The second young achievers awards, instituted by blue-chip it major Infosys Technologies and Educationworld to celebrate young achievers, received over 500 high quality nominations from across the country. Summiya Yasmeen reports

At the Infosys-Educationworld Young Achievers Awards 2006, good got better. Inaugurated last year as a joint venture between Infosys Technologies Ltd (ITL — annual sales: Rs.9,521 crore; no of employees: 52,715), repeatedly voted India’s most respected corporate enterprise by business periodicals and the pink dailies, and EducationWorld, the country’s pioneer education newsmag (readership 500,000 plus nationwide), this year the awards function staged in the fully wired state-of-the-art Infosys auditorium was presided by Infosys’ iconic promoter chairman and globally respected business leader N.R. Narayana Murthy. At the awards function held on June 9 which received national press and television coverage, eight talented Young Achievers shortlisted from over 500 nominees countrywide, were celebrated on ITL’s showpiece 250-acre campus in Bangalore. 

The winners of the Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achievers Awards 2006 in the junior (below 16 years) and senior (17-25) categories were adjudged by a high-powered jury, which included former director of IIM-Bangalore Dr. K.R.S. Murthy; former India Davis Cup tennis star Gaurav Natekar; Dilip Patel of The Activity; Dr. A.S. Seetharamu, hitherto professor of education at the Institute of Social and Economic Change, Bangalore; Ms. Anu Monga, principal, Bangalore International School; Somnath Baishya, head of global entry level hiring and campus relations, ITL; and Dilip Thakore EducationWorld’s publisher/ editor.

Following a 12-15 minute presentation by each of the eight finalists, Vignan Pattamatta (16) of the FIITJEE Junior College, Hyderabad was adjudged winner in the junior category. Abhiram Chakraborty, a graduate of Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai was adjudged winner in the senior category.

The awards ceremony which followed at noon was presided over by N.R. Narayana Murthy. In a brief inspirational address, Murthy congratulated the shortlisted young achievers on the high quality of their presentations, and extolled them as role models for youth across the country.

“With 415 million young Indians below 18 years of age, our country has potentially the most talented youth worldwide. If we succeed in harnessing the power of our youth we will become a powerful, developed country. If not, we will face really difficult times ahead. The Infosys-EducationWorld young achievers have demonstrated that the youth of India have confidence, hope, passion and enthusiasm for excellence and innovation in numerous fields of endeavour. It’s important for the country to boost the confidence and competence of our youth. By acknowledging their talent and celebrating their achievements, India can create a new set of young role models because a young population doesn’t want yesterday’s role models,” said Narayana Murthy.

Words of praise and encouragement apart, all the eight finalists received handsome gifts, prizes and mementoes and a Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achievers certificate signed by Murthy. The winners Vignan Pattamatta and Abhiram Chakraborty received cash prizes of Rs.25,000, Compaq laptop computers, a two-day complimentary holiday for two at Kairala Resorts, Palghat (Kerala), Encyclopedia Britannica’s Ultimate Reference Suite 2005 and handsome, specially commissioned Infosys-EW silver and acrylic trophies. Moreover all six runners up received a cash prize of Rs.10,000, the Kairali Resorts package, Britannica’s Reference Suite and Infosys-EW trophies. Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort (Palghat) and Encyclopedia Britannica stepped forward as co-sponsors of this year’s young achievers awards.

Backstage, the Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achievers Awards 2006 spread over two days (June 8-9) in Bangalore were orchestrated and choreographed by The Activity, a division of the Bangalore-based S.S. Edutainment Pvt Ltd (est.1996), a firm which provides life skills programmes and training in 21 schools countrywide. The 500 plus nominations received from across the country were evaluated by The Activity, which shortlisted the finalists. Moreover on June 8, The Activity conducted an inspirational Value Vision Workshop for the young finalists culminating in a lively interaction with Suresh Heblikar, well-known environmentalist, actor, documentary filmmaker and promoter director of Eco-Watch, a Bangalore-based NGO committed to spreading awareness about environment issues.

“The number and quality of nominations this year was better and more varied. Nominees included national sports champions, mathematicians, polo enthusiasts, social activists and musicians, whom we evaluated on the basis of their innovative ideas and social impact. But this year too, over 90 percent nominations were of young achievers in urban and semi-urban areas. Next year we hope to receive nominations from rural India,” says Syed Sultan Ahmed, director of The Activity.

