dirt
In Hyderabad, Prajwal Pingali is part of a Mountain Biking group called Destination Dirt where the members build trails, organise meetups and rides, as well as host beginners to MTB workshops and teach people to safely ride trails and enjoy themselves. “We have riders of different levels and backgrounds.”
The dangers of the sport
Unfortunately, says Prajwal, cycling in any form is very dangerous in India. “MTB is in my opinion safer than commuting or road racing since the chance of a two-ton vehicle slamming into you is basically non-existent,” feels the MTB champion adding that all the risk in MTB is in the hands of the rider and not someone else.
In 2019, Prajwal had a major accident when a car crashed into him as he was cycling around Araku Valley with his team. “I suffered injuries to my head and leg. The impact was such that I was briefly sent flying and landed close to the edge of the hill, luckily there were barriers,” he recalls.
The mountain biker has had crashes before but none this serious. “I was hospitalised and had to get a skin graft. I was wheel-chair bound for one month,” says Prajwal, adding almost 98% of his falls have been injury-free or barely anything serious.
This experience shaped his life. “The way we build our cities and roads must change to prevent needless deaths due to a split second mistake or a distracted driver. Our safety should not be entrusted in others’ hands,” he says.
What does mountain biking take?
“You will fall from time to time, you will not be racing at the pro level immediately, you will make mistakes and sometimes parts will break, but if you don’t fuss and whine about every issue and actually believe in yourself, then you can easily become a mountain biker,” says Prajwal.
Life outside of cycling
Prajwal says he deals with ADHD and is neuro-divergent. “I tend to have a vast multitude of passions and hobbies that I take up and add to my skill set, like tools in a box,” he says.The youngster has a keen interest in History and Physics, likes playing the bass guitar, drumming, action photography and videography. He loves camping and hiking, blogging, theatre and acting, dance and even typewriting.
Prajwal Pingali always wanted to become a pilot. “Covid-19 badly affected the plan. Although the dream is alive and burning strong, it must sit on the backburner till the moment is right,” says the cyclist, who is currently helping his family run their franchisee, HUFT in Hyderabad.
Currently, he is applying to many colleges in Germany for a BSc in Geography with a focus on Urban Planning. “I chose Germany as I have lived there and like the access to mountain biking trails and resources that I have. It is also beneficial that I can speak in German.”
(March 4, 2023) How does a mechanical engineer go from being a rocket scientist at NASA to striking it big in the creative design world? If Tanya Gupta's story is anything to go by, through a lot of hard work, persistence and the courage to put yourself out there, even at the risk of looking silly. Tanya's ability to show initiative landed her in Harper's Bazaar but we'll get to that in a minute. The 25-year-old holds a software patent at NASA and in 2021, became the first Indian American to be selected for the Adobe Creative Residency. Today, she's the founder of Guptanya.JPG Studios and lives and works in New York City. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tanya Gupta (@guptanya.jpg) Reaching for the stars Tanya was eight years old when she fell in love with space, during a family trip to the Johnson Space Center. She decided then that she was going to be a rocket scientist. "I started doing a lot more Math and Science in school and when I was 11, I went to my first engineering class,” she said. “"I was able to realise that dream and made it to
Tanya was eight years old when she fell in love with space, during a family trip to the Johnson Space Center. She decided then that she was going to be a rocket scientist. "I started doing a lot more Math and Science in school and when I was 11, I went to my first engineering class,” she said. “"I was able to realise that dream and made it to NASA as a rocket scientist."
The Global Indian earned herself a place at NYU, where she went to study mechanical and aeronautical engineering. There, Tanya co-founded Curtain Call, a music business startup where they would sell tickets to shows around the city for belkow the asking price. They company partnered with various venues and that would give them leftover tickets to sell. "The venues were happy, the customer was happy and we were happy," she smiles.
Her creative journey had already begun in high school, however. Her immigrant parents were "adamant" that Tanya be "academically rigorous." Unlike her peers, she was discouraged from getting a job in high school. To make extra money, she chose freelance photography, taking on gigs for her friends, doing senior portraits and events.
Life as an engineer was also going well. Tanya chose a study abroad programme at NYU Berlin, where she mae her first foray into augmented reality. She was also a teaching assistant at Stanford University's high school summer camp, where she taught teenagers who wanted to take college classes for extra credit. That led her, she says, to NASA.
[caption id="attachment_28130" align="aligncenter" width="506"] Tanya at NASA. Photo: NYU[/caption]
Life at NASA
Tanya did two stints at NASA, both as a student and even turned down a job offer. The first stint was as Ops Lead on the PRANDTL-M (Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars) aircraft at the Armstrong Flight Resarch Center. "The mission is to implement Ludwing Prandtl's 1933 bird wing design on an aircraft that is intended to perform the first-ever Martian flight," she explained. "It was going to be first ever aircraft on Mars." The teams were asked to sign the original design and that model was sent to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where it remains. "If you're at the Smithsonian, you can see my autograph," she laughs.
She was also mentored by Al Bowers, the chief scientist at Armstrong and an expert on Prandtl's alternative wing theory. "He's the coolest person I've ever met - which I decided one day when he casually told me about the time he hung out with Buzz Aldrin," she remarked. She even "got to do a couple of barrel rolls on an F-15."
