Seher Taneja: The teen innovator on a mission to revolutionise healthcare
Written by: Charu Thakur
(June 7, 2022) For a young seventh grader, losing seven close family members to heart ailments within a year was a traumatising experience. Her grief soon turned into a quest to discover the root cause. The findings led to a startling revelation – the lack of heart donors. The obliviousness towards organ donation as a whole prompted Seher Taneja to start Abhigyata in 2018. “When I started researching, I didn’t know much about organ donation, and I realised I wasn’t the only one. On digging deep, I found that for every 50,000 heart transplants needed, we don’t even get 10. It shook me, and I decided to create awareness,” Seher tells Global Indian. What began as a dialogue with family and friends has now turned into a movement of sorts that has reached over 10,000 people.
Her first presentation was at her school (Springdales, Delhi) to “plant the seed of organ donation in young minds.” The 17-year-old believes that it’s important to change the mindset from a young age. Calling the problem deep-rooted, the teen changemaker says that talking about death is almost considered blasphemy. “There is so much stigma around death that it isn’t easy to make people open up to the idea of organ donation,” adds the Diana Award winner.
Seher Taneja
Personal tragedy led to a mission
Born to a paediatrician father and an anaesthesiologist mother, Seher comes from a family of doctors. However, the tragedy that struck home led her on a mission to create awareness on organ donation. “I knew I needed to be well-read and well-versed on the topic, I couldn’t misstate facts. That’s when I came across a program by Dr Smita Mishra,” reveals Seher who calls Mishra her mentor as she helped her understand the myths and the statistics around organ donation. “I started with high school students between 9th and 12 grade. But by 2019, I wanted to create a ripple effect, that’s when I came up with a proper plan to reach out to different schools in Delhi,” says the changemaker, who began building a team with an army of volunteers.
Covid-19 took Abhigyata online to a larger audience in 2020. “Our first webinar had Vasanthi Ramesh, the director of NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation), and Pallavi Kumar of MOHAN (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network) as the speakers. The session was aimed at helping youngsters clear their doubts and also to bust myths around organ donation,” says Class 12 student who also collaborated with various NGOs during that time. “With the pandemic taking a toll on mental health, the webinar was a blessing in disguise as it helped me channelise my energy into something productive,” says the teenager who won the Student Leadership Award 2020 by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics.
Seher Taneja
Empowering youth during the pandemic
The initiative led her to win the Diana Award in 2021 along with the Tale of Humankind. Started in 2019 to engage and empower the youth, it has worked on 10 campaigns so far ranging from mental health to climate change to menstruation and gender equality. “We are bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to be, with the help and guidance of experts from their respective fields. We want to bring a sense of purpose in youngsters with our initiative,” says Seher, who has learnt to be more empathetic in the process. The innovator adds that the years have made her more accountable for her actions toward the planet.
Innovator at heart
The social changemaker is an innovator at heart. A STEM girl, Seher has a handful of innovations to her credit including the mobile toilet – a sensor-based automated technology to improve sanitation in an eco-friendly manner. But it was SWAR – smart gloves that convert sign language into text and voice – that earned her a spot in the Top 20 at the ATL Tinkering Marathon 2019 and was later selected for Atal Incubation Centre’s Student Innovator Program 3.0. Again, SWAR was conceptualised at home where she witnessed her grandfather struggling with hearing loss. “He was retreating into a shell and was uncomfortable making any conversation. To help him, I started researching more on it and found startling facts in 2018. India is home to 18 million people with hearing impairments with only 250 interpreters. Since the majority doesn’t understand sign language, it creates a divide,” explains Seher who wanted to bridge the gap with her prototype. “The sensors on the gloves help convert sign language into text and speech by using a smartphone,” describes the teenager who has filed for the patent.
The idea didn’t just impress commerce and industries minister Piyush Goyal, it also found her a place in Startup India. “I am reaching out to corporate companies. SWAR will be launched in the market soon,” says an excited Seher who is moving to the University of Pennsylvania to pursue the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. With an aim to revolutionise the healthcare sector, she plans to launch her startup in near future. “It’s time we stop blaming the people in power and become a shareholder in bringing about change,” says the innovator, who loves chilling with her parents and friends.
