Page 32 - EW August 2025

Young Achievers

versity of Hyderabad; Dr. Ramesh he was merely four. Listening to his
Kumar Sahoo of the Birla Global elder sister Maitreyee practising
University Bhubaneswar, Odisha classical vocal music, Anirban was
and Prof. (Dr.) Srinivas Sethi, Head inspired to reproduce the paltas (vo-
of the computer science department cal exercises). News travelled quickly
at the Indira Gandhi Institute of relayed by his mother Chaitali, also a
Technology (IGIT), Sarang. “They vocalist, to his father Lokenath Roy,
validated and corrected my criminal an Indian Railways employee and
detection system at every stage. I am flautist himself, who introduced the
also grateful to my parents, school child to basic notes of the flute. Thus
principal and teachers who encour- began his formal training under his
aged me to enter WISECAD into this father’s guidance. “I started learn-
national students’ competition,” says ing to play the high pitch G bam-
Prateek. boo flute. Soon, I graduated to the
Looking ahead, this young tech Recorder (Western) flute and later to
whiz plans to perfect and scale his big bamboo and base flutes,” recalls
innovation, collaborate with law Anirban, who has been giving solo
enforcement and civic bodies, and performances since age five.
integrate advanced AI to improve Anirban’s soulful rendition on the
accuracy. “Constantly ideating new reality show Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki
inventions apart, after school I Shaan broadcast on Colours televi-
PRATEEK SETHI intend to study for a computer sci- sion in 2022 wowed the audience
ence degree from the Massachusetts and judges. On this show, he was ac-
Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, companied by renowned percussion-
class IX student of DAV Pub- to continue to develop solutions for ist Ustad Taufiq Qureshi, brother of
lic School of NTPC’s Talcher societal challenges, and ultimately the late tabla maestro Zakir Hussein.
A Thermal power plant in establish a startup focused on ethical This dual performance won him a
Angul (Odisha), Prateek Sethi (14) surveillance and public safety tech- standing ovation and instant fame
is the National Winner of the Vivo nologies,” says this gifted inventor/ on social media.
Ignite: Technology and Innovation innovator. Recognising his son’s potential
Initiative Ver. 3.0 competition. May your tribe increase! in the latter’s early years, father
This young inventor’s prototype Lokenath arranged a holistic music
WISECAD, a low-cost AI Powered Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru) education for him. He roped in
Passive Criminal Activity Detection Ustad Taufiq Qureshi and Pandit
System using sensorless sensing Bickram Ghosh, another famous
was top-ranked at the grand finale percussionist, and musician-cum-
staged at The Ashok, New Delhi on ANIRBAN ROY composer Choton Banerjee to teach
June 15. The eminent jury awarded him the nuances of rhythm, percus-
Prateek a scholarship of Rs.4 lakh nirban Roy (15), a class X sion and guitar.
plus a glittering trophy. student of Don Bosco School, “All my achievements are thanks
A CSR initiative of Vivo India, ALiluah (Howrah) is an Ut- to my supportive parents, sister
the Vivo Ignite: Technology and In- tarpara (West Bengal)-based music Maitreyee and the wider musicians’
novation Initiative is open to school prodigy. In June, this young flau- community,” says Anirban, who
students in classes VIII-XII coun- tist was conferred the prestigious intends to study law after completing
trywide. CIET-NCERT, IIT-Madras, Unstoppable 21 Award of the Times his higher secondary education.
Pravartak Technologies Foundation, of India.
and UN Global Compact Network This is only the latest encomium Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)
India are Vivo’s knowledge partners awarded to this promising musician.
for this competition which attracted Two years ago, he was conferred The
37,000 entries and 5,600 innova- Telegraph Edugraph ‘18 Under 18
tive ‘Tech For Good’ projects. Award’ of the Kolkata-based Ananda
Prateek’s criminal detection sys- Bazar (media) Group. In 2022, he
tem uses Channel State Information was conferred the Pradhan Man-
(CSI) from Wi-Fi signals to remote- tri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, Asian
ly detect anti-social activities like African Iconic Brand and the Kal Ki
physical assaults, theft, or forced Gaurav awards. At age eight (2019),
entries in a given area, without use he was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna
of cameras and/or wearable devices. M.S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship in
The gifted teenager willingly Music’ by the Sri Shanmukhananda
attributes his latest achievement to Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha, Mum-
project mentors Prof. (Dr.) Siba K. bai.
Udgata from School of Computer Born into a musical family, Anir-
and Information Sciences, Uni- ban’s music education began when

32 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2025