California teen Adarsh Ambati uses AI to save water
Compiled by: Darshana Ramdev
(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.
Adarsh Ambati
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 infectious diseases like Covid-19.”
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.
(January 29, 2022) Combating the bad guys in cyberspace and making the internet safe -- is a mission Srijan Kumar chose for himself. Fraudsters, troll armies, extremists or hate mongers -- the list of his adversaries is long. Over the years, the 29-year-old has built an arsenal of algorithms to take on the “moving targets” and counter them with precision. His adversaries may be smart but Srijan Kumar is smarter. Misinformation, hate speeches and coordinated campaigns, especially against minorities, women and authoritative figures in cyberspace triggered his cyber expertise. “I came across harassment and trolling on Slashdot and Wikipedia, where people were fighting about their stance on a topic and being nasty and abusive. Such harmful patterns had creeped into YouTube comments, Facebook groups, Reddit raids and Twitter firestorms as well. I asked myself, ‘What can I do?’” says Srijan, the assistant professor at the School of Computation Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. The ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ was given the honour in science (2022) for his extraordinary work in social media safety and integrity. An algorithm to diffuse hate Cyber space expert Srijan’s algorithms detect, predict and mitigate dangerous content online and the bad actors responsible. "Sixty
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An algorithm to diffuse hate
Cyber space expert Srijan’s algorithms detect, predict and mitigate dangerous content online and the bad actors responsible. "Sixty per cent have seen someone else being harassed online. See something, say something. Speak up when you witness anything bad online,” Srijan Kumar wants the world to do. The computer scientist has not only developed cutting-edge solutions for early identification, prediction and mitigation, he has created several AI, ML and data science methods to tackle fake reviewers on e-commerce platforms, innovated technologies to create smart and robust detection systems that bad actors and adversaries cannot fool.
Born and brought up in Ranchi, Jharkhand, “a nice small town,” cyber space expert Srijan saw both the good and bad side of the internet. Facebook was becoming popular just as he went for under graduation to IIT Kharagpur in 2009. “I saw first-hand, the wonders of global knowledge available with a single click. You might remember, phone companies charged 50 paise per SMS while FB messaging was free. So, I would talk to friends from school through FB and Google chat,” smiles Srijan, speaking exclusively to Global Indian.
Being the change he wanted to see
"I always wanted to create something new so I became a computer scientist. Never thought I would create new algorithms though,” quips the innovator of social network, natural language processing, multimodal (image + text) techniques to create next generation technologies that can empower safety, integrity and well-being online. “My name means creation,” he reminds us. In his early years, Srijan loved playing computer games, - Road Rash and Need for Speed. "My chacha (uncle) was a computer engineer. I wanted to learn how to create games and code,” recalls the Cyber space expert, who is also associated with investigating the social and technological factors that exacerbate the threats that harm others.
Growing up in the age of social media and having an Orkut account in high school, Srijan was particularly saddened by the toxic environment in cyberspace. “Online anonymity makes people worse. We can take steps to ensure that despite this, online safety is maintained,” feels Srijan, who went to the US for an MS and PhD at the University of Maryland (2013). He graduated in 2017. “People have to do due diligence before sharing anything that they come across. Most times, people share because they think it will be useful to others and they don't have bad intentions. But they should search and ensure trustworthiness before posting,” feels Srijan, a postdoctoral researcher from Stanford University – incidentally his “dream” school.
Learning to be true
Technology is equally responsible, feels Srijan, who was a visiting faculty researcher at Google AI before joining Georgia Institute of Technology in January 2020. “Hate is a strong emotion, attracting more likes. Such posts are boosted automatically by recommender systems. There is a need for a change in incentives of platforms. Instead of optimising for engagement (like shares, reshares), they should optimise for well-being. It should be part of the equation,” stresses the idealist, who is for a more societally-aware technology. The computer wizard says besides creating better algorithms, AI/ML systems for detection, prevention systems and early warning systems to flag harm and bad activities early, there is also a need to train people to be more aware and sceptical of online content.
