Swing Queen Renuka Singh Thakur named ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year
Compiled by: Amrita Priya
(February 26, 2023) When prime minister Narendra Modi was congratulating the Indian women’s cricket team after they won the Asia Cup 2022, he had special words of praise for the Himachal girl Renuka Singh Thakur.“Renuka’s face might ooze the peacefulness of Shimla, and the innocent smile of the mountains but her tough bowlingon the field defeats the confidence of even the seasoned batters,” he said in his speech. Popularly known as the Swing Queen of Indiancricket, Renukawas also commended bythe PM for being an inspiration for girls in the remotest corners of India.
Impressing everybody with her magnificent displays of seam and swing bowling, the ICC Emerging Women's Cricketer of the Year had a great 2022 👌#ICCAwards2022
Renuka was named the Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022 by ICC. The decision came after ICC conducted a poll for the specialist panel of media representatives, the ICC Voting Academy, and cricket lovers around the world.
India’s newest cricket star, who is known for her extraordinary swings while bowling,left behind Australia’s Darcie Brown,England’s Alice Capsey and her Indian colleague Yastika Bhatia garnering maximum votes. ICC announced the names of the winners last month. Global voting categories were based on overall performances and achievements of the nominatedcricket stars throughout the calendar year.
From village grounds to international cricket
Hailing from Parsa village in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh, Renuka was raised by her mother. She had lost her father at the tender age of three. He wanted both his children to take up sports and it was to fulfil her father’s dream that the youngster took up cricket, finding it the most interesting game.
While Renuka’s mother was busy working as a class IV employee in the Himachal Pradesh’s irrigation and public health department, Renuka would play cricket with her elder brotherVinod (whois named after cricketer Vinod Kambli) and his friends at the village grounds. Sometimes Renuka would even travel with them to other villages to play her favourite game.
Renuka Singh Thakur
In 2009,Renuka enrolled herself in Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association’s Women’s Residential Academy in Dharamshala, following the advice of her uncle who is a physical education teacher in a government college. Later, she was selected for the Australia tour of the national women’s cricket team, followed by tours in Bangladesh and Thailand. She performed exceptionally in all the tournaments.
Turning heads
In 2019-20, the cricket star won hearts by taking a total of 23 wickets in different tournaments, establishing herself as leading wicket-taker of the Indian women’s cricket team. The following year, she won the BCCI Senior Women’s One Day Trophy for taking nine wickets against Australia.
“All I do is step on the field with confidence and bank on the energy of the fielders to throw the balls in most challenging manner, enjoying the process all along,”she said. Renuka also remarked, in the conversation with Jemima Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma, “I love the spectators during the match. When I am on field, looking at them fills me up with confidence.”
Renukawas selected to represent India in the International T20Cricket Series in 2021. The Global Indian went on to represent India in Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2022 and playeda pivotal role inhelping her team lift the trophy,leaving behind 15teams from across the world. Renuka also became thefirst Indian pacer to take fivewickets in T20 World Cup.
Mesmerised by her power-packed performances, cricket lovers and experts voted her as the Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year title from amongst an impressive list of high performing international cricketers nominated by the ICC.
With the coveted title that Renuka has earned right at the beginning of 2023, and her recent selection for ₹ 1.5 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore, the year has already started on a promising note for the Swing Queen.
When he was in grade four, Darsh Abhinay did something extraordinary. He opened the batting for his team against a well trained and experienced team in a U-18 Inter-school cricket tournament. Nine years old at the time, he hit 56 (not out) of 52 balls, stunning all those who watched him in action. His coach was so delighted with his performance that he lifted Darsh onto his shoulders and carried him out from the pitch as a mark of celebration. The kid went on to win the emerging player of the tournament award and his cricketing journey was off to a flying start. “Watching India lift the 2011 World Cup as a 6-year-old kid was the moment I decided I wanted to be there one day,” smiles cricketer Darsh Abhinay, speaking to Global Indian. Now, he plays English county cricket where he continues to pull off record-breaking feats. A triumphant season The 17-year-old, who has been practising professional cricket for last 12 years, stunned fellow cricketers and the audience alike when he went on to get 25 wickets, hit 302 runs (including three fifties with a highest score of 95) and took 11 catches in a successful season for Headstone Manor Cricket Club in the Middlesex County League
ches in a successful season for Headstone Manor Cricket Club in the Middlesex County League in London last year. Darsh, a leg spinner and a right hand middle order batsmen was inducted into the Middlesex County Cricket League Hall of Fame, was pronounced as the ‘Player of the Week’ and awarded the “Best Bowling Performance of the Season” for his record breaking feat.
