The Rise of a Teenage Tech Titan

In Kochi, 15-year-old Uday Shankar is transforming the world of artificial intelligence. As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Urav Advanced Learning Systems Pvt Ltd, Uday’s journey from a school dropout to an AI innovator is a thrilling tale of passion, perseverance, and impressive achievements.

The Summer of Choices

Imagine 10-year-old Uday standing at a crossroads between swimming lessons and robotics classes. “It all started during my summer vacation,” Uday recalls with a grin. “My mom gave me a choice, so I chose robotics.” Instead of relaxing with a typical summer pastime, Uday plunged into the world of tech. That summer decision? It was like choosing between a splash and a leap into the future.

Turning a Pandemic Pause into a Fast-Forward Play

When the world hit pause due to the pandemic, Uday hit fast forward. With schools closed, he immersed himself in Python programming, learning from YouTube tutorials and a Bellary Institute professor. He also completed the Certificate of Completion of Prerequisite Course for Serious Game Development with AI from MIT and the Certificate in Python for Machine Learning Neural Networks and Deep Learning from IIT Kanpur. His drive led to groundbreaking projects like 3rDi 4 All, an app designed to assist the visually-impaired, which was selected for the Kerala Government’s Young Innovator Programme. For Uday, what seemed like the world closing doors was an invitation to innovate.

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In a world increasingly driven by technology and innovation, young minds like Aakansha Jagga, a student of Vikas Bharati Public School, Delhi, are keeping up with the pace and setting new benchmarks. This young innovator has made significant strides in multiple fields, impacting communities in India, Nigeria, and the USA with her groundbreaking projects and passionate advocacy for STEM education.

AI-Driven Plant Disease Detection Tool

One of Aakansha’s most notable projects is an AI-driven plant disease detection tool. Developed in collaboration with Intel, this tool has already substantially impacted India. By leveraging artificial intelligence, the tool helps farmers identify and manage plant diseases more effectively. The result is improved crop yields and greater sustainability in agricultural practices. Till date, over 200 farmers have benefited from this innovative solution, highlighting Aakansha’s commitment to addressing food security and promoting sustainable agriculture.

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Meet Aarav Anil, a 17-year-old robotics enthusiast from Bengaluru, who has proved his passion for robotics by developing a cost-effective and innovative solution that promises to improve the lives of Parkinson’s patients.

More than 7 million people in India suffer from Parkinson’s disease. This disease affects the brain and leads to involuntary shaking. As the disease progresses, it leads to difficulty in eating, often requiring patients to be fed by others. The motivation for Aarav’s journey came when he saw the daily struggle that his uncle, Arjun, faced as a result of the disease. Every meal was difficult for Arjun because of the tremors; food spilt out of his mouth, and the rest splattered onto his clothes.

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Greetings, eco-champions! I’m Agastya Karan Seth, a 16-year-old Grade XI student at The Shri Ram School, Moulsari, Gurugram, on a mission to combat the deceptive menace of greenwashing through my initiative GreenWatchers: Gaming for Transparent Sustainability. Let’s dive into the world of greenwashing, understand its impact, and explore how we can collectively drive positive change.

Greenwashing: The Wolf in Eco-Friendly Clothing

Picture this: Companies dressing up in eco-friendly attire while hiding harmful practices underneath. This is the art of greenwashing — a tactic that misleads well-intentioned consumers into supporting businesses that don’t truly contribute to sustainability. They do this by not disclosing the impact of their operations on the environment, a practice sometimes called “green-hushing”, or by making false, vague, exaggerated claims or by using deceptive images and symbols that make us believe we are supporting sustainable industries. The consequences are severe, as our choices shift support away from genuine eco-efforts and unintentionally contribute to the problem. This is where awareness becomes paramount.

Journey Towards Sustainability One Conscious Decision at a Time

GreenWatchers.in is a web-based tool for revolutionizing our understanding of, and hence our approach towards, sustainability. It features a game where players navigate a sustainable world, confronting challenges, collecting points, and, most importantly, exposing false sustainability claims. The eco-conscious journey equips you with an electric vehicle to navigate through your path to sustainability.

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The U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP28) was held in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023 with 197 countries’ representatives. COP aims to resolve the causes of climate change and global warming.

On 11 December 2023, as countries clashed over an agreement to phase out fossil fuels at COP28, Licypriya Kangujam, a 12-year-old Indian climate and environmental activist, stormed onto the stage, waving a placard above her head that read, “End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future.” The audience applauded her most appealing speech, which stirred an urgency to address environmental issues on a global platform. However, she was escorted away and expelled from COP28.

The teen protestor springs from Manipur, a small carbon-negative state in India, and studies in Grade 7 at Ryan International School. She fights to save the planet and its future. Growing up in Odisha, her life was struck by Cyclone Titli in 2018 and Cyclone Fani in 2019, leaving her loved ones homeless, orphaned and lifeless. She then moved to Delhi but was trapped by its high air pollution and heat wave crisis. All these incidents turned her into a child climate activist.

