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Following the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=forbes">Forbes</a> list of <keyword id="2051863" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="30-Under-30">30 under 30</keyword> list of <keyword id="310274" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Young-Achievers">young achievers</keyword> that was announced last month where 45 Indians found a mention, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=forbes+india">Forbes India </a>revealed its own 30 under 30 list today, featuring who they described as the cool kids. 
 
The list is a mixture of expected faces and a few new ones. It’s certainly not as exhaustive as the original list, but the list, in its third year now doesn’t fail to pack a punch. 
 Explaining their choices, <keyword id="6373044" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Forbes">Forbes</keyword> put out an article, saying “These young men and women not only fill us with admiration but also, to borrow an acronym from their generation, major FOMO (fear of missing out—yes, that’s a thing). 
 
To compound this angst, let’s remember this list is not exhaustive. It is impossible to cover the geographical expanse of this country and reach every potential candidate. But, as always, our aim is to find the best possible names that meet our three criteria: The extent of the impact of an achievement in a short span of time and its ability to disrupt the status quo; scalability of the business or line of work; and enough indication of being a long-term player. And, as with previous lists, well-established names as well as those who have access to an influential lineage are not considered.” 
 
To make it even simpler for readers, we decided to introduce you to the 30 change makers mentioned in the list, across the 13 categories. 
 
 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ritesh+agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</a> (22) the founder of <keyword id="2808667" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> found a mention under Ecommerce in this list and is the only one to be featured in the earlier list by Forbes as well. The other contenders in this section was Arpit Dave (23) and Mohit Kumar (27), founders of RoadRunnr and innovator Anirudh Sharma (26) were the other contenders in this category. 
 
Actress <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=richa+chadha">Richa Chadha</a> (28), film-maker Raam Reddy (26) and stand-up comedian Abish Mathew (28) represented the Entertainment category. 
Inshorts which has completely revolutionized the way news is consumed at the present found a mention in the Social Media, Mobile Tech and Communication category. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=harsh+songra">Harsh Songra</a>, the founder of My Child App, and whom Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg dedicated a post to is the youngest person to be on the list at 19. 
 
Equally lauded were Arunima Sinha (28) who took up mountaineering as an amputee after losing her legs in an accident in 2011 when thieves threw her out a moving train and Shreya Singhal (24), a vocal advocate for the speech of freedom and expression, especially on the internet. Singhal is a law student at Delhi University. 
 
Yash Bhanage (29), Founder and COO, Bombay Canteen dominated the food and hospitality category with his already popular Mumbai restaurant. 
 
According to Forbes, the research process was three fold- First, the staff of Forbes India conducted interviews with sources across relevant categories and analyzed media coverage at the same time. Second, applications were invited from entrepreneurs and professionals on forbesindia.com and third, word was spread on social media. 
 
This helped the team arrive on a longlist of 300 across 13 categories, which was then cut down to 100 after weighing in views of experts and from there the Forbes Team took over to make the final selection! 
 
Image credit: Forbes India

Meet
the cool kids who made it to Forbes India’s 30 under 30 list

After being mentioned in a personal post by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/What-is-so-special-about-19-year-old-Harsh-Songra-Facebook-COO-published-a-post-about-him/articleshow/48697545.cms">Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg</a>, MyChild app developer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Diagnosed-with-a-developmental-disorder-as-a-kid-this-19-year-old-developed-an-app-to-help-parents-detect-disorders/articleshow/48374126.cms">Harsh Songra</a> will be addressing an audience of thousands next month but this humble guy still says “I am not popular”. He started this journey nine years ago and is continuing with much greater zeal. 
	 
	
		The app has been developed to help parents figure out possible development disorders their child might have in just 45 seconds. It has a current user base of 7000+ parents from 100 countries.
	 
	
		He is also the winner of mobile sparks by YourStory. 
		 
