TEEN TECH TITAN

Uday Shankar's Path from Pandemic to Programming Prodigy

- Angel Mary Sony

THE RISE OF A TEENAGE TECH TITAN

In Kochi, 15-year-old Uday Shankar is transforming the world of artificial intelligence. As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Urav Advanced Learning Systems Pvt Ltd, Uday's journey from a school dropout to an AI innovator is a thrilling tale of passion, perseverance, and impressive achievements.

THE SUMMER OF CHOICES

Imagine 10-year-old Uday standing at a crossroads between swimming lessons and robotics classes. "It all started during my summer vacation," Uday recalls with a grin.

"My mom gave me a choice, so I chose robotics." Instead of relaxing with a typical summer pastime, Uday plunged into the world of tech.

That summer decision? It was like choosing between a splash and a leap into the future.

TURNING A PANDEMIC PAUSE INTO A FAST-FORWARD PLAY

When the world hit pause due to the pandemic, Uday hit fast forward.

With schools closed, he immersed himself in Python programming, learning from YouTube tutorials and a Bellary Institute professor.

He also completed the Certificate of Completion of Prerequisite Course for Serious Game Development with AI from MIT and the Certificate in Python for Machine Learning Neural Networks and Deep Learning from IIT Kanpur. His drive led to groundbreaking projects like 3rDi 4 All, an app designed to assist the visually-impaired, which was selected for the Kerala Government's Young Innovator Programme. For Uday, what seemed like the world closing doors was an invitation to innovate.

HAI! FRIEND: CUSTOMIZING CONVERSATIONS WITH A TWIST