Dancing her way to glory: Vriti Gujral is taking Kathak to new heights
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(December 11, 2022) It was just to attend a rehearsal for the upcoming event that Padma Vibhushan, Pandit Birju Maharaj – one of the most eminent Kathak exponents – had come to Delhi that day. However, the events that unfolded gave the country a young and exceptionally talented Kathak dancer, Vriti Gujral, who is now taking this Indian classical dance form to the world. Impressed by the grace of then eleven-year-old Vriti, Pandit Birju Maharaj invited the young artist to perform during his show at the World Cultural Festival – a solo, seven-minute-long Kathak recital.
Vriti Gujral, Kathak exponent
The dancer, who is 16-years-old now, has since performed on various national and international stages and has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Global Child Prodigy Award. “I have been performing kathak for the past eight years. So, it is like a part of me now. It’s not that when I practice kathak only then I’m into dance, but I instead carry it into my everyday life. I have learned many things from the dance form, and it undoubtedly affects my life,” the young Global Indian said during an interview.
Born to dance
Vriti’s journey as a dancer started at the age of six, when her mother enrolled her in a music institute. “My mother always wanted me to explore myself in areas beyond academics as well. So, she took me to an institute where they gave three classes – western dance, piano, and kathak. I liked the other courses, but I was fascinated by them when I saw dancers wearing ghungroo and performing kathak. That was precisely what started the spark in me. When I started learning it, I became more passionate about it. I began exploring other aspects of kathak, such as the chakras, footwork, and abhinaya,” the young dancer shared.
Soon, the youngster took to various stages and won the hearts of many maestros. However, it took a major turn in 2016, during the auditions for World Cultural Festival. Over 37,000 artists performed in Delhi during this festival, however, it was Vriti who grabbed the attention of Pt Birju Maharaj. However, all was not so rosy. The long rehearsal hours took a toll on the young dancer’s health. But, Vriti was determined to brave all the odds. On the day of her performance, the dancer went on the stage with a bandaged blister, her feet throbbing in pain. “I remember my blisters were painful. But once I was on the stage, and the spotlight fell on me, I forgot all about it,” she shared. Her performance at the Vasantosav festival ended with thunderous applause and earned her invitations to several other dance festivals.
Following her passion
Vriti’s perfection of mudras and flawless expression earned Vriti a scholarship from the Centre of Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT), India. In 2020, the youngster received the Global Child Prodigy Award, for her exceptional dancing talent in Kathak. A student of esteemed kathak exponent, Pandit Barun Banerjee, Vriti dreams of becoming a professional dancer, just like her idol Pt. Birju Maharaj, and take kathak to a level where today’s generation can not only enjoy it but also aspire for it.
“I want to be a professional classical dancer and a choreographer. I aim to take the Kathak dance form to the biggest international stages. We know that the young generation finds it difficult to relate to kathak and thinks it’s boring. I wish to break these stereotypes and ensure that they relate to it as it’s our heritage, and we have to take it ahead,” the young dancer said.
(August 29, 2024) This month, HBC House South Korea premiered its eight-episode mini-series ‘Landed in Korea’ on YouTube. Billed as the first Indo-Korean drama, it has received positive reviews from audiences eager for something different - a fusion of two different cultures. Beyond the drama itself, the main protagonist, Seetha, has also garnered attention with her debut performance. The story follows Seetha, a young woman who seizes an opportunity to travel to South Korea - a country she has always dreamed of visiting. Secretly, she hopes to find love, much like in her favourite K-dramas. After arriving in Korea to reunite with her childhood friend, things take an interesting turn when he introduces her to his social circle. As Seetha forms genuine connections in this new land, the drama centers on whether she will find the love for which she has always longed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY6Cryf_TpY Although the character shares her real name, Seetha, the actor is not new to the country, unlike the role she plays. She has been living in Korea for the past eight years, making her well-prepared to work with the Korean cast and crew and familiar with the culture. “But you get to know more about
her real name, Seetha, the actor is not new to the country, unlike the role she plays. She has been living in Korea for the past eight years, making her well-prepared to work with the Korean cast and crew and familiar with the culture. “But you get to know more about it when you work closely with Koreans, especially in projects like Landed in Korea,” she remarked in an interview. Landed in Korea is a collaborative project by Indian and Korean producers, K-pop artists Aoora and Fridayy, and Mumbai-based entrepreneur Rachna Puri. Singer-composer Aoora also plays one of the lead characters in the series.