		Harsh will address the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/EXCLUSIVE-Raghu-Raman-an-ex-soldier-UN-Peacekeeper-and-the-former-CEO-of-NATGRID-talks-about-combating-terrorism-in-2015-If-you-want-a-guarantee-buy-a-toaster/articleshow/49891899.cms">TEDxGateway</a> on December 5 in Mumbai. At <keyword id="2593631" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="TEDxGateway">TEDxGateway</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/EXCLUSIVE-Kshitij-Marwah-the-pioneer-of-hardware-manufacturing-spaces-in-India-has-more-to-offer-to-the-country-than-just-technology/articleshow/49908383.cms">TEDTalks</a> video and live speakers discuss and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/EXCLUSIVE-The-fight-against-Japanese-Whaling-is-not-over-Sea-Shepherd-captain-reveals-and-talks-about-the-conservation-laws-void/articleshow/49769808.cms">debate</a> to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. Attendees of TEDxGateway will include philanthropists, policymakers, industrialists, CXOs, entrepreneurs, creative heads, students, CEOs, scientists, artists, corporates and bureaucrats from across the nation.
	 
	
		This <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Lessons-from-5-young-achievers-to-Narendra-Modi-on-the-eve-of-Childrens-Day/articleshow/49769669.cms">child prodigy</a> talks about the ruthless education system, our society and his eureka moment, in a chat with Business Insider.
	 
	
		What difficulties you faced while making this app?
	 
	
		The biggest difficulty was to find out the right specialists. If you talk about development disorders, finding the correct specialist or the data is difficult especially in a country like India where there is never a record of the same.
	 
	
		Basically, the app asks parents questions in yes or no format, and based on that it tells the parents about the possible development disorder their child might be suffering from. It is 80 percent accurate now.
	 


	Then we tell them this is the type of specialist which they should visit.
 

	What are you working on right now?
 

	We are a team of around 10 people right now. We are trying to increase the efficiency. We are also trying to increase the usability and get more parents on the platform. 
 

	A few months ago, Facebook COO <keyword id="611995" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sheryl-Sandberg">Sheryl Sandberg</keyword> mentioned you in a post. How has life been after that? Did it change your life in any way?
 

	I would say that this changed my life. People got to know a lot more about me. I started getting invitations from places to speak. But rather than being taken away by pride, I am just capitalising on them and trying to build a better product.
 

	Your app detects possible <keyword id="494680" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="developmental-disorders">developmental disorders</keyword> in 45 seconds. But it took your parents nine years to detect your Dyspraxia. What were the difficulties you parents had to face?
 

	My parents had to face the social stigma. Instead of helping me try to figure out what is wrong with me, the society made fun of me. So that was hurting my parents a lot at that moment. The teachers were not that supportive too. This is the sad truth of the society.
 

	Besides, it was also difficult to find the right specialist for dyspraxia.
 

	So I built this app and I am what I am today.
 

	How were you treated by your teachers and classmates in school?
 

	My parents were told by one of my high school teacher that their child should go and study in a school of the disabled. My parents were quite upset.
 

	But last year I gave lecture in front of that teacher. No, it did not feel like revenge. I just felt happy.
 

	What should be done to increase awareness about developmental disorders in India?
 

	India does not have any data about developmental disorders anywhere, neither in paper or online. Parents should be made more aware about these issues right from the time they conceive the child.
 

	What was your most memorable moment in life?
 

	When I went to address Josh talks in Delhi University. It was really great experience to see hundreds of students getting inspired by what I have done. I felt proud of myself.
 

	What was the most disheartening moment?
 

	I haven’t seen any moment like that, yet.
 

	What is your dream company where you want to work after MyChild?
 

	I am working on my dream company right now. My dream is to have a mobile application that would be in the hands of every parent one day. 
 

	We are working towards getting the data, the insights and reducing the chances of delayed treatment. We will be launching our version soon in the coming months.
 

	What is your expected target for this app?
 

	We are trying 100,000-500,000 users till March.
 

	Now that you are going out and addressing talks like Josh and TED and people are talking about you, how do you handle the popularity?
 

	I am not popular. No one knows me. I am a normal kid. It’s just about the perception of how you are famous. I am honoured that Sheryl Sandberg mentioned me. But for me, I would consider myself famous when millions of parents would be using my app. That would be my Eureka moment.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: under25.club)

Harsh Songra- A child prodigy who Sheryl Sandberg mentioned in her post has been a victim of stigma related to development disorder in India

Tomorrow is Children’s Day. As the whole nation gears up to celebrate tomorrow, a hint of sorrow lingers in the air with the increasing crimes against children all over the world. In order to put India on the top of the world’s lists of everything, Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> is deliberately overlooking the ways to make India a safer place for the next generation to live in. Well, surely keeping your mouth shut during the rising <keyword id="642964" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="intolerance">intolerance</keyword> won’t help at all. 

