Yuva Unstoppable marked a landmark moment as cricketing icon V. V. S. Laxman and Infosys Co-founder and former CEO & MD S. D. Shibulal jointly launched the organisation’s new technology platform designed to scale, strengthen and streamline its flagship scholarship programme, Udaan, in Lower Parel. Hosted by long-time supporter Uniqus and its CEO & Co-founder Jamil Khatri, the special event also celebrated Yuva Unstoppable’s milestone of empowering 7,000 scholarship students across India - young people who represent some of the brightest minds from under-resourced backgrounds.
The gathering honoured the extraordinary journeys of these students, whose lives have transformed through Yuva’s scholarship and mentorship support - students who have gone on to become doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, lawyers and professionals in leading corporations. With the programme now growing exponentially, the organisation reaffirmed its mission to unlock opportunities for every deserving child, no matter their circumstances. Reflecting this, Jamil Khatri remarked, “Amitabh and I always talk about this: education is a passport out of poverty. It doesn’t matter where you come from - if you have education on your side, you can fight against all odds and build a life for yourself.”
Yuva’s newly launched scholarship technology platform is another step in that journey to make scholarships more accessible, transparent, and impactful nationwide. For years, Yuva’s technology backbone has enabled support at scale with zero administrative charges and rapid, end-to-end transparency. This next-generation platform builds on that foundation with enterprise-grade security, intuitive usability, and high configurability. It brings powerful self-serve features to students and donors, enabling real-time updates, faster actions, and a significantly more trusted experience across the scholarship lifecycle. By digitising applications, assessments and outcome tracking, it expands reach, strengthens governance, and unlocks richer data-driven decision-making, positioning Yuva Unstoppable to scale its scholarship impact faster, with deeper transparency and trust.
Addressing the audience, V. V. S. Laxman, one of India’s most respected former Test cricketers and among Yuva’s biggest champions, reflected on the transformative power of education. “Education gives you the power to dream, to think critically, and to lead with compassion,” he said. Emphasising that scholarships go far beyond financial support, he added, “They are a bridge to dignity, confidence, and opportunity.”
Infosys Co-founder S. D. Shibulal spoke passionately about the deeper commitment required to truly empower a child. “Money alone cannot build futures,” he stated. “The real catalyst for change is mentorship - someone who believes in a child’s potential, guides them through challenges, and opens doors to opportunity.” He added, “When we nurture talent with care, consistency and purpose, we uplift families, strengthen communities, and build a nation rooted in knowledge, empathy and innovation.”
The event also spotlighted inspiring Yuva scholars, including Shruti Shelar, the daughter of a sugarcane farmer from Baramati. With no means to fund her education, she earned a Yuva scholarship for her outstanding grades, completed engineering with a CGPA of 8.3 from Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and secured the highest package on her campus at SAP Labs Bengaluru. As she shared, “For us farmers, dreams grow deepest in the soil of struggle. Keep nurturing them, and they will rise.”
Equally remarkable is Varsha Sinha, who became her family’s sole breadwinner after losing her father just before her graduation exams. Through sheer determination, she cleared all levels of CA on her first attempt, now works at Ultratech Cement Ltd with a ₹12-lakh CTC, owns a ₹50-lakh home in Ahmedabad, and is pursuing LLB and CFA Level 1 while funding her sister’s international studies. Her dream: to rise to the CXO level, a powerful example of resilience meeting opportunity.
Amitabh Shah, Chief Inspiration Officer of Yuva Unstoppable, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to creating a future where every child, regardless of background, has access to opportunities and life-changing support. He noted that while talent is widespread, access is not. He remarked, “With the launch of this technology and strong backing from corporates, mentors, educators and well-wishers, Yuva Unstoppable aims to dramatically expand its reach and help thousands more students turn their dreams into reality.”
The event saw enthusiastic participation from India’s foremost CEOs and CSR leaders including HDFC, Arcil, Landmark, Sunsure, Mirae Asset, GSK, Symphony, Mahindra Group, and SMFG reinforcing a shared belief that investing in youth is not only philanthropy but a strategic contribution to India’s social and economic progress, and that with the power of technology, this impact can be scaled faster, deeper, and more transparently than ever before.
After completing his Master’s degree from Yale University, Mr. Amitabh Shah, our Founder and Viksit Bharat Ambassador, turned down a Wall Street offer with JP Morgan to work on the real streets of India and establish Yuva Unstoppable (among the top 10 largest NGOs in India). Amitabh is also the youngest Indian to receive the US Government’s International Ellis Island Award, an honour previously given to global icons like President Bill Clinton, President George Bush, Muhammad Ali, Paula Abdul, Indra Nooyi, and Malala Yousafzai. Our efforts have also been recognized by former Presidents of India - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and Shri Ram Nath Kovind. Our interventions include: Education (WASH facilities, digital classrooms, solar electrification, rainwater harvesting, modern sports facilities, STEM labs, Scholarship , Early Childhood Care, Health and Nutrition (transforming Anganwadis, providing nutritional support to children and pregnant/new mothers, Vaccination Drives), Employability(Placement focused Skilling for youth in soft and as well as domain specific skills - IT/Ites/BFSI/ AI, ML, etc), and Environment (Agroforestry, Afforestation, Water Bodies Restoration, Solar Street Lighting, Urban Heat Stress Mitigation, Carbon Credits).
Impact at a Glance:
8M+ beneficiaries empowered across 25 Indian states
8,000+ schools transformed with WASH facilities, STEM labs, and smart classrooms—boosting attendance by
15% and learning outcomes by 4x (validated by London School of Economics)
7000+ students supported through scholarships
1,00,000+ youth skilled
~540 schools and 3,00,000+ students empowered across India through hands-on STEM, AI, and Coding education.
35 million trees planted, supporting 50,000+ farmers and sequestering 27M tons of carbon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9elW8E-2cR4
For CSR Collaborations, connect with parth@yuvaunstoppable.org
To know more about Yuva Unstoppable, visit www.yuvaunstoppable.org