Winners and finalists of the Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achievers Awards 2006 are profiled on the following pages.

Visionary space scientist

Sixteen-year-old science student and aspirant space settlement designer, Vignan Pattamatta, was adjudged winner of the Infosys EducationWorld Young Achievers Awards 2006 in the junior (16 years and below) category. A class XI student of FIITJEE Junior College, Hyderabad, in January 2006 Vignan led a team of 12 eleventh graders from ten schools in Hyderabad to win the Second Annual Asian Regional Space Settlement Design Competition conducted by the Aeronautical Society of India in Chandigarh.

These ‘space architects’ will now compete in the international final to be held at National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Johnson Space Centre in Houston, USA this month (July).

“Given the vast amount of international research on the possibility of life on planet Mars, a human settlement there in the next 30-55 years is very feasible. In this competition, our team was asked to design a human settlement in the orbit of Mars for 14,000 people and a transient population of 400. The space city, which we designed and named Aresam, complements life on Earth and is complete with canals, bridges, zoos, and deserts. We have provided for all basic human needs — food, water, gravity, shelter and transport. And since people living in an enclosed settlement are bound to suffer psychological stress, we have provided for recreational facilities like casinos and sports complexes. A spaceship will ferry people between Earth and Aresam, constructed in an orbit of Mars,” Pattamatta told the seven-judge Infosys-EducationWorld panel during his space-jargon packed ten-minute power point presentation.

Amazingly articulate for a 16-year-old, Pattamatta who is all set to present the design of this space settlement at NASA later this month, is a second time visitor to this premier space research centre. As winner of the prestigious ‘Red Rover goes to Mars Student Astronaut’ contest conducted jointly by the Planetary Society of USA and NASA, he has already experienced 15 days training at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California in early 2004. One of 16 students from 12 countries selected worldwide, the then 14-year-old got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit in the Mars Exploration Rover control room at JPL, and study mission data and images as the Rover successfully landed on Mars. “It was an amazing experience to work with scientists at NASA. It was almost as good as going to Mars. But apart from the science and technology know-how, I learnt the virtues of working in a team,” says Pattamatta whose role model is President Abdul Kalam, also a renowned nuclear scientist.

Young Vignan’s interest in planets and the extra-terrestrial world was aroused at an early age, and encouraged by his father Ramana, a retired atomic energy scientist and mother Sridevi, a chemistry lecturer at a Government Junior College in Hyderabad. “In class III, I designed a model satellite for a school science exhibition which won the first prize. This early recognition inspired me to pursue my interest in the space sciences,” he recalls.

Since his anointment as a ‘student astronaut’ by NASA in 2004, Pattamatta has metamorphosed into a roving ambassador for space exploration and research, lecturing students across the country on the importance of developing a scientific temper and the possibilities of space exploration for the betterment of humankind. Though young in years, this prodigy is acutely aware that the popularity of science education is declining. “Science education in schools is too straight-jacketed, boring and theoretical. To get students interested in science at higher levels, teaching should be made more interesting and practical. Science is about hands-on innovation and discovery, not mugging textbooks. Moreover science students also need to be taught soft skills because when scientists compete at the international level, they need excellent communication skills and ability to work in teams,” he advises.

An academic topper, Pattamatta engages in numerous extra-curricular activities including debates, quizzes and table tennis. Articulate, well-informed and focused, this young achiever’s plans include pursuing higher studies in the space sciences and ultimately promoting his own space research and exploration company. Quite obviously, this international awards winner who believes in aiming high, is all set to go places.

Smart Cap inventor

An electronics and communication engineering graduate of Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, Abhiram Chakraborty (21) was adjudged winner of the Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achievers Awards 2006 in the senior (17-25 years) category. In a photo-finish contest, Chakraborty’s invention — a Smart Cap which serves as a warning device for epilepsy patients — won the day.