“As the ball was placed in my hand, my heart was pounding with anticipation. The Headstone Manor Cricket Club was about to experience something they hadn't witnessed in their 44-year-long history,” says Darsh, of that clear sunny afternoon in London when he arrived on the pitch and eventually took 10 wickets.
The budding cricketer broke the unique record of being the only fourth player next to Jim Laker, Anil Kumble and Ajaz Patel for taking 10 wickets in an innings in a test match.
How it began
It was a call from Darsh’s aunt in the UK informing him about a position opened for an overseas player that led him to London. “I found myself on the pitch merely 48 hours after I landed in London, the weight of exhaustion and jet lag tugging at my limbs. But there was an electrifying feeling coursing through my veins as I wanted to write history in my first match,” he declares.
What was as yet unknown to a 17-year-old boy from the south of India, the Middlesex County Cricket League presented its own unique challenges. With each delivery, he adapted to the conditions and started to weave his spell by learning on the spot and struck fear into his seasoned opponents.
Early training grounds
Born in Hyderabad in February 2005, Darsh’s father worked as the CAO at St Mary’s College and his mother is a HR Director at Invesco. Darsh started playing cricket when he was in third grade. “I used to come to school 45 minutes late as I had practice in the mornings. Due to this all my teachers and peers knew I was a cricketer.” Sancta Maria International School, where he was a student, was always supportive of Darsh’s cricketing journey, even giving him the freedom to miss his classes if required. Darsh did his part too, ensuring his grades never dropped. He graduated in the top five percent of his class. He even founded a sports club and won a few business competitions. From there, Darsh went on to St Mary’s College and has won several awards along the way – he was felicitated by RBL Bank in Hyderabad as part of their young leader and sportsperson campaign.
Darsh’s passion comes from his father, an avid cricketer himself. “He introduced me to cricket at the age of three. As an infant, I used to watch him play matches and would cheer him on,” says the young cricketer, who began training at the cricket academy at the age of 5. “My dad played a huge role in my cricketing journey and made lots of sacrifices. He even left his job for six years, trained and helped me learn the nuances of the game. He would even drive me to my practice sessions.” He also idolised Sachin Tendulkar and bowler Shane Warne, whom he describes as one of the best leg spinners everyday, saying, “I would watch videos of his bowling everyday.”
Overcoming obstacles
Darsh’s journey hasn’t always cheerful. “I faced obstacles that tested my resilience. I encountered injuries, unfair selection practices that kept me out of the state team, and the biggest hurdle of them all, COVID-19,” says Darsh.
When the lockdown was lifted, however, Darsh was nursing a finger injury that kept him out of action for an agonizing four months after the lockdown. “I considered quitting the sport, but with my coach's guidance, I rekindled my passion. Two months later, I stood in London, breaking records and achieving a dream I never thought was possible,” says a beaming Darsh, who has won over 40 awards for man of the series, emerging player, best fielder, best bowler and man of the match.
Darsh’s day usually starts at the crack of dawn. He is up by 5.45 am and heads straight for his cricket practice for an hour. It’s college next and once he is back home by 4, he goes to his gym after which it’s practice time again. “My mother has been telling me to include yoga in my schedule and I plan to do it soon,” says Darsh, who is looking to play more county cricket in the UK even as he is playing a few tournaments in Hyderabad presently. “My dream is to play for the country,” says the cricketer, who used to play volleyball, badminton and table tennis in school.
Darsh also has a great interest in entrepreneurship and wants to start a business of his own in future.
