Greeshma Davu: NRI teen empowering underprivileged girls through education
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(November 8, 2023) Monika Chandolu, a resident of Movva village in Krishna district in Vijayawada, got an impressive 95.4 percent in her 12th grade and qualified for the JEE Mains exam. She is confident of clearing her JEE advanced test and getting admission into a top institute. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of 16-year-old Greeshma Davu, an Indian American living in the suburb of Washington DC, who is helping many deserving students like Monika by providing financial assistance for their education.
Greeshma is on a mission to empower underprivileged girls and is doing everything possible to help the girls get the right access to education, and it’s her parents who are helping her in the process. She is assisting Monika in her pursuit of engineering education using Tata’s Palleseva organization, which is located in Kaza village within the same mandal.
Greeshma Davu
“During a visit to my grandparent’s hometown in India, I have learned about the dire consequences of inadequate education. Witnessing the lack of access to basic rights for women, I became motivated to make a difference through charity,” she told a daily.
While her parents have been the wind beneath her wings, she has been working hard to provide financial help to girls like Monika by working at Kumon learning centers, as well as working as an intern at the University of Virginia Neuro Science Lab. The concept of aiding the underprivileged by offering education took shape during her visit to India, where she saw distressing situations in which women encountered hardships because of their limited access to education.
In addition to her commitment to academics and sports, the teenager is also actively involved in charitable work through her non-profit organization, ‘Care 4 Needy,’ which extends its assistance to both Indian and American communities. ‘Care 4 Needy’ was founded in January 2022, with the initiative stemming from the vision of Greeshma’s mother and founder, Srilatha Tata, along with her maternal uncle, Pavan Kumar Tata. Greeshma and her uncle, Anil Kumar Tata, serve as co-founders of the organisation.
This dual-pronged dedication to education and community service exemplifies their family’s commitment to making a positive impact both locally and abroad through ‘Care 4 Needy.’
Apart from charitable work, Greeshma has demonstrated her academic prowess by achieving the sixth position in the State Technology Student Association (TSA) conference, showcasing her excellence in this field. Simultaneously, she is passionate about sports and has earned a spot on the Junior Varsity Volleyball team at Rockridge High School, her former educational institution.
Furthermore, Greeshma is not only excelling in her studies and sports but also showing her commitment to social causes. Her goal is to provide sanitary napkins to women and teenagers in rural areas, and she has already managed to raise an impressive $20,000 in funds to support this vital cause. Her dedication to both academic and humanitarian pursuits is truly inspiring.
“Working at the National Institute of Health to support those suffering from lupus disease, Greeshma achieved recognition in the State Technology Student Association. With the guidance of her mentors Ravi Davu and Dr Prakash Bethapudi, she also published research on brain tumour identification,” Greeshma’s mother added.
(May 13, 2022) Sitting for the Homi Bhaba exam in 2019, Nagpur-based Stem lover Joy Agrawal had an epiphany - the underprivileged students have no access to practical labs. This thought gnawed at him for weeks. The then 13-year-old understood his privilege of having access to all the resources, while the disadvantaged had no money to even order science kits. He knew he had to find a solution, and this gave birth to Project Gyan in 2020. "It's an effort to help quality Stem education reach the young minds through practical and application-based education, focusing on the underprivileged children," changemaker Joy tells Global Indian. In two years, what started as a classroom of 10-12 students has now reached over 1600 students across five schools in Nagpur, Maharashtra. "Practical exposure is necessary to get children thrilled about education. When we started, many students wanted to help their daily wager worker parents with their chores but in a few months, some wanted to build airplanes. That shift in perspective is a victory for me and Project Gyan," says the Class 10 student. [caption id="attachment_16513" align="aligncenter" width="661"] Joy Agrawal[/caption] Love for space tech Born in 2006 in Bareilly to financial consultant parents, Joy
[caption id="attachment_16513" align="aligncenter" width="661"] Joy Agrawal[/caption]
Love for space tech
Born in 2006 in Bareilly to financial consultant parents, Joy was raised in Nagpur. A space tech enthusiast, the outer world always fascinated this teenager. But his interest was piqued after his parents gifted him a telescope at the age of 10. "For a year, I'd sit every day gazing at the stars or looking at the asteroids. But with time, it became less frequent. However, lockdown changed it as the sky was clear again," says the Centre Point School student who discovered two asteroids in 2021 as a part of Spaceport India Asteroid Search Campaign in association with Hardin-Simmons University Texas.
