The Indian edition of Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards now in its 10th year, once again recognized top student volunteers and felicitated them at the annual felicitation ceremony hosted by Pramerica Life Insurance Limited held in Delhi on February 20. Aranyo Ray student from Kalyani Public School, Kolkata and Vaishnavi Pandey from Tagore International School, Delhi were declared as the National Winners in individual category, while as group of students from Children’s Academy School, Bombay, were declared as the winner in the Group Category. Super 30’ Founder, Anand Kumar presented the awards to the winners.
Aranyo a Class XI student bagged the honor for his innovative project ‘NanoCide and Soyasafe’ (Two safe pesticides to help jute and soyabean farmers defend their crops from pest and fungal diseases) and Vaishnavi a Class X student for her project ‘flawless flaws’ (a campaign to support acid attack survivors and ensure equal opportunities for them in the society). Students from Children’s Academy School, Bombay, won for their project on ‘saving injured birds’ and were presented with Gold medallions, Certificates of Excellence and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 to be shared among them.
Both the individual winners were presented with Gold medallions, Certificates of Excellence, a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 each and a return trip to Washington, D.C. While in Washington, D.C., they will represent India in the felicitation ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that is hosted for Spirit of Community Award winners from all participating countries Washington, D.C. in May this year. They would also be taken on a tour of the capitol’s historic monuments and landmarks and enjoy a festive dinner cruise on the Potomac River. In addition to these two winners, 14 other well deserving finalists in the Individual Category and 2 groups in the Group Category received Certificates of Achievement and Silver medallions.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Chief Guest, Anand Kumar, said, “The kind of work these young volunteers are doing to bring change in society is very commendable, and I am happy that there is a platform like the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards to acknowledge their efforts. I am genuinely impressed by the enterprising ability of the applicants to start these community projects. Their hard work and dedication is an inspiration for other children and I wish them the best for their future.”
These finalists were selected from over 3,200 applications received from a nationwide search for the country’s top student volunteers by an eminent jury panel comprising Gauri Sharma Tripathi, one of UK’s leading Kathak artistes; Huma Masood, National Programme Officer – Gender and Education, UNESCO New Delhi; Madhavan Narayanan, Editor, writer and columnist; Manoj Gopalakrishna, CEO of CARE India and Prof. Neera Agnimitra, Head of School of Social Work, Delhi University.
Anoop Pabby, MD & CEO, Pramerica Life Insurance in his address to finalistssaid, “You have taken the initiative to find causes to support and have not let age come in the way of your contribution. Each of you has done an outstanding job that has impacted the lives of many. I congratulate you for your incredible achievements and hope you will continue to do good work and inspire countless others to follow your example.”