Landing in Korea
After completing her graduation from Manipal University in Dubai, Seetha Ranganathan landed in Korea eight years ago to pursue a Global MBA from Dongguk University, Seoul. She has been working as a media professional after the completion of her MBA program.
The actor hails from Kerala and apart from English and Korean, can speak in Malayalam and Tamil. “I come from the border between the two states in the southern part of India, so I grew up with a lot of Malayalam, Tamil, and, of course, Bollywood movies,” the actress revealed.
[caption id="attachment_39005" align="aligncenter" width="611"] Seetha with a co-artist during a shoot in Korea[/caption]
Love for art and culture
Seetha respects the art and culture of both India and South Korea and takes pride in being aware of both. When it comes to acting, her favourite actress is Shobhana, whom she calls her inspiration. Although new to the field of acting, Seetha aspires to adopt the veteran actress's method of acting - fully embodying her characters and bringing a raw, powerful energy to her performances.
The actor admires the entire Indian film industry, which she describes as "full of style and drama, powerful and captivating." She loves the energy infused into every film, regardless of the genre, and region it is being made in India.
While shooting Landed in Korea, she even tried teaching the cast members a few words in her mother tongue, Malayalam, which was captured in a few scenes of the mini-series. Additionally, the cast was filmed wearing traditional Indian clothing. These were some improvisation initiatives by Seetha. "I brought a bit of India with me, and it was fun. I hope to continue doing this," says the actor, who aspires to work on more acting projects.
Let’s make Indo-Korean cultural relations stronger!
Seetha had remarked while announcing the release of 'Landed in Korea'
Recently, some television stars have appeared in South Korean series, and as part of this growing fraternity, Seetha hopes that all Indian actors working in Korea can bring the charisma of the Indian film and television industry to Korean sets. "I want to spread joy and showcase aspects of Indian culture that people may not be familiar with in Korea,” tells the actor who tries to bring the synergy into everything she does.
[caption id="attachment_39006" align="aligncenter" width="585"] Seetha with friends during an event in Korea[/caption]
Life lessons in Korea
After eight years in Korea, the country has significantly influenced her personality. She has become a stickler for time and has developed excellent time management skills - a trait that has greatly benefited her acting career, which ‘involves a lot of planning, schedules, and meetings’. Seetha enjoys the strong sense of teamwork in Korea, which was one of the highlights of her experience working with the Korean cast in her debut acting assignment, where she played an Indian girl in love with Korea – a reflection of her own life.
(February 11, 2022) These young achievers stepped up in the darkest times, helping society find relief during an unprecedented lockdown. They reached out to other children in need. The Bal Puraskar winners are in the limelight today, and are inspiring other pint-sized thinkers to address world issues. Holding his mother's hand and clutching an outsized bouquet, eight-year-old Pal Sakshi stepped out of the district magistrate's office, into a sea of cameramen outside. Despite the media attention, Sakshi's concerns were more pragmatic - as they walked through the crowd, he asked his mother where he could keep his bouquet at home. The eight-year-old prodigy, also a keen volunteer with the Swachh Bharat Mission, is one of four recipients of the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022. As the country battled the pandemic, trying to survive the lockdowns in safety, Sakshi began conducting musical performances online for charity, sending the proceeds to the PM Cares Fund. That’s not all, the pre-teen whiz kid even developed an app to create awareness about Covid-19, listing various ways to stay safe. These efforts cannot be allowed to go in vain. and while the award ceremony was cancelled last year, the awardees were given a digital certificate, using
l certificate, using blockchain technology created by the government for the purpose.