(April 9, 2022) Proving President Joe Biden’s words, “Indian Americans are taking over the country,” right, several Indian-origin kids have been winning big at the Regeneron Science Talent Search every year. Also called the US’ Junior Nobel, several Indian-origin high school students have secured positions among the top 10 finalists at this STEM competition, which discovers the most innovative budding scientists. Inspired by compelling issues that cripple the pace of day-to-day life, these students have developed simple, unique, low-cost solutions for humankind. Established in 1942 to recognise the best and brightest young scientists for demonstrating exceptional scientific leadership potential, Regeneron Science Talent Search, a programme of the Society for Science, is USA's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science and mathematics competition. Global Indian takes a look at five Indian-origin students, who have the potential to become scientists and innovators. Neil Chowdhury, 18, Washington, US An 18-year-old from Washington, Neil Chowdhury’s success in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022 is inspiring. He finished fifth among the top 10 winners of the United States’ Junior Nobel in stem and received a cash award of $90,000 for his project, “Modeling the Effect of Histone Methylation on Chromosomal Organisation in Colon Cancer Cells,” an
rd of $90,000 for his project, “Modeling the Effect of Histone Methylation on Chromosomal Organisation in Colon Cancer Cells,” an innovative computational method of studying the role of histones implicated in colon cancer.
[caption id="attachment_14491" align="aligncenter" width="782"] Neil Chowdhury[/caption]
The project he submitted to the Regeneron Science Talent Search shows that histone proteins cause changes to the way a long string of DNA loops and coils fit inside the nucleus of a cell. Explaining his project, Neil had earlier said that being able to simulate biological systems and develop models of 3D genome, can help us to better understand the inner workings of the cells.
In his experiment, Neil tried to replicate the method of modulating the DNA’s physical formation using molecular simulations of DNA polymers and coded the simulation in Python, an open-source programming language. His experiment shows that a modification of histone proteins can help with colon cancer by causing changes in the folding of DNA strings. Neil is exploring DNA, the basic building blocks of life, and will use the money to help pay tuition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently studying at the Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire) and has applied for Primes, a research programme offered to high school students by MIT.
Just 17 and already going places. Indian-American student, Pravalika Gayatri Putalapattu won the seventh place at the 2022 Regeneron Science Talent Search. Pravalika, a resident of Virginia, received a cash award of $70,000 for her project on real-time monitoring of laparoscopic surgeries. A student at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Pravalika designed a video-assisted programme that uses machine learning to detect errors, if any, in surgical steps that doctors take in the operating room so that a corrective measure can be taken immediately.
“My programme was inspired by my cousin in India, who died of a preventable brain surgery complication,” Pravalika had shared during the competition, adding, "I wanted to create a tool that alleviates surgeons’ stress and helps them perform better in the operating room.”
Pravalika started working on Dynamic Operating Room Companion (also known as DORC) in July 2020 and her goal was to reduce the potential for mistakes in gallbladder surgeries. Using machine learning, DORC analyses live surgery videos and tracks the movements of surgical tools, such as the acceleration and velocity in use. DORC uses this info to flag potential errors.
This 17-year-old from Portland, Oregon secured the fourth position at the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021. A homeschooled math genius, Gopal made it to the top 10 for his research on mathematical properties of random matrices, for which he received a $100,000 award. For his project, he made connections between two mathematical objects related to randomness and probability.
Speaking about his journey, Gopal shared during an earlier interview that homeschooling gave him the opportunity to explore the areas of study he loved at his own pace. His father piqued his interest in physics, and they started going through most of Halliday Resnick 2nd edition together. The young scientist believes that his work may be useful to the fields of nuclear physics, quantum field theory, and meteorology. He hopes that it will aid in the search for the true nature of quantum gravity, more commonly known as “the theory of everything.”
Gopal, who is currently pursuing his undergraduate in math, science, music, and philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is confident that the award-winning research will play a key role in the field of meteorology, nuclear physics, and quantum field theory. His research is on the connection between randomness and probability.
The math genius was also a coach for the USA Physics and Math Olympiads and volunteers in the memory care unit of an assisted living facility. He also holds a Taekwondo black belt and enjoys performing Indian classical music.
Among the top 10 winners of the 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search, 17-year-old Alay Shah from Texas finished seventh and earned a $70,000 award for developing a possible low-cost alternative to MRIs. Through his research titled, “identifying eye-movement patterns in neurological disorders to assess cognitive and motor function,” Alay developed a tool to test eye movement as a low-cost, non-invasive method of quantifying deep brain function. He wrote the software, built the hardware, and conducted clinical testing on dementia, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and ADHD patients.
