Three young people whose indomitable spirits and minds have soared over matter

For the seventh year running, TiE and Aspire celebrate the indefatigable spirit of three young people with the TiE-Aspire Young Achiever Awards. The awards will be presented to them during the TiEcon 2015, on Friday, 16th October, at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi, as part of the two-day TiEcon Delhi annual event.  Aspire Human Capital Management, an education service firm, in association with TiE will award Neetu (member of the Indian women’s wrestling team), Niranjan Mukundan (Indian para-swimmer with 34 national and international medal and Rio 2016 Paralympics participant) and Shalini Arnugam (gifted engineering student).

The 2015 winners are truly remarkable achievers who have overcome physical and material challenges to reach out and grab success on their own terms.  Theirs are three stories that inspire all.

·         Neetu, age: 21 years, is an emerging star in the Indian women’s national wrestling team. She has won several medals at the national level and was a participant of the World Championship in Brazil this year. Neetu lives in Bedwaa, a village near Rohtak, with her husband and eight-year old twin boys. She has overcome an emotionally traumatic past and limits society places on married women to start her training as a wrestler in 2011. She unstintingly follows a punishing training schedule despite her commitments as a self-employed woman and a mother. Neetu states that she gained inspiration from watching women wrestlers during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and her coach.  She has resolved to participate in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games and return with more medals to make her country and community proud.

·         Niranjan Mukundan, age: 21 years, also has an alias – The Medal Machine. This para swimmer par excellence has won a total of 34 medals in national and international swimming events. Niranjan is ranked 15th in the world and has recently won 10 medals in the 11th World Junior Games 2015 (7 Golds & 3 Silver), creating a record and becoming the first Indian Para Swimmer to achieve this feat; for this, he was also adjudged the Junior World Champion, 2015. He also represented India in the 2nd Para Asian Games 2014, Incheon South Korea and won a Bronze Medal. Niranjan also won medals in 8 out of the 9 events he took part in during the World Junior games 2014 held at Stoke Mandeville. Further, Niranjan is now part of the national para-swimming squad for the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Niranjan was born with spina bifida and is paralysed in the lower half of his body.

·         Shalini Arnugam, age: 18 years, is a first-year B.Tech student at the Reva University in Bangalore. Like all students in her batch, she is anxious about completing her coursework and assignments and is thankful for all the extra assistance she receives from her professors. However, unlike other students, Shalini is currently the sole breadwinner of her family. Her day starts and ends with working as a domestic help, while her engineering classes are squeezed in between. A high scorer in grade 10th and grade 12th examinations, Shalini states that although pursuing higher education seemed an insurmountable task, she was inspired to continue when she would help her mother clean office where she saw educated people earn well and be respected. In spite of her father being bed ridden from when she was four, this determined young person has never considered giving up her dream and is encouraged and supported by her mother and teachers.

The event will also feature a special tête-à-tête with the three winners, who will share their experiences with Mr. Amit Bhatia, Founder & Chairman, Aspire Human Capital Management.