What does it mean to be a young innovator?

It means refusing to wait for your turn. It means looking at the world’s challenges and daring to fix them with fresh eyes, fearless energy, and ideas that break away from “the way things have always been done”.

In the TBI Young Innovator category, part of Optum Presents The Better India Showcase 2025, supported by M3M Foundation, we celebrate five remarkable young changemakers who are already shaping India’s present — not just its future.

Their solutions are simple yet groundbreaking. A solar-powered flour mill that saves livelihoods. A pocket-sized insulin carrier that makes treatment accessible. Astronomy labs that turn rural curiosity into scientific pursuit. Solar dryers built from scrap to help farmers preserve their harvest. A Rs 250 inverter bulb lighting up thousands of homes during power cuts.

Each of these stories is a reminder that innovation is not limited by age. It thrives in classrooms, villages, and terraces, wherever passion meets purpose.

1. Aayan Chopra

At just 17, Aayan Chopra from Gurugram decided that the sound of progress should not be the loud, choking rumble of diesel flour mills. His answer was Project Surya Chakra — solar-powered atta chakkis that are quiet, efficient, and sustainable.

What began as an idea during his solar internship soon became a functioning social enterprise. In Varanasi and Azamgarh, 15 of these chakkis are already at work, each one helping local operators save up to Rs 25,000 a month in fuel costs.

For over 5,000 workers, this has meant not only better earnings but also cleaner, safer workplaces. Each unit generates 14,400 kWh of solar power annually, saving 13,000 litres of diesel and preventing 35,000 kilos of carbon dioxide emissions.

Aayan ensured his design could travel far. He developed replicable kits and training videos in Hindi, English, and Indian Sign Language, making adoption easy across rural India. Balancing........

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