Research by the cyber space expert has shown that counter speech - messages made that push back against hate messages, reduces hateful messages from spreading and new ones too. “People have the power to shape online narratives and the cybersphere, by participating in a civil manner and ensuring others do too,” feels the genius who says that as scientists, they have to be one step ahead of the attackers.
The boy who went to Delhi Public School, Ranchi, has created a depth of knowledge on cyber safety. A lot of his work is about understanding the evolving attack surface, identifying vulnerabilities of existing detection systems, developing creative ways to generate next generation systems. “Cyber-safety is also a people-problem. I also work on understanding the causes behind why people fall for misinformation, what the impact is and the interventions we can develop to mitigate damage. How can we involve humans-in-the-loop to overcome this crisis,” informs the cyber space expert, a recipient of the Facebook Faculty Research Award and Adobe Faculty Research Award.
His research has been used by Flipkart and even influenced Twitter’s Birdwatch platform. “They are two different research pieces and both are quite innovative. Fake reviews is a persistent problem on e-commerce platforms including Flipkart. People lose money and trust in the platform altogether,” explains the cyber space expert, who developed an ML system that uses the time series, network patterns and review text simultaneously to detect fake reviewers and fake reviews (Flipkart used in its fraud detection system).
Another piece of extraordinary work Srijan and his team investigated was if people can detect misinformation in the wild, such as while browsing Twitter. “Fact-checkers spend a lot of time manually identifying fake news but we found that they don’t get much engagement on social media. In fact, 96 per cent of messages that counter fake news come from ordinary users, which shows the power that ordinary users have in identifying and countering fake news,” says the cyber space expert. This work influenced Birdwatch, Twitter’s new community-based misinformation detection system.
Stopping misinformation in a pandemic
The pandemic brought along a tsunami of misinformation online. “We are dealing with a dual problem of pandemic and infodemic,” says Srijan. Appealing to platforms to step up their game, the cyber space expert has been working tirelessly to quantify and improve the robustness of critical cyber safety systems against smart adversaries.
His “Forbes 30 under 30” was a pleasant surprise. “It is a great community of innovators and change makers. It was really made possible through my advisors, mentors, collaborators and students, most importantly, my family,” smiles the computer whiz who conducted the longest study of anti-Asian hate speech during the pandemic.
Does he spend his day online? "Most work is happening online, so I am glued to the screen. Slack, Bluejeans, Zoom, Whatsapp -- all are lifelines now," adds Srijan, who likes to indulge in cooking to relax, though he admits he is not a great one. Time outdoors is a panacea to keep him from his screen, though!
Srijan's favourite Global Indian is Dr DJ Patil, “He is my dream mentor. His efforts to operationalise data-driven decision making across the U.S government, as the first US Chief Data Scientist, has been greatly inspirational to me,” gushes the cyber space expert, who is in awe of Patil's leadership in using data science for good. “I can relate to DJ Patil. Like me, he too did his PhD from University of Maryland after which he became a faculty,” he adds. He visits India once a year, though the pandemic has changed that.
Away from the weighty issue of cyber safety, the computer wizard likes to binge-watch light- hearted TV shows - The Office. For someone whose work has been covered in a documentary (Familiar Shapes), radio (WABE) besides CNN, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch and New York Magazine, Srijan’s heart is in the right place, and he hopes others follow suit.
(April 14, 2023) Growing up in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, while Hasti Modi marvelled at the colours that nature provided to life, she was appalled at the lackadaisical approach of the public administrative system to protect greenery. Although they did their duty of planting saplings these were usually short-lived publicity initiatives, aimed at the media. The saplings would not get the care they needed to grow into trees. After making their one-day initiative popular in media and social media, they forgot all about nurturing them. As a fifteen-year-old, yearning to do something about this, Hasti started the NGO IGNITE. She mobilised the citizens of Bhavnagar to make their beloved city greener. In the last eight years, her organisation, which partnered with another NGO, Green City, has planted more than 50,000 saplings so far, with the active participation of Bhavnagar citizens. [caption id="attachment_29259" align="aligncenter" width="853"] Hasti Modi[/caption] The volunteers of both organisations did not stop at just plantation, they ensured that the plants were nurtured as well. The volunteers in our drives have been people of all age groups, starting from seven-year-old kids to 75-year-old senior citizens,” says Hasti who now works with Ernst and Young in Rome, Italy. Smart
The volunteers of both organisations did not stop at just plantation, they ensured that the plants were nurtured as well. The volunteers in our drives have been people of all age groups, starting from seven-year-old kids to 75-year-old senior citizens,” says Hasti who now works with Ernst and Young in Rome, Italy.