Shaping young entrepreneurs
As Bal Puraskar awardees dominate the public discourse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has even remarked, “While talking to you, I feel that the Indian government's efforts over the past few years to create jobs are having an impact. We have been promoting the idea of entrepreneurship in young people so they can make the nation stronger.” These words were said to 11-year-old Meedhansh, as he received his award at the local district administrative complex. When the Janta Curfew was imposed in March 2020, Meedhansh launched a website, working tirelessly to post information on his online platform. He even started a medical helping service and has participated in the state-level corona prevention project, Mission Fateh, launched by a former CM of Punjab. He was also awarded by the government of Punjab for developing Mission Fateh's IT portal.
A solution to pandemic woes
The four young recipients are, undoubtedly, a powerhouse of talent. And each has tried to utilise those abilities towards making the world a better place. Through his portal, karnalcovid.in, 17-year-old Aakarsh Kaushal helped people in his district find access to real-time data regarding cases, deaths and RT-PCR test reports. Moved by what he saw during the pandemic, Aakarsh, always a passionate coder, decided to create the portal, which has had over 2,00,000 visitors. “Around the same number of RT PCR reports have been sent to patients directly on phones,” he posted on Facebook. He also created a portal to track the availability of beds in Karnal district, where the situation had grown dire. In the end, the initiative came to the authorities’ aid too, especially as it became a credible source of information.
Timely recognition can go a long way. Prasiddhi Singh, the 2021 awardee for social welfare, feels, “The award gave me recognition, and also a sense of responsibility towards society and the planet. To me, awards are not the destination but the motivation to achieve more.”
Driven to do more
Far from being driven to complacency, with recognition so early in life, these youngsters are even more driven. Prasiddhi is working on her latest mission, to plant one lakh trees by the end of 2022. Describing the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar as a “catalyst,” she says, “My mission to plant one lakh trees by the end of 2022 is almost complete, and I hope to accomplish the milestone with everybody’s support.”
It's the “magic mantra,” avers Anjali Razdan, director, academics, Meluha International School, Hyderabad. “Whether it is in a child or an adult, being recognised generates lifelong motivation. The appreciation coming from the Prime Minister will go a long way in shaping their character, building patriotic sensibilities and a liberated mindset, all ingredients for inculcating good citizenship.”
Visionaries beyond their years
Sixteen-year-old Abhinav was described as “wise” by the Prime Minister on Twitter. “Reading is among the greatest joys in our society. The wise Abhinav is using technology to popularise books and has helped many youngsters,” he tweeted. During the lockdowns, Abhinav helped 10,000 underprivileged children who couldn’t afford new books, by arranging second-hand copies through an online store, Cruise Books, designed for the purpose. He helped the reselling of some 30,000 books, and in the process, did the planet a good turn too. “I helped save around 19,000 trees,” he told the PM. His web store even provides low-cost printing services all over India, making it easy to sell and collect used books.
Although the young awardees say they would have no laurels without the support of their families and mentors, they are beyond doubt, stars in their own right. As the PM rightly emphasised, “for doing good, age is not a barrier. Youngsters have the potential to transform society for the better.”
(September 16, 2023) In an ever-evolving world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, a glaring gap in governance looms large. Despite the awe-inspiring strides of AI and its integration into our daily lives, governments worldwide have yet to craft the essential regulations and laws needed to both unlock AI's immense potential and guard against its unforeseen risks. There, however, is one young Indian American activist who is taking these issues head-on - Sneha Revanur. The 18-year-old student of Williams College in Massachusetts, is the founder and President of Encode Justice, the world’s first and largest youth activist group in AI. And just about a few days back, the young activist was recognised on the ‘Time AI 100,’ the magazine’s maiden list of people who work with this emerging technology and “make critical decisions on when and how to best use it." "I am working towards safeguarding human rights, you know, democracy and equity in the age of artificial intelligence," the Global Indian recently said in an interview, adding, "Encode Justice emerged from that ballot campaign with a focus on the use of AI algorithms in surveillance and the criminal justice system. It currently boasts a membership of 600 high school and
://www.globalindian.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Indian recently said in an interview, adding, "Encode Justice emerged from that ballot campaign with a focus on the use of AI algorithms in surveillance and the criminal justice system. It currently boasts a membership of 600 high school and college students across 30 countries."
