Global Indianstory Giving BackYoung innovators: Solving voter ID, mental, elder care, research and eco issues

Young innovators: Solving voter ID, mental, elder care, research and eco issues

Written by: Team GI Youth

(April 7, 2022) When today’s youth chance upon a problem, they are pretty proactive. So when the then 10-year-old Madhvi Chitoor saw the menace of styrofoam cups, she decided to tackle plastic pollution. That became a huge movement that even saw Potus, American President Joe Biden write to the young Indian changemaker about her stellar achievements. Of course, there is Time Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao who sought to address lead pollution in the water. Others relentlessly work towards spreading awareness about mental health, or crusade against single plastic use. The youth of India or of Indian origin, across the world, have taken it upon themselves to carve a beautiful present and future, and save the planet, or give society progress that creates a better world. Global Indian turns the spotlight on such youngsters who are not leaving any stone unturned to bettering society.

Chaitanya Prabhu, activist

Chaitanya Prabhu

Determined to help his friends, Mumbai-based lawyer-activist Chaitanya Prabhu started getting their voter ids done. “What started as a small action slowly took the shape of the Mark Your Presence campaign. Information about the initiative spread through word of mouth, and many people started approaching me for getting their voter ids done too,” says Chaitanya. The campaign evolved as a result of huge demand from people and reaped such a massive impact on the democracy of the society that the 23-year-old advocate at the Bombay High Court was awarded the UN India Award and Diana Award 2021 for his humanitarian efforts.

For the then law student starting such a campaign in 2018, has been a milestone. Motivated by its success, he started his second campaign, the Youth Manifesto to educate the youth about the basics of the Constitution and how they cannot ignore their duty. His idea is also to make the voices of youth reach relevant ministries, BMC commissioner and CM of Maharashtra. “We as voters are given manifestoes but not asked about ours. My idea is to involve youth in creating a list of expectations and putting it forward,” adds the young Indian changemaker. Chaitanya’s larger aim is to increase the number of voter registrations, educate voters, and soar up the voter turnout.

Follow Chaitanya on Twitter

Kavin Vendhan, founder, Smiley India

Kavin Vendhan with his Diana Award 2021

He was in Class 8 when Kavin Vendhan understood the importance of non-academic skills, when he first enrolled for a peer-education programme in his school. That opportunity opened up a new world for this Chennai boy who acknowledged a child’s potential beyond marks, and took it upon himself to launch a movement for the students and by the students. This idea gave birth to Society for Motivation Innovative Leadership and Empowerment of Youth (Smiley) India, a non-profit initiative in 2019.

“We focus on the importance of non-academic education, social responsibility, and addressing mental health issues. The youth is the future of India. We work on the overall development of young minds by conducting workshops. We give them a platform to speak their minds and understand the possibilities within,” adds the Diana awardee who works with 70 volunteers across Chennai.

Follow D Kavin Vendhan on Linkedin

Aditya Dubey, environmentalist

Aditya Dubey

The 18-year-old Aditya has been campaigning against single-use plastic by working with India’s National Green Tribunal to introduce environmental compensation from some of the largest organisations in India, including Amazon, Walmart-Flipkart, and Pepsi. The teen changemaker, who started the Plant A Million Trees campaign in 2016, received the prestigious Diana Award in 2021 for his efforts.

“I live in New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with sinusitis, a respiratory infection caused by air pollution. When I started researching about it, I realised that if pollution levels don’t reduce soon, many could die or be severely ill,” shares Aditya, who has planted over 1,80,000 trees under his Plant A Million Trees initiative. The youngster, in collaboration with the Energy and Resources Institute, is working on a direct air capture technology, called CarbonX, that absorbs carbon dioxide from ambient air. If scaled up, it can be an important weapon in humanity’s fight against climate change. “I feel that if we continue to turn a blind eye to climate change, then we all will suffer due to extreme weather conditions and a lack of clean water or air. For me, the propagation of this idea is more important than the awards,” expresses the young Indian changemaker.

Follow Aditya Dubey on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram

Karthik Ramu, co-founder AmityConnect

Karthik Ramu, co-founder, AmityConnect

The North Carolina-born teen changemaker might be busy in his sophomore year, but his sights are set on growing his co-founded AmityConnect (founded in 2018-19). The startup helps collate data of the elderly across the US, and the rest of the world, thereby predicting their medical emergencies and general health.