Smart collaborations
As a fifteen-year-old, Hasti had not forayed into social activism just for the sake of it. To fulfil her purpose, she invited local celebrities like Jitubhai Vaghani (the-then MLA of Bhavnagar), Deven Sheth (founder of Green City Trust Foundation, an industrialist and nature enthusiast), as well as the principal and vice-principal of her school, to her first tree plantation drive. This added a lot of buzz to the drive, garnering the interest of local citizens and motivating them to volunteer for the cause.
[caption id="attachment_29253" align="aligncenter" width="651"] Tree plantation drive in Bhavnagar[/caption]
It was in that event that Deven Sheth asked Hasti to collaborate and join hands with Green City, as they were working to achieve the same goal. “I am deeply grateful to Deven Sheth for seeing potential in me that day and giving me the opportunity. I will continue to promote this noble cause wherever I go, irrespective of country borders, culture, age and nationality,” says the twenty-four-year-old, in an interview with Global Indian.
Continuing with the drive in London
When Hasti got selected to study at the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), she did not forget her purpose and continued her drive there as well. She worked tirelessly for a few months to find the right collaborators for tree plantation in London. “I follow the spiritual philosophy propounded by Dada Bhagwan Foundation (Ahmedabad, Gujarat). When I moved there for my masters, I organised tree plantation drives in London for all the foundation members based out of the UK, as well as for other residents and LSE students. says the youngster who won Diana Award for her initiatives in 2022.
[caption id="attachment_29256" align="aligncenter" width="569"] Tree plantation drive in London[/caption]
“Simon Joshua (a collaborator in Harrow) had the necessary resources and so he arranged for everything while I coordinated and invited the members of the foundation. We planted a record 500 saplings,” Hasti says.
Life abroad and COP26
Always a good student, Hasti pursued her bachelors at Ahmedabad University. She received the RSB France Honour, which is an Honorary Mention given by the Rennes School of Business (RSB) for being the only student across the Business school to score the highest possible grade in all courses despite taking maximum credits in a term. “I am immensely grateful to Ahmedabad University, which sent me to RSB for a semester exchange, and of course, absolutely grateful to RSB for the phenomenal exposure,” she says.
Another opportunity that Hasti is grateful for is the chance to be a part of the COP26 summit last year, not as a participant but as a host to hundreds of senior experts engaged in sustainability and governance initiatives across the globe. “It was an extraordinary experience. I am grateful to Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet (GASP) for giving me this opportunity,” she says.
Recently, she also got an opportunity to give a speech at the global UNICEF online platform, after being selected as a UNICEF changemaker for its OurFuturePledge campaign.
Always a proud patriot, Hasti says, “I plan to work and contribute immensely, first at an international level in the field of public policy and administration. In the long term, I intend to focus all my energy, time and resources to serve my country. I will carry the vision and mission of my NGO, IGNITE, to whichever part of the world I go and get more and more people involved into it,” she mentions.
The youngster belongs to a business family. Her father is a fourth-generation businessman in their 142-year-old, Indian traditional clothing business based in Bhavnagar, while her mother is a dietician by profession.