“The Smart Cap is fitted with three electrodes and a microcontroller which provide warning of an imminent epileptic fit. As soon as the electrodes detect hyper brain activity, signals are transmitted to the microcontroller and a GPS (global positioning system) also embedded in the cap, identifies the location of the patient. Thereupon details of the location and information about the intensity of the fit are automatically transmitted to a relative or doctor through an sms via mobile phone, which is a necessary supplement of the Smart Cap. The automatic sms-alert of an epileptic fit enables doctors/ relatives to administer immediate medical aid and prevent the attack from becoming life threatening,” explains Chakraborty.

This novel invention has aroused global interest. In March Chakraborty presented a research paper ‘The Smart Cap — a tele-warning system for epilepsy patients’ at the Second International School & Conference on Telemedicine, in Ukraine. Since then he has received similar invitations to showcase his invention in Germany, Hong Kong and Norway.

The inspiration to invent the Smart Cap was an motorcycle accident suffered by a cousin after an epileptic seizure. “After the fit, my cousin lay on the road for more than two hours without any medical help. He could have easily died during that time. This incident affected me deeply and prompted me to devise an electronic alert system which would automatically warn a relative or doctor about an impending epileptic seizure and location of the victim, so that no time is wasted in getting medical help,” he recalls.

Chakraborty is also working on several other innovations. Among them: a voice controlled wheelchair for the visually impaired, and a real time system for underwater heart signal monitoring. “I’ve always wanted to harness technology to mitigate human suffering and pain. In my engineering study programme, I chose an elective course in medical electronics so I would become technically equipped to translate my ideas into reality,” says this winner of the Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achievers Awards 2006.

Like most inventors, Chakraborty laments the lack of enthusiasm in Indian industry and society in general for inventions and innovation. “The prototype of the Smart Cap is ready. But it needs to be improved and fine-tuned before it can be mass produced and marketed. Right now this is a high-priced product — the GPS alone adds Rs.15,000 to the end price. I need funds to research ways and means to cut costs, so that all epilepsy afflicted — rich and poor — can afford the Smart Cap,” he says.

Although Chakraborty has received an employment offer from Tata Consultancy Services, he is contemplating reading for a Masters in electronics at a German university “where research opportunities are aplenty”. “The telemedicine inventions I’m working on, if mass marketed, can save millions of lives. I feel an obligation to pursue this path,” he says. Unsurprisingly, the Infosys-EW panel of judges agreed. 

Six finalists

Winners Vignan Pattamatta and Abhiram Chakraborty apart, six other young achievers were shortlisted for the Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achievers Awards 2006, from 500 plus high-achievement nominees countrywide. They were invited (all expenses paid), hosted and felicitated on the 250-acre hi-tech Infosys campus in Bangalore, where each finalist received a Rs.10,000 cash award, a two-day rejuvenation package at the Kairali Ayurvedic Resorts in Palakkad (Kerala), Encyclopedia Britannica’s Ultimate Reference Suite 2005, and the distinctive Infy-EW Awards silver and acrylic figurines. Thumb-nail sketches of the finalists follow.
Adfa Taqui
If given sustained support and encouragement, Adfa Taqui could be to Indian badminton what Sania Mirza is to tennis. This 15-year-old, who moved base from Saudi Arabia to Bangalore in 2003 to pursue her passion for the fast-paced feathered shuttle game, is the winner of several state and national level badminton tournaments including the Smt. Krishna Khaitan Memorial All India Junior Ranking Tournament (2005) and Karnataka State Ranking Badminton Tournament (2003). With over 60 trophies on the family mantlepiece, Adfa’s winning streak is not confined to Indian soil. While a student of the India International School in Riyadh, she won several badminton championships in the gulf region, including the CBSE National Badminton Championship in Dubai in 2001.

A former under-13 singles badminton champion of Karnataka, Adfa began tossing the shuttle with her brother and father at age eight. “When I was in Riyadh, my brother who is an excellent player, wanted me to be his mixed doubles partner. Though I was just eight then, I started practising and playing with him in inter-school matches. Gradually I improved my game and began winning most of the gulf zonal badminton championships,” says this class XI (pre-university) student of Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

Adfa acknowledges the support and encouragement her liberal Muslim parents continue to give her. “My civil engineer father lives and works in Riyadh. My mother moved to Bangalore with me, so that I could get the right coaching to compete in top-level tournaments. Without their support I couldn’t have got this far,” she says, adding that she intends to train under badminton ace Prakash Padukone, who runs the eponymous badminton academy in Bangalore. 

