There are some people who manage to pack a lot in a twenty-four hour day. They are trailblazers who inspire us with their achievements. One such person is sixteen-year-old, now world-famous mountaineer Kaamya Karthikeyan.

Kaamya is the daughter of Western Navy Cdr. S. Karthikeyan and his wife Lavanya, an educator. Her father has a passion for mountaineering which he inculcated in Kaamya from an early age. This standard 12 girl has a lot of firsts to her credit. On 20 May 2024, she conquered Mount Everest (height: 8,849 metres) with her father, making her the youngest Indian and the world’s second youngest person to climb the formidable mountain. The Indian Navy congratulated her on her “immense courage and fortitude”.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Kaamya Karthikeyan: The Youngest Indian to Conquer Mount Everest appeared first on The Teenager Today.

These attributes of self-belief, courage, determination and passion were vividly on display in India’s remarkable space missions — Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1. These missions are the success stories that manifest the indomitable spirit and unwavering dedication of our space scientists.

Chandrayaan 3, the third mission of India‘s lunar exploration programme, reveals the nation‘s commitment to exploring the unknown. The scientists and the engineers behind this mission displayed immense courage and confidence by embarking on the challenging journey of Chandrayaan to the moon. Despite setbacks and failures in the previous missions, they demonstrated resilience and strength beyond measure, and were determined to learn from past experiences and conquer new frontiers. The successful launch and the performance of Chandrayaan 3 stand as a confirmation of and tribute to their iron determination and capabilities proving once again that our space scientists are indeed smarter than they thought.

Aditya L1, India‘s first mission to study the sun, further manifests the nation’s scientific prowess. The mission‘s ambitious objectives demanded unwavering determination and passion from the scientists. Their tireless efforts and unyielding commitment to unravelling the mysteries of the sun go to prove that they are all stronger than they seemed.

When we commemorate Mahatma Gandhi‘s birthday on October 2, we are reminded of another golden period in India’s history that personifies the values of truth and non-vilolence along with fearlessness and persistence. On October 31st, we also honour Sardar Vallabhai Patel, who, by sheer tenacity and diplomatic skills, united all kingdoms of the country and forged them into a great single nation. Both of them are enduring examples of conviction and determination to reach their objectives.

In this issue of The Teenager Today, we also read other stories of Aditi Gopichand, the world champion in archery, the 17-year-old Devananda who selflessly donated her liver, and Jamie Miller, a pop singer, are just a few examples of young people who are speaking out bravely for a change in our thinking and goals.

The organisers of All About Music were very gracious to invite TTT to join as a partner in their annual event, where we encountered a lot of young musicians with a similar level of passion and persistence. The saying, “You are smarter than you think” comes to mind when we think about these people. In the same way, if we have self-belief, courage, commitment, and enthusiasm, we can all embark on our own incredible adventures and make a major difference in the world.

The post Braver, Stronger, Smarter! appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Author: Nirmala Mary Rego
Publisher: Better Yourself Books Pvt. Ltd.
Publication year: 2022
Pages: 265; Price: 350

‘The best way to know your future is to create it.’

These words of Abraham Lincoln are quoted in career coach and motivational speaker Nirmala Rego’s latest motivational and uplifting book, A Selfie & A Star. The book is an excellent soul curry for a millennial to teach them that if they are in the fake vs. fraud world, they will have to be ‘odd’ to be number 1 in life with good values intact. The author would like millennials to read and reflect on her book, which teaches them in an easy-going language that stars are meant to reflect light, but it is up to one’s inner determination to make them ‘sparkle’.

The book is penned interactively with life coach, Good Nana, and teaches the young to stop living in ‘Selfie Mode’, and aids them in switching to ‘Big Picture Mode’. One can start by knowing that a selfie is limited, but the sky is limitless. So it’s time to get out of the world of illusions full of self and instant gratification and begin to have a sense of mission. Time and energy are perishable assets of life, and after reading this book, one realizes that the only way forward is through hard work, determination, and to think like a proton — always be positive!

The book is full of inspirational quotes at the right moment to push forward the excellent soul curry and pep talks provided by Rego. Every minute of reading this book can change a young life. This book is perfect for training young minds to think like progressive winners with life stories of successful people like Steve Jobs, Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jordan, Elvis Presley, etc. The author, among other things, teaches millennials that they are the artists of their lives and to never hand over the paintbrush to anyone else. Change your life today, and switch to the ‘Big Picture Mode’ through Good Nana’s sound advice to strengthen your heart and soul muscles. Grab your copy of this amazing book to become responsible global citizens. After that, don’t just share the richness of this book with others, but also make others see the richness in themselves, as Benjamin Disraeli once said, and is mentioned among plenty of other quotes by Good Nana.

Available at Better Yourself Books (betteryourselfbooks.com) and all St Paul Book Centres in India

The post A Selfie & A Star appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Not to sound dramatic, but when I fall sick, I become the troublesome baby that my mother dreaded putting me to sleep every night. Needy, cranky, noisy and any other word that would make you pity the poor parents.

But it was different this time. I was away from home. I did not have the mother who would cater to those tantrums and pay heed to this nineteen-year-old nuisance. All this talk about social media and mobile phones connecting us across borders, keeping us in touch… only moments like these make you realise how shallow and superficial this style of communication is. I sat there, crying to a mobile screen that showed my mother’s helpless face, complaining about my miserable state.

It was a different type of weakness, one I had never assumed to feel. Besides my body giving into the virus that had attacked it, I witnessed my mental state surrender too. For the first time in my life, I felt emotionally weak. It was not my unwell body that forced me to lay in bed, but the lack of will to get up. I witnessed a battle between my mind and body.

I felt as though I was falling into a pit of all my past problems. My mind decided to show me a slideshow of a ‘series of unfortunate events’ that I had been through in the past few weeks. Not to mention the dreams of random incidents that began to haunt me and prevented me from falling into slumber. It is indeed scary to feel your own mind attack you with your worst nightmares.

So, as I sat sniffling, sneezing and sounding like the croaky frog waiting to turn into a prince, I decided to do what I know best — display courage; not just to anyone who may need it, but also myself. I do not take complete credit for this courage. It was a friend who reminded me, “You’re stronger than this, Tvisha”. It was more than just a reminder of my strength. It was a reminder that I do not have to find it alone. My emotional independence accepted defeat and convinced me that a helping hand hurt nobody.

The mind, body and soul are the trinity of our existence. When one falls short, the other two compensate. While my mind and body deteriorated, my soul reminded me of the courage I possess. My will to keep going has got me through enough, and this shoddy flu did not stand a chance at beating me.

The post The Strength Within appeared first on The Teenager Today.

The post Start appeared first on The Teenager Today.

The post Your scar is a star! appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Be brave, my heart.
Have courage, my soul.

The post Be brave… appeared first on The Teenager Today.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”

~ STEVE JOBS

The post Follow your heart appeared first on The Teenager Today.

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quietest voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'”

~ PAULETTE TUERS

The post Courage — the quietest voice appeared first on The Teenager Today.

“You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.”

~ ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

The post Accept whatever comes… appeared first on The Teenager Today.