The creator of the group, Ananda Boga Pandit, spoke to us about the group. At first, it didn’t seem terribly interesting. He spoke of the sponsors they’d gotten and the famous people they’d talked to, but you couldn’t make out any sort of concrete plan in his words. It seemed like he was all talk and no walk.
But slowly, the sincerity of the group began to seep into the conscience. They weren’t just a bunch of children meeting well-known people to talk about things they’d never do. This group of students truly believed in themselves and in their goal – it was heartening to see.
They told us about their main goals – unity in diversity, leadership, and environment. They spoke of some of the events they’d planned, including a not-so-successful rally the previous year and the more successful adoption of a group of tribal children. When a person in the crowd asked what the group expected of its members, Ananda gave a very simple answer: “We are not like other groups that sit there and tell you what to do. In fact, you will tell us what to do, because you know your city a lot better than we do.”
After visiting Sanskriti, the group went on, presumably to meet other schools in Delhi, as well as other people across the country. Some of the initiatives they hope to put in action include a magazine for the group and a music album dealing with issues of the present and future.
The thing that impressed the most about this group, however, was their belief in themselves. Despite a few stutters and a few awkward pauses, Ananda’s talk was quietly confident and showed no hesitance. The other members who spoke were also equally sure of themselves. It wasn’t conceit – it showed that these students took themselves seriously, and that they truly wanted to make a difference in the world - however small a step it might be.
To learn more about Youthrise, you can visit their site at www.youthrise.in or visit them on Facebook.


It also gives me immense pleasure to inform you that Madhav Vaidyanathan has been invited to New York University Abu Dhabi to attend a candidate choice weekend where students will get an opportunity to tour the campus, meet faculty and administration. Madhav and Jin U will be leaving for Abu Dhabi on the 26th of November. NYU AD will be paying for their trip which includes flights, visa costs and pocket money. Only 3 students from Indian schools have been selected so far out of 50 applicants from 25 school and 2 are from KIS! Madhav’s research paper topic is, “To investigate the factors affecting the environmental conditions of the United Arab Emirates, and through that propose a societal model based on “Green Development” after weighing the economic challenges and opportunities”.

