Short Bio
Mr. Anil Pradhan, the Ideas Man of India, is an innovative engineer and trailblazing educationist. Born in the village of Baral, Odisha, he migrated to Bhopal for education. He was the chief designer of Asia’s first university rocket team, VSLV. Anil’s return to his rural roots in 2017 fueled his mission to bring hands-on education to underserved areas. After engineering, he chose to start an education revolution over lucrative job offers.
Anil founded “Young Tinker,” revolutionizing hands-on learning in India. Young Tinker Spaces focused on STEM education, innovation, and leadership, impacting 247,000 students. He build a team of students from India who won world rank 3 at the NASA Rover Challenge in 2021, Asia’s 1st Under-19 team to do so. He received the National Youth Award, the Highest Civilian Award under the age of 29 from the Government of India. Anil’s accolades include the 3M CII Young Innovation Award and Breakthrough of the year Award at Berlin Science Week.
Representing India globally, Anil’s journey resonates at IIT, IIM, and State Governments. His teaching approach, I.C.E., emphasizes critical thinking, hands-on content, and conducive learning environments. Anil’s innovations and educational tools, from tinker boxes to teaching aids, promote STEAM subjects, innovation, and soft skills, leaving an indelible mark on education worldwide.
The Story
Mr. Anil Pradhan, also known as the Ideas Man of India, is a pioneering Indian engineer, innovator, and trailblazing educationist. Born in the village of Baral in 42 Mouza, an island village in the state of Odisha, India, Anil’s early life led him to migrate to the city of Bhopal in pursuit of education. During his Bachelor’s degree, he returned to his village in 2015 and observed little change over the past decade, motivating him to advocate for hands-on education in rural areas, empowering students to address local challenges.
Anil Pradhan played a pivotal role as the chief designer of Asia’s first university rocket team, named “VSLV,” during his Bachelor’s degree in 2017. Despite lucrative job offers, he chose to follow his passion for education and founded “Young Tinker” with the mission to revolutionize hands-on learning. Through this initiative, he established tinkerspaces that focused on imparting skills, team building, innovation, STEM education, presentation skills, entrepreneurship, and leadership through practical tinkering curriculum. His patented products, curriculum, and programs have positively impacted 247,000 students across India.
In 2021, Anil Pradhan led a team of students from rural India and underserved communities to achieve the world rank 3 at the NASA Rover Challenge. His transformative impact on education, science, and technology earned him the prestigious National Youth Award, Highest Civilian Award under the age of 29 from the Government of India in the same year. Anil’s contributions have been recognized with several accolades, including the 3M CII Young Innovation Award with a Special Impact Prize, the Award of Excellence from the Software Technology Parks of India, and the Winner of the Science Engagement category at the Berlin Science Week.
Anil Pradhan’s influence extends beyond national borders as he has represented India on various global platforms such as the One Young World summit in Manchester, UK; Berlin Science Week in Germany; the World Youth Forum in Egypt; Bauma Shanghai in China; and the NASA Rover Challenge in Huntsville, USA. His remarkable journey has made a lasting impression on renowned institutions like IIT, IIM, and State Governments, where he has been invited to share his awe-inspiring story of innovation and dedication to education.
Anil Pradhan has devised a teaching approach known as I.C.E. for crafting educational programs aimed at students. In this method, “I” stands for intent, where he motivates students to think critically, take initiative, and explore. The letter “C” signifies content, prompting students to participate in hands-on activities involving tinkering with kits and utilizing workbooks. Lastly, “E” stands for environment, highlighting the importance of specially designed spaces that facilitate effective learning. This method of teaching motivated him to create a range of educational tools, including tinker boxes, tinkerbooks, tinkerstations, and over 1200 teaching aids. These resources are designed to teach subjects related to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), foster innovation, and enhance soft skills.