Karthik Ramu solved the hugely ignored elder care problem in the US. The University of Virginia student saw his grandfather in Coimbatore fall seriously ill, he researched on elder care, got data, and he and his classmate Krishi Nayar launched AmityConnect. The mobile platform helps families monitor elders’ health by aggregating real-time health data from smart medical devices (smartwatches, etc). Honoured as a global teen leader by We Are Family Foundation (2021), Ramu is growing this and is in talks for more funding, to help families and nursing homes take care of the elderly.

“The biggest problem for our team was our grandparents – they had medical emergencies. I saw my grandfather suffer a heart attack. We felt distant and unaware, and were unable to offer the best care,” says the young Indian changemaker in an interview. His concern? “The elderly population is expected to double globally from 900 million to 2 billion in 2050 – it shook me,” he concludes.

Follow Karthik Ramu on Linkedin

Snehadeep Kumar, president, The Aurora Academic Journal

Snehadeep Kumar

Seventeen-year-old Snehadeep Kumar was producing significant research and experimental scientific work when he was in high school. Even as a teenager, he was in correspondence with the big names in science, including Dr Tom Welton, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London and Nobel Prize winning physicist Gerard’t Hooft. However, he was disappointed to find that publishing research was very difficult for two reasons – one, he was still a student and second, it was expensive. After being turned down by major publications like Scientific American, he decided to start The Aurora Academic Journal.

Dedicated entirely to students who do their own research in science and the humanities, the journal publishes work for free. There are two criteria – the author must be a student and second, produce quality research. “I want to provide a platform for kids who are brilliant and have original research, but who cannot afford to pay for a spot in a major journal,” says the young Indian changemaker.

Follow Snehadeep Kumar on LinkedIn

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Published on 07, Apr 2022

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Rohan Kalia: Indian-American teen wins President’s Scholarship for glaucoma detection device

(August 25, 2023) It was after one of Rohan Kalia's family members was diagnosed with glaucoma that the Indian-American teenager began researching an affordable technology that could be used for early detection. A sophomore at Wheeler High School in Marietta, the 17-year-old found that glaucoma ranks as the second most prominent cause of irreversible blindness on a global scale. The startling fact prompted him to look for an affordable solution in the form of a device that can accurately diagnose the condition. This gave birth to EyePal, a portable device that can detect glaucoma with 95 percent accuracy. The invention won the teenager the 2023 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) President's Scholarship, which comes with a prize of $10,000. Glaucoma is an eye disease involving the degradation of the optic nerve that carries visual information, leading to a gradual loss of vision. If not detected early, it can lead to some degree of permanent blindness. The condition is detected from images taken of the retinal fundus (the back surface of the eye's interior) during a standard examination by an opthalmologist. During his research, Rohan found that a person's socioeconomic condition impacts the diagnosis of glaucoma. "I learned that

oma. "I learned that there's a huge disparity in eye care treatment across the world," Rohan said, adding, "Diagnosis and prevention of glaucoma is not accessible."

[caption id="attachment_32712" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Rohan Kalia[/caption]

Moreover, he discovered that people in rural areas are worst affected as many individuals face difficulty in accessing glaucoma testing due to a shortage of eye doctors and testing centers, coupled with the expensive equipment, absence of health insurance, and high-test costs. Understanding the severity of the condition, Rohan knew he had to find a solution. Explaining the working of EyePal, he said, "The EyePal uses a quality camera, a Raspberry Pi minicomputer, machine-learning technology, and a mobile app. The camera takes photos of the fundus and sends them to a mobile device that can be examined by a specialist. EyePal showed 95 percent accuracy when tested on sets of fundus images."

Apart from its accuracy, the device's portability is yet another plus point as it can be employed in rural medical centres and health clinics as opposed to the standalone specialised equipment that can be used only in a doctor's office or vision testing center. "The device costs less than $100," Rohan said, adding, "It's 50 times cheaper than the average price of ophthalmology equipment, in addition to being highly portable. What I did was create this new ensemble-based system of diagnosis."

The invention won him the President's Scholarship, which refers to as a "nice surprise." Moreover, EyePal was presented at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May in Dallas, Texas.

The inventor, who loves creating solutions and plans to work in the field of research, advices future engineers to keep going despite the obstacles. "In an engineering project, you're going to face times you want to give up, but keep persevering. Pick a project topic that you really like,” the Global Indian says, adding, "When you’re really interested in the topic, it will give you the motivation to keep pushing through."

