Garvita Gulhati (18): A multi-faceted teenager, Garvita began to see herself as a problem-solver at a very young age. Her mantra: “To see the change you want in the society, you need to take responsibility and shoulder the pain.” At the age of 13 she started a campaign #saynotocrackers. Two years later she started ‘Why Waste?’ along with another student. The trigger for her to start Why Waste? was a report that said 14 million litres of water is wasted unused in glasses at restaurants. To address this issue, she devised the ‘Half-marked’ glass method, exhorting restaurants to fill glasses only till the halfway mark. This initiative also had campaigns such as #emptyglasses, #naturewashere, and #whywaste to make people conscious about their lifestyle. She uses her calligraphy skills to draw cartoons about environmental issues in a humorous and impactful manner. She has recently started an initiative called ‘Ecotonix’ to take this effort to the next level and has employed five cartoonists. She also conducts cartoon competitions in schools to create awareness among children and to help them become changemakers. This comes from her strong belief that everyone is a changemaker. She started ‘Lead Young’ at school and runs a ‘Changemaker Society’ in her college. She is currently pursuing a B Tech degree, and is a certified calligraphy artist who is on the verge of obtaining a BA degree in the classical dance form, Kathak. She is also working to transform her college campus into the world’s first eco-friendly, self-sustainable student campus.
Photo: Garvita Gulhati (18)
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Kuldeep Dantewadia (28): At the age of 21, Kuldeep started collecting garbage from about 150 households in Bengaluru for sustainable disposal. He regretted that his ‘garden city’ had become a ‘garbage city’ and the desire to help the city regain its glory propelled this sustainable development initiative. It did not take him
long to co-found Reap Benefit, a startup, to bring about an attitudinal change among youngsters in solving civic and environmental issues. Reap Benefit aims to address these issues in a ‘green’ manner, working closely with local authorities, NGOs and corporates. Now 28, Kuldeep’s aim is to empower students to make a collective impact on the environment by increasing recycling, reducing energy consumption, waste generation and water usage, and assisting institutions in acting sustainably. His designation at Reap Benefit is Chief Problem Solver.
Photo: Kuldeep Dantewadia (28)
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Mohammed Rafiul Alom Rahman (25): Brought up in a conservative Muslim cultural environment in the North-East, Mohammed Rafiul Alom Rahman became an activist fighting for the cause of gay Muslims in India. The first person from his family to attend university, Rahman secured a post-graduate degree in English literature from Delhi University. He runs a Facebook page called ‘The Queer Muslim Project’, which serves as a platform for the empowerment of LGBT Muslims in India. Its primary objective is to offer individuals a safe space as also to dispel the shame and religious stigma associated with homosexuality. Rahman is also the founding member of the Delhi University Queer Collective (DUQC) founded in January 2014 to garner support for LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Intersex) groups on campus. He launched a zero-tolerance campaign to end violence against LGBTQI students and faculty members within the Delhi University. His focus areas include gender, sexuality, human rights and LGBT Muslims in India. He writes and speaks on gender issues and archaic laws that curb the human rights and freedom of the LGBTQI community. Rahman is now developing a digital storytelling platform, Jazbaa, to enable LGBTQI people to record and share their stories.
Photo: Mohammed Rafiul Alom Rahman (25)
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Ritesh Agarwal (24): He founded OYO in 2013 to provide a standardised, predictable, affordable, budget room experience including free wifi and breakfast at ₹999 onwards using proprietary technology and a talent pool of hospitality experts. He was addressing the fragmented budget accommodation space which had no standards, apart from the branded budget hotel rooms from established players — domestic and international. Ritesh started coding at 8 years of age and by 13 had his own SIM card-selling enterprise. At 17, he authored The Encyclopedia of Indian Engineering Colleges which went on to garner massive sales. He dropped out of college to launch his first startup — Oravel Stays Pvt Ltd in 2012 — the Indian version of AirBnB fuelled with a ₹30 lakh investment from VentureNursery, an accelerator. Oravel was a designed as a platform to enable listing and booking of budget accommodation. Realising soon after his experience with frequent budget room stays, that the problem in the budget hospitality sector is not price or availability, but the lack of standardised and predictable offerings, he pivoted Oravel to OYO Rooms in 2013. Until last year, Ritesh did not have a home of his own; every night he stayed in a different OYO room. This helped him keep track, first-hand, of how they are maintained and run.
Photo: Ritesh Agarwal (24)
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Srikanth Bolla (25): Born blind into a family of agriculturists in Seetharamapuram in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, his entire life is testimony to the manner in which he has defied considerable odds and driven change – in his own life and in the lives of others. Today, he runs Bollant Industries Limited, with five factories and 650 people, nearly half of whom are disabled men and women.