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Young Achievers

This inequity prompted the estab- Vaka, a superintendent in the state’s
lishment of Project Elevate in 2023 Central GST and Customs Depart-
for them. I am deeply grateful to ment, and former IT professional
my mother and school management Praveena, this tiny champ is a class
for encouraging me to specialize in II student of the city’s Top-10 ranked
this sport. I am also thankful for the SD Jain Modern School. “Unlike
opportunity to study at the school’s other children her age, she learned
Institute of Design and Innovation, by watching her elder sister Varenya
where entrepreneurial thinking is play and independently practicing
routinely incubated,” acknowledges for hours together. Recognising
Kabir. her passion for the game early, we
A consistent high performer, decided to enroll her in the Bishop
Kabir has set his sights on a career Brigade Chess Academy, Surat,”
in business economics. And even recalls mother Praveena.
though the school-leaving exam Since then, the precocious whiz
of the International Baccalaureate follows a weekly regimen of partici-
(Geneva) board is looming, he is de- pating in open chess camps and in-
termined to prepare for all forthcom- vesting 28 hours of rigorous practice
ing climbing championships. “I am per week under the watchful eye of
currently training for the trials of the coach Rohan Julka. Keen to com-
World Youth Climbing Champion- pete, Pragnika won her first tourna-
KABIR GUPTA ship in Helsinki (Finland) at the end ment at age five in a district-level
of the month. Later I intend to enrol chess tournament staged in 2023,
in an American university to acquire followed by one in 2024, which
elhi-based Kabir Gupta a degree in sports management and qualified her to compete for Gujarat
(16) is hell-bent on making business while training for the Los state. That very year, she won the
Dit to the top in the ancient Angeles Olympics 2028. Meanwhile, Gujarat State Chess Interschool
and recently resurrected sport of an exciting project in collaboration championship held in Ahmedabad
rock and wall climbing. Although with Indie Grip, a company founded scoring an impressive five points
recreational climbing can be traced by a climbers’ group, to build an from as many games. Since then,
back to the early 19th century, its unprecedented climbing wall in Am- winning has become a habit.
golden era dawned in 1950-70 and ity University, has come up,” says In July 2024, she won the Gujarat
its popularity soared in the new mil- this talented teen with a strong social State Chess Championship staged
lennium with better gear, safety and conscience. in Ahmedabad. Six months on, she
media exposure. In 2020, climbing was adjudged India #3 at the Na-
debuted as an Olympics sport. Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru) tional School Chess Championship
In April, this promising climber 2025 held in Peddapuram (Andhra
won a silver medal in the Under-19 Pradesh).
category of the Kolkata National PRAGNIKA V. LAKSHMI In recent months, a growing num-
Cup Lead. Earlier this year at the ber of Indian chess prodigies includ-
IMF National Championship staged ndia’s chess prodigies are becom- ing D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa
in Bengaluru, he added a silver to ing ever younger. The latest diva and Vidit Gujrathi have been hitting
his 16-strong medals tally. Iof this testing mindsport is Surat- headlines around the world.
The only child of entrepreneur based Pragnika Vaka Lakshmi, who Make room for one more!
Mamta Gupta, Kabir is currently a celebrated her seventh birthday last
class XI student of Delhi’s Ameri- February. Pragnika was crowned Un- Runa Mukherjee Parikh (Ahmedabad)
can Embassy School. In 2018 when der-7 Girls’ World Champion at the
climbing was accepted as an Olym- recently staged World School Chess
pic sport, Kabir enrolled in Delhi’s Championship 2025 in Serbia. She
Boulderbox Academy. There under dominated the final against Kazakh-
the expert tutelage of Adarsh Singh, stan’s Alnura Shinbayeva, winning
former national climbing champion, nine points in nine games for which
he has evolved into a competitive she was declared champion even
climber. He has also trained abroad before the final game.
at Kletterzentrum, Innsbruck (Aus- The only Under-7 chess player to
tria), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Tokyo be awarded a FIDE rating of 1437
and Yamagata (Japan). in the classical chess format last
“Although I had the good fortune November, Pragnika trains in the
to avail world-class coaching, equip- Swami Vivekanand Non-Residential
ment, and travel opportunities, I Center of Excellence Scheme for
witnessed how talented young ath- Chess 2024-25 of the Sports Author-
letes from underprivileged house- ity of Gujarat (SAG).
holds don’t get the same support. The youngest child of Ramanadh

34 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2025