Diving in the world of AI
Originally from San Jose in Silicon Valley, the young activist started getting involved in tech advocacy when she was just 15. In 2020, she volunteered for a campaign that stopped a law in California that wanted to replace cash bail with a computer system. She got interested in it when she read an article in The New York Times about a clever AI chatbot. Lately, people have been worried that generative AI might trick and control people, and they're also concerned about a more advanced type of AI called "artificial general intelligence."
Speaking about her involvement in the campaign in California, the activist shared, "I came across an investigation into an algorithm called COMPAS, which is a risk assessment tool used to evaluate whether a defendant is at risk of committing further crimes or recidivating in the period between their arrest and sentencing. That really was my first encounter with this realm of algorithmic injustice and the existence of AI bias. What I found out through that investigation was that the algorithm was actually twice as likely to rate Black defendants as high risk even when they weren't going to commit any future crimes. We oftentimes perceive technology as perfectly scientific, objective, and neutral, but in reality, it's actually amplifying and encoding the existing systems of oppression. That really shocked me. Later, when I found out that there was a ballot measure in my home state of California in the US that would have expanded the use of the same sort of algorithms, I knew I had to do something."
[caption id="attachment_33104" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Sneha is a student of Williams College in Massachusetts[/caption]
The activist adds, "I was outraged to see that there was almost no youth involvement in fighting the measure and there was no organised pushback to it. So, I decided to jump onto the scene and we formed Encode Justice and our first initiative was focussed on fighting that ballot measure, California Proposition 25. After dedicated organising and advocating we were able to eventually defeat the measure by a 13 percent margin. That was a pretty energising victory for all of us."
Leading the way
In her inaugural year as a college freshman, Sneha couldn't help but observe the swift integration of the term "ChatGPT" into the daily vocabulary of our world. It struck her as a compelling development, one that bore witness to the remarkable adaptability of Generation Z in embracing generative AI tools. For the activist, this newfound omnipresence of AI in her generation's lives seemed to beckon an essential question: if they were at the forefront of its utilisation, should they not also play a pivotal role in shaping its regulatory landscape?
[caption id="attachment_33105" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Sneha speaking at a conference held at the White House[/caption]
"Our generation possesses probably the highest rates of digital literacy, we have been exposed to technology all of our lives; it's always been at our fingertips. And I think that it gives us a unique understanding of human-computer interaction, our relationship with technology, and also how it shapes our worldview. And that's why I think it is important for young people across the world to talk about this new technology and its long-term impact on society at large," the activist shared.
In 2022, the activist took a leading role in orchestrating an open letter, urging congressional leaders and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to integrate the perspectives of the younger generation into AI oversight and advisory boards. Her advocacy didn't go unnoticed; shortly thereafter, she received an invitation to participate in a high-level roundtable conversation on artificial intelligence, graciously hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris. “For the first time, young people were being treated as the critical stakeholders that we are when it comes to regulating AI and really understanding its impacts on society,” she told Time, "We are the next generation of users, consumers, advocates, and developers, and we deserve a seat at the table.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnfumRZL0Go
Talking about her future plans, the activist mentioned, "I am planning to continue to expand our current initiative to ban facial recognition. I also hope to continue to expand internationally and to elevate diverse perspectives, especially perspectives from the Global South, on AI development. I wish to reach out to more and more young people - especially through Encode Justice's workshop programmes."