A Minecraft kinda lesson: Teen edupreneur Namya Joshi trained 10,000 in 108 countries

(March 10, 2022) At Sat Paul Mittal School in Ludhiana, the students can’t wait to learn something new. For them, it entails pulling out their phones and tablets, and opening up popular game Minecraft, immersing themselves in ancient Egyptian history, or tales from the Ramayana, and more. Created by Swedish game makers Mojang Studio, Minecraft allows players to create and build a world of their own. To 15-year-old teen edupreneur, Namya Joshi, this presented an opportunity like no other. Young achiever In January 2021, when that fateful call from the Prime Minister’s office came, Namya learned that she was a recipient of the 2021 Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. A well-earned recognition of a mammoth effort to make education more fun, interactive and easier to absorb, the teen edupreneur's skills in multimedia saw her train more than 10,000 students, teachers, and school principals from 108 countries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoskysarVy0&t=8s Fame is no stranger to the teen edupreneur. Six months after being told about the Bal Puraskar, Namya had the media swarming her doorstep once more. This time, she had received praise from Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, who congratulated her on Twitter after their meeting. Namya had been one of 250

ated her on Twitter after their meeting. Namya had been one of 250 students and teachers at the Young Innovators’ Summit 2020 held in New Delhi.

[embed]https://twitter.com/satyanadella/status/1232731018039197696?s=20&t=88rMKGq8QaIijQ76OYMysA[/embed]

‘Tech’ that!

Namya discovered Minecraft by chance. Developed in 2009, Minecraft is the bestselling videogame of all time, with over 238 million copies sold, and nearly 140 million monthly active users as of 2021. Over the years, it has been ported to several other platforms. Players explore a 3D world with infinite virtual terrain where they can mine and collect resources, craft and shape tools, alter landscapes, build structures and simple machines. Just for fun, the teen edupreneur rendered a Manali vacation into the game!

[caption id="attachment_12245" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Namya Joshi, teen edupreneur[/caption]

However, as she sailed through school, she noticed friends struggling to grasp lessons taught merely through text. The idea came to her in 2018 – why not intersperse a game like Minecraft with school lessons? Rushing home to the drawing board, Namya, then in Class 6, did her first render – an Egyptian civilisation. She showed it to her history teacher, who was amazed with what the teen had produced, wholeheartedly accepting her innovation into the classroom. “I could see the difference instantly. People were way more interactive in class because they could understand the concepts now,” teen edupreneur, Namya Joshi said, in an interview with Global Indian.

Spurred on by her success, Namya began creating more complex renders. “People tend to forget speeches and text-based information so I wanted to design lessons with gaming and ICT tools to make classroom lessons interesting. Now, Minecraft is used in every class in my school to make lessons more engaging and students more inquisitive,” says the teen edupreneur.

#Each One Can Teach Ten

Four years later, Namya has designed more than 100 educational lesson plans, mapping with the UN’s SDG goals. “I started by training teachers in my school, then district, state and country” smiles the teen edupreneur. Offers began pouring in from across the world and the young teen edupreneur was soon conducting lessons on Skype and Teams. She and her mother, who is the IT head of her school, were invited on a five-day tour to Finland. The altruistic teen delivered the keynote address, conducted workshops in Finnish schools to train teachers, pupils and even a prominent official from the ministry of education, who said, "I loved the way this 12 year-old-girl has engrossed everyone here!". "He shook hands with me and said, I am doing a wonderful job," the teen edupreneur says.

Namya is dedicated to her venture #Each One Can Teach Ten; firm on the belief that this would make a beautiful and impactful chain in tandem with UN SDGs, “I train people so that they can design their classroom lessons. The earnings are sent to NGOs for taking care of animals. I love nature, and want to create lessons for nature conservation too,” says the teen.

Lessons from home

Her mother, Monica, taught her never to give up, and remain grounded and humble. Namya’s father an IT professional with his own firm also hugely contributed to her prowess as did her mother. “My father tells me never to stop innovating. My grandparents tell me stories that teach me lessons about life,” says the single child. In school too, support is always forthcoming, as she describes her principal as her “backbone,” motivating her to “keep on going ahead with all my endeavours.” The teen edupreneur considers herself a pillar too – “If I cannot support and motivate myself then nobody can.”