His discoveries have been designated as 2020 RD95 and 2020 RJ83, says the 15-year-old who adds that NASA will use the data for a year or two to confirm the provisional discoveries after an in-depth study. "I am obsessed with space and technology," reveals Joy who loves doing everything in the area of space tech. While the telescope turned out to be a gamechanger for this teenager in the world of space, it was a robotics course that made him fall in love with technology. "As a kid, I loved swimming and would spend two hours every day in the pool. But it was put on hold for a while as the pool was under renovation. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. With time on my hands, I enrolled in the robotics class, and I haven't looked back since," adds the teen changemaker, who is the founder of Community Space One. "Our mission is to achieve sustainable development goals with the help of space technology. It was in early 2021 that I identified like-minded people, and soon started Community Space One," says the boy, who is keen to make a difference through remote sensing and earth observation.
[caption id="attachment_16514" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Joy Agrawal at a recent TedX Talk[/caption]
Making an impact through STEM
This love for technology led him to be selected by Peace First, the world's largest incubator for youth-led social change initiatives, for a project grant. "It's a mini-grant for projects on the lines of social change. I won $250 with which I started Project Gyan in 2020. Started during the pandemic, I initially needed no funds as I was conducting live workshops for the underprivileged kids virtually," says Joy who started with the students of St Michael's High School in Nagpur. Being the vice president of the Interact Club at his school, Joy came in touch with the Rotary club and zeroed in on an institution that has many underprivileged kids. "I began with a 1-2 hour class every Saturday wherein I performed experiments and explained concepts. Later, I expanded Project Gyan to four more schools in Nagpur and two tribal schools in Maharashtra," adds the changemaker who provides kits to schools for students to get hands-on experience in science practicals. "I love science, and I understand its potential. I want these kids to explore their potential through Project Gyan," says Joy, who is now working with a team that looks into distribution and planning, maintaining the website, social media, and creating videos.
[caption id="attachment_16515" align="aligncenter" width="706"] Joy Agrawal at IIT Madras with his quadcopter[/caption]
With 1600 students now and a grant of ₹40,000 from Vicco Labs, Project Gyan is spreading its wings and has expansion plans in Central India. Things weren't smooth at the start - he found that many kids had no access to mobile phones. "Three-four students were using one phone to attend my classes initially. This made me understand the extent of the disparity. But with passing months, I realised they too had dreams, and given the practical exposure, they can work towards following their dreams," says Joy, who plans to make the study kit available globally for anyone to access.
Future plans
Joy, who is currently sitting for his board exams, has plans of pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer science from MIT or Harvard and a master's in space system engineering. "Working with the UN is my dream. But at some stage, I would want to launch my start-up in space tech," says the teenager, who calls himself a "changemaker who wants to create an impact through Stem".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqoEmh6UUSk&t=80s
At 15, Joy is busy creating social impact, and the teenager advises youngsters to "not follow the herd. Instead, explore your niche. Don't replicate another person's journey. Do your thing and only then you will be able to make a difference." The teen changemaker, who firmly believes that sky is the limit, loves reading books, playing with his dog, and listening to music in his free time. "I don't need to unwind as I love every bit of what I do. When you enjoy your work, you never need a moment to take a break from it," concludes Joy.
(December 3, 2023)The 2023 Ladies European Tour (LET) was a series of golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world held at multiple locations around the world. India’s Aditi Ashok competed with golfers from France, Spain, Thailand, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic and many other countries in the race to the Costa del Sol rankings - a season-long competition to crown the LET’s number one player. The Indian professional golfer who recently bagged silver at the Asian Games 2023, won both the opening and closing tournaments of the season at Kenya and Spain respectively. With these significant wins she made 2023 the best-ever year for Indian women golfers at the LET. “It was a great battle,” said Aditi after winning the closing tournament of LET at Spain. In May this year, Aditi had achieved a ground-breaking milestone as the first Indian female golfer to break into the top 50 in the world rankings following her T5 finish at the LPGA Founders Cup. “I have grown up with golf being a part of my life. It means a lot. A few days without golf and I start feeling a void. It is an ingrained aspect of my life,” she
Aditi clinched the fourth position in the tournament, whereas her counterpart Diksha Dagar attained the third spot, marking the first time in history when two Indian golfers achieved top-five rankings in the LET season.
Starting young
The 25-year-old had started playing golf when she was merely five. Born and brought up in Bengaluru, the golfer made her Olympic Games debut at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Later, she also qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, representing India, finishing fourth.