	But kudos to the children of India, who have supported the causes which Modi chose to ignore. So, instead of focusing on all that is lost, we choose to be inspired by the stories of these child prodigies who have made India proud.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: allindiaroundup)

Lessons from 5 young achievers to Narendra Modi on the eve of Children’s Day

When 19-year old <keyword id="2987833" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Harsh-Songra">Harsh Songra</keyword> went to sleep last night, he had no idea what would happen in the next few hours. He had no idea that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=that+Facebook+chief+operating+officer">Facebook chief operating officer</a> (COO) <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Sheryl+Sandberg+">Sheryl Sandberg</a> would publish a post about him and his startup <keyword id="3022261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="My-Child-App">My Child App</keyword>. 
 On Wednesday, Songra was woken up at 2 a.m. by the frequent <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> notifications after Sandberg published a post, where she told the story of Songra and his app as an instance of startups being supported by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Facebook+">Facebook</a> under its FBStart programme. 
 
The social networking site’s COO posted: "We're supporting developers like Harsh who have great ideas but can't always access the resources they need." 
 
My Child is an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Android+app+">Android app</a> that tells parents if their child is likely to be suffering from a developmental disorder by processing basic inputs such as the child's height, weight and gender, in just 45 seconds. 
 
Why did Songra develop this app? There is a sad story behind it. It took his parents nine long years to get him diagnosed of having dyspraxia, a developmental disorder. 
 The late diagnosis meant that his parents could do nothing to help. But Songra's father, who was a <keyword id="281728" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="hardware-engineer">hardware engineer</keyword>, taught him to use the computer at a young age and he used computer games to overcome the problems of coordination and movement that dyspraxia brings with it. 
 
When he was 16-year-old, Songra was experimenting with algorithms. His drive to do something that will guide parents like his and two years of research helped him build My Child all by himself. The app had seen downloads from across six continents. 
 
His app was launched in January this year. It was built with the help of Facebook's platform Parse and promoted with other tools such as Facebook ads, Hootsuite and Mailchimp. 
 
The Chairman of product council at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Nasscom">Nasscom</a>, <keyword id="646706" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ravi-Gururaj">Ravi Gururaj</keyword>, recently got on board as a mentor. 
 He expressed his excitement at Sandberg's post in a Facebook post. Songra, who is pursuing BCA in the <keyword id="916681" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bhopal-School-of-Social-Sciences">Bhopal School of Social Sciences</keyword>, said, "Being an entrepreneur means that you lose out on a lot, including your friends. But, when things like this happen, you know that the struggle was worth it." 
 
(Image: echai.in)

What is so special about 19-year-old Harsh Songra? Facebook COO published a post about him

It is probably the worst nightmare for a sixth-standard child when his parents were told that he should be sent to a school for disabled children. 
 
What his teacher invariably mistook as a learning disability was in reality a developmental coordination disorder known as dyspraxia which delayed his body movements. 
 “It took my parents nine years to figure out why I was so slow,” recollects <keyword id="2987833" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Harsh-Songra">Harsh Songra</keyword>. “That’s not a long time, if you keep in mind that in India people are incapable of detecting disorders for even 18 years,” he states. 
 
Irked by the limited understanding of the issue and the common tendency to term disorders as mentally challenged, Songra decided to take the matter in his own hands and ensure that no parents are left in the lurch like his were. 
 
He started learning <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Everything-You-Need-To-Know-About-Android-One/articleshow/42535061.cms">Android</a> programming at the age of 16, and three years later developed the ‘MyChild’ app to help parents screen <keyword id="494680" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="developmental-disorders">developmental disorders</keyword> such as delayed motor coordination and neurological disorders in their kids. “All this will be done under 45 seconds,” he beamingly adds. 
 
Songra’s team includes his co-founder Aafreen Ansari, who takes care of content, two research assistants who update the blog every week with their research on the subject and an intern who takes care of the team’s various social media accounts. 
 
