New Delhi: Oviya Singh is a rising star in her Faridabad society. At 13, she’s already delivered a talk at Oxford University, is a four-time TEDx speaker, edits a youth magazine, fights for the environment, and received the Nelson Mandela Leadership Award. But above all, she knows how to talk.
“Let me tell you something about myself,” Singh opens at the first TEDx talk she delivered at Jamia Millia Islamia two years ago. “I have a lot of talented friends, some can solve Rubik’s cube pretty fast, some have written great books, some have wonderful YouTube channels. So, what is it that I can do? Well, I can talk!” Singh is one of hundreds of children in India and around the world who’ve become influencers by taking up causes, holding TEDx talks, and doing good old-fashioned networking—all underpinned by public speaking.
Her clarity, confidence, and charisma are what every Tiger parent wants for their children. In 2021, Kiara Kaur, an Indian-American girl, became the world’s youngest TEDx speaker at the age of five. In a TEDx talk with more than one million views, Pune-based Ishita Katyal talks about being an author at age twelve.
“Age is just a number!” she declares. Today, at 19, she’s honed her public speaking skills with more TEDx talks, and an active presence across all social media platforms. Where once parents steered their children toward poetry recitals and elocution classes, now it’s TEDx talks, becoming child ambassadors for organisations like.