Although she was unhappy about the result, the Global Indian said, “So many people in India are writing and talking about golf, and even watching it. I am looking at the positive side. The fact that my Olympic performance has generated more interest is great.”
[caption id="attachment_34409" align="aligncenter" width="827"] Aditi Ashok with budding golfers[/caption]
Finding support in parents
The golfer’s parents supported her dreams from the beginning. At the age of five when she expressed interest in the sport, her father took her to the Karnataka Golf Association driving range. So invested were her parents in Aditi’s goals of life that her father Ashok became her caddie in the 2016 Olympics, while her mother Maheshwari Ashok was her caddie at the Olympics of 2020 in Tokyo.
“Both my parents supported me a lot when I was young. My dad would take me to the golf course every day and teach me how to manage my game. My mom has been a pillar of strength. From her, I have learnt how to create a positive environment around oneself,” she remarked.
[caption id="attachment_34410" align="aligncenter" width="789"] Aditi Ashok with her father as caddie in 2016 Olympics[/caption]
Turning heads
When Aditi was still a teenager, she was the lone Indian golfer participating in the Asian Youth Games of 2013, the Youth Olympics, and the Asian Games in 2014. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she emerged as the youngest competitor among all golfers, securing the 41st position, not a bright spot yet a milestone of sorts for the youngster who was trying hard to make a mark internationally.
She had got successful in clinching the National Junior Championship consecutively in 2012, 2013, and 2014, holding both junior and senior titles simultaneously in 2014. Following her victory in the Ladies British Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 2015, she had transitioned to the professional circuit the following year.
The golfer made history by becoming the youngest and the first Indian to triumph in the Lalla Aicha Qualifying School, earning her Ladies European Tour card for the 2016 season. This achievement marked her as the youngest victor of a Q School for an international tour.
She secured her landmark win at the 2016 Hero Women's Indian Open, carding an impressive 3-under-par 213. This victory established her as the first Indian winner of a Ladies European Tour (LET) title. Her success in a country traditionally fixated on cricket brought exceptional attention to the sport of golf.
International triumphs
Since then Aditi has been performing consistently well at major international golf tournaments creating a mark for herself. The dedicated player remarked, “I think the game itself is pretty motivating. Every day is different. Just having played well yesterday or last week does not guarantee anything this week. You are always on your toes to improve every aspect of your game.”
In a remarkable year for Indian women golfers, Aditi Ashok's 2023 triumphs, securing victories and marking history alongside Diksha Dagar has contributed to India’s glory in the global stage of golf.
(August 17, 2024) A summer camp at Stanford University was enough to ignite a passion for AI in Hinsdale Central junior Jui Khankari. However, the hunger to learn more was left unsatiated for the lack of adequate resources to fuel her interest in AI. This led the then 16-year-old to launch her educational non-profit, AInspire, a free resource for people of all ages to learn about artificial intelligence and its many applications. Run entirely on donations, the nonprofit has served over 26,000 students in 91 countries so far through virtual workshops, videos, and educational curriculum created by the Indian American teenager who was named among the Presidential Scholars of 2022. Now at the age of 19, she has found herself on the list of 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work in the field of education. "Khankari developed an AI curriculum adopted by 38 school districts as well as organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, National Science Teachers Association, Discovery Education, the White House, and the National Center for Women in Information Technology," wrote Forbes. [caption id="attachment_38855" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Jui Khankari[/caption] Gravitating towards AI For Jui, an Indian-origin girl from Illinois, her journey into artificial intelligence began when
For Jui, an Indian-origin girl from Illinois, her journey into artificial intelligence began when she taught Siri to pronounce her name correctly. After years of people mispronouncing her name in the US, she finally decided to take action when even her mom's phone got it wrong. By making some adjustments, Jui succeeded in getting Siri to say her name the right way. This experience sparked her interest in AI, but her enthusiasm nearly faded as she found herself the only girl in various workshops. Jui said in an interview that she often had instructors performing coding for her, to the extent that she wasn't learning anything. It was a frustrating reality for her and many young girls like her, as only 32 percent of the data and artificial intelligence workforce are female, according to the World Forum's 2021 report.