Juggling so many priorities and taking on the world at 15 means Namya is removed from the concerns of an average teenager. Her life is marked by a strict schedule, with priorities arranged in order of importance. This timetable is followed to a tee, due diligence is the only way to balance her academics with her vocation. “I don’t go to bed without reading what was taught in class that day, so the concepts are clear,” adds the problem solver.

The way ahead

Now, the teen innovator plans to build her own startup which offers free game-based lessons for people across the world. “It should not just be gaming, it should impart learning in the process,” she says. That apart, her sweet tooth gives us a glimpse of the child within – Namya can’t resist dessert. She also makes time for an exhaustive laundry list of activities outside school and her startup - environmental science, history, physics, music, art, calligraphy, dance, sports, singing spending time with family, and reading.

Follow Namya Joshi on LinkedIn and Twitter

Reading Time: 5 mins

Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani: The ethical hacker representing India in international championships

(March 20, 2024) For someone who has been interested in cybersecurity since a young age, representing India at international championships in new-age Information Technology platforms was a surreal experience. The past few months have been very fruitful for Ahmedabad's Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani. At the High Technology Championship held in Veliky Novgorod, Russia, in September 2023, he secured a silver medal in Neural Networks. The same year in November, he clinched a bronze at The Professional Championship held in St. Petersburg, Russia, for IT Software Solution. The year 2024 also began on a high note as he emerged as a finalist at the Sports/Competitive Programming competition held in Kazan, Russia, in February. From a young age, Kirtikumar has excelled in cybersecurity. At just 15 years old in 2018, he received the title of 'youngest cyber security researcher' from World Records India for securing over 100 websites by identifying and reporting vulnerabilities in their web applications. That same year, his name was inscribed in the India Book of Achievers. [caption id="attachment_36726" align="aligncenter" width="657"] Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani[/caption] The 21-year-old wears multiple hats as an ethical hacker, cybersecurity expert, and programming enthusiast, winning several awards. He has also dabbled in professional eSports, and had

oads/2024/03/GI-6loQW4AACJVU-1024x683.jpeg" alt="Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani is an ethical hacker who represents India in new-age Information Technology international competitions." width="657" height="439" /> Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani[/caption]

The 21-year-old wears multiple hats as an ethical hacker, cybersecurity expert, and programming enthusiast, winning several awards. He has also dabbled in professional eSports, and had achieved a Top 32 rank at the World Cyber Games held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2019.

As an ethical hacker and Penetration Tester (PenTester), Kirtikumar has earned recognition and monetary rewards from major tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Oracle for identifying vulnerabilities in their web applications.

Kirtikumar's interest extends to astrological predictions as well. “Anyone can check my predictions in the Astro World channel where I predicted actual dates or details about market crashes, earthquakes, election results, sporting tournaments’ results, and war which ultimately came true,” he tells Global Indian.

In the world of cybersecurity since the age of eight

At the age of eight, Kirtikumar's enthusiasm for computers became apparent as he immersed himself in activities like programming and gaming. One day, while playing Subway Surfers, he became intrigued by his cousin's method of obtaining unlimited coins in the game. This curiosity prompted him to indulge in extensive research, which led him to discover how to hack the game. By the time he turned 13, Kirtikumar had gained a thorough understanding of hacking tools such as remote access trojans (RATs). Fuelled by his curiosity in the subject, Kirtikumar kept on polishing his skills in the world of ethical hacking.

[caption id="attachment_36724" align="aligncenter" width="713"] Kirtikumar at the International High Technologies Championship 2023 at Veliky Novgorod, Russia[/caption]

Creating milestones

In 2018, at the age of 15, he won the Penetration Tester of the Year award at the United Kingdom based Cyber Security Awards ceremony with several well-known personalities in the field of cyber security as the judges. Kirtikumar also got recognised by the World Book of Records, and earned an entry into the Book of Achievers that year.

The following year Kirti became the youngest to win the Tech Savvy Award which led his interest in the field of science and technology even more, making him passionate in his endeavour to find solutions to vulnerabilities in web applications. “In 2022, I was the top security researcher on the Google Play Security Reward program,” he mentions.

Hacking for good

As Kirtikumar honed his ethical hacking skills further, he noticed that tech giants were publicly recognising cybersecurity enthusiasts for safeguarding their infrastructure by uncovering vulnerabilities in their web applications.

