India's leaders of change

There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to use our talents to serve people and change their lives. Perhaps that’s what drives 24-year-old Deane de Menezes, 27-year-old Aditya Kulkarni, and 27-year-old Trisha Shetty — the three Indians who were among the recipients of the Queens’s Young Leaders Awards for 2018, that recognises exceptional young people who are transforming their local communities and honours them for their achievements.

The prestigious awards programme celebrates exceptional young people from all over the Commonwealth, and the work undertaken by them. The award ceremony for this year’s winners was held at the Buckingham Palace on June 27.

Deane, one of the three winners from India, is the founder of an organisation called Red is the New Green, which is working towards increasing awareness about menstrual hygiene in India. Aditya a former computer scientist at ISRO, was chosen in recognition of his work towards developing a mobile health solution to reduce maternal and child mortality in areas with limited access to health resources through his start-up CareNX. The third winner Trisha Shetty is promoting gender equality. She is the founder of SheSays, a youth-led organisation that aims to end sexual violence.

Needless to say, the three young leaders were thrilled to receive the award from Her Majesty, the Queen. They also had the opportunity to participate in a week-long residential programme at the Buckingham Palace. Overwhelmed by the experience, Aditya says, “I feel humbled and honoured. The award is for my team, and not just for me.”

Deane can scarcely contain her enthusiasm. “It was wonderful meeting the Queen. She immediately put me at ease and spoke to me about my work and how important menstrual hygiene is. She is remarkable!” she gushes.

For Trisha, the best part was getting to meet other inspirational young leaders. “I work best when surrounded by inspiring young citizens who are building a movement of solidarity, I told Queen about our work in India and she said its lovely,” she says.

Of the three, only Deane managed to have a private chat with the Queen. Recalling the conversation she says, “We spoke about menstrual hygiene. She was very keen to know more about the project and the work we do in India.” The recognition of their efforts has motivated Deane, Aditya and Trisha to continue their work with even more vigour.