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In the heart of Maharashtra’s coastal breeze, 17-year-old dreamer, Haaziq Kazi, sets sail on a mission to cleanse our oceans and chart a course towards a sustainable future. Fuelled by a passion for environmental conservation, Haaziq has embarked on a remarkable journey to create a ship capable of extracting plastic waste from the world’s oceans.

Haaziq was just 9 when in 2013 he saw a photograph of a dead whale washed ashore that had died due to an intestinal blockage. He later learned that there are 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean, and it is enough to go to the moon and back twice, and that’s what inspired him to start his dream project.

At just 12, Haaziq has demonstrated a level of commitment and vision that is both impressive and inspiring. His brainchild, his prototype ship named ERVIS, is designed to tackle the pressing issue of plastic pollution in our oceans. The name ERVIS likely carries a significant meaning, perhaps a combination of environmental and vision, symbolizing Haaziq’s dedication to a cleaner, more sustainable future.

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Here’s another naari shakti inspiration from the fields of Ludhiana: sixteen-year-old Namya Joshi. She’s an ambitious, passionate, and incredibly energetic girl who loves to play Minecraft. In addition, she is a student at Ludhiana’s Sat Paul Mittal School and Microsoft’s official Minecraft Student Ambassador.

When she observed her pals struggle with their studies back in 2018, she thought, “Why not mix in some Minecraft gameplay with the lessons?” Namya, then in Class 6, hurried home to the drawing board and completed her first render — an Egyptian civilization. Her project was well appreciated. She calls her parents, grand-parents and principal her backbone. No doubt we can say that she is a support system to herself as she says, “If I cannot support and motivate myself nobody else can!” Her motto: “Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn, work hard and never give up your dreams, even if nobody else believes.”

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In a world where finance stays an intimidating and complex topic for most, there exists a beacon of hope, a young and determined female entrepreneur, Kashvi Jindal. Her story is one of an insatiable curiosity for all things financial, and an unwavering determination to turn her fascination into a force for good. From discussing hedge funds to the humblest conversations with household staff, Kashvi’s journey is an inspiring one through the corridors of finance, illuminated by the mission to empower those who often exist in its shadow.

Ever since she was a child, the world of finance has captivated Kashvi Jindal. Growing up with a father who founded a hedge fund, she was exposed to countless discussions about business and market trends. Even as a child, she could be found eagerly asking questions about finance, despite not fully grasping the concepts. This early fascination with finance became the guiding star that led Kashvi to enroll in an AP Micro and Macroeconomics course during her tenth grade.

As Kashvi’s interest in money management grew, she began engaging in conversations about financial matters with people from various walks of life and household staff like housemaids and cleaning workers at her school. Through these conversations, Kashvi became acutely aware of a pressing societal issue — the lack of accessible information about finance and the economy. It was during these exchanges that her passion to make a positive impact was ignited.

This spark of inspiration led Kashvi to launch Invest The Change at the tender age of 16. This platform aimed to provide individuals with a fundamental understanding of saving and investing.

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In the world of literature, young talents often spring up as a breath of fresh air, redefining the art of storytelling through their unique perspectives. Abhijita Gupta is one such prodigious talent who has captivated the hearts and minds of readers with her evocative and insightful poems and moral stories.

Recognized by the International Book of Records, she became a published author at the tender age of seven and has been acknowledged as the youngest author to write a non-fiction book on the pandemic by the UK’s World Book of Records. She has also been awarded the title ‘Grandmaster of Writing’ by the Asia Book of Records for her poetry and prose-writing prowess and has won many medals and certificates along the way.

This 10-year-old child prodigy is a student at Ghaziabad’s Presidium School, Indirapuram, and started writing short stories at the age of five. One fine day, she requested her mother to lend her a book and a pencil to capture her thoughts. Her mother asked her if she could write as she would barely know a few words, but she was determined, wording “I want to write!” Her family was amazed by her very first write-up itself, with only two spelling mistakes, and the way it was structured. They assured her it was correct, thence sowing the seed of self-esteem and confidence within a young soul.

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Alzheimer’s disease is a well-known ailment that predominantly affects individuals over the age of 65. Since the elderly are more susceptible to this condition, it has become imperative to provide them with special care, as they often experience memory loss and forgetfulness. In some cases, they may even struggle to recall their own name or the names of their family members. During such instances, it becomes challenging to allow them to venture out on their own, necessitating the presence of a caregiver to assist them.

Addressing this challenge, Hemesh Chadalavada, a 16-year-old residing in Hyderabad, Telangana, has devised a groundbreaking solution for Alzheimer’s patients — the Alpha Monitor. His innovation has significantly improved the lives of many individuals grappling with this debilitating disease. Hemesh’s primary motivation for creating this device originated from his own grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s. Seeing his grandmother’s suffering, Hemesh felt compelled to develop something that could not only aid her but also benefit others facing a similar predicament.

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