Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveIndian teen painter Semmozhi – A creator-preneur who has six million followers

Indian teen painter Semmozhi – A creator-preneur who has six million followers

Written by: Vikram Sharma

(January 7, 2022) As a five-year-old, N Semmozhi would be immersed in sketching and painting for hours. Random drawings but immensely creative. An image in her head would be put to paper. Some made sense, others did not. Now 16, Semmozhi is one of those creative bees who has a rare quality of dreaming her painting, and then painting that dream. The teen content creator is self-sufficient, not dependent on parents for pocket money as her artwork has already made her an independent artist. She has six million-plus followers of her art page — Art and Soul — on Trell today.

“Content creation is all about bringing your ideas to life. Sometimes we have something in our heads, but have trouble translating that on paper. My content helps me visualise what I see,” smiles the 16-year-old.

Indian Teen Painter | N Semmozhi | Global Indian Youth

For the girl with a penchant for imagery, an artwork is the representation of an artist’s soul. “From colour combinations, loose strokes of brush and little shades in the corners. That’s what Art and Soul is about,” informs the youngster, in an interview with Global Indian.

When art came a-calling

Born and brought up in Chennai, Semmozhi was always curious with an enduring passion for art. “My father realised my talent early, enrolled me in art classes. Art grows within you and I am the evidence of it,” smiles this 11^th grader at Union Christian Public school in Chennai. Her mother is a chartered accountant and CFO at a hospital, and her father runs a garment chain.

Her journey of converting art from a hobby to a career has been exhilarating. Early this year, she started uploading artworks on social media with the handle “artandsoulby semmu” and within a couple of weeks, a video went viral. “Seeing social media’s potential, I joined Trell in July to create more videos on arts and crafts to share my passion with the world,” informs Semmozhi, quoting Pablo Picasso, “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life…”

Indian Teen Painter | Global Indian Youth

An artwork by N Semmozhi

How she reached six million

With tips from masterclasses with content experts, Semmozhi was off to a flying start. Her followers kept increasing by leaps and bounds, and soon crossed 6 million. “I wanted my content viewers to create something similar (to her artwork) that is still uniquely theirs,” quips the creator-preneur, who confesses that initially she was scared whether she could pull it off.

Her art speaks for itself – From landscape painting to skyscapes to a perfect moon light painting to charcoal shading of stones lying on the seashore, she does it effortlessly. She can come up with lightning clouds, a 3-D chair and even a resin comb in a matter of minutes. “The pandemic only had a positive impact on me and helped me bring out my artistic skills. Online classes gave me sufficient time to hone my craft and the support from my family made it even easier to focus on my passion,” says the immensely talented content creator who calls herself a perfectionist.

Paying it forward

The first pay cheque is cherished, especially as a teenager. It was no different for Semmozhi. And no, she didn’t use it on gifts for family or herself. The 16-year-old donated her first earnings to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Covid relief fund. Not satisfied, she handed over her second salary too. The gesture was well-appreciated from all quarters more so as her contribution was personally accepted by minister for school education, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. “People of my generation are quickly becoming agents of change and am elated to actively be a part of this movement,” feels the teenager who says earning makes her responsible.

The eleventh grader aspires to direct innovative box-office reality shows in future. “Equipping the basic qualities of an artist and learning the hardships of making money in the course of my career has taught me that people with real skills need to be treasured and provided with opportunities,” says Semmozhi, a huge fan of reality shows.

An artwork by N Semmozhi

Interestingly, for her CBSE main board exams, Semmozhi opted for painting as her major paper. This despite her peers and other people advising against it. “I found it hard to cope with the drawing syllabus since it involved mural traditions, temple architecture, Warli Art and post-Mauryan trends in Indian art and architecture, caves and sculptures. Later, I realised that not only did it make me better at details, I also found an affinity to learn the most boring subject of all time — history,” smiles Semmozhi, whose school provided her expert coaching as the only student who opted for the subject.

When not creating content, Semmozhi loves to dance and cook. “Becoming an artist has been my childhood dream but I do like to dance all my worries away,” signs off Semmozhi, whose favourite Global Indian is Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo.