(December 29, 2023) In 2023, a remarkable group of Indian teen innovators emerged, leaving a positive mark on the world with their groundbreaking inventions. These ingenious teenage innovators not only showcased their creativity but also garnered recognition and awards for their impactful contributions. Through their innovations, these young innovators have introduced practical solutions that address real-world challenges, proving that age is no barrier to making a meaningful impact. From affordable medical devices to ingenious technological solutions, these Indian teen innovators have demonstrated that innovation knows no boundaries, inspiring others with their passion and dedication to making the world a better place. Global Indian puts a spotlight on a handful of Indian teen innovators who made the right noise with their work. Shanya Gill Shanya Gill, a young innovator from California, was inspired to create an affordable fire alarm after a devastating incident. According to the World Health Organization, around 180,000 lives are lost globally each year in fire-related incidents. Shanya's motivation came when a restaurant near her home in San Jose caught fire, leading to its destruction. This event made her mother more cautious, always urging Shanya to double-check the kitchen stove before leaving their house. One day, while studying,
to its destruction. This event made her mother more cautious, always urging Shanya to double-check the kitchen stove before leaving their house.
One day, while studying, the 13-year-old discovered the potential of thermal cameras to detect heat loss in homes during winter. Intrigued by this capability, she wondered if these cameras could be used to quickly detect house fires compared to traditional smoke detectors. Recognizing the possibility of saving lives with an early warning system, Shanya decided to pursue this idea. Her innovative fire alarm design recently earned her top honors and a $25,000 prize in a leading middle school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competition sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Society for Science. Proud of her achievement, Shanya expressed her commitment to continue working on projects that contribute to making society a safer place.
Shripriya Kalbhavi
Shripriya Kalbhavi, a ninth-grader at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, was in for a pleasant surprise when she won a second place at the 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge. She had been working on her invention, EasyBZ, for a while without expecting it to land her a spot in America's biggest middle school science competition, which won her a cash prize of $2000 for creating a cost-effective microneedle patch that allows for easy self-administered drug delivery without using pills or needles.
Growing up, Shripriya was afraid of needles and disliked getting injections. This discomfort and fear led her to realize that many people, especially children like herself, had no solution to their fear of needles other than being told to face it. Motivated by her own experiences, Shripriya developed the EasyBZ microneedle patch, aiming to deliver medication to patients painlessly and over an extended period. “I am really passionate about making sure that everyone is comfortable with the medical treatment that they are receiving, and I really want people to have long-term solutions to their chronic conditions. With the EasyBZ microneedle patch, I have always hoped that people can receive painless treatment that accommodates their medical needs, whether it be children who have diabetes or adults who suffer from forms of dementia like Alzheimer’s,” the innovator wrote in a blog.
Aditya Chaudhary
Aditya Chaudhary, a teenager from Delhi, shared a close bond with his grandfather, spending afternoons together listening to stories. When his grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, their quality time suffered as communication became challenging due to the disease's progression. Despite the loss, Aditya was inspired to create NeuroSight, a non-invasive headset that converts thoughts into text for paralyzed and neurological patients. Motivated by the desire to help the over 7 million Parkinson’s patients in India, Aditya turned his personal experience into a low-cost and effective solution, bringing Grey Horizon and NeuroSight to life in 2022. His innovation aims to bridge the gap between neuroimaging research and practical, everyday use.
In early 2023, Aditya began creating a prototype for his invention, and it's currently being fine-tuned. The goal is to make the device convert data into text in real-time, capturing thoughts the moment they occur in a patient's mind. Starting as a research paper that earned recognition from The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, Aditya transformed the idea into hardware with NeuroSight. Now, he and his team are working to elevate it further by making it possible for thoughts to control prosthetic or robotic arms. "We wanted to focus on functionality as well since you can’t control your muscles in Parkinson’s because of the involuntary muscle movement. We recently pitched the robotic arm at one of the innovation and science fairs. We are now looking for mentorship in regards to advanced research behind neuroimaging that can validate our technology and work with people who can help convert the hardware into a minimum viable product," he told Global Indian.
Rohan Kalia
Rohan Kalia, a 17-year-old Indian-American student at Wheeler High School in Marietta, began his journey to create a solution for early detection of glaucoma after a family member was diagnosed with the condition. Recognizing that glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, Rohan was motivated to find an affordable way to accurately diagnose the disease. His efforts resulted in the creation of EyePal, a portable device that boasts a 95 percent accuracy rate in detecting glaucoma. Rohan's innovative solution earned him the prestigious 2023 IEEE President’s Scholarship, accompanied by a $10,000 prize.
