Kanpur: Yashwardhan Singh, an 11-year-old history enthusiast from Kanpur, has been conferred with the 'Youngest Historian Award' by the prestigious Harvard University. The Indian Postal Department also issued a postage stamp with Yashvardhan's name and photo on it. Adding more feathers to his cap, NASA had also included Yashwardhan's name in its mission on March 26, 2022, wherein it had sent a spacecraft to the Moon. In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat's Sameer Dixit, Yashwardhan talks in detail about his achievements and talents at such a young age.
Yashwardhan, who is already a gold medalist in International Relations, teaches history to students appearing for various civil services examinations. Despite being way younger than his students, he has so far gotten an incredible response from his students. Being extraordinarily good at what he does at such a young age, the prodigy has managed to surprise many.
While talking about his inspiration and how he got into this unusual venture, he said, "Back in 2017, my mother used to study late at night for the Uttar Pradesh Civil service exams. I was quite young back then, and also highly curious about what she was reading and doing. I used to peep into her work quite frequently. That is when I was first introduced to subjects like history, geography, and archeology. With age, my interest grew even more and I started teaching it to people who were willing to learn." Currently, Yashwardhan contributes about 10 hours to teaching, apart from his regular school studies.
Yashvardhan's mother Kanchan is a teacher in primary school, while his father Anshuman Singh is a doctor. Yashvardhan himself aspires to get into the Indian Forest Services, while his ultimate dream is also to inspire more children like himself. "I hope to see more children like me who have immense interest in a subject and are making good use of it. Kanpur was a glorious city once upon a time. With more children like myself, who are history and archeology enthusiasts, I hope to get that glory back to my city," he said.
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