Invited to Andhra Pradesh Secretariat to address Civil Servants (IAS/IPS/ State civil servant) by APHRDI, Govt of AP
Mr Pradhan invited to World Youth Forum, Egypt by Govt. of Egypt
Mr Pradhan met Mr Wang Min, Secretary of China Communist Party on invite to China
Courtesy invited by Shri S Abdul Nazeer, Governor, Andhra Pradesh
Courtesy invited by Prof Ganeshi Lal, Governor, Odisha
Mr Pradhan invited by Shri Dharmedra Pradhan, Hon'ble Education Minster of India
Mr Pradhan's address to Odia people on State TV- Kanak News | 67K people reached
MasterClass by Mr Pradhan
Tedx Talks NIT Suratkal
Elaborating on his school and its philosophy, the young engineer says, “Innovation in education can take many forms, like incorporating new technology or teaching methods, going on field trips, rejecting social norms, or partnering with the local community. Our school focuses on educating underprivileged students in rural areas, in particular. We believe that knowledge of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) can bring about a revolution in the modern education system.”
Shifting from being textbook-bound to being hands-on: In this era of easily accessible data, children are not given the chance to think or reason for themselves. Model-making workshops, audio-visual presentations, role-playing activities and exploring the physical world help to deliver the message of classroom lessons in a more interesting and effective manner. Shifting from fear to confidence: By encouraging children, we can train them to be independent and solve problems on their own, thus nurturing their confidence and self-belief.
Awards, fellowships, and recognitions :
- National Youth Award by Ministry of Youth Affairs, Govt of India
- Winner in Category of Science Engagement at the BERLIN Science Week 2020, Germany
- 3M – CII Young Innovators Award 2020 – Special Impact Prize
- Award of Excellence by STPI, Government of India
- World Rank 3 at NASA Rover Challenge
- 2022 Deloitte Scholar - One Young World, Manchester
- Fellow Delegate- World Youth Forum sponsored by Govt of Egypt
- Impact Award (Badlav Humse Hai)- News18.
- Hero behind the Heros- Sony YAY
- Odisha Youth Award
- Winner of XCMG Apprentice Program, China.
- World Rank 3 at NASA Rover Challenge
- Shambhavi Award 2020 Shambhavi Award 2020 by India Metals & Ferro Alloys Limited
- International Education Education Award 2019 Issued by Global Education and Training Institute
- Best Speaker Award by International Youth Fellowship, South Korea 2018
- Winners of National bridge design challenge by NIT Rourkela · Oct 2015
- National Junior Editor Award 2011 by Dainik Bhaskar · Sep 2011
Awards & Recognitions
3M – CII Young Innovators Award 2020 – Special Impact Prize
National Youth Award to Shri Anil Pradhan by Ministry of Youth Affairs, Govt of India
3 Awards in NASA Rover Challenge 2021 & 2023
Felicitation by Hon’ble Governor, Andhra Pradesh
Odisha Youth Award 2019
Award of Excellence by STPI, Government of India
Winner in Category of Science Engagement at the BERLIN Science Week 2020, Germany
Winner of XCMG Program, China. Mr Pradhan represented India
Shambhavi Award 2020 Jury’s Commendation Award
Design Award 2016 by TATA Structura
Listed among top 7 student innovator of India by L&T
Awarded by IYF, South Korea 2018
Rank 6 at ABU Robocon 2016 (INDIA)
Awarded for Campus design (His 1st award)
Selected Youth Delegate to Indi-Azerbaijan Youth Dialogue 2018
National Junior Editor Award 2011
Changemakers Award by Govt of Uttarakhand
Recognized by Pepperfry Furniture
3M – CII Young Innovators Award 2020 – Special Impact Prize
National Youth Award to Shri Anil Pradhan by Ministry of Youth Affairs, Govt of India
Badlav Humse Hai Award by News18
Talks & Discussion
Panel Discussion by THE BETTER INDIA (English version)
Keynote address at Ed-Leadership Summit (Hindi version)
Keynote address at Odisha Education Conclave (Odia version)
Media Feature
International Public School for Rural Innovation
Bionic Hand for Amputee (2019)
Asia’s first Multipurpose Satellite Mission V.S.L.V. (2015-2017)
TedX Talks
Archives (Hindi-English)
Archives(Odia)
— D. Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) August 7, 2021
Amazing news for Odisha! 🎉 #Odisha #Development April 20, 2021
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) April 20, 2021
Your tweet content here
— Anil Pradhan (@AnilPradhanEdu) January 27, 2022