We’ve all had one moment in our lives where we desperately wished we were smarter in one way or another. It may definitely be convenient in everyday life to be some kind of genius. But what we often fail to think is the fact that a genius is built, not born. What we can’t see when we watch our favorite artists perform on TV is the fiery passion, unmatched resilience, and sheer number of hours of persistent practice that was put in before that person became a genius. 

So what really defines a child prodigy? They are intelligent, relentlessly motivated, extremely curious, highly imaginative, inventive and certainly unafraid of taking risks. With the Tokyo Olympics that wrapped up over the weekend, we witnessed a series of sterling performances on an international stage by brilliant compatriots who came from tough backgrounds. Winning an astonishing gold medal in the men’s Javelin Throw, Neeraj Chopra’s aspiration brewed from his shed in a small village in Haryana. Overcoming cumbersome life situations, financial difficulties, and inadequate facilities, he became one of the greatest athletes to ever have represented India in the Olympics. The world would undoubtedly be immensely benefitted if we had the resources to find such gifted young prodigies in various fields, even at the grassroots level, groom them, and showcase their talent on a public platform.

That is exactly what Network18, India’s largest news network, has set out to achieve with BYJU’S Young Genius. At the heart of this initiative is a persistent mission to discover and felicitate young prodigies who have the potential to become future geniuses. Season 1 saw young achievers showcasing their skills on the channel that were selected by a panel of News18 editors and eminent personalities. It all started with some enormously gifted kids like Lydian Nadhasawaram (15) for playing the piano blindfolded at a speed of 190 beats per minute and Meghali Malabika (14) popularly known as the ‘Google Girl of India’ for her terrific IQ. Member of the Mensa society, developer of multiple apps and author of a book, Rishi Shiv P (6) has an unbelievable IQ of 180! Avantika Kambli (10) is the youngest person to attempt the 6-digit square root world record along with Tiluck Keisam (13), a Guinness World Record holder for ‘Farthest distance limbo skating under bars’. With an aim to spread awareness and reduce bullying in schools and campuses, Anoushka Jolly (12) became a social entrepreneur by building a web platform called the Anti-bullying Squad (ABS).

These exceptionally talented kids became inspiration for many kids in India, 98.4% positive sentiments on social platforms and consistent demand for new episodes from viewers across the country. With this enormous success of the first season, News18 Network is back with a second edition of Young Genius promising a bigger and better line-up of stories of child prodigies. Here’s what the show is all about:

Hosted by Senior Network18 Editor and Anchor Anand Narasimhan, the show will commence in January 2022 and comprise of 11 episodes, honoring around 20 young talented brains in the age group of 6 to 15 from diverse fields such as performing arts, academics, technology, business, sports and more. Each episode will make for an exciting viewing experience as the young geniuses will also be joined by some of India’s most celebrated Indian personalities who will not only be seen applauding the outstanding accomplishments of the child prodigies but also reminisce their own path to glory

If this intrigues you, visit https://www.news18.com/younggenius/ and fill out the registration form. After this initial submission there will be a detailed form to be filled out to capture every detail of the child for a multi-stage evaluation process. Apart from this, you can also download the BYJU’s app and register on the BYJU’s Young Genius section.

If you’re trying to learn how to discover your child’s talent, the secret lies in allowing them to pursue their passion and strive for brilliance. This unique platform is poised to recognize some brilliant young talents and encourage the future generation to dream bigger and achieve excellence in their chosen field. In each of us a genius is sleeping and with Young Genius, News 18 Network presents a golden opportunity to awaken young masterminds across the nation by giving them a chance to shine. 

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