When young geniuses feel an innate desire to practice and follow something close to their hearts, it is a joy to watch them slowly excel in their chosen calling. The latest episode of BYJUS Young Genius features just these kinds of child prodigies, one who is quietly determined to leave a mark on an ancient Indian martial art form and another who has been running awareness sessions to make the planet a greener place for all.
Here’s everything you need to know about these geniuses featured on #BYJUSYoungGeniusSeason2 this week.
Meet Kalaripayattu Exponent Neelakandan Nair –
For 10-year-old Neelakandan Nair, Kalaripayattu is not just a martial art form, but a way of life. Nair has learned this ancient martial art form since he was six years old and has won a slew of awards during his journey.
Nair currently holds the record for the maximum number of reverse walkovers in 30 minutes (422 reverse walkovers) performed in December 2020, by the Arabian Book of World Records. He also took 1st place in Vadi Karakkal Sub Junior Boys organized by Shri Atharbappu Gurakkal Samarak Kalam Savittu Sampradayam Competition in 2020.
Nair is currently teaching Kalari at an academy in Alapuzzha and has already won fans as diverse as Vidyut Jamwal, Anand Mahindra and Baba Ramdev among many others. Nair impressed Vidyut Jamwal with his quick moves in this episode, and Vidyut showed his support for the kid and his family by awarding them a sum of five lakhs to nurture his talent
The Child Genius is already proficient in weapons such as the stick, sword and shield during the performance and is currently training to use the Trishul. The most striking thing about Nair, who Kalari considers the mother of all martial arts, is the passion and focus with which he approaches his art form. As his teacher says, the young prodigy never said no to anything and always trained hard.
Join Eco Warrior Prasiddhi Singh on her green journey –
Nine-year-old Prasiddhi Singh from Chengalpattu in Tamil Nadu is one of the country’s most passionate eco-fighters. She is recognized for creating seven forests by planting 4400 plants, by India Book of Records, 2020. But that doesn’t stop her from dreaming of an even bigger goal. After planting nearly 23,000 trees, Singh plans to plant one lakh trees by the end of this year.
Singh is a strong believer in tree planting and founded the Prasiddhi Environmental and Social Welfare Society in 2020 with the help of her grandfather. Her work has inspired many to plant trees, compost, recycle and use natural pesticides made from neem, ash and banana peels.
In this episode, Singh also explained her G3 project to celebrity guest Vidyut Jamwal where the 3 Gs stand for “generating oxygen”, “growing your own food” and “giving back to society” and the actor expanded expressed his support for Prasiddhi with a promise to plant a forest of 100 trees with her. Not only that, it was heartwarming to see videos of people from all over the world praising her work as an eco-warrior.
No wonder her pile of awards also includes big names such as Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2021 in Social Service category and also appointed as Brand Ambassador of Tamil Nadu under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme by Social Welfare Department of Chennai. Her eco-army, on the other hand, has expanded to a dozen lands, creating fruit forests to help the natural flora and fauna in their local environment to thrive.
Seeing these two warriors excel in many facets, whether it’s an ancient martial art or helping the Earth go green again, makes this a truly inspiring episode of BYJUS Young Genius Season 2, a Network 18 initiative. After all, if these young prodigies can do so much at their age, their peers and elders can also do their part to make the world a better place, right?
Don’t forget to tune in to this episode of #BYJUSYoungGeniusSeason2 on the News18 network.
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