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Published on 07, Jan 2022

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Indian-teen Yathaarth Murthy croons 260 national anthems, is a 2-time Limca record holder

(January 6, 2021) Singing the Indian national anthem evokes fervour and patriotism. Some hum the British and American ones. Well, not fully, but at least some words! Yet, this Indian boy’s anthem repertoire is something that will take you aback. The 15-year-old Indian anthemologist Yathaarth Murthy is a two-time Limca Book of Records holder for singing the highest number of anthems in the world. He disarms with his eager smile as he shares how he mastered a whopping 260 national anthems – that is how many there are in the world, incidentally! That’s not all, this teen is also an avid environmentalist and was one of the 20 winners of the India 20 Under 20 organised by White Canvas, a mentoring organisation recognised by Niti Ayog. Born and raised in Bengaluru, Yathaarth’s first tryst with anthems happened when his Hindustani classical music teacher tutored him to perform anthems of four countries – India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Japan -- on the keyboard. “That was back in 2014. It got me hooked. I liked the lyrics and wanted to explore more anthems. So, I began researching on YouTube and Wikipedia, and taught myself several more countries’ anthems,” the Indian anthemologist tells Global Indian. Onward on, one anthem at a time Anthem spurting became a passion for the student of Vidyashilp Academy. “It lit a spark and there was no

wp-image-9313 aligncenter" src="https://www.globalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2022/01/IMG_31791.jpg" alt="Indian Teen | Yathaarth Murthy | Global Indian Youth" width="417" height="640" />

Onward on, one anthem at a time

Anthem spurting became a passion for the student of Vidyashilp Academy. “It lit a spark and there was no turning back,” he says. Soon he was spending hours pouring over anthems of different nations. While he understood the gist of a few, he enjoyed the lyrics and tunes too.

While Yathaarth, the only child of architect parents, found the accents and pronunciation a bit difficult, he kept at it. “The first few tries were difficult. As I continued to practice, I got a hang of the pronunciations too. Before I knew it, I was able to sing more than 100 anthems,” says Yathaarth. Incidentally, the term “anthemologist” was something he coined to describe his unique feat.

[caption id="attachment_9312" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Yathaarth Murthy with Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai[/caption]

It was around this time in 2017, that he told his mother about wanting to apply to the Limca Book of Records. To his surprise, he had in fact made the record. That’s how a young Bengalurean came to hold the Limca record for singing the highest number of anthems – 112 at the time. “When I first picked up learning these various anthems, I didn’t think I’d one day become a record holder or a TEDx speaker,” says the class 10 student. Yet, he soon broke his own record when he learnt all 260 anthems, and once again set a new Limca record in 2019.

Saving the environment, one lake at a time

As a primary school student, Yathaarth used to love watching TedX videos and wanted to be on the hallowed platform himself. His dream soon came true when he was invited to deliver his first TED talk in 2018 at age 12. “My first talk was about my journey as an anthemologist,” says the youth who has so far given four TED talks, the most recent in December 2020. The topics have been varied: environment, anthems, and on pursuing one’s dreams.

After he’d set his second Limca record, Yathaarth wondered, “What next?” “How could I give back to the community and do something meaningful? It was around then that I began learning more and more about the environment and climate change. I watched Greta Thunberg’s speeches. Shortly, I began working in the environment sphere in my own small way,” he adds.

Soon, Yathaarth was holding climate strikes and working on a school project for the World Federation of UN Association which earned him more accolades in 2019. “I worked on a project with four friends. We decided to revive Manae, a 4.5 acre lake on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The city was once filled with beautiful lakes, but today most are highly polluted or encroached upon,” says the environmentalist, who launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise Rs 8.27 lakh for the lake’s revival. He worked with Anand Malligavad, also known as the Lake Man of India, to revive the lake and would often visit the lake in his free time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IVIcvIMKhU

“When we first visited the lake, we could see the barren lakebed and there was barely any flora and fauna. Today, the lake is thriving and hosts various birds like peacocks, has beautiful flora and is the water source for a neighbouring village,” beams the boy who still visits the lake sometimes. His work to revive this lake earned him a spot on White Canvas’ India 20 Under 20 list.