Glaucoma, a progressive eye disease affecting the optic nerve, can lead to permanent vision loss if not detected early. During his research, Rohan discovered a significant disparity in eye care treatment worldwide and identified challenges in accessing glaucoma diagnosis and prevention, particularly in rural areas. To address this issue, EyePal utilizes a quality camera, a Raspberry Pi minicomputer, machine-learning technology, and a mobile app. The device captures fundus images, which are then sent to a mobile device for examination by a specialist. Tested on sets of fundus images, EyePal demonstrated an impressive 95 percent accuracy, providing a promising solution for accessible glaucoma detection.
Nirvaan Somany
A Facebook post about a denim requiring 1000 litres to water to be produced left Delhi-based teen Nirvaan Somany aghast. "I thought I was conscious of my water consumption but I was clearly wrong,” he told Global Indian. This led Nirvaan to start Project Jeans, a social entrepreneurial attempt aimed at mitigating the environmental consequences of denim by converting discarded denim into sleeping bags. "This led Nirvaan to start Project Jeans, a social entrepreneurial attempt aimed at mitigating the environmental consequences of denim by converting discarded denim into sleeping bags," he added. The project led him to win the Diana Award and 2023 International Young Eco-Hero award.
[caption id="attachment_33853" align="aligncenter" width="619"] Nirvaan Somany founded Project Jeans[/caption]
Till now, they have collected 8000 pairs of jeans under Project Jeans and distributed more than 1000 sleeping bags primarily in Delhi, followed by Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. “We also sent our sleeping bags to Turkey and Syria to aid with their earthquake relief last year,” he revealed.
Indian teen innovators have truly distinguished themselves with their exceptional contributions and groundbreaking inventions. Their remarkable achievements not only demonstrate a keen understanding of global challenges but also reflect their unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on society.
Kiara Nirghin
At the age of 13, Kiara Nirghin, an Indian-origin South African, endured a challenging period of hospitalization due to the dual diagnosis of Bilharzia and bacterial meningitis amid one of South Africa's worst droughts. Confined and unable to attend school, Kiara's profound pain sparked a transformative realization about the potential of the human mind. Reflecting on the power of knowledge during her TEDxPretoria talk, she envisioned utilizing this mental strength for productive purposes. This introspective journey led her to develop a groundbreaking solution for drought: a cost-effective "super-absorbent polymer" that enhances soil water retention. Kiara's invention not only earned her the top prize at the Google Science Fair but also secured her a spot on Time's 30 Most Influential Teens list.
In 2021, she collaborated with an international agricultural firm to introduce her groundbreaking product to the market. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize water conservation, ensuring the sustenance of crops during periods of drought and contributing to enhanced global food security. Reflecting on her approach, she expressed a mindset that envisions the world's challenges as yet-to-be-paired problems awaiting innovative solutions.
Atreya Manaswi
Five years ago, when Atreya Manaswi was just eleven, he went on a fishing trip with a friend and the friend's grandfather, who was a beekeeper. The grandfather shared a sad story about how he used to get lots of honey from his bees, but in recent times, the honey production had drastically decreased. This story deeply touched Atreya, inspiring him to start researching about bees.
Now, as an eleventh grader at Orlando Science High School, Atreya has been doing advanced research with the US Department of Agriculture and the University of Florida since he was 12. He created a new, eco-friendly, and affordable pesticide to help protect beehives from small hive beetles and varroa mites, which are major threats to honey production. Atreya also wrote a children's book called "The Bee Story" to raise awareness about bees, the environment, and farming. Besides all this, he's won several awards, including the Barron Prize 2023, and has spoken at international conferences supported by the UN and the World Food Forum.
