What do you get when you put a group of prodigies together on stage, including a badminton sensation making headlines, a musical genius who bagged a national award at the age of 10, and a science innovator redefining cancer detection? Not a team of superheroes from the world of comic books, but not far from it either.
The second edition of The Times of India ’s #Unstopabble21 — presented by Reliance Foundation , and with the Uttarakhand govt as state partner — an initiative to recognise and award 21 young talents across the country, saw the coming together of winners aged from five to 21. Each name — traversing the diverse worlds of science, sports, and music — was chosen from hundreds of nominations received by a panel of eminent jury, including author Chetan Bhagat, eminent scientist Govindan Rangarajan, Carnatic vocalist Sudha Ragunathan, and entrepreneur Rohan Verma.
Union minister of communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, the chief guest for the event, lauded the young guns. “You’re representative of the huge talent board of a 35 crore GenZ population across the length and breadth of our country... and the capability of our amrit peedhi . You are living in a period where, in many ways, you all are driving the wave, setting the pace and rewriting the playbook... for the Bharat that is to come,” Scindia said. Drawing upon the exhilarating story of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian on the ISS, Scindia also underscored how small nudges in life can take the dreams of young minds into a new orbit.
The minister, who didn’t let a cold prevent him from attending the event, also emphasised the importance of building a strong mind and body, and being rooted in spirituality. He underlined the need for moving away from “FaceTime to real time”, stating that “too many among this young generation are using the dabbas (mobile phones) as a substitute for maintaining relationships. There’s nothing that can replace pressing a hand, hugging someone, or speaking eye to eye to someone.”
Read more: Here are Unstoppable21
Saurabh Bahuguna, Uttarakhand animal husbandry minister and a former professional golfer, pointed out how “lucky” today’s youth were to have a sea of opportunities before them. “When I was playing golf and representing the country, I didn’t have these many opportunities like you have today,” he said. “I had a coach who used to tell me that the future doesn’t belong to the one who is talented, or lucky. It belongs to the one who is ready to put in hard work and is ready to be consistent.”
As the winners were felicitated on stage, the message was loud and clear: the future is here, young, and now. Singer Sooryagayathri mesmerised the audience with her voice. Uthara Unnikrishnan performed a fusion of her song ‘Azhage’ with the Michael Jackson hit ‘Bille Jean’. For the final act, flautist Anirban Roy and drummer Steven Samuel Devassy teamed up for a jugalbandi , the last strains of which lingered long after the curtains closed.
The second edition of The Times of India ’s #Unstopabble21 — presented by Reliance Foundation , and with the Uttarakhand govt as state partner — an initiative to recognise and award 21 young talents across the country, saw the coming together of winners aged from five to 21. Each name — traversing the diverse worlds of science, sports, and music — was chosen from hundreds of nominations received by a panel of eminent jury, including author Chetan Bhagat, eminent scientist Govindan Rangarajan, Carnatic vocalist Sudha Ragunathan, and entrepreneur Rohan Verma.
Union minister of communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, the chief guest for the event, lauded the young guns. “You’re representative of the huge talent board of a 35 crore GenZ population across the length and breadth of our country... and the capability of our amrit peedhi . You are living in a period where, in many ways, you all are driving the wave, setting the pace and rewriting the playbook... for the Bharat that is to come,” Scindia said. Drawing upon the exhilarating story of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian on the ISS, Scindia also underscored how small nudges in life can take the dreams of young minds into a new orbit.
The minister, who didn’t let a cold prevent him from attending the event, also emphasised the importance of building a strong mind and body, and being rooted in spirituality. He underlined the need for moving away from “FaceTime to real time”, stating that “too many among this young generation are using the dabbas (mobile phones) as a substitute for maintaining relationships. There’s nothing that can replace pressing a hand, hugging someone, or speaking eye to eye to someone.”
Read more: Here are Unstoppable21
Saurabh Bahuguna, Uttarakhand animal husbandry minister and a former professional golfer, pointed out how “lucky” today’s youth were to have a sea of opportunities before them. “When I was playing golf and representing the country, I didn’t have these many opportunities like you have today,” he said. “I had a coach who used to tell me that the future doesn’t belong to the one who is talented, or lucky. It belongs to the one who is ready to put in hard work and is ready to be consistent.”
As the winners were felicitated on stage, the message was loud and clear: the future is here, young, and now. Singer Sooryagayathri mesmerised the audience with her voice. Uthara Unnikrishnan performed a fusion of her song ‘Azhage’ with the Michael Jackson hit ‘Bille Jean’. For the final act, flautist Anirban Roy and drummer Steven Samuel Devassy teamed up for a jugalbandi , the last strains of which lingered long after the curtains closed.
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