Adfa, who dreams of winning the All England Badminton Championship one day, believes that government and corporates need to come forward and sponsor young promising players like herself, so that “national champions can become international ones”.

Anjali Chandrasekhar

Watercolour and oils artist Anjali Chandrasekhar (12), was the youngest shortlisted finalist of the Infosys-EducationWorld Young Achiever Awards 2006. Immersed in a world of colour since age five, this Chennai-based child artist held her first solo exhibition comprising 35 water colours and 15 pencil sketches at Chitrakala Parishat, Bangalore in 2004. Since then she has won prizes in 30 district, 12 state, three zonal, five national and 17 international painting competitions. Her work has been displayed in international exhibitions in Japan, the US, Czech Republic and Germany. Eight of her canvasses have been used in calendars and greeting cards in the US, Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Last year one of her paintings won the fourth prize in the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Global Children’s Art Competition, held in Oslo, Norway on the theme of desertification. Moreover one of her tsunami canvases was published in the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction calendar.

“I draw my inspiration and subjects from nature with its vibrant colours and beauty. I usually work with a variety of media including water and poster colours, clay, acrylic and puff-on paints, charcoal, colour pencils, thermocole, origami and differing craft materials. I prefer to use natural and vegetable dyes,” says this cheerful class VII student of Chennai’s highly rated CBSE-affiliated Padma Seshadri Bal Bhavan.

“My ambition in life is to study well and become a renowned artist who can bring cheer into the lives of people through colourful art,” says Anjali about her future goals. 

Aliya Das Gupta

At the not-so-decisive age of nine, Aliya Das Gupta, the youngest finalist in the senior category (17-25 years), chose to train for the esoteric but elegant sport of equestrian show jumping. Her reasoning was simple: “I love animals, especially horses.” This intuitive decision made eight years ago has stood this 17-year-old equestrian in good stead. Among the slew of state and national level awards she has won are: silver medal at the National Equestrian Championship (2005); gold medal and’Best Rider’ award at the South India Equestrian Academy’s Championship (2005), and gold for India in team show jumping at the Concours de Saut International (Youth) 2005 held in Kolkata. Moreover this Bangalore-based show-jumper has recently been selected to represent India at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Doha.

The achievements of this talented first-year arts student of Mount Carmel College are particularly noteworthy because she mostly competes in the open category. For instance when she was 14 years of age, Aliya created a sensation and rewrote Indian equestrian history by becoming the youngest woman rider to win the show jumping event in the open category at the South India Equestrian Academy’s championship held in Lawrence School, Lovedale (2003). “I won this event competing with experienced male riders. By doing so, I set a new standard and example for young women riders who were afraid to compete in this category,” says Aliya who trains four hours daily at the Embassy International Riding School, Bangalore while juggling classes and spending quality time with her mother.

Her romance with equitation, palpable in her power point presentation to the Infosys-EW awards judges, was initiated by her late father, an IAS officer, who was an accomplished horse rider himself. “I learnt from him that horses are sensitive and intelligent animals and a skillful rider has to be intuitive, patient and caring for them to perform in harmony with herself,” she says. 

The 5 ft 9 inches tall Aliya who has set her sights on striking gold for India at the Olympic Games 2008, intends to promote an equestrian training academy and publish a magazine on this interesting man-animal sport. On horseback or off, this confident teenager has the grit and determination to make her dreams come true.

T.A. Aparna

Dismal jeremiahs who lament the decline of Indian science and invention need to meet T.A. Aparna.This 18-year-old is inventor of two life-saving products — an insulin inhaler, an improved asthma inhaler and a solar concentrator. Patent applications for all three inventions have been filed by this first year engineering student of the Anand Institute of Higher Technology, Chennai. The insulin inhaler which allows diabetic patients to inhale through a propellant, eliminating injections and medicines, has already won her a DuPont Young Scientist Scholarship in addition to a best project award at the Intel Science Talent Discovery Fair 2003. The solar concentrator generates solar energy through reflective mirrors in an insulated hot tank. It is then transmitted for cooking and electricity, and to provide hot steam in heat-centric industries.