Making time count

Anthems and the environment apart, Yathaarth Murthy is also a basketball and music lover. As he gears up for his board exams, he has already begun planning for a future as a diplomat representing India at the United Nations. “I’ve chosen sociology, global perspective, history, and environment management, so I can apply to colleges abroad, and work towards working with the UN,” says the teen who spent the better part of the pandemic trying to conduct relief work. From distributing food to the needy through the iCare brigade to organising Housie for a Cause, and diverting funds towards Covid relief, Yathaarth has been busy doing his bit to spread cheer in otherwise dismal times.

Follow Yathaarth Murthy on LinkedIn

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Teen equestrian Ananya Settipalli is making waves in the US

(March 1, 2024) In November 2023, 16-year-old equestrian Ananya Settipalli realised a long-time dream - she made it to the United States Dressage Finals, competing with the best young riders in America. At her first junior nationals in 2019, which she entered at the age of 12, she landed multiple podium finishes, including a silver in show jumping. Ananya made it to her second junior nationals just before the pandemic and came home with a team gold in dressage and a team silver in jumping. Ananya Settipalli was born in Boston and discovered a love for horses when she was around four years old. "My parents put me in my first summer camp in North Carolina when I was seven, at a barn called MacNairs," she tells Global Indian. Nobody in her family had been into the sport or ridden horses, but her mum, who was a national-level track athlete, was an early inspiration. Ananya would listen to her mum's stories and wonder what it would feel like to compete at a national level. She would watch equestrian events on TV too, and remembers watching the Olympics over and over. "The way Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester was mesmerising to

obody in her family had been into the sport or ridden horses, but her mum, who was a national-level track athlete, was an early inspiration. Ananya would listen to her mum's stories and wonder what it would feel like to compete at a national level. She would watch equestrian events on TV too, and remembers watching the Olympics over and over. "The way Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester was mesmerising to me. They were the equestrians I looked up to the most growing up."

When she was nine, the family moved to Hyderabad, where Ananya began riding consistently. She started at the Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club but soon switched to Nasr Polo, where she competed at my first show at HRPC under Nasr.

[caption id="attachment_36295" align="aligncenter" width="614"] Teen equestrian Ananya Settipalli[/caption]

Training with KCS Reddy

She moved back to the Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club to train under Hyderabad's only competitive coach at the time, KCS Reddy. "His methods of training were quite different from others," Ananya recalls. She learned her basics on retired thoroughbreds (ex-racehorses), which can be very challenging to ride compared to the more traditional, docile warmbloods. "I learned most things related to riding the hard way. With off-track thoroughbreds, you have to control every action you make when you're on them," she says.

It was a challenging way to learn. At Nasr Polo, the polo horses were well-trained and easy to handle. The ones at HRPC, however, were fresh off the race course and had received a few months of training from KCS Reddy and his assistant. "It was a rough experience since the horses were so green, but I wouldn't trade it for any other," Ananya says, adding with a smile, "And if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met Princess."

ALSO READ | Etro effect: Equestrian Anush Agarwalla’s historic win at Asian games takes the world by storm

Meeting 'Princess'

On her 12th birthday, Ananya got her first horse, Princess, as a present. When she rode her for the first time, Princess, who was “as grumpy as a mare could get,” threw her off right away, leaving Ananya with a concussion and “a giant red mark” on her face.” A few months later, when Ananya was at her first show, Princess threw her again, and this time, she fractured her arm. "Nobody thought I would come back to riding. Nobody thought I would keep Princess. But I did both because the most important thing to understand with a horse is that it's never their fault," she says. Instead, Ananya learned patience, and began building a real relationship with the horse she would soon call her best friend. She would head to the stables at 5 am and spend three hours with Princess before school. "It was the best experience I ever had. On weekends, I would spend the first half of the day with her, I would bathe her, hand graze her, groom her and just sit in her stall to spend time with her. She was very sensitive but she just needed some love and a girl who had all the love in the world to offer to her." Their bond only grew, and ultimately, Ananya went on to qualify for the nationals riding Princess.

Competing in India

By this time, Ananya was going back and forth between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where she was now training under Ashish Limaye at the Embassy International Riding School. She rode with Limaye to try horses to compete in her first Equestrian Premier League at the Embassy to qualify for the nationals. "I loved the place immediately," she said. "They had incredible facilities; everything was so well organised and everyone was extremely friendly and the horses were well taken care of." At the Embassy, she was also looking for horses to ride at the EPLs and ended up riding four, three of which came from the Embassy: Qurt, Dejavu, and Obligado. The fourth was a mare named Zala, whom she leased from the United Rider barn.