In 2019, she decided to give AI one more chance, when she was selected for a camp at Stanford University with 31 other girls from other parts of the globe. The camp was a revelation for her as she understood that AI could be applied to health care, mental health, and energy optimisation. "Naturally, technologies that only affect women would be less likely to be developed if there aren’t women fighting for them to be developed. Men might have different agendas, or they just might honestly forget that this is something that we need. It’s a real need, and so that’s why I just really want to get more women inspired and empowered to enter the field so we can make our voices and our needs heard," the Global Indian told a daily.
[caption id="attachment_24897" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Jui Khankari is currently studying at Stanford University[/caption]
The beginning of AInspire
In February 2020, the Diana Award recipient founded AInspire to motivate and support young girls interested in AI, including her sister Neha. With the help of 11 young women from around the world, including classmates and friends she met at the Stanford camp, she developed new lessons and activities to enhance users' understanding of artificial intelligence. AInspire also focuses on building the technical, interpersonal, and comprehension skills necessary for a career in this growing field. Although AInspire is primarily aimed at middle and high school students, Jui believes everyone should have a basic understanding of AI, as it is integral to every industry. This belief drives her commitment to keeping AInspire free and accessible to all.
Making an impact
Born to doctor parents, she witnessed them treating COVID-19 patients, which sparked her interest in applying AI to healthcare. She is now focused on developing AI to detect strokes and identify the bifurcation of the major artery supplying blood to the brain, aiming to enable early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. She has already tested two AI algorithms, and her research has demonstrated that strokes can be detected using AI. "Two million neurons die every minute that a stroke is left untreated. By reducing treatment times even by a single minute, this algorithm could reduce death and disability in stroke patients worldwide," she said.
She has developed custom curriculum for underserved school districts in Chicago and community colleges in New Jersey, and collaborated with MKAI to deliver AI talks to business professionals. Her teaching experience spans workshops in English, Spanish, Hindi, and Marathi, reaching students from Bolivia to Bangladesh and beyond.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqd9Ix0AU9w
Jui, the 2022 Regeneron Science Talent Search winner and a computer science student at Stanford University, has ambitious plans for AInspire's future. She hopes to partner with school districts to integrate AI into elementary, middle, and high school curricula. As for her own career, Jui aspires to become both a researcher and a physician, combining her passion for patient care with developing algorithms to advance healthcare.
In this special Global Indian Youth column, student and youth leader JEEVA SENTHILNATHAN finds three girl activists on a mission to create positive impact... (January 28, 2022) The involvement of heavy politics has never been a place for young South Asian teens, but as small obstacles creep up on Indian youth born and raised in the US, they aren’t going to be sitting down quietly any time soon. From stopping the rise of Asian hate to clearing dysfunctional organisations, Indian youth has become the solution to take a stance, speak up, and lead the way. These three girl activists have spoken up and their voices have been heard. Through civic engagement programmes, activist initiatives, and voter outreach, many young Indians have primarily been filling in the spaces. As Generation-Z rises, Indian youth has gone back to the South Asian community to assist in US citizenship, voter registration, and political field mobilisation. These tactics have thus far been the key to winning major elections in the US, including former candidates to now electees - vice-president Kamala Harris, Congressman Ro Khanna, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. [caption id="attachment_10157" align="aligncenter" width="432"] Jeeva Senthilnathan[/caption] Akhila Mullapudi takes political activism forward Girl activist Akhila
" src="https://www.globalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MicrosoftTeams-image-38.png" alt="Girl Activist | | Akhila | Deepa | Madhvi Global Indian Youth" width="432" height="436" /> Jeeva Senthilnathan[/caption]
Akhila Mullapudi takes political activism forward
Girl activist Akhila Mullapudi is a freshman at the University of Michigan. Her work with political activism began during the March for Our Lives protests following the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School where she participated in her first protest in 2018. From there, her advocacy work expanded to include a plethora of causes including but not limited to intersectional feminism, criminal justice reform, climate justice and civic engagement. She works with organisations like Generation Ratify, a feminist movement, the Zero Hour, a climate justice organisation, and Blue Future, a political mobilisation and grassroots campaign.
In 2020, she began interning for Congressman Andy Levin’s campaign in Michigan’s 9th district working on data and finance. From there, she was able to transform her skills as an organiser to create political change from within. During the summer of 2021, she collaborated with Congressman Levin on his democracy summer programme hosted through Congressman Raskin. In the course of time, Akhila learnt how to run a campaign, issue-based advocacy from the representative side, and mobilise people directly in the community.
