Page 35 - EW July 2024

Young Achievers

ward,” says Team Think The Life Spell Bee National
spokesperson Ankush English language spelling competi-
Yadav. tion (estb.2011) is an initiative of the
Kavach was inspired Mumbai-based SBI Life Insurance
by the World Bank’s and Radio Mirchi, a network of 76
Climate Investment FM radio stations.
Opportunities in India’s “I am delighted that my hard
Cooling Sector Report work of poring over guidebooks and
2022. It warned that dictionaries has paid off. I am very
India could face unbear- grateful to my parents, my little
able heat waves challeng- sister Myra and school for constantly
ing human survival if it encouraging me,” says this gritty
misses UN Sustainable class IX student of the CISCE-af-
Development Goals filiated Bombay Scottish School,
targets. “Kavach is a vest Mahim, and elder of two children of
engineered to regulate banker Naveed Siddiqui and home-
TEAM THINK body temperature, ensuring pro- maker Sujata.
longed comfort in hot and cold
Rayaan’s interest in expanding his
environments. By utilising advanced vocabulary and etymology dates back
eam Think — comprising semiconductor technology, our prod- to the time when he registered for his
Mukkabir Rahman, a class uct eliminates limitations of tradi- first SBI Life Spelling Bee competi-
TXII student of Pragya Acad- tional cooling and heating,” explains tion in school at age six. Although he
emy, Ankush Yadav, a student Mukkabir. was routinely selected to participate
of IIT-Kanpur, and Varsha K.J, a Team Think has ambitious plans in the SBI Life Spelling Bee compe-
student pursuing chartered accoun- for the future. “We intend to com- tition every year, he failed to win.
tancy, all from Assam’s Golaghat mercialise kavach to enable afford- “Nevertheless intra school competi-
district — was adjudged a winner of able cooling and address the needs tions developed my self-confidence
Solve for Tomorrow (SFT) 2023, a of the millions obliged to toil in and capability to manage stage
CSR (corporate social responsibil- extreme climatic conditions without pressure. Moreover, I am an avid
ity) initiative of Samsung (India). adequate protection. Beyond this reader blessed with a good memory.
Their innovation ‘Kavach’ (shield initiative, our intention is to estab- Whenever I come across a new word,
in Hindi), a lightweight, affordable lish our own innovation hub,” says I make a mental note of its spelling.
and wearable cooling device that Varsha. I analyse the word phonetically and
prevents people from experiencing Urgently required to end In- try to connect it with etymology,” he
extreme heat or cold, was adjudged dia’s prolonged inventions drought adds. Ironically Rayaan’s favourite
one of three winner inventions. At (see https://www.educationworld. subject is math, “I prefer to spend
a grand finale staged in New Delhi in/indias-prolonged-inventions- my time solving math problems.”
last October, the Top 3 teams re- drought/). Looking ahead, Rayaan wishes to
ceived grants of Rs.1.5 crore each. Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru) intensify his participation in spelling
Samsung’s national innovation competitions which he believes will
competition attracted participation boost his grades in the board exams.
from more than 70,000 students RAYAAN NAVEED “Although I love reading and English
in the 16-22 years age group. They literature, after completing my Plus
showcased their inventions to solve Two, my goal is to enrol in a top-
extant global problems in the Edu- umbai-based Rayaan ranked university abroad to study
cation & Learning, Environment & Naveed Siddiqui (13) is the science,” says this young polymath.
Sustainability, Health & Wellness Mnewly crowned Spell Master Go Boy!
and Diversity & Inclusion catego- of India. In the final round of the Nasrin Modak Siddiqui (Mumbai)
ries. The Top 10 teams qualified for national season XIII SBI Life
the grand finale after six months of Spell Bee 2024 hosted by pop-
rigorous training and mentoring by ular actress-anchor Mandira
experts from Samsung and knowl- Bedi in Mumbai on March 10,
edge partner Foundation for In- this talented teen bested 75
novation and Technology Transfer spelling whiz kids who made
(FITT), a unit of IIT-Delhi. the final round of the national
Team Think attributes its success competition. Over 150,000
to Samsung and IIT-Delhi fac- students from 350 schools in
ulty mentoring. “Early exposure to 30 cities participated in SBI
industry leaders and tech innova- Life Spell Bee 2024. As win-
tors helped to build an innovation ner, Rayaan bagged Rs.1 lakh
mindset. Participation in SFT 2023 in cash and an all-expenses
has provided us with a valuable paid trip to Disneyland, Hong
head start for taking our project for- Kong.

JULY 2024 EDUCATIONWORLD 35