Her most special bond, however, was with Obligado, who was around 20 years old when she began riding him. "He's a thoroughbred but he could jump the 130s with ease and even when he was 19, he could jump the 115 cm classes without breaking a sweat. When I first rode him I barely knew how to jump. I couldn't even get around a course without falling off but he's an angel. He rarely misbehaved and taught me the basics of jumping."

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By this time, the pandemic had hit. However, the Embassy allowed Ashish Limaye's students to stay at the riding school and continue to train. Ananya, her friends, and Ashish lived at the school for six months. "He was the most influential coach I had the opportunity to train with," Ananya says. They would ride in the morning, go to school, ride again after, and in keeping with Ashish's rule for his students, work out after riding. "Under Ashish, I competed at two Junior National Equestrian Championships in India," she says.

[caption id="attachment_36301" align="aligncenter" width="426"] Ananya Settipalli with Ashish Limaye at the Embassy International Riding School[/caption]

Back to the US

In a stroke of bad luck, Ananya came down with a fairly severe case of Covid 19 in 2020. At this point, her parents decided to go back to the US, this time to Texas, partly for the good schools and also because they had found Ananya a great coach, Kai Handt.

In 2021, Ananya began riding under Handt, who is also one of the top coaches in the US for para-equestrians, at the North Texas Equestrian Center. Then, in 2022, she bought her current horse from Kai, NTEC Classico, a seven-year-old gelding "with impeccable breeding lines and amazing scope in jumping and dressage," Ananya says. That year, she competed at her first regional championship in 2022.

She attended her second regionals in 2023, this time on another of Kai Handt's best horses, the NTEC Falstaff. This time, the idea was to qualify for the United States Dressage Finals. They qualified and made it to the event in Lexington, Kentucky.

A different ecosystem

Being an equestrian in the US, Ananya says, is a very different experience from being one in India. For starters, the average level is much higher - the best riders in India struggle to even qualify when they first arrive in Germany or the US. "It's much more competitive in the US because it's a much more popular sport," she says. Shows also work differently and it took some adjusting to at first.

"After I bought NTEC Classico, it became easier because consistency is key. Having a horse to ride five days a week definitely helps when you compete with that same horse." Another difference is that riders in the US are expected to do a lot more for their horses. "In India, in HRPC and Embassy, they would know what time I would be there and have the horses ready to ride and take care of them afterward. But in America, at most barns, you tack up your own horse, untack them, and take care of them when you're done riding," Ananya explains. "It's a very different experience, but I like taking care of my horse better because it allows you to build a connection with them."

[caption id="attachment_36294" align="aligncenter" width="492"] Ananya and her father, with NTEC Classico[/caption]

The ties that bind

In dressage, a strong bond between horse and rider is key, where everything is about trust, respect, empathy, and teamwork. That's why Ananya focusses on spending consistent time with her horse, not just during the training but also by doing everyday activities like grooming and so on. "Communication is huge, I try to be clear and consistent with my cues so my horse knows what I'm asking for and I make sure to give plenty of praise and maybe a treat here and there." There are challenges of course, as with any relationship. "But I've learned to approach them with patience and understanding. It's not just about winning ribbons in the arena; it's about having a true partnership with your horse."

Ananya hopes to keep winning but says it's more than just about accolades. "It's about deepening my understanding of horses and enriching their lives through thoughtful training and care." She also wants to continue training, saying, "I aim to compete at higher level competitions and hopefully international ones as well."

