India observes Children’s Day on November 14 every year to promote awareness regarding the rights, care and education of children. It is commemorated on this particular date in honour of the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, whose affection for the young ones was very well known.
The day was not recognised as Children’s Day until 1954. It was first celebrated that year with over 50,000 school children joining the festivities at Delhi’s National Stadium. Later, a special government decree designated November 14 as Children’s Day or Bal Diwas in India. All over the nation, this day is observed in numerous charming fashions and we take the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of a few Indian children in today’s world.
What is a wunderkind?
A wunderkind or a child prodigy is usually a person under the age of ten who creates significant output in some topic at the level of an adult expert and is usually used to describe young people who possess extraordinary talent in a particular field or area. Wunderkind is a German word which literally means wonder child and is occasionally used as a synonym for a child prodigy. India has had numerous such wunderkinder over the years and we bring to you a couple of the most recent ones. Wunderkinder is the plural of wunderkind.
Who are the child prodigies and wunderkinder of today’s India?
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
Indian Grandmaster of chess, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is at present 17 years old and has achieved remarkable milestones in the field of chess. Born on August 10, 2005, this chess prodigy became an international master at the age of 10, the youngest to do so at the time and a grandmaster at age 12, the second-youngest to do so. He even went on to defeat Magnus Carlson in a rapid game in February 2022 making history as the youngest to so up until that point.
Master Truptraj Pandya
The youngest tabla player in the world, Trupturaj Pandya began playing the instrument when he was just two years old. Trupturaj received a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records in 2013 at the age of six and was included in the records as the youngest tabla master ever. He had the chance to perform live on All India Radio at the age of three and for Doordarshan at the age of four.
Pari Sinha
Another young chess prodigy who made headlines in 2013 as she made her state chess competition debut at the age of three at the time. Additionally, Pari Sinha also won against opponents who were twice her age. Learning chess from her uncle Ved Prakash Sinha, a well-known national player, she came in third in the under-7 division.
Yashvardhan Singh
Recently, 11-year-old Kanpur child prodigy, Yashvardhan Singh, was granted special permission to enroll in Class IX. Yashvardhan is a seventh-grade student at the moment and has an IQ of 129. Yashvardhan has also been providing tutoring sessions for Civil Service exams, the age requirement for which is 21 years old.
Dr Yogananda Shastri
This 10-year-old doctorate performs yajnas and poojas in addition to interpreting people's horoscopes with ease. Dr Shastri is an Andhra Pradesh native who has two honorary doctorates in Astrology and has astounded everyone with his ability.
Who are a few other children who pushed the envelope?
Anoushka Jolly: Entrepreneur at the age of 13. She was also the youngest to pitch her idea at Shark Tank India and received a whopping sum for the same pitch. Her business revolves around mental health and helping schools and children fight bullying.
Advait Kolarkar: Awardee of the Global Child Prodigy Award, Advait Kolarkar is one of the youngest painters in the world and has held exhibitions all over the world.
Tilak Mehta: Child entrepreneur who founded the digital courier company, Paper N Parcel.
Abhijeet Gupta: She won the Global Child Prodigy Award 2022 and has been recognised as the youngest writer by the international Book of Records.