On knowing that injured footballers are immediately taken for an eye check-up to find concussions, Alay started working on the idea of using abnormal eye movements for accurate detection of several neurological disorders. During a session with the media, Alay, who is currently studying computer science and cognitive science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had shared that he is a big believer in project-based learning. And that he took a look at the current eye-tracking standard, and used a combination of a set of intelligent algorithms to redefine the technique at its core.
A resident of Plano, Alay has integrated into the device an infrared camera that uses his coded software. The device also uses deep learning algorithms to analyse and interpret the data on pupil movement. He has already tested the tool successfully on 200 patients.
Currently pursuing a degree in chemical and physical biology at Harvard University, Indrani Das took home the top prize of $250,000 for her winning project focused on brain injury at the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search. By manipulating astrocytes, a type of supporting brain cell in an injury model, Indrani worked to promote neuron repair.
A contributor to neuron death is astrogliosis, a condition that occurs when cells called astrocytes react to injury by growing, dividing, and reducing their uptake of glutamate, which in excess is toxic to neurons. In a laboratory model, Indrani showed that exosomes isolated from astrocytes transfected with microRNA-124a both improved astrocyte uptake of glutamate and increased neuron survival. Explaining her research, Das said that when Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's, stroke, or a traumatic injury affects the brain, the neurons, which are the main signal cells of the brain, are killed. Next, the supporting cells - astrocytes - that are supposed to nurture and protect the neurons, go awry and create a toxic chemical environment, poisoning the neurons.
Though Indrani comes from a family of bankers, she decided to take a very different path. Sharing how her family’s journey helped her win the award, Indrani had said that her parents worked full-time day jobs while securing additional degrees by night, and saved religiously for over a decade before her birth to give Indrani a quality education.
(July 8, 2022) Staying in a run-down hotel in Tripura, near the Bangladesh border, with very poor connectivity, Shivakshi Bhattacharya was surprised to receive an early morning call from Canada. Expecting it to be a spam call, she answered to hear a woman's voice at the other end, saying, "Congratulations!" Shivakshi was officially a Schwarzman Scholar 2023 - news she received with a shocked, "Are you sure?" Yes, they assured her, they were sure, she was doing "incredible work." At the end of July, Shivakshi will join a small, very elite group of Indians who have had the opportunity to do a year-long master's in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing. "It's been a tumultuous journey," Shivakshi sighs, as she calls me on a rare day off. The 26-year-old lawyer has founded numerous organisations that work with women – something she began in 2014 - as a law student. Despite having doctor parents, she decided against a career in medicine herself, because she "wanted to be in the impact sector," she tells Global Indian. Today, she runs The Laali Project, teaching entrepreneurship skills to girls from rural areas. Shivakshi is also a campaign manager in Bihar for Prashant Kishore's IPAC, a heavy-duty assignment, it seems, for
ivakshi sighs, as she calls me on a rare day off. The 26-year-old lawyer has founded numerous organisations that work with women – something she began in 2014 - as a law student. Despite having doctor parents, she decided against a career in medicine herself, because she "wanted to be in the impact sector," she tells Global Indian. Today, she runs The Laali Project, teaching entrepreneurship skills to girls from rural areas. Shivakshi is also a campaign manager in Bihar for Prashant Kishore's IPAC, a heavy-duty assignment, it seems, for it keeps her days full. She has also spent two years as a Teach for India fellow in Tughlaqabad, Delhi.
As the founder of the Hunkaar Foundation, Shivakshi has been instrumental in providing rural women access to high-quality, affordable sanitary napkins, with a business model that helps them work towards financial freedom. Her first initiative, Make India Bold, worked with spreading awareness among schoolgirls on issues like sexual harassment and abuse, impacting thousands of students in rural Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Shivakshi Bhattacharya spent her early years in Nepal, where her parents were deputed. She returned to India in time for grade eight, "because of the political struggle schools were shut, buses were being burned and there were strikes."