“Thank you to the offices of @SenWarren and @RepLawrence for meeting with Generation Ratify today! We are beyond honored to have lobbied with you on International Women’s day for the Equal Rights Amendment!,” the girl activist posted on her work with Generation Ratify.
Beyond political work, Akhila is enthusiastic about student representation in administration. Her passion began as a member of the student round table in high school where she later became president, and continued into college where she serves as the deputy policy advisor for university affairs with the University of Michigan’s Central Student Government. She believes that students should be involved in the decisions that so drastically impact not only their education but their lives.
Mentoring students, cleaning up local parks, or anything in between, she has received the Farmington Youth Assistant Award in which she received Congressional and Senatorial special recognition for her community service.
The recipient of the American Legion Award, and the Brykalski Coolman Award from her high school, it is Akhila’s hope is to create positive impact.
As a six year old, girl activist Madhvi spearheaded an ecological movement with Madhvi4EcoEthics, a non-profit that works towards ridding the planet of plastics. The girl activist has shared the stage with world renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg at Denver’s Global Climate Strike in October 2019.
“Wow! So much #plastic waste! We humans must be ashamed of ourselves! Please let's #RefusePlastics & teach the #manufacturers of plastics/#plasticproducts, a lesson to switch to #ecofriendly products! #GreenPlanet #BeatPlasticPollution,” the girl activist posted spreading the world.
The dynamic and enthusiastic Madhvi Chittoor, or NoStyrofoamNinja (her other name) began her efforts in 2017, to raise awareness against plastic and styrofoam pollution, climate change and fight for climate justice. As a global plastic pollution youth ambassador, she is being called the “best up and coming peacemaker” backed by 14 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates by PeaceJam Billion Acts, speaker, music composer and author. Her hope is to create rights for all earth’s natural resources - lakes, waters, streams, oceans, land, air, atmosphere, forests, biodiversity, mangroves, flora and fauna. Setting an economic value for their usage and conservation is her priority.
“Our mission is to usher impactful change advocating eco ethics and enabling green choices in-lieu of non-green convenience and greedy economics to protect ecosystems, public health and climate,” says Madhvi.
The girl activist's Global EcoEthics Movement has touched India, Bangladesh, Gambia, Zimbabwe and US with its efforts. Madhvi is a black belt in Taekwondo, and often speaks on ecological accountability.
Chittoor had proposed a state-wide ban on styrofoam take-out containers and single-use plastics in restaurants and grocery stores, for which she rallied many signatures. A task force was set up, and Chittoor was asked to lead it. In September 2019, the Jeffco Public School district — with 86,000 students across 155 schools — made the switch to compostable paper lunch trays. She has also written and published a book Is Plastic My Food? which educates about the plastic menace.
Deesha Panchal leads the way for equal rights
Girl activist Deesha is an active leader in her community. Founder of the nonprofit Georgia Youth Leaders, she enables students to develop passion driven projects of change in their community. A stepping stone to the work of policy is developing the next generation of socially-conscious leaders. This is exactly what Georgia Youth Leaders aims to do. Her nonprofit work has been featured in Forbes and won the 7000th Points of Light Service award.
“I am so honored to be chosen as 1 of 23 #aeriereal changemakers on the behalf of @georgia.yl,” she posted on social media,” after being chosen as a change maker. The girl activist's motto according to her Instagram profile is, “You gotta move different when you want different.”
The youth leader’s advocacy work furthers the development of conversations around politics. A member of the Asian students for Biden roundtable during the 2020 election, the girl activist discussed the importance of political candidates acknowledging the concerns of all minority groups and the power that Asian Americans hold within the election process. Furthermore, the roundtable discussed procedures young people can take to increase the Asian American voting turnout.
Deesha was recently crowned second runner up of the Miss GA Bharat pageant. A role model for young girls everywhere, she was able to support local candidates in elections and speak about the importance of local government through her affiliation with pageant work. The girl activist was also seen supporting Sophie Gibson of Norcross.
(The writer is a young Indian American who ran for office in Parker, Colorado at 18. Jeeva’s activism covers climate change, mental health, and teacher pay. Her organisation Privando aims to help solve India’s crisis of being the a dangerous country for women.)