(March 7, 2023) 'Education', they say, 'is the base of any great nation'. However, in today's technology-driven world, underprivileged students find it quite difficult to keep up with the rapid rate of innovation. The inability to access technology has deprived several youngsters of essential resources, impacting the quality of their education. Helping bridge this growing digital divide is sixteen-year-old Zara Xavier, who works to provide digital literacy to underprivileged students under the 'Know More School' campaign. Over 13,737 students have benefitted from the youngster's initiatives thus far. [caption id="attachment_28387" align="aligncenter" width="742"] Over 13,737 students have benefitted from the 'Know More School' campaign thus far[/caption] "My parents started the Know More School (KMS) in 2015, an organisation under which they set up free-to-use computer labs at three underprivileged schools intending to help those students become digital citizens," shares the young leader, as she connects with Global Indian, adding, "I joined KMS during the pandemic and started helping in making small changes to the syllabus being taught at the school already under the organisation. However, eventually, I started getting more and more interested in the work the foundation was doing. I wanted to scale up the project to create more social impact.
el="noopener">Global Indian, adding, "I joined KMS during the pandemic and started helping in making small changes to the syllabus being taught at the school already under the organisation. However, eventually, I started getting more and more interested in the work the foundation was doing. I wanted to scale up the project to create more social impact. That was when I decided to explore more schools and get them on board with us."
The 16-year-old student of the International School Hyderabad, who is also a student ambassador in her school, recently set up a computer lab at the New Bloom High School in the city, which is not only helping the students learn the basics of digital literacy but is also providing various coding lessons to set them up for success in the future.
"I feel it is important for the kids to learn technology skills, which can help them get a good education or work opportunity in the future. In a highly tech-based world, these young children lack the basic digital skills to get by and are at a huge disadvantage. I changed a lot of the school syllabus as I found that it was outdated and wasn't going to be useful to the student. I also wanted to make the classes more hands-on, where the students have the liberty to explore the computer programmes by themselves," says the young leader, who regularly visits the schools, plans innovative quarterly camps, conducts meetings with the teachers, and manages the school with a full-time KMS manager. Currently, over 2500 students from grades I to X attend three classes per week in each KMS lab, amounting to 12 classes per month and 636 per year.
Leading the way
Zara recalls the experience of identifying an underprivileged school for the organisation. "I remember when I first visited the school, I was just looking around and noticed that all the kids there were quite friendly. I really like the energy of the school," she says. "There are about 600 students at the New Bloom High School, so it is smaller than the other schools that we have under the Know More School campaign. But what really motivated me to pick this school was the excitement of the students here to learn and the fact that they were hard-working. Once we finalised the school, we went ahead with designing the lab, getting the computers, and then finding a teacher who would not only teach, but also encourage the kids to explore and learn on their own."
[caption id="attachment_28167" align="aligncenter" width="649"] Zara with student at the New Bloom High School[/caption]
Through this young leader's initiative, thousands of underprivileged students now have access to various online classes being conducted across the globe, and they can also access resources available on the net for any educational research, instead of relying only on their textbooks. Students are also taught computer basics including Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), editing documents, making posters, videos and podcasts, and the fundamentals of developing a website. The new syllabus designed by Zara provides students access to platforms like Khan Academy, BBC Bitesize, Google Colab, and Canva which help the students broaden their horizons.
Despite being busy with her own schoolwork, Zara makes sure to physically visit the school every 10 days. "One of the things that bothered me when we started the new computer lab was if it was making the impact we intended for. And the only way to find that out was to go and visit these labs once every week. While other volunteers do a tremendous job at ensuring the kids learn something new every time, I like to be there as often as I can to ensure that everything is running smoothly. Even if I am very busy, I still find time to make sure and visit the labs and hang out with the kids there," the young leader says.