(January 11, 2024) Even though one in every 100 children has autism, the disorder continues to be one of the most ignored medical conditions in the world. As the world grapples with the rise in cases and a severe lack of caregivers, an 18-year-old college student has become a beckon of hope for several autistic kids across the globe. Diana Award-winning Anshul Gupta has emerged as a trailblazing social entrepreneur, co-founding 'AUesome', a visionary social enterprise dedicated to breaking down barriers in autism therapy accessibility. A bachelor's student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Anshul aims to bridge the digital and physical world of at-home therapy for neurodiverse children. "Our mission is to make therapy accessible and affordable," explained the young entrepreneur, adding, "At AUesome we have iterated hundreds of kit designs, which include instructional videos, and apps that simplify the at-home therapy process for parents of children with special needs. We hope to eliminate the physical and financial barriers to receiving therapy." The impact of Anshul's innovative approach is already evident, with the AUesome team successfully designing and distributing 17,500 therapy resources to fulfill 550 kit requests globally. Everything Is AUesome Born and brought up in the lush green
The impact of Anshul's innovative approach is already evident, with the AUesome team successfully designing and distributing 17,500 therapy resources to fulfill 550 kit requests globally.
Everything Is AUesome
Born and brought up in the lush green locality of San Jose, California, Anshul started volunteering at various organisations a quite a young age. An alumnus of Archbishop Mitty High School, the young entrepreneur was also the president of his school's Computer Science Club. It was, however, his personal experience of receiving therapy and working with neurodiverse individuals, that motivated Anshul to establish a company that uses technology to make educational and therapeutic resources more accessible to children with autism.
[caption id="attachment_35175" align="aligncenter" width="556"] Anshul delivering kits to elementary and KIPP schools[/caption]
Talking about the ground reality of autism, the entrepreneur said, "According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are one in 44 children having autism spectrum disorder in the US alone, and about half of those with severe ASD only have access to school-based treatment. Of these kids, about 17 percent have no access to any treatment whatsoever, with these numbers growing drastically. While I and a few of my classmates were working with individuals with special needs, we recognised the inaccessibility, lack of continuation, and low parental involvement for autism therapy services. And that is what became our motivation to establish AUesome."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OodlnvwI3Kg
So, what is it that AUesome does? "We improve upon existing therapeutic constraints by reimagining the therapy process through the utilisation of a therapy kit, augmented by a digital guidance platform and app," shared the entrepreneur, adding, "First, we curate clinically proven therapy tools and activities used by therapists – such as flashcards to train communication skills and clothespin activities for fine motor skills – into a therapy kit, delivered to parents and educators. Next, the kits are paired with an instructional platform, where parents can access guidance resources for each activity to educate themselves on how to conduct therapy with their child. Finally, after three iterations, we developed an accompanying app, which provides cognitive games and instructional videos that accompany the activities in the physical kit and recommends a daily schedule, quizzes, and ideas for customisation.
Road to expansion
The entrepreneur has distinguished his company through a unique pricing strategy. Rather than conforming to market trends, the company determines product prices through a combination of production costs and thorough market research. With costs as low as $10-15, AUesome provides an economical alternative to existing therapy systems, which can often demand upwards of a quarter-million dollars for individuals between birth and age 18.
[caption id="attachment_35176" align="aligncenter" width="552"] Fundraising initiative by AUesome[/caption]
"One of the key parts of our daily work is to receive user feedback. I believe they embrace both positive and negative input to improve our product continuously," shared the Global Indian, adding, "This market is worth $2.01 billion and is projected to grow 7.9 percent in the next couple of years. So, even from a business perspective, there is an emphasis on the importance of seizing opportunities as students and building a network of like-minded individuals who can support and contribute to their projects ensuring the sustainability of such innovative ideas."
Aside from therapy kits, AUesome has also initiated chapters. These chapters provide high school and college students with materials for leadership, networking, advocacy, and spreading awareness about neurodiversity and the necessity for therapy. So far, the organisation has 17 chapters around the globe. "We’re also hoping to expand more across the world through our global outreach initiative,” Anshul shared, "We’re currently working with the Brazilian government, Ukrainian hospitals, people in Canada, India, and beyond, to make a bigger impact beyond just in the United States.”