Her moment of reckoning came on her first day of law school in Haryana’s Sonipat district in 2014. Not long after arriving at one of the country’s top institutions - home to one of the most elite student bodies - Shivakshi dealt with sexual harassment from a fellow student. She posted about the incident on the college social media page and found support among several women who faced similar behaviour by the same student. She decided to fight, becoming the first person to file a case since the school opened in 2009. "It's very sad, more so since it's a law school where you're supposed to create an open and safe space for students."
Shivakshi soon found that fighting a case, even in such a progressive and top-tier institution was a traumatic experience. Authorities were hostile, and as were her fellow students, including women. "People went so far as to ask if I was making a complaint to get attention." She recalls men walking up to her to remark, "‘Hey, Shivakshi, if we talk to you, will you file a complaint against us?' But this was the start of my journey."
The case was resolved, albeit unsatisfactorily, with the perpetrator being handed the minimum punishment. Still, the University decided to set up a committee to hear complaints of sexual harassment. And as she struggled against the system, Shivakshi decided to work with school children and spread awareness about how to counter the various ills that plague our society.
Make India Bold
Worn out but undefeated, Shivakshi Bhattacharya visited a friend's place in Madhya Pradesh, where the latter had contacts in educational institutions. During their morning rounds to visit schools, they discovered the whole gamut of issues, from bullying and neglect to abuse. With a framework of information behind her, she returned to Haryana for college and began working with the 139 villages that surrounded her University town, focusing on private and rural schools.
"The methodology varied but the problems were more or less the same – scandalous videos, sexual abuse, casteism and classism," Shivakshi says. Surprisingly, the caste divides were greater in private schools than in their rural counterparts. "I had a very biased picture, I assumed that there would be more caste-related problems in rural schools." Irrespective of whether the school was private or rural, most children had no idea what sexual harassment meant, how to detect problematic behaviour or how to report it. Most weren't even aware of the child helpline.
Believing that early intervention is key, Shivakshi and her team formulated different training modules - for grades one to five, six to eight and nine to twelve. The programme was a roaring success, almost instantly, with some 500 students in attendance for the first session. Over the next year-and-a-half, Make India Bold impacted up to 30,000 students in and around Sonipat district. "We started getting offers - the Shiv Nadar Schools reached out to us and we signed an MoU with the Haryana government that gave us access to government schools as well," Shivakshi says.
"Being able to talk to so many people who had suffered for years - the energy drove me. I kept knocking on people's doors, going to the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare every day for 15 days." It was a "bottom-up approach," starting with the students, and then moving up the ladder. In 2015-16, during an internship with the Ministry of Education in Kashmir, she gave training sessions to school principals as well.
Hunkaar Foundation
As she did the rounds of Haryana's villages, visiting anganwadis was a routine part of the agenda. Most were shut. In one village, Shivakshi Bhattacharya met seven women who had been shunned by the community for undergoing hysterectomies. "They were a group of about 28 women who had become destitute because they couldn’t bear children," Shivakshi adds.
It led her to consider working with menstrual health in rural areas, an idea that would become the Hunkaar Foundation. The organisation used a microfinance model and collaborated with a biodegradable napkin manufacturer, who helped bring in imported napkins from Korea, for ₹18 instead of ₹85.
After an early round of fundraising for seed money, the Hunkaar Foundation procured the first batch of sanitary napkins which were given to a group of seven girls, who had to drop out of school after they reached puberty. "We wanted to ensure some degree of financial independence for them," Shivakshi explains. The girls sold the napkins and cultivated a source of income, while the fathers and brothers couldn't object as "the customers were women and the girls didn't have to leave their homes." Her seed fund was returned in full six months later and was taken to the next village.
Staying true to her working model, Shivakshi sets up the process and then steps away. "I want to work on multiple things and besides, these projects belong to the people for whom I started them."
With 30 women across different villages, hundreds of girls have access to affordable, high-quality sanitary napkins. Another, unintended consequence was the restoration of anganwadis in Sonipat district. "When we first arrived, they weren't functioning at all." They filed multiple petitions under India's Right to Information (RTI) Act, to no avail. However, the children of the now-empowered women began using them as places of learning.