"Inspired by that I decided to leverage my hacking skills for the greater good, securing the internet for users by identifying vulnerabilities in the web applications of major tech companies,” he says. “When I shared the security threats with the respective companies, I was rewarded financially. Some organisations even sent me gift packs with exclusive merchandise printed with their logo and the words ‘security researcher’, as a token of appreciation,” he explains.

[caption id="attachment_36729" align="aligncenter" width="731"] Kirtikumar with Tennessee based cyber security evangelist, Dameon Welch[/caption]

Advancing from web security to browser security and Kernel security

After spending a few years in the field of web security, Kirtikumar yearned to learn something more exciting. “I decided to shift my focus to browser security taking inspiration from international security researchers, Abdulrahman Al-Qabandi and Eric Lawrence.”

After spending a couple of years mastering browser security skills, he again yearned to learn something new, and shifted his focus to Kernel security (errors of which lead to fatal issues on the PC). “I got interested in this subject by following Germany based senior security consultant, Patrick Walker,” says Kirtikumar.

With his dedication to learn advanced skills, expertise and accomplishments at such a young age, Kirtikumar has earned connections with international experts, and opportunities to participate in global forums on cybersecurity. Talking about Kernel Security, he remarks, “It is the most challenging realm of exploration for me because I love to try something tough which can push my boundaries to think out of the box.”

Also Read: Watch out for the cyber criminals: 22-year-old cyber expert Vaibhav Jha upskills natives and foreigners

Endeavours in eSports

Kirtikumar has been into competitive eSports but decided to leave it in 2020. In 2019, he participated in the regional finals of the World Cyber Games in Seoul, South Korea, securing the seventh-place finish in the Asia Pacific Region, cementing his position among the top 32 players. He also competed in the Clash Royale League (CRL 2019) and ranked among the top players worldwide in weekly Grand Challenge finishers.

[caption id="attachment_36727" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani at The Professional Championship held in St. Petersburg, Russia[/caption]

“I left competitive gaming in 2020 after winning my last Paytm First Games. It wasn't helping me think outside the box; I was simply addicted to the game,” he explains. “Fortunately, I realised this at the right moment and began to dedicate more time to browser and kernel security research. I am pleased to have qualified for national rounds and to represent India internationally in these fields,” he remarks.

Academic brilliance

A former student of St. Stephen and Navkar Public School in Ahmedabad, Kirtikumar excelled in science and maths, earning a top 100 ranking in the International Math Olympiads (IMO) and National Science Olympiads (NSO) during his time in school. He also achieved a spot in the top 400 in the National Cyber Olympiads (NCO), as a school student.

Currently, the cybersecurity enthusiast is pursuing Chartered Accountancy and Company Secretaryship while working as an independent security researcher. “I aim to explore the intersection of finance and technology, merging my passion for both to create innovative solutions beneficial for traders,” he says.

[caption id="attachment_36728" align="aligncenter" width="527"] Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani at The Professional Championship held in St. Petersburg, Russia[/caption]

When the multitasker finds some time out of his hectic worlds of CA, CS, security research and international competitions, he loves to draw, write, cook, follow cricket, and solve LR/RC/CR on GMAT forums. Ever since he was a teen, he has been giving talks to aspiring security researchers and loves participating in such sessions to share his knowledge.

Follow Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani on LinkedIn and Twitter

Reading Time: 5 mins

California teen Adarsh Ambati uses AI to save water

(November 19, 2022) In 2018, then 13-year-old Adarsh Ambati's life came temporarily to a standstill when his mum suffered a third-degree heart block. Adarsh recalls seeing her connected to wires that were meant to monitor health but didn't allow her to move around. So, Adarsh Ambati, now the founder of the Green Initiatives Movement, decided to develop a portable, cost-effective device that could monitor vital signs without hampering mobility. Nine months later, the prototype for the vital signs monitor was ready. By the time he won the prestigious Gloria Barron Prize in 2021, Adarsh had also devised the Community Sprinkler and started an Amphibian Biodiversity Protection Initiative. [caption id="attachment_24431" align="aligncenter" width="545"] Adarsh Ambati[/caption] The Contactless Monitor Now a freshman at Stanford University, Adarsh's first project, the Contactless Monitor, was ready nine months after his mother's illness. Fortunately, her mobility had been restored, so Adarsh ran over 1000 tests on his protype, as part of a 40-participant pilot study. "It took me around nine months to develop the device and build an app with notifications so doctors could use it, but also regular people," he told The Guardian. "Because it's contactless and relatively portable, it could even be used to detect

Even as a teenager, the young Global Indian was especially perceptive of the world around him, alive to its problems and eager to find solutions, which he does using his deep interest in technology and coding. Growing up in California, he noticed his neighbours using automatic sprinklers, using vast amounts of precious water on landscaping.