(September 15, 2023) Indian origin Simar Khurana, a six-year-old from Beamsville, Ontario, Canada, has created a Guinness World Record becoming world's youngest video game developer - an impressive feat she accomplished at the young age of six years and 335 days. What makes her achievement even more special is her remarkable ability to create a video game that not only provides entertainment but also imparts a message about the importance of adopting healthy eating habits. Her game, aptly named ‘Junk Food vs Healthy Food,’ not only entertains but also educates young players about making nutritious food choices. The student of Jacobs Beam Public School is not only a coding prodigy but also a versatile child with a passion for maths, art, gymnastics, and dance. Simar finds support in her family and the entire school that was cheering when she made the record. She showcases her expertise on her YouTube channel, ‘Simars World’. [caption id="attachment_33076" align="aligncenter" width="544"] Simar Khurana[/caption] Girls are no less than boys Simar’s father Paras Khurana, an HR professional, told Global Indian, “I have two daughters. Simar is the second one, and when she was born, a few people expressed sympathy and were rueful that I was blessed
Simar’s father Paras Khurana, an HR professional, told Global Indian, “I have two daughters. Simar is the second one, and when she was born, a few people expressed sympathy and were rueful that I was blessed with another girl. They told me to try for a boy. Simar’s achievements are like a slap on their face.”
Talking about the Guinness Book rules he says, “Guinness recognises two categories for the youngest video game developer - one for males and one for females. Simar qualified for the female category. However, if there would have been an open competition, she would have excelled regardless. Sadly, there still appears to be a bias favouring boys over girls.”
Simar is ‘super excited and grateful to be a world record holder’. While her father shared, “the process was very lengthy and exhaustive. It took almost three months to verify and validate.”
Discovering the talent
Simar began her coding journey just this year when her parents recognised her exceptional aptitude for coding, mathematics and doing things creatively. They decided to enrol her in a coding class.
“Such is her creativity that she can create something great out of simple things, and I realised that with her talent for maths and coding she can be a good video game developer,” said her father.
What started as a single class per week soon escalated to three classes, and eventually, Simar dedicated herself to five coding classes weekly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkDujfmrI3U&t=39s
Simar's inspiration for her game promoting healthy food choices stemmed from a visit to her family doctor, who emphasised the significance of maintaining a balanced diet. This conversation with her doctor left a mark on the impressionable mind of the six-year-old, sparking her interest in the consequences of consuming junk food and the importance of making healthier choices.
Driven by her newfound knowledge, Simar embarked on her video game journey to transform the perspective of children her age in a fun manner.
Hiccups along the way
When Simar's parents began searching for a place to provide her with coding training, they explored several options. However, they encountered a common response: "She's too young. Most children are just beginning to learn to read and write. Developing a game would be quite challenging." Many institutions recommended that they introduce her to coding when she is at least eight to 10-year-old.
However, looking at their child’s ability her parents knew that she has an extraordinary potential as at such a young age Simar can also solve mathematics problems meant for grade three kids. After trying at many places they finally found an institute that agreed to enrol her.
That’s when her father started researching the world records in coding and found out that nobody has developed a full-fledged game at a young age. “I told Simar this and she got excited, ‘I want to make a world record,’ she said and began announcing to the whole family that she’s going to make a world record’,” Paras shares.
“Simar is hardworking and she did it pretty well for a six-year-old to go through five classes a week on coding and then spending a couple of hours every day on practising and doing projects,” he remarked.
The coder has graduated to the next level of working into animations. She loves Roblox, an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to programme games and play games created by other users. Down the line she aims to develop something even better than that.
Motivated by her accomplishments, the youngster is working on a more interactive and engaging game. She has a message for everyone – “Don’t eat junk food!”