Given that her ten-minute presentation to the judges didn’t allow her to delve deeply into the modus operandi of her inventions, Aparna chose to detail her preferred invention — the asthma inhaler christened Maxhaler. Deeply distressed by her grandmother’s recurring asthma attacks, she decided to help. “The standard inhalers for asthma patients are sub-optimal, as their large surface area doesn’t facilitate easy flow of medicinal spray into the lungs. I started working on an improved asthma inhaler in class IX and kept at it, until two years later I managed to devise Maxhaler. Its smaller conical surface area and longer, narrower pump enables the medicinal spray to reach deep into the lungs and provide immediate relief. Maxhaler allows slow, deep inhalation and prevents medication wastage. Moreover it’s very light and easy to use for children and elderly people,” says Aparna. Maxhaler evidently has potential. Last year it was awarded an L-Ramp Innovators Award held at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.

Given that an estimated 15-20 million people in India suffer asthma attacks of varying intensity, Aparna wants Maxhaler to reach as many of the suffering asap. To this end she is working in close collaboration with IIT-Madras faculty to commercialise Maxhaler and make it available at an affordable price. 

Nischinta Amarnath

Author, artist, singer, journalist, Nischinta Amarnath is not the average next-door 20-year-old. She is co-author of The Voyage of Excellence, a one-of-its-kind book which features the success stories of India’s top 21 women business leaders including Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar, Naina Lal Kidwai (CEO, HSBC) and herbal cosmetic products innovator Shahnaz Husain. Moreover she is a prolific freelance contributor to several newspapers and magazines including The Hindu, New Indian Express and India Today. An economics graduate of Stella Maris College, Chennai, Amarnath researched Voyage of Excellence while still a second year student.

“I started writing when I was nine years old and whether it was a short story, novel or an interview for a newspaper, I enjoyed fashioning each one of them. My first success came when my short story won a silver medal in Shankar’s International Children’s Competition in 2001,” says Amarnath who was conferred the Habitat Young Visionary Award 2006 by the Delhi-based India Habitat Centre.

Though a communicator by preference, Amarnath’s expertise spans painting and music, especially Carnatic and Hindustani classical. Her vocal performances have been televised by Doordarshan and other private channels and her paintings have won her state-level recognition.

Amarnath looks forward to the future with cheerful can-do optimism. On her agenda: a Masters in economics at the London School of Economics, promoting a media company and writing a best-seller novel. 

Gaurav Gaur

The only finalist from north India, Gaurav Gaur (23) is a Chandigarh-based HIV/ AIDS awareness crusader. In 2003, he founded Yuva Sankalp Foundation (YSF), a non-profit organisation committed to propagating AIDS awareness and providing sex counselling services. Currently YSF has a volunteer base of over 500 school and college students across Punjab. Moreover Gaur is also project manager, Servants of the People Society’s targeted intervention project for rehabilitation of HIV/ AIDS afflicted people in Maloya (Punjab).

With a slew of degrees and certifications including graduation in computer science from Kurukshetra University, a Masters in social work from M.P. Bhoj Open University, Bhopal, a Masters in mass communication from Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar and a postgraduate diploma in journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, Gaur is worried by the threat of an AIDS epidemic in India.

“I have focussed on creating HIV/AIDS awareness programmes for youth because they are the most vulnerable. Currently India has over 5.7 million HIV/ AIDS afflicted patients and by 2010 this number is projected to touch 25 million. AIDS leads to ostracision by society, mainly because there is very little awareness of this disease even within the educated class. My aim is to create health awareness to help the afflicted lead a life of dignity,” says this young evangelist. Gaur has also volunteered for other social causes including improving living conditions of women convicts in Punjab jails, eye donation, fund-raising for victims of tsunami and other natural calamities.

To heighten awareness of HIV/AIDS, Gaur has used several innovative techniques such as face painting and painting the HIV/AIDS logo on shaven heads, and designing eco-friendly shopping bags with HIV/AIDS prevention messages. In recognition of his activism, this young social worker has been felicitated with several awards including District Youth Award 2001-02, Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK), Chandigarh; State Youth Award for social service by NYK, Punjab (2002 and 2004); and ‘Best Volunteer for HIV/ AIDS awareness’ by Punjab governor S.F. Rodrigues in 2005. 

With Srinidhi Raghavendra (Bangalore)