Zara has been involved in various volunteering activities since she was a young child. Motivated by her parents, Sabina and Xavier Augustin - who are engaged in numerous non-profit projects - the young leader feels that being able to help other people is also a privilege. "My parents have taught me to be grateful for all we have in our lives, and that we have to make efforts to give back to the community. So, I have been involved in various volunteering activities since I was young, including raising funds for the Heal-a-Child Foundation, which helps save the lives of sick children from very poor families," she says. In 2021, Zara joined the “Angels of Heal-a-Child’ programme and raised funds from friends and family to pay for the treatment of poor and critically ill newborns.
But it is not just her parents that this young leader is inspired by. "Many of my friends are also volunteering or running campaigns for various causes, and that inspires me a lot. As a generation, we are aware of the various issues plaguing our society and are ready to take things into our own hands and explore various solutions to help society at large," shares the young leader, who also raised funds to provide over 1000 PPE kits for front-line medical workers at high risk during the first and second COVID waves in the country.
The road ahead
Passionate to give all the students an equal education platform, the young leader is also planning on including more schools under KMS. In fact, only last month, Zara and two of her friends - Bhavani and Manya - organised a week-long coding camp for around 20 kids, who were taught the basics of Python.
"We recently started organising coding camps for the kids at our school to help them learn various coding languages and platforms, which is a skill so much in demand these days. Next, we are working on establishing libraries at the schools to ensure that the kids can access various educational resources free of cost. I also pick up ideas from various places during my travels. I remember seeing 3D printed eco-schools in Dubai during my visit there, and would really like to do something like that with KMS," says Zara, who is also the editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, and recently attended the summer programme at the New York Times.
[caption id="attachment_28388" align="aligncenter" width="529"] The new syllabus designed by Zara provides students access to platforms like Khan Academy, BBC Bitesize, Google Colab, and Canva[/caption]
Always driven, Zara - who is currently working on organising the first ISH TEDx at the Hyderabad-based T-Hub - plans on starting her own business after finishing her education. "I am going to graduate from school next year, and after that, I want to go to study eco or business management," she says.
While she wants to start a profitable organisation, this young leader is quite conscious about creating a positive impact through all her initiatives. "Once I graduate, I plan on coming back to India and setting up a social enterprise. One area of entrepreneurship in which I am very interested is edtech. I would really like to explore ways to make education and various learning resources available and accessible to all. As much as I would like to make a profit and monetise an idea, I would still want to help those who are in need," shares Zara.
(June 28, 2024) A routine trip to a local grocery store made the then 11-year-old Angelina Arora committed to finding a better solution to single-use plastic. Seeing a huge number of plastic bags being carried out of the store made her understand their detrimental impact on the environment and led the Adelaide-based innovator on a quest to save Earth by finding biodegradable alternatives. Having mulled over the possible solution for years, in Class 9 as a science project, she began experimenting with corn starch and potato starch to create a biodegradable bag, however, they dissolved in water. She then tried banana peels and other waste products, however, nothing proved successful. Her eureka moment came while sitting at a local fish and chips shop and staring at a pile of fish waste - including crab shells, prawn tails and fish heads. She packed a few kilos of the discarded shells and headed straight to her Sydney Girls High School science lab to start experimenting. Noticing similarities between prawn shells and plastic, she knew she could have found the answer. "I looked at prawns and thought what makes their shells look like plastic? Maybe I can take that out and use it
like plastic? Maybe I can take that out and use it some way and bind it to make a plastic-like material," the Global Indian said in an interview.
[caption id="attachment_19737" align="aligncenter" width="612"] Angelina Arora during an experiment[/caption]
Making biodegradable plastic
A budding scientist, Angelina extracted chitin, a carbohydrate from prawn shells, and converted it into chitosan which she later mixed with fibron, a protein found in silkworms. "It's the same protein that spiders use to make webs. It's very sticky. When you mix it with chitin it produces a fabric that is flexible and strong and exhibits all the properties you want in plastic," she added. The biodegradable plastic decomposes 1.5 million times faster than commercial plastics and completely breaks down within 33 days of its exposure to bacteria. Her success attracted the attention of scholars and scientists across Australia and even won her the NSW Young Scientist Award in 2016, the Innovator to Market Award in the 2018 and BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Awards. Moreover, she received the fourth grand award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, where the innovator competed against 1800 students from over 81 countries.