The second internship was at the Kennedy Space Centre, after her study abroad programme at NYU Berlin. There, she helped patent a 3D modelling conversion tool. Essentially, polygon-based models, the most common type of modeling for video games and animation studios. NASA had plenty of these, which they wanted to showcase to clients. However, they needed mesh-based models, which represent surface but have nothing inside to see. There was no shortcut to creating them. Tanya earned herself a software patent for creating a "one-stop shop where you can input a polygon-based model and turn out a mesh-based model," she said.
Tanya eventually turned down a job offer from NASA, choosing instead to join IBM as a reality engineer in 2019. Still, she was hungry for the chance to create and "needed something to motivate me to continue that practice and skill." She spent her time learning from YouTube tutorials and to build her design cred and hopefully, be an art director someday. "My wall used to be covered in editorials and I'd tried, multiple times to get the free trial of (Adobe) Photoshop," she said. "Every single time, it was so overwhelming, and I didn't have the tools, time or resources to devote to it."
So, in 2020, when the world went into lockdown and Tanya's job went completely remote, she asked friends to send her their smartphone selfies. Submissions came pouring in almost at once. Every day, Tanya would pick one and spend three to five hours practicing a new Photoshop skill she wanted to try out. At the end of the lockdown, Tanya had a portfolio, with dozens of works of art that her audience, it turned out, really enjoyed. She posted them with the hastag #QuarantineArt".
One of her early large projects was a recreation of her favourite Botticelli work - The Birth of Venus. "I had this idea to create my own version and call it the Birth of Parvati, who is the Hindu goddess of love," she said. "I thought it would be a really cool juxtaposition."
[caption id="attachment_28129" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Birth of Parvati - Tanya's recreation of the Botticelli masterpiece. Photo: Guptana Studios[/caption]
Adobe Creative Residency Program
In 2021, acting almost on a whim, Tanya applied to the Adobe Creative Residency. It wasn't a whim, really, because thousands of hours of work had gone into building a portfolio and learning her way around Adobe Photoshop. She went there hoping to learn about augmented reality projects but ended up focussing on photoshop and compositing. "Recreating art is like a thing for me," she says - she even recreates scenes from her favourite game, SIMS 4.
"I loved Kim Kadarshian's look at Saturday Night Life, so I recreated that," she says. She copied the outfit, analysed the photograph to figure out the lighting and recreated the image in a dark room, putting herself in the picture. She also has her own take on Barbie and Ken.
Validation was pouring in from brands and audiences on social media. While major brands commended her work, everything was still unpaid. Tanya saw herself designing magazine covers but without experience, she couldn't find a gig. She ended up creating a mock-up of a Harper's Bazaar cover - "I styled, modelled, photographed, edited and designed everything myself. I called it manifestation in action and it actually led to me being featured in Harper's Bazaar. If you put youself out there, the right person might just see it and it could just lead you to the right place," she remarks.
Harper's Bazaar asked her, in a recent interview, about her future plans - "I'm setting myself up for an invite to the Met Gala in 2023."
(December 2, 2023) Often sparked by dry weather, strong winds, or human actions, wildfires have been wreaking havoc on our forests where countless plants and animals thrive. Sadly, the increasing number and strength of wildfires are putting vital ecosystems at risk, endangering the web of life that relies on them. While these fires have become very common in various parts of the world, Adyant Bhavsar's hometown California has seen some terrible wildfires over the last few years. And that is what motivated this seventh-grade innovator to design a machine that could convert waste mechanical energy into electricity through triboelectrification and electrostatic induction. "California has been rocked by several devastating wildfires over the years, and thus the state has hundreds of cameras and sensors set up to monitor wildfires and other disasters. This got me thinking," the innovator said during a recent interview, adding, "To increase the reliability, these devices would need a sustainable energy supply that does not need frequent recharging or replacing.” In his search for renewable energy options, Adyant stumbled upon something called a triboelectric nanogenerator. This gadget turns mechanical energy into electricity. When two thin, adjacent objects move apart or rub against each other, electrons move between
for renewable energy options, Adyant stumbled upon something called a triboelectric nanogenerator. This gadget turns mechanical energy into electricity. When two thin, adjacent objects move apart or rub against each other, electrons move between them, creating an electric charge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxf3ddyxS5I
For this brilliant idea, the Global Indian recently won the Lemelson Award for Invention, at the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators' Challenge (JIC), 2023. "My equipment is a novel invention that uses a nanogenerator to increase sustainability and reliability. This competition gave me a great confidence boost and encouraged me to continue striving towards greatness. I am most excited about the challenges and want to work together with fellow like-minded peers to be able to solve some real-world problems," says the innovator who also won a prize amount of $10,000 along with the award.
Not just a science guy
Raised in San Jose, California, Adyant has consistently demonstrated academic excellence. Although aspiring to pursue a career in the sciences, this young innovator's true passion lies within the pages of books. An avid reader, Adyant started reading when he was just three years old. By six, he had finished reading the Harry Potter series and many of the Magic Tree House and Box Car series books. Interestingly, the innovator is the author of a children's fantasy fiction book, The Mystery at Beartown Campsite.
