Things I wanted to say.

Today, we are in conversation with the local leaders from all corners and communities of India. From a self-made autistic firm owner to a teacher who rewards failures, from teaching how to carve your own stories to the geek of sustainable Jugaad, and the Sapnon Ka Saathi (Partner of Dreams).

Our national vibe check for the day is: "Ik zindagi, 100 khwahishaa, ik ik mai puri kran." (One life, 100 dreams, one by one, we'll fulfil them all)

Vamika - "Sapno Ki Pari Didi"

Interviewer: Meet Vamika, a young 19-year-old entrepreneur from Bihar who gives grants to teens like her to kickstart their dreams. Some of those she has supported have impacted more than 10,000 youth in India.

It all started when someone believed in me and gave me a chance to make my dreams a reality. When I was in grade 10, I really wanted to be part of a summer camp that taught high schoolers entrepreneurship. Coming from a modest family, I knew my parents couldn't fund my trip. Thus, with just a seedling idea and an essay full of hope, I applied - and I got selected. Coming back, I realized how many peers like me are wandering, waiting for someone who wants more than just a pat on their back to kickstart their journeys. With the remaining money, I started training the youth, helping them carve their unique paths, and gave them a small grant to begin. Even if they don't get their desired outcome, it gives them hope and inspires a chain of youth to do the same.

Aman - computer skills in the slums of Punjab

Many of you know me by the name Aman, though my original name was Vadik. It wasn't until a teacher came into my life and told me it was okay to express myself the way I wanted. When I met Triman Di, she introduced me to a new way of learning. School bored me and I could never grasp concepts there - but Triman taught the same concepts in a drastically different way. She made me learn a table by asking me randomly and spent hours teaching me just four English letters in a two-hour class. Time used to fly when I studied at Pratigya Abhiyan. By the time I learned typing in grade 4, I already knew how to read letters fluently.

She never said no to anything. Once, I brought my three-year-old brother to tuition, and she still taught him something. I remember her bringing us chocolates from different countries she visited, and telling us stories about how she got into those opportunities - which motivated me to keep learning and think, one day I will too. Now I want to teach the peers around me computer basics, so I could help them escape this cycle mentally and then physically. I dream of taking my teachings to the most remote places in India through my students.

Mohit - from non-verbal to firm owner

You just need one person to believe in you. I was that person whom everyone lost hope with - non-verbal, with no parents, just one grandmother who took me to therapy every day. There was one place I used to go for therapy at Samadhan - my second home. My grandmother told me it was due to the interns at Samadhan that I am who I am today. They believed in me and patiently repeated a single thing ten times just because my brain was wired differently - and gave me a voice. In return, I want to help youth like me grow as I was given a chance. As she always said: "Mohit, tu karta sab kuch hai, baakio ko samajhne mein thoda samay lagta hai."

Srishti - the teacher who rewards failing

This idea came into being when I fell during a race on sports day even though I was winning. My teacher rewarded me for failing: "If you hadn't failed today, you'd never have tried another race, because you'd have become overconfident." Today I always start with this concept. It makes my children try so many different things that they find themselves and their gifts along the way - most of them, even though they started for the reward, end up doing something out of purpose, not the reward.

Nehrashi - sustainability through Jugaad

I love to teach underprivileged children sustainable living through what they already know indigenously - the term called Jugaad. Once, on a field trip, I asked them to invent imaginary dishes from whatever was in the garden, and was amazed to see composting, recycling and reusing - green knowledge we assumed only private-school children had. Sustainability isn't new to them; they just need the language to express it.

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As we close for the day, we see a remarkable shift: the Indian youth is not just surviving but thriving. Now, the most successful isn't the one with money, but the one who can win trust and be compassionate on the inside. Wake up, India - the youth you call today has taken UDAAN. 🕊️

A poem from the eyes of an Indian paramedic (ambulance driver). Delhi, April 30, 2020.

It was a day like no other, when I lost my mother.
On April 15, 2020, while I was rushing my way to the hospital,
hoping for a miracle, but this became my last meeting, before her dreading dismissal.

This all started a few months back, when I was lying comfortably in my small shack,
thinking about the expenses I made after a very long day.
At that very moment, I heard the siren for my next call.
In no time, I packed my stuff, and left the station for my next location,
which was none other than a seventy-year-old male diagnosed as a COVID patient.
It wasn't too far or too close, and I knew him, so it was a big deal after all.
But little did I know, that this call was just the start of an ominous thunderstorm.