The Laali Project
Although emboldened by the success of the Hunkaar Foundation, Shivakshi Bhattacharya understood that menstrual health is one piece in a much larger puzzle. "I also understand that change is incremental," she remarks. "You can't walk in to a village as an alien and tell them to change the way they live. Instead, we enable them to create the change themselves."
So, The Laali Project was founded, aimed at bringing entrepreneurship models to students. The foundation works with 15 organisations and has also partnered with the Child Support Initiative, Nigeria and Unity Effect, Germany . "I made training a curriculum objective," she says. The training has a multi-pronged approach - menstrual health, gender sensitisation and sex education make up one module, social and emotional learning is the next. Entrepreneurship skills are a section on their own and include lessons on design thinking and soft policy skills.
The pilot project was run in collaboration with Goonj, a Delhi-based NGO that undertakes disaster relief, humanitarian aid and community development. "The founder, Meenakshi ma'am, helped me a lot," Shivakshi says. Before she logs off, she makes special mention of one of her most cherished outcomes: "Four grade nine students have their own organisation - a learning centre where they teach men about menstrual health. The founder was the shyest girl in class, afraid to even say a word when she first came in. Today, she's teaching men."
(May 29, 2024) Emphasising the meaning of her name, which reflects her purpose, she explains, “Prerana translates to 'inspiration' in Sanskrit, and it summarises my mission - to be inspired and to inspire others.” True to her name, she is an inspiration to girls in STEM and AI innovation. The Thrissur native was named one of the ‘Top 100 Women in Canada’ in 2023 by the Women’s Executive Network of Canada. “At 16, I was the youngest of the 2023 winners. I was privileged enough to meet with the honourable Princess Sarah Culberson of Sierra Leone at the award ceremony, and I shared my journey of innovation with her,” Prerana tells Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_38019" align="aligncenter" width="492"] Prerana Manoj with Top 100 Women in Canada Award[/caption] With one of her best friends, Diane Gui, Prerana is co-developing Project HeartScope, a collection of machine learning models designed for the accurate and efficient diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and conditions. “We were also privileged and grateful to have received the opportunity to share our project and vision as finalists of Team Canada for the global competition, Technovation Girls. We presented it on the grand stage at Synopsys, San Francisco, alongside teams from India,
nt-weight: 400;">With one of her best friends, Diane Gui, Prerana is co-developing Project HeartScope, a collection of machine learning models designed for the accurate and efficient diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and conditions. “We were also privileged and grateful to have received the opportunity to share our project and vision as finalists of Team Canada for the global competition, Technovation Girls. We presented it on the grand stage at Synopsys, San Francisco, alongside teams from India, Brazil, Uzbekistan, and others,” she shares. The project was selected for the Technovation Girls Global Competition 2023 in San Francisco from over 2,000 teams.
Project HeartScope
When Prerana moved to Toronto with her parents, the city’s vibrant atmosphere reminded her of her native Bengaluru. This move played an integral role in developing her fascination with STEM and other fields. “In Toronto, I developed a growing interest in business and technology and learned about transformational emerging technologies such as AI, which have significant potential to make waves in industries worldwide,” she shares.
In the new city, she made friends with Diane and learned about health leader Osei Kwadbo Boateng and his non-profit, The OKB Hope Foundation. The foundation works towards providing healthcare services for underserved communities. Inspired by his passionate work, the friends became interested in finding ways to build tech-based solutions for low-income communities.
Soon, they founded Project HeartScope for efficient diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. “Currently, the model is capable of diagnosing cardiomegaly using binary classification and transfer learning techniques,” shares Prerana adding, “Project HeartScope has been featured at the Johns Hopkins Global Health Conference as well”.
Realising the increasing gap in experts in the healthcare industry, especially for cardiologists, Prerana and Diane wanted to experiment to see whether they could develop a model that could detect the presence of cardiomegaly (a heart condition) based on X-ray scan images. “Although still a work in progress for accuracy and general development, as beginners in the area of Artificial Intelligence, we found our small wins to be significant milestones in the greater journey ahead,” Prerana remarks.
Research work at Ontario Tech University
Earlier in 2023, Prerana joined the EILab at Ontario Tech University under the supervision of Dr Roland VanOostveen to work on a specialised research project to analyse the affective domain in the online learning environment.