[caption id="attachment_19738" align="aligncenter" width="572"] Angelina Arora with her biodegradable plastic[/caption]
According to a new OECD report, only 9 percent of plastic waste is recycled globally while 22 percent is mismanaged. Though bans and taxes on single-use plastic exist in over 120 countries, not enough is being done to reduce pollution. And Angelina thinks that biodegradable plastic - which is low-cost, durable, and insoluble - is the need of the hour. She is keen to see every plastic in the world be made out of her biodegradable plastic. "While decomposing, this eco-friendly plastic made of prawn shells releases nitrogen which is very important for plant growth and immunity. Thus, it could be used for agriculture as well, and not just for packaging," she said.
Contributing to the environment
The Flinders University student, who was the nominee for Young Australian of the Year in 2019, is hopeful that biodegradable alternatives like hers will contribute to cleaning up the environment, especially the ocean - a cause close to her heart.
Having started early, she believes the key lies in growing one's own interests. "Doing your own research outside of school gives you the freedom to do what you really like and be creative, not for a grade. You grow interests, expand awareness and increase your curiosity," she said, adding, "Plus it gives young people something productive to do for humanity rather than watching Netflix."
Angelina's invention shows how we can use scientific creativity and care for the environment to solve big problems. Her work highlights the need for sustainable practices and opens doors for future green technologies, inspiring more people to develop eco-friendly innovations.
(February 2, 2024) Preeti Panigrahi knew her goal in life ever since she was a student at Amity International School in Noida. She wanted to be an actress. Nobody in her family had a film background but Preeti would go on to find international acclaim in her very first film. Preeti Panigrahi recently won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for acting at the Sundance Film Festival 2024, held in the United States. Preeti’s debut film ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ is an Indo-French co-production. It was one of the 16 films from across the world that was selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the festival. [caption id="attachment_35571" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Preeti Panigrahi[/caption] Playing the lead in her debut ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ was screened at Park City, Utah in the United States. While sharing the news of the movie’s premiere, the elated debutant actor had shared on social media, “Girls Will be Girls is premiering at Sundance 2024 in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. What does one even write in moments like these. It is so humbling that I am filled with immense gratitude for everyone involved in making this dream come true!” Written and directed by Shuchi
‘Girls Will Be Girls’ was screened at Park City, Utah in the United States. While sharing the news of the movie’s premiere, the elated debutant actor had shared on social media, “Girls Will be Girls is premiering at Sundance 2024 in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. What does one even write in moments like these. It is so humbling that I am filled with immense gratitude for everyone involved in making this dream come true!”
Written and directed by Shuchi Talati, the movie, based in a small Himalayan hill town in northern India is about the rebellious awakening of a 16-year-old girl played by Preeti. Kani Kusruti and Kesav Binoy Kiron have portrayed the roles of other lead characters in the movie. The high-school drama is an Indo-French official co-production, a collaboration between Pushing Buttons Studios, Crawling Angel Films, Blink Digital, and Dolce Vita Films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJqnhaBZtfs
Unfortunately, Preeti was not there to collect the award in person when the award was announced at the Sundance Festival. It was received on her behalf by the director of the movie. Later sharing that moment’s video, the actor remarked, “Here's a golden moment in my life, where I was far away tucked in bed, probably dreaming about something like this to come true.”
Multi-talented always
Preeti had always been an exceptional student, topping the class despite not studying very hard. She was an all-rounder and had even been the head girl of her school. Right from her high school she was known for being an actor, dancer, artist, singer, photographer, graphic designer, an orator with interest in social service. The youngster also displayed interest in filmmaking at that tender age. She became a member of the Bal Bhawan at NTPC Township, Noida. Owing to her creative performances, in 2015, Preeti Panigrahi received ‘The National Balshree Honour,’ a recognition by the HRD ministry of India. That year she was the only child to receive the honour in the age group of nine-11.