(July 14, 2023) "I was over the moon," says Joy Agrawal, the teenager who found himself on the Diana Award 2023 winners list. The 17-year-old from Nagpur is making a difference with Project Gyan, an initiative that was birthed in 2020 to help impart practical STEM education to underprivileged kids. Three years in, the changemaker is keen to revolutionise the world through space technology, global education, and global studies. "More than validation, Diana Award is a motivation for me. What we do is different and amazing, and I strive to find solutions through space technology, engineering, and policy," Joy tells Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_31874" align="aligncenter" width="562"] Joy Agrawal is the founder of Project Gyan[/caption] Project Gyan - that changed it all Project Gyan seeks to mentor students in STEM and help them develop curiosity and long-lasting interest in asking the big questions. Joy was all of 13 when he had an epiphany while sitting for the Homi Bhaba exam in 2019 - the underprivileged students have no access to practical labs. A thought that kept him awake for weeks. He understood his privilege of having access to all the resources, while the disadvantaged had no money to even order science

f 13 when he had an epiphany while sitting for the Homi Bhaba exam in 2019 - the underprivileged students have no access to practical labs. A thought that kept him awake for weeks. He understood his privilege of having access to all the resources, while the disadvantaged had no money to even order science kits. This problem found a solution in Project Gyan. "It's an effort to help quality STEM education reach the young minds through practical and application-based education, focusing on the underprivileged children," adds the changemaker.

But in the last year, Project Gyan underwent restructuring, making it the world's first decentralised STEM and entrepreneurship exploratory. "It's like a lab where you can go explore anything and everything," reveals Joy, for whom explorative education is the focus. He partnered with Padma Shri Dr Prakash Amte's Lok Biradri Prakalp and Bridge The Gap Foundation to help educate rural and tribal kids through workshops and unconventional experiments. "We have a different perspective on experimentation. We mostly use things that are available in the kitchen, making it easier for kids to understand things. We don't just focus on Chemistry but the Physics behind the experiment."

Along with STEM education, Project Gyan has expanded its mission to entrepreneurship by exposing the elderly in rural and tribal areas of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to practical entrepreneurial education and converting them into nano-entrepreneurs. Project Gyan is currently working with the Bharia tribe from Madhya Pradesh which still uses a barter system to make ends meet. "Since they are poor and don't use any currency, they log wood from the valley of Patalkot, thus negatively impacting the environment. So we intervened and now teach them sellable skills like painting, pottery, clay art, and candle making, thus helping them make products and sell them," adds the changemaker.

In partnership with Patalkot Tribal Community Welfare Organisation and Serendipity Lakes and Resorts in Tamia, Madhya Pradesh, Project Gyan is helping the women of Dhundi Shekhar, a village in Tamia, to make Kulhad Battis (candles in small pots), aiming to equip them with skills necessary to create and sell these candles. "The final products are sent to the Serendipity Lakes and Resorts where they are put on display for the visitors, who eventually end up buying the products, thus helping these women earn a livelihood," reveals Joy, adding that according to the 2011 National Innovation Report over one lakh, unique inventions were made by tribals across India, something that's still not known to the public. "I understood that rural and tribal people are jugaadu (make shifter) in India, and I wanted to empower such people through Project Gyan so that they learn to market and sell their innovations." He credits his core team - Gurleen Batra, Mehak Chokhani, Tanmay Agrawal, Prisha Prasad, Pranjal Prasad and Sonit Sisolekar - for their hardwork and determination in making Project Gyan a success.

Love for space tech

The Bareilly-born is a space tech enthusiast who has always been fascinated by the outer world. However, it was a telescope gifted by his parents that piques his interest. "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.

Making an impact through STEM

While the telescope turned out to be a game-changer for him in the world of space, it was a robotics course that made him fall in love with technology. Over the years, this 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 along the lines of social change. I won $250 with which I started Project Gyan in 2020." Started during the pandemic, he initially needed no funds as live workshops for the underprivileged kids were happening virtually.

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 practical. "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.

What was earlier a two-month program has now turned into a year-long curriculum, thanks to the overhaul of Project Gyan - which now includes STEM education and entrepreneurship. "We wanted a holistic approach." Having seen his mom always helping people, this feeling of giving back was inculcated in Joy at a very young age. For him, Project Gyan is very personal since it's named after his grandmother. "Another reason I ventured into it was guilt. Seeing others who don't have enough resources eats me up, while we have so many opportunities. I want to bridge that gap."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q6JhvjVoc4&t=528s

Future plans

Joy, who is currently in Class 12, has plans of pursuing a double major in computer science and international relations or public policy from the Ivy Leagues. "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".

At 17, 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."

Follow Joy Agrawal on LinkedIn

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