International Youth Day: Meet 10 Changemakers Who Are Trailblazing Progress, Inspiring Millions Across Country

International Youth Day is celebrated on August 12 each year to draw the attention of the international community to raise awareness about the cultural and legal issues surrounding the youth as well as to highlight the potential of young people as partners in today's society.

This day has been a moment of choice to reflect on the challenges that young people face on a daily basis around the world. It is also an opportunity to find solutions to integrate young people into the development process of the contemporary world.

This special day is also used to remember the goals of the World Program of Action for Youth and to continue efforts to achieve its objectives.

In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated August 12 as International Youth Day for the first time. Thus, today is an annual celebration of young women and men as key agents of change, but also an opportunity to draw international attention to the challenges and trials they face.

Thematic discussions, as well as information campaigns, are taking place around the world in order to get the Member States and the general public to understand the needs of young people, to put in place policies to help them overcome the challenges they face but also to help them in the decision-making process.

Today on the occasion of International Youth Day we brought some proud young heroes of the country who defied all the odds and achieved their goals in their field:

1. Neeraj Chopra - India's 1st Olympic Gold Medalist In Track & Field

AFP

Neeraj Chopra needs no introduction. Today, he is in every news headline and has become a national youth icon after winning the first-ever Gold medal in the javelin throw. Born on 24 December 1997 in Khandra village, Panipat district, Chopra hadn¡¯t even seen a javelin, let alone dream about being the pioneer in Indian athletics.

Now, Neeraj Chopra is the main reason several Indian youngsters have gravitated towards the javelin. Neeraj Chopra scripted history by winning the gold in Men's javelin throw event in the Tokyo Olympics. This is India's first gold in this year's Olympics and also the first-ever gold in a track and field event. With this medal, India won 7 medals in total including one gold, two silver and four bronze.

2. Abhijita Gupta - World's youngest Author

Bhaskar

Meet Indian prodigy Abhijita Gupta who hails from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. She became the World's Youngest Author at age of just 7-year and was acknowledged by the World Book of Records, United Kingdom and India book of records. She published a book called 'Happiness all Around', which is an anthology of short stories and poems and its target audience is children. "The surroundings and even the little things inspire me. I write about positive things- what I hear, see or feel.", Abhijita told ANI.

3. Tathagat Avatar Tulsi - India's Youngest Ph.D holder

Gulfnews

Most of you studying in a college or working in a company at the age of 22 after studying in school at the age of 12. But, for Tathagat Avatar Tulsi an Indian prodigy, age doesn't matter. He completed his graduation at the age of 12 and PhD when he was 22-year-old in 2009 and became the youngest PhD holder in India.

His PhD thesis was on "Generalizations of the Quantum Search Algorithm". He co-authored an unpublished research manuscript ("A New Algorithm for Fixed-point Quantum Search") with Lov Grover, the inventor of a quantum search algorithm that goes by his name. He was regarded as one of the seven most gifted Asian youngsters by TIME magazine in 2003, mentioned as "Superteen" by Science Magazine.

4. Arya Rajendran - Youngest Mayor of India

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Meet 22-year-old Arya Rajendran daughter of Rajendran, an electrician, and Sreelatha, a LIC agent who made proud their parents as well the country by becoming the youngest mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Earlier the record was held by Mekala Kavya who became the Mayor of Jawaharnagar municipal corporation in Telangana at age of 26. Arya, a CPM candidate, won from Mudavanmugal ward, defeating UDF candidate Sreekala by 2872 votes and was elected as the mayor of Kerala's capital city Thiruvananthapuram.

5. Kadapala Rithvika Sri - Youngest Indian To Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Times Now

When you were studying in 2nd class at the age of 9, this Andhra little girl managed to conquer Africa's highest peak. Meet Kadapala Rithvika Sri a 9-year-old from Andhra Pradesh who became the youngest girl from Asia to climb Gilman point which is 5,681 metres above sea level and one of the three summit points of 19,340 feet Mt Kilimanjaro on February 25, 2021. Her father Kadapala Sankar, a cricket coach for the Special Olympics, was her guide during the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro and guided her to scale the mountain in Tanzania in January last year.

Mt Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world at 19,340 feet. Gilman's Point is one of the three summit points of Mt Kilimanjaro. Climbers who manage to reach this point receive the official Kilimanjaro climbing certificate.

6. Arham Om Talsania - World's youngest computer programmer

Edexlive

A resident of Gujarat's Ahmedabad, 6-year-old Arham Om Talsania set an unprecedented record by becoming the world's youngest computer programmer in November last year. A student of class two, Arham achieved a Guinness World Record by clearing the powerful 'Python Programming Language' exam. His father Om Talsania, who is a software engineer, taught him coding and he started using tablets at the age of 2 and got a certificate for Python.

Arham wants to become an entrepreneur and wants to make apps, games and systems for coding and help the needy.

7. Ayesha Aziz - India's Youngest Female Pilot

Ayesha Aziz

Born in 1995 in Kashmir and then moved to Mumbai, Maharashtra Ayesha Aziz is the youngest female pilot of India who had dreamed of flying a plane all over the world, and now she is living it. She became the youngest student pilot in 2011 to get a license at the age of 15.

She met her idol, Sunita Williams, during her two-month space training course at NASA in 2012. She also met the woman, who in 1960, flew for the first time on a private pilot's license. Speaking to ANI, Aziz said that she believed that Kashmiri women had progressed immensely in the last few years and have done exceptionally well in the field of education.

Earlier this year in June, another woman from Kashmir, a 23-year-old Mawya Sudan made history and became the first woman from the valley to join the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot.

8. Hasan Safin - India's Youngest IPS Officer

Kerala Kaumudi

Hailing from Kanodar village of Palanpur, Gujarat, Hasan Safin is a son of diamond workers in a small unit who became the youngest IPS officer of the country after he made the cut for the Union Public Service Commission exams with an all-India rank of 570 in 2018.

He took the charge of assistant superintendent of police at Jamnagar in December 2019. The ambitious, dedicated and hard-working man who has defied all odds to secure a place in the IPS. He had to face a lot of struggles for his education as well. The family¡¯s meagre earnings could hardly suffice other needs, let alone pay fees for Safin¡¯s studies. But he has proven his worth.

9. Mayank Pratap Singh - Youngest Judge In The Country

Yourwikis

Hailing from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Mayank Pratap Singh became the youngest judge of the country after he cleared the Rajasthan Judicial Services (RJS) exam at the age of 21 in 2019. He had been pursuing a five-year LLB course from the Rajasthan University and topped the Rajasthan Judicial Services Examination in April 2019.

Singh never went for any coaching nor has ever used Facebook or WhatsApp. Son of a principal and a teacher in a government school, he worked hard since childhood and has always been a topper in school.

10. Ridhima Pandey - Environment activist

Instagram

Hailing from Haridwar, Uttarakhand, 12-year-old Ridhima Pandey among 16 teenagers filed a legal complaint to the United Nations, regarding climate change, during the UN?Climate Action Summit on 23 September 2019 and asked nations to seriously address the climate crisis.

All the petitioners were aged between 8 and 17. It¡¯s quite amazing to witness such standing on a global platform at such a young age. ¡®I am in this fight because the leaders are toying with our future and not taking concrete steps,¡¯ says Ridhima, brimming with anger over the sad state of affairs across the world.

From demanding action from world leaders to making her voice heard at a global level along with Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, Ridhima¡¯s journey over the past four years has been nothing short of magnificent.