“I worked on coding analyses of online discussions and deciphering the relations and connections between various forms of body language, facial expressions, and gestures to provide greater insight into online learning experiences. The paper is currently being submitted and will be published soon,” she says.
[caption id="attachment_38025" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Prerana and Diane presenting Project HeartScope at TikTok Office for Canada Learning Code's Demo Day Challenge[/caption]
Laurels in STEM
Prerana has always been full of ideas and dedicated to turning them into reality for the good of society. In 2021 the youngster was given the opportunity to present her start-up idea, the P. A Shield, aimed at improving water conservation efforts in Canadian households at Dragons Den (a reality TV show where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts and products to a panel of Canadian business moguls). At the end of her pitch, she received a shared investment of $25K from the investors.
“My inspiration for the P. A Shield came from learning about the water crisis in grade 7 geography. I realised that although spreading awareness is very important, taking action can lead to active results. As a 13-year-old with little experience in technology or business, I joined a start-up accelerator for high school students called Start-up Dojo to learn about how to start my own idea,” she shares.
[caption id="attachment_38024" align="aligncenter" width="758"] Prerana Manoj at the Dragons Den platform[/caption]
After experimenting with circuits and learning about business along the way, she got encouraged to apply her idea to Dragons Den. “Although it took quite a bit of motivation, I realised that there was no harm in sharing my idea and so I submitted it. I remembered being shocked to hear back for an interview for stage two, and ultimately receiving the offer to pitch. It was truly a surreal moment, and I will be forever grateful to the wonderful producers, staff and the Dragons for making it a transformative experience in my journey of innovation. At 14, receiving an offer on the grand stage is a moment I can never forget,” she says.Although Prerana’s passion for the water crisis persists, she decided not to pursue the deal channelling all her focus on emerging technologies such as AI and immersing herself in new opportunities of innovation that come her way.
From Bengaluru to Canada
Prerna did her schooling from Bengaluru. “The city along with my homeplace, Thrissur, Kerala, has profoundly shaped my identity and who I am today,” she mentions.
Prerna moved to Calgary, Canada as a grade three student when her parents went there for work. In Calgary, she was exposed to a new culture and later discovered a passion for chess, debate, and public speaking. “I spent most of my middle school years attending summer stampedes and ice skating during the winter in Lake Louis, Banff. As life was settling in, along came an opportunity to journey further eastward to Canada’s largest city and growing start-up hub, Toronto,” she tells.
[caption id="attachment_38021" align="aligncenter" width="507"] Prerana Manoj with Princess Sarah Culberson of Sierra Leone at the WXN event[/caption]
Currently a junior at Bishop Allen Academy, Etobicoke, the teenager aspires to make a positive impact on those around her. “I'll go where my journey takes me, and I hope to make a difference for each milestone I achieve,” she signs off.
Wearing multiple hats
In her free time, Prerana usually plays chess. “It's been my favourite hobby since I was eight. I also enjoy writing,” she says. Prerana is associated as a managing director of personal growth with an online publication - The Teen Magazine founded by Harvard alum, Mia Johansson. She also runs her own newsletter, 'I am Prerana'.
“Honestly, when it comes to managing my school work and projects, I usually prioritise based on the time of the year. Junior year hasn't been the kindest in giving me free time, but my weekends usually lend those hours to me,” she signs off.
[caption id="attachment_38026" align="aligncenter" width="537"] Prerana Manoj during an edge walk[/caption]
(October 1, 2022) On September 29, 2022, Garuda Aerospace received its DGCA approval as a remote pilot training organisation. It will enable the startup to train some 1 lakh drone pilots across 755 districts, a target it aims to meet by the end of 2025. It's a huge leap forward, both in terms of technology and regulation. Founded by serial social entrepreneur and Global Indian Agnishwar Jayaprakash (Agni Foundation), who went from swimming to champ to entrepreneurship and studying in Harvard Business School, the startup received funding from MS Dhoni in June 2022. Back in 2014, Francesco's Pizzerias in Mumbai created quite the stir when it used an unmanned drone to deliver pizzas. Unfortunately, it also ruffled the feathers of the Mumbai police, who called it a security risk. The Indian government has been quick to catch on to the many uses of drones, from defense surveillance to mapping rural landholdings. The forest department also uses them to keep an eye out of poachers. By 2030, India's drone industry is all set to hit a market-size of $23 billion and capture 25 percent of the global drone market, according to journalist Shereen Bhan on Young Turks. With the government going
s them to keep an eye out of poachers. By 2030, India's drone industry is all set to hit a market-size of $23 billion and capture 25 percent of the global drone market, according to journalist Shereen Bhan on Young Turks.
