Page 35 - EducationWorld June 2022_Neat

Young Achievers

finished seventh in crusade against bullying at age nine
the European Cham- (2018). Experiences of how picking
pionship which quali- on vulnerable children hurt and de-
fied her to compete moralised them motivated Anoushka
in the US Kids Golf to start the Anti-Bullying Squad
World Championship (ABS), Gurugram to raise awareness
at Pinehurst, North about this issue trivialised in schools
Carolina (USA). and colleges.
Since then Avani has In 2019 at age ten, Anoushka
competed in the US was ranked among the Top 3 for
Kids Golf World and pitching ABS to the Young Entre-
Golf European cham- preneurs Academy, a US franchise
pionships, finishing that teaches entrepreneurship skills
among the Top 5 four to 11-18 year-olds. Thus far, ABS has
times at the World positively impacted 100 schools and
Championships and universities countrywide.
thrice in the Euro- Driven by the belief that what-
AVANI PRASHANTH pean Championships. ever is reported can be resolved,
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All this hasn’t come without ef-
Anoushka started ideating avac h
fort. Avani invests three-four hours to enable children/parents to report
engaluru-based Avani daily after school on the greens of the bullying incidents anonymously with
Prashanth (15) recently Karnataka Golf Association under a provision for school managements
Bbested India’s top profes- the tutelage of British coach Lau- to access them. With the help of
sional and amateur women golfers rence Brotheridge. She also follows a technical mentors — Prajakt Deotale,
to qualify for the 19th Asian Games rigorous fitness regimen prescribed employed at Microsoft, UK and Vaib-
2022 scheduled to be held in Hang- by strength and conditioning coach hav Vats, the Delhi-based co-founder
zhou (China) later this year. Deckline Leitao at the school gym, of Digiperform, an education start-
A natural on the greens who and abides by a strict nutrition plan. up — Anoushka designed a mobile
started to swing the club at age four, With over 100 trophies occupying app in August 2021 and launched it
Avani is the highest ranked (#116) pride of place on her mantelpiece, in March 2022.
Indian among amateur women golf- currently Avani is practicing inten- “School director Captain Bajaj
ers worldwide, and the first Indian sively for the Hangzhou Asian Games supported and helped me spread
to compete in the final round of the 2022, and working on qualifying for word about my app. Pathways is
National Women’s Amateur Cham- the Paris Olympics 2024, even as she where I found the courage to raise
pionship of Augusta National Golf is preparing for her CISCE class X my voice against this important is-
Club, Georgia (USA), which nur- board exam. sue. I am grateful for that,” she says.
tured golf legend Tiger Woods. This Go girl! Anoushka has already charted her
teen is also among 100 prodigies plans for the future. “I have invested
selected from 68 countries to be my funding of Rs.5 lakh into the
presented the Global Child Prodigy development and marketing of a-
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Award 2022 in Dubai later this year. ANOUSHKA JOLLY vac h,” says this go-getting youngster
The younger child of M.S. set to go places.
Prashant, a corporate executive ocial justice warrior Anoushka Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru)
and homemaker Surekha, Avani, Jolly (13) was the youngest
a class X student of the garden Scontestant to pitch her
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city’s top-ranked Greenwood High entrepreneurial idea avac h
International School (CISCE), who (‘shield’ in Hindi), an anti-bully-
spent her five early years in Nigeria, ing app with a pre-revenue valu-
attributes her success to home and ation of Rs.50 lakh, to investors
school support, especially principal on the popular business reality
Aloysius D’Mello who never denied show Shark Tank India — the
her permission to compete. “I would India edition of the eponymous
never have made headway in a American show — and win fund-
sport I am so passionate about,” she ing of Rs.5 lakh. The first season
acknowledges. of Shark Tank India received
When she turned five, Avani 62,000 entries, of whom only 67
played her first US Kids Golf succeeded in raising funds.
Qualifying tournament at the IBB The sole child of Manu Jolly,
International Golf and Country an entrepreneur and chartered
club, Abuja (Nigeria) finishing on accountant Monika, Anoushka
top to qualify for the US Kids Golf is a class VIII student of the
European Championship in Gullane high-ranked Pathways School, Anoushka Jolly (left)
(Scotland). The following year, she Gurugram. She began her

JUNE 2022 EDUCATIONWORLD 35