A low-cost community sprinkler alert system

"While going to school in the rain one day, I saw one of my neighbours with their sprinklers on, creating run-offs," he told Vintage Billboard. "Through research, I found that 25 percent of the water used in an average American household is wasted each day due to overwatering and inefficient watering methods."

In 2016, Adarsh began work on a prototype for a smart, low-cost, community sprinkler alert system. When he conducted a two-month pilot with 10 neighbouring homes, he found they had the potential to save some 50,000 gallons of water in a couple of months. "The sprinkler system is compliant with water regulations, to cost-effectively save water for entire neighbourhoods using a Raspberry Pi, moisture sensors, PyOWM (weather database) and by utilising free social media networks like Twitter," he added.

The idea was to save the excess water that is wasted during general-purpose irrigation. The device can detect and integrate real-time weather forecast data to provide the optimum levels of water. It doesn't stop there. The sprinkler alert system is also connected to social media and can publish information on when to turn on sprinklers and for how long.

The prototype cost about $50, which, incidentally, is less expensive than the higher-end smart sprinklers. By Adarsh's estimate, it can be brought down to about five cents or less per household, since the device can serve an entire community.

A scalable model

Some 83 percent of water used in outdoor landscaping can be saved, a huge deal in Northern California, 100 gallons of water is used for outdoor landscaping everyday, in an average household. The sprinkler alert system was also presented to the San Jose City Council, who even considered installing the system in their public grass areas.

Recognition found Adarsh in 2019, when he won MagPi Magazine's Coolest Projects USA competition. Phil Colligan, the CEO of Raspberry Pi, also expressed his support. In 2021, he received the prestigious Gloria Barron Prize. Adarsh is also the founder of Gro-STEMS, which sells succulents to support technology training at San Jose's LifeMoves Homeless Shelter and Aarti Girls School for abandoned children in Kadapa, India.

Reading Time: 6 mins

Riddhi Javali: Eradicating period poverty by educating and helping rural school girls

(September 28, 2024) A newspaper article about Shuchi Scheme - a menstrual hygiene project by the Karnataka government that distributes free sanitary pads for school girls - coming to a halt owing to Covid-19 shifted something in the then 14-year-old Riddhi Javali. Being a teenager herself, the Bengaluru resident understood the problems that girls in villages would be facing due to this unforeseen circumstance. "Despite coming from a privileged background, kids like me were having an issue procuring the essential items. So with the Shuchi scheme coming to an abrupt stop, it was hard for me to even fathom the kind of problems the adolescent girls in villages would be facing, as discussing periods is still considered a taboo," says changemaker Riddhi, who then decided to start Project Repeat - an effort to provide young girls in rural areas with safe and sustainable menstrual hygiene products like reusable cloth pads. What began as an idea to help the adolescent school girls in nearby villages of Bengaluru has now transformed into a movement that is spread across the state of Karnataka, and has so far impacted 400 government school girls in rural areas. "It has been quite a journey for me,"

w transformed into a movement that is spread across the state of Karnataka, and has so far impacted 400 government school girls in rural areas. "It has been quite a journey for me," the DPS Bangalore South student tells Global Indian, adding, "Knowing that my efforts are helping the girls, gives me immense satisfaction and reaffirms that I am on the right path."

[caption id="attachment_25201" align="aligncenter" width="413"] Riddhi Javali is the founder of Project Repeat[/caption]

A newspaper clipping that changed it all

A newspaper article stating around 19.29 lakh government school girls were awaiting sanitary pads after the Shuchi scheme was stalled, made Riddhi jump into action. The closure of schools due to Covid-19 deprived lakhs of young girls of sanitary napkins and Riddhi was keen to find a solution. Understanding that the disposable sanitary pads provided by the government harm the environment, she knew that sustainable menstrual products were the answer. She had three options - biodegradable pads, menstrual cups, or cloth pads - to choose from to begin the journey. She zeroed in on cloth pads as they are cost-efficient, eco-friendly, and could be washed and reused for up to five years.

