Even as I struggle to understand the true purpose of Form 16, there are kids who are so talented, they’ve left the whole world in awe. Like these children: 

1. Dev, the 13-year-old Junior MasterChef Australia contestant.

This young kid left the judges in awe, when he cooked an entire meal of Lamb Mughlai Curry, with saffron rice, raita, chutney, and smoked chicken kebab. Only 13, Dev learned cooking from his mom, and of course, the platter landed him in the first position during the episode. 

2. Anika Chebrolu, the 14-year-old who developed a possible vaccine for Covid-19. 

Winner of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2020, Anika Chebrolu is only 14. And her research on a potential drug for the treatment of Coronavirus earned her a cash price of $25,000, an exclusive mentorship with 3M, and international acclaim. 

3. Lydian Nadhaswaram, the 13-year-old ‘music maestro’ who won first prize at the ‘The World’s Best’.

Lydian, who originally hails from Chennai, was the winner of the CBS global talent show, The World’s Best last year. 

Twitter

Lydian, who won the top prize worth $1 million, is a student of A.R. Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory and has also appeared on The Ellen Show. 

4. Arshdeep Singh, the 12-year-old photographer who won the Junior Asian Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award in 2020. 

Arshdeep Singh has been interested in wildlife photography since 2012 and winning awards for it since he was 10. Inspired by his father, also a well-known wildlife photographer, his first brush with fame came in 2018 when he won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year. 

Indian Express

Arshdeep’s work has been showcased across national and international publications, like Lonely Planet India, BBC Wildlife UK, and many others. 

5. Joe Whale, the 9-yr-old doodler who turned into a decorator for a restaurant.

When Joe Whale got punished for doodling during the class, his parents did not ground him or scold him, but rather helped develop his talent by enrolling him in an after-school art class. 

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Next thing they knew, the young boy was doodling his way across restaurant walls as he was hired to decorate the walls of ‘Number 4,’ a restaurant in Shrewsbury, UK. He’s also decorated his own room, much the same way.  

6. Aadithyan Rajesh, who became one of the youngest CEOs of a company at the age of 13. 

Aadithyan Rajesh was only 9 when he made his first app. 4 years later, in 2017, he became one of the youngest CEOs ever, when he started running his own company Trinet Solutions. 

India Today

Originally from Kerala, Rajesh’s family shifted to Dubai when he five, and he has been in love with computers ever since. Aadithyan has also given a TED talk on the ‘right time to pursue dreams’.  

7. Sonali Majumdar, one-half of dancing duo Bad Salsa, who won India’s Got Talent when she was only seven. 

The dancing duo Bad Salsa includes dancers Sonali Majumdar and Maraju Sumanth, who were finalists in the 15th season of America’s Got Talent. Even though they didn’t lift the trophy, their fabulous performance impressed the judges and audience alike. 

Sonali, 16, hails from a small village in rural West Bengal, and has been dancing since she was 3. In a village that, for the longest time was devoid of even electricity, it was her love and passion for dancing and her father’s hard work, that brought her where she is today.

8. Dommaraju Gukesh, the youngest Indian Grandmaster, and the second youngest Chess Grandmaster in History. 

In 2019, Gukesh overtook child chess prodigy, R. Praggnanandhaa, to become the youngest Indian grandmaster at 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days. He is also the second youngest grandmaster in history, with the youngest Sergey Karjakin beating him by just 17 days.  

chess.com

9. Truptraj Pandya, who holds a Guiness world record for being the world’s youngest tabla performer, at the age of 3 years and 5 months. 

On October 28, 2009, Truptraj Pandya, only 3 years and 5 months old at the time, performed live on All India Radio and scripted history by becoming the world’s youngest tabla performer. 

Truptraj Pandya

Today, at the age of 14, he has delivered more than 200 public performances, 2 TEDx Talks, and been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.

Truptraj Pandya

10. Advait Kolarkar, the 6-year-old artist who held a solo exhibition when he was 2. 

While parents consider anything their child creates a masterpiece, Advait Kolarkar’s parents have sufficient reason to believe that their child’s work is a true masterpiece. Because, Advait, who has been painting since he was 2, had sold 38 paintings worth $23,000 by the time he was 4. 

The youngest artist to hold a solo exhibition, Advait continues to explore his artistic side, and in 2020, at the age of 6, he won the Global Child Prodigy Award in Art. 

Clearly, talent and knowledge, know no age.