(December 23, 2023) When most kids of his age were glued to cartoons on television, Shahan Ali Mohsin would watch motorsport racing. But his visit to the Indian Grand Prix changed it all for the teenager. Looking at the fast-speed cars, he knew he wanted to be on the track driving one. And now a few years later, he has become the first Indian to win the FIA Formula 4 car racing championship. The 19-year-old, who represents the Hyderabad Black Birds team, picked up the trophy at Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur, a town panchayat some 35 km away from Chennai. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahan Ali Mohsin (@shahan_racing) It's nothing short of a dream come true for the teenager who has spent a considerable amount of his life on racetracks. It was in 2011 that he first visited Indian Grand Prix, and was determined to make a career in motorsports. Seeing his passion, his father Shahroo Mohsin, a shoe exporter based in Agra, did some research and soon enrolled Shahan at the Meco Motorsports Karting Academy in 2012. He adapted to it pretty soon. "In my first time driving a go-kart I
It's nothing short of a dream come true for the teenager who has spent a considerable amount of his life on racetracks. It was in 2011 that he first visited Indian Grand Prix, and was determined to make a career in motorsports. Seeing his passion, his father Shahroo Mohsin, a shoe exporter based in Agra, did some research and soon enrolled Shahan at the Meco Motorsports Karting Academy in 2012. He adapted to it pretty soon. "In my first time driving a go-kart I was already pretty fast. Mr. Ebrahim (Akbar Ebrahim) coached me over the years, which helped me learn racecraft. In the first year itself, I was in the top five. And by the end of my first year in the national championship, I already had a podium. By the second year I was already in the top three, and I was leading the championship for a brief while as well," he said in an interview.
The very next year, Shahan began competing in the Asian Rotax Championship. By the second season, he already managed a few podiums. At the age of 12, he won the Asian Championship's Micro Max category and even had his first race in Europe at the Rotax Grand Festival. "In 2018, I returned to Europe to do the Central European Championship. I got one podium, a second place, there. I did the Rotax Grand Festival in 2017 as well, finishing fourth that year," he added.
In 2018, Shahan faced a major setback while racing (Trofeo Andrea Margutti) in Italy when he felt a sudden pain in his ribcage. Upon his return to India, the MRI revealed a fracture in his left rib, which was caused by an injury in 2017 when he had a crash in the national championship. The injury kept him off the tracks for four months which Shahan describes as a difficult time. "I had to stay away from racing. I couldn't do anything. There was no gym, no fitness, which was very boring for me. But in the first race after the injury, I was already on the pace. And the second race after that I won," he revealed.
It was in 2019 when Shahan turned 15 that he switched from karting to single-seater with MRF F1600, making him the youngest single-seater driver in India. "The transition was difficult, but I adapted to it in one or two races. You're moving from a kart of 80kg to a single-seater which is 500kg. It's a big difference. And then you have aero, suspension, etc. Plus, in karting, you've got 30bhp, and in single-seaters you have 140-150bhp. It was a big difference in terms of engine and power. Then there was the gearbox. It took some time, but I adapted to it. There was a lot to learn," he said in an interview.
Shahan credits his dad for the journey that he has been able to undertake in motorsports. The racer says that his dad always had a blueprint helping him navigate the course for the next few years. "He always had a plan, and he built me up from scratch. He moved me from the Indian national scene to Asia, then to Europe, and then to single-seaters," added the teenager.
For the next three years, he kept clinching awards that have cemented his position in the world of motorsports. In 2019, he was awarded Best Driver of the Year and in 2021, he won the Indian National Car Racing Championship followed by becoming the first Indian to race in the Indian Racing League in 2022. And now, he has become the first Indian to win the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Formula 4 car racing championship.
The F4 cars, sanctioned by the FIA, are imported from France and are equipped with turbocharged Renault engines, allowing them to attain speeds of up to 250 km/hr. The Indian F4 Championship comprises a field of 12 drivers, including three from India, as well as representatives from various countries such as Australia, the US, Tasmania, England, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and a female driver from India.
"I have set a goal to make India proud by giving my best in the remaining races of the championship," Shahan said.
Hasti Modi[/caption]
Tree plantation drive in Bhavnagar[/caption]
Tree plantation drive in London[/caption]
Anshul delivering kits to elementary and KIPP schools[/caption]
Fundraising initiative by AUesome[/caption]
Simar Khurana[/caption]
Simar Khurana[/caption]