 
 
 
Launched in January 2015 on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/For-India-Its-EntertainmentFirst-In-2013-Says-Google/articleshow/27673651.cms">Google</a> PlayStore, the app is meant for kids aged between 11 months to 24 months. First and foremost, parents are required to key in the physical details of the child, like the age, height and weight before moving on to answer specific questions regarding the child’s development over the months. The app then gives suggestions based on ‘the areas of concern’ which is implied by the answers provided to the questionnaire and finally tells parents which specialist they should pay a visit. 
 
“We do not claim that the app is 100% accurate,” Songra says, adding that the core purpose of it is to act as a referral point. Based on theoretical research from hundreds of books, the app stresses on early identification. 
 
Outlining the importance of early identification, Songra claims that according to reports by MIT, if nothing is done about developmental disorders, every second child will end up suffering from autism by 2025. At present, every 68th child suffers from autism. 
 
“The general unawareness regarding these disorders is mainly due to the deficit of developmental pediatricians in India, who make sure that a child grows up normally. This in spite of the fact that every sixth newborn suffers from some or the other developmental disorder,” Songra adds. 
 
 
Recalling the hardship faced by his parents, he says that many clinical pediatricians had given him medicines even though they were unable to diagnose his condition completely. “Clinical pediatricians are meant to treat diseases. It’s time we stop confusing disorders with diseases,” he states. 
 However, he is quick to add that due to the prevalent social stigma in the country, parents would think twice before taking their child to a psychologist even for a mere check up. This is where he believes his app would be of help. “With the <keyword id="2704016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="MyChild-app">MyChild app</keyword>, we’re trying to drive parenting through technology,” Songra adds. 
 
All of 19 years, Songra who is a second year Computer Applications student at the Bhopal School of Social Sciences, has received many accolades for this app. Apart from being awarded the title of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/MWC-Nokia-Launches-3-New-Android-Phones-Nokia-X-X-andXL/articleshow/30942179.cms">Nokia</a>’s app developer of the Week, his app was also selected as the App of the Day by the company in July last year. His app is also being backed by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Meet-Krush-ThisValentines-Day-A-Dating-App-That-Helps-You-Find-Your-Match-On-Facebook/articleshow/30373854.cms">Facebook</a>’s Fb Bootstrap Start Program, which provides $20,000 worth of online credits which can be used for servers, testing tools etc. 
 
But this is not his first foray into the world of developing apps. He has previously developed Studiebay, an aggregator of coaching classes in Bhopal, which he describes as the ‘Zomato for coaching classes’ and a calculator for his father to compute value added tax (VAT). 
 
Unlike young <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Want-to-be-successful-entrepreneur-First-you-need-to-beat-these-10-fears/articleshow/46931949.cms">entrepreneurs</a>, Songra is least perturbed by making profits, as of yet. “My focus is on increasing the user base and not on a revenue model. The biggest drawback of the app currently is that it is in a raw form and needs many changes. But, I hope to change that and help close to 70 million parents in the next 5-10 years,” he states. 
 
For achieving that, he has a roadmap in place, “In the next few weeks, we have plans to launch an updated version of the app which shall go a step further and target pregnant women asking them to follow certain tips in order to prevent developmental disorders in their newborn babies.” 
 
 
 
On the cards are also plans of building a community of teachers, doctors and parents who could communicate with each other through the app and be updated about the dos and donts of raising a healthy child. 
 Calling out to budding <keyword id="53533" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="entrepreneurs">entrepreneurs</keyword>, Songra has two clear messages. “Don’t follow money. Follow your passion. Prioritise how you want to make an impact. Secondly, you have to get in the competition to be above your competition.” 
 
That's not all. Last year, life came full circle for Songra when he was invited to his school to deliver a lecture on coding to the sixth-standard students in front of the very teacher who had once told him he was no good. 
 
Image Credit: harshsongra.in, Google Play Store

You Searched For "Harsh Songra" and got 5 results

Meet the cool kids who made it to Forbes India’s 30 under 30 list

Poulomi Das

Harsh Songra- A child prodigy who Sheryl Sandberg mentioned in her post has been a victim of stigma related to development disorder in India

Usha Rani Das

Lessons from 5 young achievers to Narendra Modi on the eve of Children’s Day

Usha Rani Das

What is so special about 19-year-old Harsh Songra? Facebook COO published a post about him

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Diagnosed with a developmental disorder as a kid, this 19-year-old developed an app to help parents detect disorders

Poulomi Das

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