Before joining this field, I thought I knew all its pros and cons,
while experiencing death being an inevitable part of my job. But COVID proved me wrong.
Few days later he died. I was heartbroken, but I didn't cry,
as I understood the fact of how precious my life was.
For what's gone cannot come back; all we have is their memories and mistakes to work upon before another setback.
Despite that, what a wonderful soul he was.

3 months later, with a rising number of COVID cases, I was working all day long, with no days off.
Most of the time I didn't go back home, just to make sure my family was safe, but they were all alone.
To make things worse, my wife lost her job, as most factories in India were already cut off.
Every passing day seems like a load to carry, with my salary not enough to handle the entire burden of my family.
At times it became almost impossible to send home the money I earned,
as I didn't know how to send money digitally through my account,
mortgaging my wife's jewellery was the only method we found.

Now, it doesn't matter how many patients I carry from their house to the hospital,
because neither beds nor any oxygen tank is left to save any precious life, with families dying to receive help.
People are dying in front of my eyes; all I could do was pray.
Today my efforts seem like a total waste. There are moments when I just feel like giving up,
but then I remember how far I've come. Today I have a family and a job to work for.

I feel nostalgic thinking about my teenage old self, who always found pride in helping others besides himself.
It was the day I found my purpose and pride; for me, service was all I abide.
Be it small, be it big, from helping an elderly to giving medicines to children freezing in the cold,
lending a helping hand was all I suffice.

Two doctors and five nurses have already sacrificed their lives in saving patients. Out of them, two were dearest of mine.
One was eagerly waiting to go back home for his daughter's birthday, but sadly he got admitted soon after his symptoms were spied,
and he died due to cardiac arrest the very next day.
The other was just a happy soul; he always had amazing jokes to tell. People loved his company, adults and kids alike.
But today, at their funeral, everything seemed so still and motionless.

The situation is getting worse day by day. On some days I carry unidentified bodies for their final cremation with no family to support.
It's been six months since I've met my family. With the deadly virus spreading in the air, my chances of survival are very negligible here.
But then, I look up in the sky, to remind myself that there is still some hope left. It's not completely over yet.
One day we will rise and shine bright; in addition to our strengths, when we all unite, we'll defeat this deadly virus in a single slice.

Seeking my mother's blessings from heaven, motivating me to never stop assisting people in their greatest time of misery,
even on my lowest days, when I'm concealed in a dark room of disparity and fear,
I can become the light of hope for people and make their worries disappear.
I certainly cannot help everyone, but just one more. With this thought, I confidently march on.

As the Head of the Commonwealth, I stand before you today,
to open this international conference, where young voices hold sway.
The importance of youth in decision-making, close to my heart it lies,
for I once roamed the paths of learning, beneath regret's somber skies.

Once upon a time, in the embrace of youth's dreams untold, a tale of life's unfolding, a journey to behold.
I pondered purpose's call, destiny's elusive rhyme, to touch the hearts of all, to find my own sublime.
In the eyes of each young soul, I witness a radiant light, reminding me of my own endeavors, where I fell short despite.
Success and failure intertwined, like two sides of a coin, lost tokens of ambition, longing to be found and join.

Life, a cunning maestro, played its melody so sweet, in wisdom's gentle currents, a dance of joy complete.
"Let yourself wander," whispered the wind's gentle caress, to seek wonders untamed, where hidden treasures coalesce.
As a child, I believed in magic, within me it resided, dreaming of transforming the world, with a single blink, undivided.
Through open doors, fearlessly, I ventured with resolve, discovering pathways, distant and nearby, problems to solve.

But as I grew older, action seemed elusive, slipping through my grasp; distractions lured me away, my dreams fading like a fleeting gasp.
Looking back, I ponder if raising my voice could have made a change, if standing up for what's just and fair could have altered life's range.
In moments of despair, when surrender seems within reach, hold onto hope, let it tower above fears that breach.
Let faith soar high, with dreams as your guide, for the day you've awaited will soon arrive, side by side.

So, my little blue birds, keep chirping and whistling loud; celebrate your progress, reflect upon your journey, stand proud.
Trials and tests awaited, doors of challenge they revealed, yet humor, my steadfast ally, in wounds, joy concealed.
Life, not a solitary journey, nor a battle fought alone, a tapestry woven in harmony, where unity is known.
No need to change the world with solitary might, for life's symphony unfolds when we join hands and unite.

To all dreamers, I urge, let your passion be your guide; paint the world with hues, let your hearts' colors collide.
So go forth, dear ones, let passion be your beacon light, illuminate the world, with your radiant might.
For in the symphony of existence, where dreams and destinies align, leave your mark, create a legacy, and let your soul forever shine.