With the government going full throttle on easing regulations, Garuda Aerospace, founded by serial social entrepreneur Agni Jayaprakash is the 31st RPTO to get the government nod since the regulations were eased on August 26 this year. Two months earlier, it burst into the limelight when cricketer M.S. Dhoni invested an undisclosed sum in the startup and became its brand investor. "I'm happy to be a part of Garuda Aerospace and look forward to witness their growth story," Dhoni said at the time.
As for the young entrepreneur himself, he was over the moon about it. Growing up, Agnishwar was an award-winning swimmer, his eyes set on the Olympics. At 14, he became the youngest Indian to represent his country at the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2004. At 22, he brought home medals in six categories at the world Short Swimming Course Championship in Istanbul, becoming the youngest Indian to achieve the feat. By this time, he had stepped fully into his entrepreneurship role.
Inspired by former president APJ Abdul Kalam, Agnishwar founded Ignite-India, a nationwide platform to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in schools and colleges. The platform reached out to over 7000 schools and was recognised by the United Nations. "I started swimming at the age of three and it became a passion because I was getting really good at it," he said, in an interview at Harvard Business School. "It was good, it let me travel the world, have many new experiences and meet new people. But it was very individualistic. All I thought about was what I could do for myself. Now, as an entrepreneur, the work I do impacts thousands of young people in India and South East Asia. It's been a very satisfying transition."
In 2019, he became Vice Chairman at Agni College of Technology in Chennai. "I wanted to leave a mark on the education system," he told Guindy Times in 2020. "Our system has become rudimentary because our kids are just expected to reproduce content after absorbing it in class. We test our kids only on one aspect of intelligence. You score good marks but you're not really learning." Agnishwar stepped in with the intention to bring innovative and entrepreneurial learning into the education system. Their acceleration programme funds startups and works with the government to inspire children and students as well.
Seven years after its founding, Garuda Aerospace has "scaled to a 200-member team having the largest drone fleet in India with over 300 drones and 500 pilots operating in 26 cities," Agnishwar said, in an interview with Industrial Automation India. "We have also expanded to Malaysia, Africa and South America." The team aims to spearhead what Agnishwar calls a "Drone Revolution" with a "vision of manufacturing 1 lakh Made in India drones and cement the market dominance on 2 major multi-billion-dollar segments - Precision Agri Tech and Industry 4.0."
Currently, Garuda Aerospace manufactures around 30 different kinds of drones and offers over 50 types of services across a range of industries. This includes warehouse management and delivery for Flipkart, seed dropping, project monitoring and drone delivery of medicines for hospitals. They are also working with Swiggy which is looking to expand to drone delivery in Bengaluru and Delhi.
Back in 2017, his interviewer at Harvard Business School asked Agnishwar his views on failure. "It's a cliche but it is a stepping stone," he said at once. "I learned that as a swimmer. I wanted to be in the Olympics, but I couldn't make it. With entrepreneurship, it's always a hit-and-miss. I tell young entrepreneurs not to lose motivation and to remember that ideas can only be sustained with the right modules and strategy. All we see in the media are the success stories but never the failures from which we can truly learn."
Darsh Abhinay[/caption]
Neil Chowdhury[/caption]
Pravalika Gayatri Putalapattu[/caption]
Gopal Krishna Goel[/caption]
Alay Shah[/caption]
Indrani Das[/caption]
Shivakshi Bhattacharya. Photo: 
Prerana Manoj with 
Prerana and Diane presenting Project HeartScope at TikTok Office for Canada Learning Code's Demo Day Challenge[/caption]
Prerana Manoj at the Dragons Den platform[/caption]
Prerana Manoj with 
Prerana Manoj during an edge walk[/caption]
Agnishwar Jayaprakash[/caption]