The award was presented by union minister of HRD Smriti Zubin Irani at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The honour comprised a plaque of appreciation, citation and Kisan Vikas Patra worth rupees ten thousand. Following this, her school felicitated Preeti with the Lt. Baljit Shashtri Award for being an all-rounder.
[caption id="attachment_35572" align="aligncenter" width="580"] Preeti Panigrahi with Smriti Irani while receiving The National Balshree Honour[/caption]
After passing out from school with flying colours, scoring 98 percent in her 12th board exam, Preeti went on to pursue bachelors in history from Hindu College, University of Delhi.
Acting and filmmaking – a natural progression
Preeti's love for the performing arts and theatre only grew stronger and she became associated with Ibtida, the dramatics society in her college, founded by acclaimed director Imtiaz Ali. During that time, she had got an opportunity to attend a workshop organized by FTII on film appreciation, which brought her closer to her passion. She made around 10 short films that she uploaded on her YouTube channel. “My love for film-making, theatre, travelling, singing, dancing and sketching has kept me going,” she had remarked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIFo3lSUOh0
With opportunities to be a part of productions by NSD pass-outs and Asmita Theatre Group, Preeti kept on polishing her acting skills, and bagged several best actor awards in theatre. After passing out of college in 2022, the youngster pursued a PG diploma in animation and cinema from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.
Finding the break
When actors Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal announced the launch of their production house Pushing Buttons Studios, they chose ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ as their first production and found French as well as other Indian producers to co-produce the project.
Preeti, who had started turning heads in theatre circles, was selected as a lead in the mother-daughter story that explored female sexuality, and went on to earn critical acclaim. The jury at the Sundance Festival was impressed with Preeti, who portrayed a frank, sweet, and vulnerable teenager to perfection.
[caption id="attachment_35573" align="aligncenter" width="649"] 'Girls Will Be Girls' team[/caption]
Since 1985 Sundance Film Festival, an initiative of the nonprofit Sundance Institute brings together original storytellers and audiences seeking fresh perspectives and new voices. Getting recognised at such a platform has led artists and filmmakers to earn global acclaim. Preeti Panigrahi’s journey on the silver screen has just begun and in what way!
(November 22, 2024) Achyuta Rajaram, a 17-year-old senior at Phillips Exeter Academy, stood on stage in Washington, D.C., shocked as his name was announced as the top winner of the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search. His project, which developed a method to identify the decision-making components of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, earned him the competition’s $250,000 prize. It was a moment of recognition for years of disciplined effort in understanding machine learning and pushing its boundaries. “When they called my name, I honestly thought I might faint,” Rajaram recalled. “By the time they announced the first runner-up, I had fully accepted that I wasn’t in the top ten. I was genuinely happy for my friends and ready to celebrate their success.” Instead, the recognition was his. The Regeneron Science Talent Search, often referred to as the “Junior Nobel Prize,” is one of the most prestigious STEM competitions in the United States. It challenges high school seniors to develop innovative projects while demonstrating academic versatility and depth. More than 2,000 students applied in 2024, competing in what organizers described as the largest entry pool since the 1960s. Addressing a key problem in AI research Rajaram’s project addresses a key problem in
Rajaram’s project addresses a key problem in AI research: understanding how models process information. While AI systems have become ubiquitous—generating images, diagnosing diseases, or driving cars—their decision-making processes often remain opaque. This lack of transparency creates risks, from unfair biases to dangerous misclassifications.
Rajaram’s method automates the identification of which parts of a model contribute to its decisions. “You can think of it like identifying which neurons in a human brain light up when you look at an image,” he explained. “Except here, it’s an algorithm, not a brain.”
This work is particularly relevant to image recognition models, which are used in applications ranging from facial recognition to autonomous vehicles. Rajaram tested his code on an open-source AI model and found that it helped resolve a significant flaw: misclassifying images when conflicting text appeared nearby. For instance, an image of a red traffic light labeled with the word “green” would sometimes be incorrectly identified as green. Rajaram’s method pinpointed and addressed the problem by isolating the components responsible for the misclassification.