"Initially, the plan was to employ rural women who could make cloth pads by procuring waste cloth from cloth factories. However, the proposal was busted when I was told that a medical grade cloth was needed for the process," reveals the 19-year-old who had to think on her feet, and immediately started looking for NGOs who make cloth pad kids. That's when she came across Giocare. "I ordered the first batch of 50 cloth pad kits from my pocket money and got in touch with Srinavasa V sir, the Block Resource Coordinator for Dept of School Education and Literacy Government of Karnataka. He took me to a government school in Harrohalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, my first visit," adds Riddhi, who distributed cloth pads to the girls and educated them on menstruation.

[caption id="attachment_25202" align="aligncenter" width="739"] Riddhi interacting with girls at Karnataka Public School in Harohalli[/caption]

In a country where menstruation is still a taboo topic and around 23 percent of girls drop out of school upon reaching puberty, getting the girls to open up was a task for Riddhi. "They were extremely shy. But with each school interaction, things started to get better and more streamlined. However, what struck me the most was their problems. Some told me that their school washrooms would get blocked girls would try to flush their pads, and that the government wouldn’t repair them for months," says Riddhi, adding, "Others informed me that garbage collectors won't pick up pads, and later the piles of pads were either burned or buried."

A challenging project

The first few trips were an eye-opener for the teenager, who was keen to help. But funding was a challenge that kept prolonging the task at hand. "After spending my pocket money initially, I realised that this wasn't a long-term solution. That's when I started an online fundraiser, while it was family and friends who started contributing at first. But later, we did a tie-up with Ladies Cosmo Circle Bengaluru who funded us for one school," says the changemaker, who believes that people are all for spreading awareness but still think twice before contributing money. "That's the reason I continue with my campaigns so that the funds keep pouring in," she adds, stating that she now has a team of volunteers who help spread awareness by constantly contributing to the website as well as their Instagram page.

[caption id="attachment_25203" align="aligncenter" width="500"] A girl student with cloth pad kit at Government High School, Attihalli[/caption]

While Riddhi now has an army of volunteers who help her with Project Repeat, when she started, it was a one-man or in her case, one-woman show. "For two years, I was the only one who was visiting the schools, giving presentations, raising funds, and even updating the website. But soon the word spread, and like-minded people came forward to lend their support and skills," adds the changemaker. However, it was an uphill task for Riddhi, who had to not only push herself out of her comfort zone but also had to fight the age bias. Recalling an incident, the changemaker says, "I remember once I had finished giving a presentation in one of the schools when one of the teachers told the students that it was my mom who was behind Project Repeat and doing everything. I had to correct her and say that I was the one spearheading this, while my parents were there for moral support."

[caption id="attachment_25204" align="aligncenter" width="783"] Riddhi Javali giving a presentation about menstrual hygiene at Government School Attihalli[/caption]

Plans of expansion

However, these challenges have only made her more determined to work towards period poverty. After having impacted 9-10 government schools in Karnataka, she has now begun creating awareness about menstruation in her school as well. "We have started with Class 7 and Class 8 where boys and girls educate both boys and girls," says the Class 11 student, who has plans of expanding Project Repeat to parts of Tamil Nadu. "Since my mother is from the state, I am comfortable with the language, and can reach out to school girls in rural areas." However, her ultimate aim is for Project Repeat to reach every corner of India, and get more girls and young women out of period poverty. "As little girls, we are so ashamed of periods that not many speak about them openly. So it is important to change this mindset at a young age, as these are the formative years," adds the teen changemaker.

Riddhi calls her software engineer parents the wind beneath her wings, always letting her "explore and discover things." "From pushing me to do better to being present at every school visit despite their busy schedules, they have been huge pillars of support for me," says a grateful Riddhi who loves unwinding by cooking, reading books, playing badminton, and learning Carnatic music.

[caption id="attachment_25205" align="aligncenter" width="536"] Riddhi Javali giving Project Repeat cloth pad kit to a government school girl[/caption]

Riddhi, who began following her passion at the age of 14, advises young people to take the first step. "If you have a slight inkling about what you want to do, take that first step. At times, that's the hardest part but once you do it, things start to fall in place," the changemaker signs off, adding, "Always believe in yourself."

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