(May 29, 2022) Working on a Miyawaki forest plantation drive near Kommasandra Lake in Bengaluru, 16-year-old Rachanaa Bodugu realised she had been mistaken in thinking farmers have an easy job. There’s usually no electricity during the day, for starters, which means pumping water into the fields is a challenge. “Electricity is mostly available in the night time and farmers struggle to irrigate their crops,” says the teen, who is a class 11 student at Indus International School. A little digging showed that agricultural processes are not water-efficient, leading to sky-high energy bills for farmers. “Irrigation by manual methods is very laborious,” Rachanaa tells Global Indian. “I was compelled to come up with a solution.” [caption id="attachment_17286" align="aligncenter" width="613"] Rachanaa Bodugu[/caption] Eco-friendly solution “It is a step towards sustainability and effectiveness of farmers,” Rachanaa remarks, adding, “during the plantation of 2,000 plants for Miyawaki forest, I realised how much manual labour goes into watering the plants.” She started researching ways to water plants more efficiently. Trawling through the internet, she hit upon an idea, and backed every step of her innovation with reliable research. It is an unusual model that the teen came up with – a three-wheel cycle that runs
">“It is a step towards sustainability and effectiveness of farmers,” Rachanaa remarks, adding, “during the plantation of 2,000 plants for Miyawaki forest, I realised how much manual labour goes into watering the plants.” She started researching ways to water plants more efficiently. Trawling through the internet, she hit upon an idea, and backed every step of her innovation with reliable research. It is an unusual model that the teen came up with – a three-wheel cycle that runs on solar panels. Once the design was ready, she fine-tuned the idea with her mentor, Anand Malligavad, under whose guidance she had been working to rejuvenate Kommasandra Lake and reviving the fauna around its lakebed.
[caption id="attachment_17287" align="aligncenter" width="798"] Rachanaa giving finishing touches to her innovation - the solar cycle[/caption]
Her mentor, Anand, is a mechanical engineer and a lake conservationist – well qualified to give Rachanaa the feedback she needed. Her cycle is fitted with a drum, a pump and has solar panels installed on top. It doesn’t require fossil fuel to run and can pump water from a nearby source. “Madhusudhan, an acquaintance, helped me with the solar panels,” says Rachanaa. Using funds provided by her parents, the teen set to work on a cost-effective prototype.
“The protype has been tested successfully and I am hopeful for CSR funds so that more and more farmers can be helped,” she tells.
Finding the path
Spending about four months in lake rejuvenation and revival of fauna around it sparked Rachanaa’s mind with great insights. “I was intrigued by Anand sir’s initiatives of lake revival, and joined him out of curiosity,” She went expecting a laidback cleaning drive but was impressed to find the team using highly scientific methods. “Those few months spent making a difference around Kommasandra Lake were a great learning opportunity,” she smiles.
[caption id="attachment_17288" align="aligncenter" width="747"] Kommasandra Lake in Bengaluru[/caption]
Triggered by her own hardships, her vision to help farmers in and around Bengaluru is commendable, given her age. "My innovation would make life not only less laborious but more convenient for them as they would not feel compelled to work at night when electricity is available, losing their sleep and making themselves prone to injuries in the dark," she believes.
[caption id="attachment_17290" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Rachanaa with her mentor, water conservationist, Anand Malligavad[/caption]
Rachanaa finds inspiration in Anand, whose work fills her with desire to be of more help to the people at large. “He has been impressively rejuvenating so many lakes in such a short time and that too without spending much money,” says the youngster, who aspires to be an entrepreneur and remain attached to the cause of saving the environment. She also loves spending time with her parents Sudhakar and Geeta and her brother, Krishna, as well as painting, sculpting, watching YouTube and Netflix.
Seetha with a co-artist during a shoot in Korea[/caption]
Seetha with friends during an event in Korea[/caption]
Sneha is a student of Williams College in Massachusetts[/caption]
Sneha speaking at a conference held at the White House[/caption]
Shripriya Kalbhavi[/caption]
Aditya Chaudhary[/caption]
Rohan Kalia[/caption]
Nirvaan Somany founded Project Jeans[/caption]
Kiara Nirghin[/caption]
Rachanaa giving finishing touches to her innovation - the solar cycle[/caption]
Kommasandra Lake in Bengaluru[/caption]
Rachanaa with her mentor, water conservationist, Anand Malligavad[/caption]