Young Achievers

On her 10th birthday, Aanvi Suvarna traded celebration for challenge, swimming 17 km from Atal Setu to the Gateway of India at dawn, proving bravery doesn’t wait for age.

At 29, Girija, who lives with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, has turned her challenges into art, earning a living and inspiring countless others with her creations.

During an experiential learning project, 13-year-old Haasini taught English at a government school and saw how children learn when classrooms feel playful, safe, and expressive. Her Children’s Day letter calls for listening to students as India shapes the future of education.

15-year-old Khushboo Jain writes a heartfelt letter addressing education leaders, sharing her journey from a shy small-town girl to a young innovator mentoring students across India.

When 17-year-old football coach Raghav Rai noticed malnourished children in Delhi’s bastis, he decided to act. With help from a local NGO and a gardening expert, he launched ‘Gardens of Hope’ — turning terraces into lush kitchen gardens that now feed 42 families fresh, organic produce.

Growing up visiting villages in Rajasthan, 17-year-old Sharanya Mehta witnessed first-hand the struggles of farmers coping with water scarcity. As part of The Better India’s Children’s Day series, she writes a Letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sharing her journey and vision for sustainable water management.

Sumit Prajapati (22) from Muzaffarnagar turned his father’s rickshaw into a stage for social media. From odd jobs and family struggles to creating viral videos, he now inspires thousands by proving that no work is small.

For nearly 30 years, IIT Bombay’s ‘Eureka!’ has been helping young innovators turn campus ideas into thriving startups. Run entirely by students, this business-model competition connects founders with mentors, investors, and the lessons no classroom can teach.

Pharmacy students from Mohan Babu University, led by mentors Dr V Kiran, Dr J Venkateswara Rao, and student leader R Badrinath Reddy, are empowering Andhra Pradesh’s Nagaiah Gari Palli village through sustainable bamboo salt production, creating new livelihoods beyond farming.

Five students from Bengaluru’s government schools, children of housekeepers and technicians, built a robot in their classroom. Now, they’re representing India at the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge in Panama — proving brilliance has no postcode.