ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Aaditya, a seventeen-year-old from Mumbai.
Storytelling has flowed through my journey of discovery and growth, from visions of fantastic worlds brought to life in novels to exploring hidden histories of the past and working with youth gaining the skills and confidence to tell their stories in Project Kahaani workshops.
My journey has been fueled by my curiosity about the power of storytelling in making connections across disciplines- spanning history, policy, and economics, and across boundaries of cultures and geographies. In particular, I am passionate about using storytelling to not just entertain, but to advocate and empower for change, and above all, help create shared perspective and common ground in a world that often seems fragmented.
Outside of school and storytelling, I'm an avid Cricket fan and practice Karate, in which I hold a black belt. I have a lot to learn, and here you can read my story as it's written, and rewritten, as I add new chapters in my journey as a student storyteller.
BOOKS
As a child, I’d hear whispers of lost languages, movements of ancient armies, visions that lingered without being brought to life. When I described these to my parents, they told me three magical words: “Write it down”. It was surreal. One moment, my little hand was leaving scratchily penned imprints in a diary. The next, I was proudly presenting my Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations to my surprised Grade 3 teachers. I felt a heady thrill as I stood in my school library, holding my first handwritten ‘book’.
Beyond retelling history, I discovered the joy of creating worlds, inspired by writers like Tolkien. The joy came not just from writing, but from getting lost in these worlds. I imagined swimming with dolphins and burrowing with rats, as I imagined how animals would have retold human history in Secret Tails. I spent hours over my summer vacation charting histories and genealogies of races for my novel, Legend of the Broken Blade. I spent countless late nights hunched over four-thousand-year-old texts, visions of the wheel of time whirring through my mind, as I wrote my Indian mythology-based novel Kaalchakra.
Along my journey, I’ve realized that the true power of storytelling lies not just in sharing one’s stories but in provoking thought and driving change on issues, which is what I’ve tried with my book Underdogs and Teen’s Guide to Saving the World, and Project Kahaani, the social venture I founded to empower underserved youth with written and verbal English communication skills to enhance their confidence and employability.
It’s been a journey I’ve loved, as it’s taught me a lot not just about storytelling, but about people, the world we live in, and ultimately, about myself.
PROJECT KAHAANI
Growing up in Mumbai, seeing skyscrapers towering over slums every day, the academic research I did on topics like inequality didn’t feel enough. I wanted to engage more personally. That chance came at an outreach session at my dojo. I chatted with teens from local slums, including Nikhil, who dreamed of becoming an accountant, and Ashish, an aspiring entrepreneur. However, their eyes glazed over as they spoke of scarce opportunities, with an education system that provided degrees but not essential skills like communication. As we chatted over weekly Karate sessions, I thought of using my passion for storytelling and began drafting a curriculum on written and verbal communication skills.
I pitched the idea to Udaan India Foundation, a local NGO, and with their support, began workshops. That was the genesis of Project Kahaani (story in Hindi). As Project Kahaani grew, I had to find ways to sustain and expand it. Online sessions began, along with a WhatsApp group to keep us connected beyond the workshops.
From those small beginnings, Project Kahaani has expanded by working with 4 partner NGOs across 3 states, and a collaboration with the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat, Government of Gujarat. We have trained over 100 trainers/volunteers through a train-the-trainer module to expand our impact. Together, we empower thousands of youth from underserved communities with written and verbal English communication skills that give them confidence and enable them to compete on a more level playing field. The inspiring stories of over 80 of our youth have reached readers worldwide through open letters written in their own voices in the book Apna Time Aayega (Our Time Will Come).
As proud as we are of where we have reached, we have a long way to go, and are always looking for new NGO partners, trainers, and volunteers to help us.
Aaditya at Bhasariya, Gujarat.
Gujarat
Student presenting at Mumbai session
Aaditya taking a session at Baliyasan, Gujarat.
Student at Mumbai.
Aaditya taking a session at Dholasan, Gujarat,
Ongoing workshop in Mumbai.
VEDANOMICS
My grandfather left me A Story of Indian Culture - a faded book that kindled my fascination for ancient Indian history- sweeping epics like the Mahabharata, and the foundations of our culture in the Vedas, and political and economic treatises like the 4th-century-BC Arthashastra. When I learned in Angus Maddison’s work that India had the world’s largest GDP at the turn of the first millennium, I wondered what ideas, captured in those texts, had birthed this glory. I now saw the Arthashastra as a timeless source of economic and political insights; the Bhagavad Gita as not just a spiritual but a leadership guide.
This sparked my first article in my Vedanomics column in BWBusinessworld, one of India’s leading business magazines. This bi-weekly column has since grown to 24 articles seeking inspiration in the past for freshly rethinking contemporary policy challenges. I extended this to a podcast on Spotify where I interviewed over 20 CXOs, helping me understand the connection between ancient history and modern policy and business at a more personal level of individual leadership.
Vedanomics is driven by my passion for ensuring that we never forget our uniquely Indian past knowledge or roots in our desire to reach for our future. A passion rooted in the conviction that while we live in a globalised and interconnected world, we should never forget the values, principles, and knowledge systems that once made India not just a repository of timeless wisdom, but the leading economy of the ancient world.
I have been grateful for the warm reception Vedanomics has received from readers and listeners, with my efforts having been featured in Forbes and the podcast gaining 200K plays and being selected as a Finalist at the Global People's Choice Podcast Awards.
PARTITION PERSPECTIVES
2 million dead. 3 nations created. 20 million refugees.
The Partition of 1947 in the Indian subcontinent was a traumatic event and its impact goes beyond these numbers, living on in the memories of countless families impacted by it.
Including mine.
My grandfather was one of millions making the perilous trek across borders, seeing those he knew and loved perish in the madness that had engulfed the subcontinent. The Partition and its legacy continues to cast a dark shadow, with sectarian tensions and violence still a very real issue facing our people.
When I did a research paper at school and on how the perceptions of modern teens about the Partition compared to historical reality, I was concerned. Most teens did not understand the myriad reasons behind it, and the broader social and political forces that had been at play. For me, this was not just a matter of academic interest. It was personal. I didn’t want my generation to repeat the mistakes of the past, and so I created Partition Perspectives, a digital repository that would connect today’s teens to the lessons and legacy of the Partition.
I began by interviewing historians/authors/journalists who came from families directly impacted by the Partition, to capture expert perspectives and personal empathy. This repository has now grown to include over 30 videos, along with an AI-enabled tutor that I developed to help students interactively learn more about the Partition. I have been grateful to have my work featured by the official Partition Museum of India, and my research selected for presentation at the Student Research Showcase at the prestigious Sigma XI conference.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
COURSES & RESEARCH
INTERNSHIPS
MEDIA COVERAGE
