Music and Youth
Sony BBC Earth announces ‘Young Earth Champions’ winner
Mumbai: Sony BBC Earth has announced Rishit Mathur as a winner for its show Young Earth Champions. Young Earth Champions, which was announced in May this year, was created to engage with young minds and encourage them to work towards a better future. It received several creative submissions on how to preserve the planet’s resources, including water, land, wildlife, forests, and energy. Mathur of Delhi is the proud winner among hundreds of competitors.
Students in grades six and nine competed in this nationwide competition, displaying their spirit and determination through thought-provoking submissions. To ensure that each submission is given due consideration, an expert team from IIT Bombay’s Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, led by professor Amritanshu Shriwastav, and actor and environmentalist Jim Sarbh carefully evaluated the ideas.
The top ten shortlisted entries were given the opportunity to engage in an engaging conversation with Sarbh and the professor about sustainability. Mathur, the contest’s winner, received the grand prize of an iPad, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be featured on the Sony BBC Earth channel. Mathur began his path to becoming an environmental activist at a young age, in response to major issues affecting the planet. His desire to change the world inspired him to enter the competition.
Mathur’s concept revolved around effectively managing crop residue rather than burning it and creating an environmental hazard. He proposed that crop residues be used to make eco-friendly furniture. Farmers can use this furniture for personal use or sell it in open markets to supplement their income. He also proposed that crop residue be converted into organic manure via a chemical reaction and used to grow new crops.
There were ten finalists, and their ideas ranged from resource repurposing to using technology to track poaching, reusing glass to make bricks to ensuring germ-free water, and so on.
Sony BBC Earth’s Young Earth Champions contest, in collaboration with its knowledge partner Nehru Science Centre, received over 1000 registrations from across the country, with 2, 08, 387 visits to the contest page.
Sony Pictures Networks Sony AATH business operations head and marketing & insights, English cluster head Rohan Jain said, “At Sony BBC Earth we have always aimed at creating meaningful engagements through all our initiatives. As we conclude the second edition of ‘Young Earth Champions’ we are pleased to share that the spirit and determination of the younger generation have been quite commendable. We are extremely thankful to Sarbh, professor Shriwastav, and the IIT Bombay team for joining us in the cause and sharing their expertise. We further aim to introduce more such properties in the future and encourage green practices across the nation.”
Shriwastav said, “The younger generation is more conscious and aware of the current environment scenario, and it was very well reflected through their thought-through submissions. Choosing the winning entries from amongst the talent lot was not an easy task and our team got to learn so much from these young kids. It was quite an enriching experience even for us as professionals.”
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
