Epiphany from UNFPA's Global Youth Forum 2012

I went out of district for quality education but I was never told to become doctor or engineer and get a government job. I was sent just because I wanted to study. Whatever I've became today is outcome of what I've experienced, met the type of people in my way and my father's day to day suggestions as he were used to call me everyday and explaining what I'm experiencing and why. I never had a dream to crack UPSC or JEE but eventually I qualified AIEEE(today it is known as JEE Mains) because I wanted to become an engineer as I have grown older watching maternal uncles turning ON the light using clap and so many different other projects they were doing during their engineering, I was just a kid. Things didn't went as per plan and I was unable to join NIT so later I joined private university.

One day in the college, I was told to prepare a resume and my resume had this in my introduction, “Born is a village, lived in a city, enjoyed in a state, citizen of a nation, represented continents and changing the World.” I had 5 pages resume with the lists of experiences and achievements I have. Everyone was impressed and that changed perspective of professors towards. I've met several experienced people in different fields who have shared their experience to me so that I could learn from them and make a better decisions in my life. I'm humbly thankful to every experienced person who came in my life, supported me and taught me greatest lessons, something I wouldn't have learned only from books. The support of experienced people that I always had given me power to take steps forward with full confidence that what I'm doing it is doing right which eventually become true the day I had received letter from UNFPA.

Since school, everyday I wake up and check my emails because at that time I was running an international student organization and now running smart electronics manufacturing company. I had to check if someone has submitted their report or they need our support in their leadership to organize any event/activity at their respective school/college/village/city. One day, I had an email from UNFPA with subject “Letter to Mr. Balraj re Global Youth Forum at Bali from 4 - 6 December 2012” with a pdf attached to it that a letter from UNFPA mentioned that I was chosen by International Steering Committee of ICPD beyond 2014 Secretariat. I checked the sender's email ID and it was from ****@unfpa.org and to double check it I called directly to the office of the UNFPA and they confirmed that it's true. Then I shared this to my father and my father helped to get my passport ready. 

It was my first international flight sponsored by UNFPA to attend its Global Youth Forum at Bali, Indonesia via Singapore. At that time, GYG NGO had 450+ young leaders and 10,000+ volunteers in 72 countries. Global Youth Forum 2012 was the biggest international youth conference in the history of the United Nations till date with 900+ representatives from 180+ countries, from tribal to modern communities. The main purpose of calling us was to shape the future of the World because in 2014 MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) were expiring, so they wanted young people to tell what kind of future they want, and how. Today you may have heard or seen 17 goals of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) was designed by us and adopted by the World in 2015. So, whatever I'm doing today is the learning from this one of the greatest events of my life. It was an experience that changed how I see the World.

Global Youth Forum was a big stage where I was the voice of more 50 crores youth of India. Every single words coming from my mouth had something to do with a youth from rural to urban India. In 3 days event, we discussed several issues from different parts of the World. I presented  issues of Indian youth which I was prepared and reviewed by UNFPA at Delhi before leaving India to this forum. From decent jobs to equality, we discussed almost everything there and drafted a resolution safeguard the rights of young people and achieve sustainable development. 

While returning from this forum, I was thinking what best I can do to solve those issues that I learned from the forum. Then I realized that I'm doing engineering and I can build technologies to solve those issues. Since then I'm building technologies to solve social and global issues. Worked with a startup from IIT Kanpur to develop a mobile app that can detect oral cancer to smart home automation technology that reduces carbon footprint while keeping the environment inside homes clean. Neither UPSE nor other government jobs have ever become my dream or goals in life rather solving the global issues using my technologies became my epiphany.

Later I was invited to several other conferences of the United Nations like UN CBD COP 11 and others. Recently we were selected for "Innovation Readiness Program" by UN Sustainable Development Solution Network - Youth and awarded by ‘Certificate of Completion'. Our solution will be published in upcoming publications by the United Nations. And today at Yantriksh Cybernetics Industries, our technologies are targeting to achieve these SDGs.