(November 14, 2023) Divyakriti Singh has not been back home in the last two years. She missed all the festivals and other important events, which she would have otherwise celebrated with her family at their home in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It’s sacrifices like this and many more, that helped her gallop towards a historic victory which equestrians across the world will forever remember. She was among the four-member contingent that won India the historic gold at the Asian Games 2023, held at Hangzhou, China recently. “We definitely dreamt of a podium finish but to win the gold medal is surreal, it’s extraordinary and it should be like that,” smiles Divyakriti, in an exclusive with Global Indian. The historic win was the end result of hard training for years, perseverance, sacrifices and above all, the indomitable will to shine for India. “All the sacrifices we made are a small price to pay for the things we get to do,” says the 23-year-old, who is on cloud nine post the team’s win. She scored 68.176 in Asian Games. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Divyakriti Singh Rathore (@divyakritisinghrathore) The victory marked the first time in 41 years that India has achieved
The victory marked the first time in 41 years that India has achieved the feat. “The best three scores were counted from our team and I'm very happy that I was able to contribute to that,” says Divyakriti who was honoured with Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Award for Young Achiever in the field of Sport at The Sawai Jaipur Awards 2023.
In Europe
For the last three years, Divyakriti has been living in Europe, preparing for the Asian Games. “I've been based in Denmark and then in Germany. I have been very involved with the daily routine of my horses. I'm in the stable every day, all days of the week,” informs the equestrienne, who visited Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Florida, USA as part of her training.
Her routine hardly changed during her training years. Divyakriti’s day would start at 5 am sharp and she would head straight for the stable. Even during the peak Europe winter, she would not compromise on her schedule.
The young rider currently holds the number one spot in Asia and ranks an impressive 14th globally, according to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Global Dressage rankings.
The Rathore Family
Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Divyakriti was in seventh grade when she started horse riding. By 12, she was completely involved in equestrian sports and went on to receive numerous individual and team medals at various events including the Junior National Equestrian Championships and All India IPSC equestrian competitions. “Horses are my passion and that motivates me to be a better rider. It keeps me focused on the sport and I’m grateful that I get to do something that I love,” says the alumni of Mayo College Girls School in Ajmer.
A student of psychology in Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, Divyakriti is the daughter of Vikram Singh Rathore, a retired Army officer and Alka TejSingh. She has an elder sibling, Digvijay Singh. The Rathore family have been into horse riding for decades. “My entire family was present at the stands cheering for me at the Asian Game. It was a very proud moment for all of us,” says Divyakriti, beaming with pride. Even her grandparents from both mothers and fathers side have also been connected to horses.
Adrenaline Rush
She describes her horse, Adrenaline as a superstar. “He is my best friend and made my dreams come true. Together, we were able to deliver a personal best score which helped Team India clinch the gold medal,” says Divyakriti.
Initially, when she arrived in Europe, Divyakriti was training with a different horse but was not comfortable with him. At that stable, Adrenaline was already the super star. An international dressage rider from Denmark Helene Melsen, who bred the horse, asked her to try Adrenaline for the Asian games. “Once I rode him, the connect was instant and that was the beginning of our partnership,” she says.
Adrenaline, who weighs around 700 kg, has a mind of his own, says the equestrienne. “We have a bond based on trust, which we built through the time I spent at the stables,” says the accomplished equestrienne. She makes it a point to take her horse out for walks and feeds and grooms him. “He even gets a treat after rides, no matter the result,” she says.
Adrenaline, like all other horses, senses everything. “So the key is to be confident and give your horse the confidence,” says the India Today Woman Summit Awardee.
Lessons learned
There are ups and downs in every athlete's journey and Divyakriti is no exception. “If there is one thing that I've learned from my career, it is that do not fret over things that you can't control. Horse riding has taught me that,” smiles the youngster, who has previously represented the country in Europe and national competitions across the country.
She won the IPA Junior National Polo Championship Winner twice, in 2016 and 2017. She won the gold in the Junior National Equestrian Championship at Kolkata in 2018-2019 at Kolkata, India. In the 2019-2020 Junior National Equestrian Championship at Bangalore. she won the silver.
Prior to the Asian Games, she and her team members underwent a tough selection process. “Our federation had chalked out a set of selection criteria which required us to do the selection trials in Europe. Those trials were international competitions where we were competing against the best riders from all over the world,” she says, adding that it gave her good exposure.
Joy Agrawal[/caption]
Joy Agrawal at a recent TedX Talk[/caption]
Joy Agrawal at IIT Madras with his quadcopter[/caption]
Aditi Ashok with budding golfers[/caption]
Aditi Ashok with her father as caddie in 2016 Olympics[/caption]
Aditi Ashok[/caption]
Jui Khankari is currently studying at Stanford University[/caption]
