Ardent and zealous reformer of change, 14-year-old Aarya Chavda embarked on her journey as an Author, Illustrator, Speaker, Heritage and Environment Crusader, at the age of 6, demonstrating her exceptional talents and passion. Since then, she has dedicated herself in fundraising for a cause by donating her art proceeds and book sales for the welfare of underprivileged cancer patients.

Aarya’s accomplishments are truly exceptional for some of her age. Through her books on the diverse cultural heritage of India, she is the youngest Indian to represent her country at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris not only once but twice, at the ages of 9 and 12, respectively. Author of 10 books, she shows her ardent patriotism by penning down her thoughts and voicing her words by raising awareness on relevant topics which are crucial in today’s world, such as heritage preservation, current climate crisis, girl child education, children’s fundamental rights and duties, while leaving the message of peace, non-violence and equality, by depicting the ideologies and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Her books have been patronage and published by UNESCO New Delhi, introduced by United Nations, India and published in digital platforms like UNESCO Digital library and UNESCO Global Citizenship Education (GCED).Through these platforms, her books are read by readers of all age worldwide. Her books empower readers to find their voice and use it to speak out for change, so that they can enhance their understanding for a peaceful and sustainable future.

Aarya’s impacts extend much beyond her literally achievements. A few of her unique accomplishments are as follows.

At the age of 9, in June 2019 – Aarya was invited by Director, UNESCO World Heritage Centre Paris, Ms. Mectild Rossler to present her work at “The Opening Ceremony of 43rd World Heritage Committee” in Baku, Azerbaijan. She represented India and was honored to share stage with H.E Ms. Audrey Azoulay Director General of UNESCO and presented narratives from her 1^st book, “Ahmedabad my city my heritage” in front of 2500 diplomats from 180 countries.

At the age of 10, in April 2020 – UNESCO World Heritage Centre Paris invited Aarya to advocate worldwide campaign “Share our Heritage” to call upon children around the world to participate for ‘Little Artists Exhibition’. Through this campaign, children from 55 countries shared global cultural diversity. It was a rare opportunity given to Aarya to bring positive message of hope and to engage children to enhance their understanding of global cultural diversity during difficult times of COVID- 19.

At the age of 11, she was invited as the Guest of Honor at the ‘Environment Youth Forum 2021’. Through her speech she shared her views from her book ‘Seeds of Hope’. In this online event, she addressed students from 350+ colleges and 75+ universities across India.

In April 2022, she was given the opportunity to be the youngest parliamentarian in the ‘National Environmental Youth Parliament 2022’, to deliver a 7 minute speech on the current environmental issues and to spread the message from her book, ‘Seeds to Sow’, in the Parliament of India presided by the Honorable Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla. Academicians, environmental nodal officers along with their student parliamentarians from more than 150+ universities were selected from 10 regions across the country to participate in this event.

In September 2022, it was a moment of great honor when Aarya met and interacted with Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar at his residence at Upa- Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. Aarya presented her books to Hon’ble Vice President Sir and was felicitated by him for her exemplary work at this young age. As a lead core team member, Aarya represented Eco-Army, a Pan- India movement for climate action. During her visit, Aarya had been invited to meet and interact with Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker, at his office in the Parliament House, and Union Environment, Minister of State at the environment minister’s office. She had enriching discussions with these dignitaries on the importance of raising awareness among the youth through ground level action plan.

In February 2023, under the aegis of India’s concurrent G20 Presidency, Aarya was the youngest Plenary Speaker at the ‘Y20 India Summit 2023 on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction’ hosted the MS University Baroda, Gujarat. Delegates from 62 countries participated in this forum from G20 member countries.

For her outstanding work in community services, she is the youngest to receive many prestigious awards, a few including ‘Sant Eshwar Samman’,‘Champions of Change Award’, ‘Giving Economy Award 2022’, ‘Impactful Authors Award 2023. At the                                  age of 10, she was the youngest to receive ‘Sant Eshwar Samman’ by RSS Chief, DR. Mohan Bhagwat and Union Cabinet Minister of Tribal Affairs GoI, Shri Arjun Munda, in November, 2021 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

As a youngest change maker ‘Champions of Change Award’ was conferred to her for her exemplary work, by the Hon’ble Governor Shri Mangubhai Patel and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan in April, 2022 at Bhopal.

Resolutely persistent and steadfast in her mission, Aarya truly believes that, “Any action, however small, is a start. One should never believe in giving up what they really want to achieve.” As a driven and independent youth, she demonstrates her exceptional dedication and commitment through her public awareness campaigns on ‘Preservation of Cultural Heritage’ and ‘Sustainable living- Caring for Climate’. Since past 3 years she has taken more than 100+ presentations in government and private schools, institutions and organizations on national and international platforms. Her approach promotes participation and inclusion, encouraging the youth to take charge of ownership of ideas to understand their needs and perspectives to bring in substantial change in the society. Aarya actively collaborates with World Heritage Volunteers Programs, Environment Youth Forums, National Environment Youth Parliament, UNESCO, UNICEF and various other governmental and non- governmental organizations to connect with today’s youth. Till date, Aarya has been felicitated and recognized for her exemplary work by more than 10 Indian Embassies across the world.

Aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as a strong advocate for sustainability, Aarya shows her grit, and makes sure that her voice is heard. With a fervent rigor, she works tirelessly to change the perception of how we preserve our cultural heritage and protect our environment. Her efficiency and effectiveness sets a path, inspires and motivates the youth to come forward and become responsible citizens for a better future. As a firm believer, she takes it as a way forward to connect with people across religion, region and race. Her mission is to collaborate with as many schools, institutions and organizations, to connect with children of her generation, so that the youth can seize the boundaries of their nations, put aside all differences, and come together to create a better future for humanity and our planet.