“As AI models grow more complex, analyzing them manually becomes nearly impossible,” he said. “My goal was to create a tool that could automate this process, making these systems more reliable and safer to use.”
Early Influences and Support
Rajaram credits his interest in computer science to his parents, who both worked in software engineering. “My parents met while working at IBM in India,” he said. “From a young age, they encouraged me to be around computers and learn coding.” This foundation gave him the confidence to dive into complex concepts and experiment with emerging technologies.
At Phillips Exeter Academy, Rajaram quickly stood out for his academic curiosity and leadership. He co-leads the school’s physics, chemistry, and chess clubs while maintaining a rigorous schedule. His interest in AI grew during his freshman year when he noticed that much of the research focused on natural language processing, such as chatbots, rather than image-based AI models.
“I saw a gap in the research and wanted to explore it further,” he said. “Images are central to so many AI applications, yet we don’t fully understand how these models interpret visual data.”
Rajaram’s project required more than curiosity—it demanded time, discipline, and expert mentorship. He worked closely with Dr. Sarah Schwettmann at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spending three days a week in her lab. Each week, he dedicated 25 to 30 hours to refining his code and testing its applications.
“Dr. Schwettmann’s guidance was invaluable,” he said. “She helped me think critically about the practical implications of my work and encouraged me to push the boundaries of what the project could achieve.”
[caption id="attachment_40516" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The winners of the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search[/caption]
A Practical Impact
The practical applications of Rajaram’s research extend far beyond the competition. His method could be used to improve the transparency of AI systems in industries like healthcare, finance, and transportation. For example, in medical imaging, his approach could help identify how algorithms diagnose diseases, ensuring that decisions are based on relevant features rather than spurious correlations.
“There’s so much at stake when it comes to AI,” he said. “Understanding how these systems work is the first step toward making them better.”
Rajaram is already looking ahead to the next phase of his research. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy, he plans to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he will major in computer science. His goal is to apply his method to a broader range of AI models, particularly those used in critical applications like autonomous driving and facial recognition.
“This is just one tool in a larger toolbox for understanding AI,” he said. “The more we know about how these models work, the more we can trust them—and improve them.”
Beyond the Lab
Despite his academic achievements, Rajaram finds time to enjoy the typical pursuits of a teenager. He is an avid jazz drummer and a devoted fan of chess, often competing in school tournaments. He also enjoys spending time with friends, frequently visiting local restaurants.
“My favorite dish is the honey spareribs at Szechuan Taste,” he shared with a smile. “It’s the best way to relax after a long week.”
His ability to balance rigorous academic work with extracurricular interests reflects a disciplined but grounded approach to life.
Advice for Aspiring Innovators
Achyuta Rajaram is aware that his achievement will inspire other young scientists, and he is quick to offer practical advice. “Be curious about everything, not just your chosen field,” he said. “The more you explore, the more you’ll find connections between different ideas. Most things become fascinating when you dig deep enough.”
He also emphasized the importance of persistence. “Research can be frustrating. There were times when my code didn’t work, and I felt stuck. But every failure taught me something new, and that’s what kept me going.”
A Future in AI
Rajaram’s work highlights the potential of young scientists to contribute to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. By improving the transparency and reliability of AI systems, his research addresses concerns that have long plagued the field.
His success at the Regeneron Science Talent Search is just the beginning. As he prepares to join MIT, Achyuta Rajaram remains focused on pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve—and ensuring it serves society responsibly.
“I want my work to have a real impact,” he said. “There’s so much we still don’t know about AI, and I’m excited to be part of the effort to change that.”
At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, Rajaram’s contributions stand out for their clarity and purpose. His journey serves as a reminder of the importance of curiosity, discipline, and a commitment to understanding the systems that increasingly shape our world.
