NEW DELHI: Forced to stay indoors like all other children during the lockdown, 10-year-old Veer Kashyap from Bengaluru used innovation to not just beat boredom but also build awareness by creating a board game “Corona Yuga” focussed on safety guidelines and behavioural change to defeat the virus. Little did he know then that his board game, shaped like the Coronavirus, once uploaded on YouTube will turn into a viral sensation.
It is this spirit of innovation which has won Kashyap a place among 32 children honoured with the “Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021.”
In a virtual interaction with the awardees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that these national awards are special as the recipients earned them in the difficult times of Covid-19 pandemic. The PM acknowledged the role of children in major campaigns like Swachchta movement and the one on handwashing advocating behavioural change. Modi asked the children to take three pledges - to aspire for consistency, work for the country’s welfare and follow the path of humility.
The awards are given each year to children with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievements in the field of innovation, sports, arts and culture, social service, scholastic field, and bravery.
Bihar’s 16 - year - old Jyoti Kumari carried her ailing father seated on the rear seat of her bicycle from Sikandarpur in Haryana to her native place in Darbhanga district capturing the nation’s attention during the lockdown. Kumari’s citation issued by the ministry of women and child development ministry states, “she might seem like any other girl of her age, but the courage and strength that she displayed by covering 1,200 kms on a bicycle, that too with her ailing father on the rear seat, cannot be described in words.”
During his interaction, when the PM asked 15-year-old awardee Venish Keisham from Imphal in Manipur why she focussed on the environment in her art, the budding painter highlighted she wanted to build awareness about pollution and encourage people to protect the trees and plants. The PM went on to ask Keisham if she had any hobbies and the enthusiastic teenager gracefully broke into a folk song without hesitation only to be encouraged by Modi to hone her melodious voice beyond a hobby.
15 - year - old awardee Rakesh Krishna, recognised for his novel multi-purpose seed-sowing machine called 'SEEDOGRAPHER' that enables easy and fast sowing of seeds at fixed distances told the PM that this was his way of contributing to improving farming practices. Son of a farmer, this teenager shared that his machine saves 50% water. Recognising the need for such innovations, PM Modi said that modern farming is a critical need of India today.
Speaking to the awardee in the sports category, Mantra Jitendra Harkhani from Rajkot who did not allow Down syndrome to come in the way of his dream of becoming an award-winning swimmer, the PM lauded his commitment. “The hard work you and your parents are putting into your dreams is an inspiration for other children and their parents facing similar challenges,” Modi said.
The youngest awardee (social work category) this year Kumari Prasiddhi Singh is a 7-year-old social volunteer from Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu who as per her citation created eight fruit forests in government schools and public places and planted over 9,000 trees.