Page 32 - EducationWorld October 2020

Young Achievers

University, Jalandhar (LPU) alum
has every reason to be elated. “The
generous scholarship is beyond
my wildest expectations. ANU is
a leading research institution and
I am excited about continuing my
research in pest resistant horticul-
ture practices. I am very grateful to
my faculty and mentors at LPU who
assisted me in my applications pro-
cess,” acknowledges Sumant.
Born into a farming family — his
Solan (Himachal Pradesh)-based
father Arvind Bindal is a seeds pro-
duction specialist — Sumant believes
that if low productivity and high
MEERA MEHTA healthcare centres, a science college wastage in India’s agriculture sector
for tribal students, and a skill devel-
is reversed, the country can double
opment centre for empowering rural its annual GDP growth rate. “Almost
umbai-based social worker women, among other institutions. 60 percent of our population is em-
and medical student Meera During the Covid-19 national lock- ployed in agriculture and the yields
MMehta (21) was among down, Meera raised Rs.45 lakh to of India’s ingenious farmers are not
150 global citizens conferred the provide free-of-charge meals for the low. However, most of their effort
prestigious Diana Award 2020 city’s stranded migrant population, is negated by post-harvest losses.
of the British government on PPE kits/masks for frontline workers Therefore, I want to work on disease-
July 1, at a specially organised and sponsored the return journey resistant seed strains and empower
virtual felicitation ceremony. of two busloads of migrants back to India’s neglected rural majority,”
The Diana Award was initiated their hometowns in Bihar. says this young agri-scientist.
in 1999 in memory of the late Looking into the future, this inde- Committed to this cause, last year
Princess of Wales (1961-1997), fatigable compassionate social activ- (2019) Sumant interned at the glob-
to recognise outstanding young ist aspires to qualify as a surgeon ally reputed non-profit World Vege-
leaders worldwide for initiating and after completing her MBBS degree. table Center in Tainan (Taiwan), one
sustaining positive social change in “My dream is to serve at the free- of 15 students shortlisted worldwide
their communities. of-charge multi-specialty Shrimad for this fully funded fellowship of the
Meera has also been an active Rajchandra Hospital at Dharampur Taiwan government.
volunteer and fundraiser for the for which I have raised funds,” she Sumant is especially grateful
global non-profit Shrimad Ra- says, modestly. to the management and faculty of
jchandra Love and Care (SRLC) Dipta Joshi (Mumbai) LPU’s School of Agriculture, a leader
for the past 15 years and has raised in agriculture education in India.
over Rs.1.5 crore for its slew of SUMANT BINDAL “Its programmes are designed to
charitable activities to aid and help students build research aptitude
enable tribal and underprivileged and it offers ample opportunity of
communities of Dharampur and alandhar-based agri-genetics ‘learning-by-doing’ on its 1,000-acre
Kaprada talukas, in south Gujarat’s postgrad Sumant Bindal (22) has farmlands,” says this dedicated agri-
Valsad district. She has inspired a Jmade media headlines in Punjab, scientist, set to go places.
large number of youth for voluntary by bagging a whopping Rs.1.3 crore Autar Nehru (Delhi)
services towards fund raising for Ph D scholarship awarded
socially beneficial projects. by the Australian National
The only child of Dr. Bijal, an University (ANC), Canberra —
ophthalmologist, and software ranked Australia’s #2 public
engineer Kabir Mehta, Meera is a research university and #50
third year student of MGM Medi- worldwide in the THE World
cal College, Navi Mumbai, who University Rankings 2020. For
took to community service at age the past two years, Sumant has
six, inspired by the teachings of been intensively researching
her family’s spiritual guru Pujya ways to make tomatoes
Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, founder resistant to Fusarium wilt —
of SRLC. “Over the years, I have a plant fungus — that ruins
realised that transparent reporting tomato crops worldwide. In
of project objectives and targets India, this widespread fungus
transforms enlightened people into causes a 45 percent yield loss
willing donors,” says Meera, who annually.
has raised funds to build tertiary This Lovely Professional

32 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2020