Mostly busy with his science projects and experiments, Adyant enjoys reading, writing, piano, basketball, tennis, speech, and debate, during his free time. "These hobbies enable me to express myself, gain diverse perspectives, and positively influence others with my ideas,” said the innovator, who has also won several writing awards. The youngster wishes to become an environmental engineer. “I want to contribute my skills toward finding solutions for environmental challenges, such as deforestation and pollution. I plan on trying to implement the sustainable generator that I invented in more places worldwide and to reach out to people, who are working on the same technology across the globe, to help drive the ship away from fossil fuels and towards more renewable resources,” he said.
Saving the environment
After doing weeks and weeks of research about his experiment on his "waste to wattage" project, the innovator first built his own triboelectric nanogenerator, by placing two wooden planks together with springs in between. The innovator assembled each plank with layers of various materials connected to electrodes. These material pairings encompassed glass with Teflon, Kapton with human hair, wool with PVC, and paper with cotton. Adyant conducted five trials for each combination, pressing the top plank to bring the material layers into contact.
As the materials touched and separated, they exchanged electrons, resulting in an induced current. Adyant also varied the surface area for each material pairing, discovering that Kapton, an electronic film paired with human hair, generated the most electricity. Increasing the surface area for all materials led to a linear growth in electrical output. Additionally, the innovator incorporated a capacitor into the circuit to store the generated electric charge, successfully accumulating enough energy to power a 1.79-volt light-emitting diode (LED). “This triboelectric nanogenerator is lightweight, low-cost, eco-friendly, and customisable," the innovator explained, adding, "Figuring out how to amplify to power high-voltage electronics would further optimise my triboelectric nanogenerator. I might also try connecting several of them and explore other methods of generating triboelectricity."
(December 11, 2022) It was just to attend a rehearsal for the upcoming event that Padma Vibhushan, Pandit Birju Maharaj - one of the most eminent Kathak exponents - had come to Delhi that day. However, the events that unfolded gave the country a young and exceptionally talented Kathak dancer, Vriti Gujral, who is now taking this Indian classical dance form to the world. Impressed by the grace of then eleven-year-old Vriti, Pandit Birju Maharaj invited the young artist to perform during his show at the World Cultural Festival - a solo, seven-minute-long Kathak recital. [caption id="attachment_25245" align="aligncenter" width="479"] Vriti Gujral, Kathak exponent[/caption] The dancer, who is 16-years-old now, has since performed on various national and international stages and has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Global Child Prodigy Award. "I have been performing kathak for the past eight years. So, it is like a part of me now. It’s not that when I practice kathak only then I’m into dance, but I instead carry it into my everyday life. I have learned many things from the dance form, and it undoubtedly affects my life," the young Global Indian said during an interview. Born to dance Vriti's journey as a
instead carry it into my everyday life. I have learned many things from the dance form, and it undoubtedly affects my life," the young Global Indian said during an interview.
Born to dance
Vriti's journey as a dancer started at the age of six, when her mother enrolled her in a music institute. "My mother always wanted me to explore myself in areas beyond academics as well. So, she took me to an institute where they gave three classes - western dance, piano, and kathak. I liked the other courses, but I was fascinated by them when I saw dancers wearing ghungroo and performing kathak. That was precisely what started the spark in me. When I started learning it, I became more passionate about it. I began exploring other aspects of kathak, such as the chakras, footwork, and abhinaya," the young dancer shared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tglveOAA2I
Soon, the youngster took to various stages and won the hearts of many maestros. However, it took a major turn in 2016, during the auditions for World Cultural Festival. Over 37,000 artists performed in Delhi during this festival, however, it was Vriti who grabbed the attention of Pt Birju Maharaj. However, all was not so rosy. The long rehearsal hours took a toll on the young dancer's health. But, Vriti was determined to brave all the odds. On the day of her performance, the dancer went on the stage with a bandaged blister, her feet throbbing in pain. "I remember my blisters were painful. But once I was on the stage, and the spotlight fell on me, I forgot all about it," she shared. Her performance at the Vasantosav festival ended with thunderous applause and earned her invitations to several other dance festivals.
Following her passion
Vriti's perfection of mudras and flawless expression earned Vriti a scholarship from the Centre of Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT), India. In 2020, the youngster received the Global Child Prodigy Award, for her exceptional dancing talent in Kathak. A student of esteemed kathak exponent, Pandit Barun Banerjee, Vriti dreams of becoming a professional dancer, just like her idol Pt. Birju Maharaj, and take kathak to a level where today's generation can not only enjoy it but also aspire for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp77ohIOGcg
"I want to be a professional classical dancer and a choreographer. I aim to take the Kathak dance form to the biggest international stages. We know that the young generation finds it difficult to relate to kathak and thinks it’s boring. I wish to break these stereotypes and ensure that they relate to it as it’s our heritage, and we have to take it ahead," the young dancer said.
Tanya at NASA. Photo: 
Birth of Parvati - Tanya's recreation of the Botticelli masterpiece. Photo: 