(March 18, 2023) The international media sings her praises, calling her 'squash's teenage sensation'. Before her 15th birthday, Anahat Singh had won not one but two British Junior Open titles and the US Junior Open, often touted as the most prestigious global squash tourney. In 2023, at the British Open, dropping only one game combined in the four matches she played. She was also the youngest member of the Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games 2022 and even returned home with a victory, defeating Jada Ross of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Although she bowed out in the next round, Anahat Singh had made a name for herself as a prodigy, in one of the world's top global senior competitions. [caption id="attachment_28587" align="aligncenter" width="554"] Anahat Singh[/caption] Rooted in sport Born in March 2008 in Delhi, sporting culture was always strong in the Singh household. Her father, Gursharan Singh is a lawyer and her mother, Tani, is an interior designer. They encouraged their two daughters to develop their athletic abilities however. Anahat's older sister, Amira, is an accomplished badminton player - she was one of the country's top Under 19 players. Eventually, she gave it up to do her Bachelor's degree
athletic abilities however. Anahat's older sister, Amira, is an accomplished badminton player - she was one of the country's top Under 19 players. Eventually, she gave it up to do her Bachelor's degree at Harvard University, where she continues to play for the women's team at the university level. Her parents were athletic too - both her parents were hockey players in college.
Incidentally, that's where Anahat started too - badminton. Being around her sister Amira was one thing. At the age of six, she watched PV Sindhu play the India Open, where she fell in love with the sport. She took it up too, going on to win a few tournaments in Delhi. A couple of years later, at the age of eight, she moved to squash. "I was drawn to it because I loved the noise of the ball hitting the wall," the Global Indiansaid. "I love exploring different sports but it is squash I love more than any other. I am pretty fast around the court and I don't give up, even if the score is against me."
Her early coaches were her sister, Amira, as well as two former national-level squash players - Amjad Khan and Shraf Hussein. She moved up the ranks in no time, becoming number 1 in the Under-11 category before she graduated to the U-13 category. She rose to number 1 there too, in Asia and Europe. In 2018, she won her first international tournament, bringing home a bronze at the Asian Juniors, followed by a silver in the Malaysian Open.
In 2019, at the age of 11, she was catapulted into stardom when she brought home the gold at the British Open squash tournament. She was also the first Indian to do so. Also in 2019, she bagged a bronze at the Asian junior championships and a gold at the Scottish Open. Her victory was momentous but she didn't let herself grow complacent. "When I won the British and US Open, it was really exciting for a few days, but I felt like I needed to enjoy it then leave it behind, otherwise I wouldn't be able to focus on getting better for my next tournaments," she said.
Finding a balance
Now a tenth grader, Anahat studies at the British School in Chanakyapuri, where she has received support from her school teachers as well as her parents, who don't pressurise her to study. "I aspire to become a world champion in PSA and hopefully get a medal in the Olympics when squash get an entry," she said.
She has lofty dreams academically, too. Although she said in an interview that "as of now there isn't so much pressure in studies," Anahat hopes to study in an Ivy League, like her sister, Amira. "My school is very supportive and give me leave whenever I need to travel for tournaments. My teachers also help me catch up."
Commonwealth Games 2022
In 2022, Anahat became the youngest member of the Indian contingent, travelling with the nine-member squash squad which comprised stars like Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa. To say she was younger is putting it mildly - there was a 22-year age gap between Anahat and the veteran Chinappa. "I was worried about being in the camp with such experienced players at first, but they were really sweet and helpful, they helped me fit right in," Anahat said, just before leaving for the games.
The thrill of the game
"I just focus on playing good shots and not making an error," Anahat says, adding that her favourite shot is the back hand drop. She also plays an aggressive game but keeps her spirits up, even if things aren't going in her favour. And if there's anything that keeps her from getting complacent, it's her sheer, unbridled love for the sport and thrill of the game itself.
Zara with student at the New Bloom High School[/caption]
The new syllabus designed by Zara provides students access to platforms like Khan Academy, BBC Bitesize, Google Colab, and Canva[/caption]
Angelina Arora during an experiment[/caption]
Angelina Arora with her biodegradable plastic[/caption]
Preeti Panigrahi with Smriti Irani while receiving 
'Girls Will Be Girls' team[/caption]
The winners of the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search[/caption]
