The youngest TEDx speaker

Advait Kolarkar, an art prodigy from Pune, Maharashtra, became the youngest Indian to deliver a TEDx talk at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dwarka, New Delhi, in November 2022, at the age of 8 years, 9 months and 27 days. He mostly spoke about the importance of creativity and freedom to explore the world. The talented boy has earned a proud mention in the India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records for this feat. He is also known for being the youngest professional painter in the world. His message to the world was simple:

“Anyone can develop the power of creativity. You don’t need to grow up to do something big. Keep the child in you alive!”

The child’s TEDx talk revolved around creativity, passion and most importantly the relentless belief in oneself. Not only did he tell us how important it is to nurture creativity, he also shed light on how parents can help a child grow into his/her interests rather than growing into a ‘mould’ of their choice. In the end, Advait, being the youngest to perform at TEDx-GGSIPU

in New

The record for being the youngest TEDx speaker was set by Advait Kolarkar of Pune, Maharashtra. An eight-year-old prodigy, he became the youngest to deliver a TEDx talk in Nov 2022 at Indraprastha University, Delhi.

Delhi, won hearts by leaving hope, happiness, and a sense of ambition. He embodies the adage -- age is just a number. The child, who started painting the floor with food colours at the age of 8 months, is now a prolific artist, and the winner of the Global Child Prodigy Award (2020). By taking the art world by storm with a radiant show in the USA, a solo art show in London and holding an exhibition in New York, he has organised a significant show in Italy and at the London Art Biennale, New York’s Art Expo, a solo stint in Canada and India. His artwork was painted by a robot on a car and his work was featured at Walt Disney’s largest digital destination ‘Reimagine Tomorrow’.

He held his art exhibition ‘Alluring Illusions’ in May 2022 at the Gagliardi Gallery in London.

Remembering the initial days, his mother, Shruti Kolarkar said, “I could not believe that a one-year-old baby was creating mesmerising art. That was the moment I realised he had something special and I need to nurture that. When he got to brush, canvas and colours, he never stopped. His passion is still the same.”

The world expects a lot more from this child prodigy in the coming time. He has a clear-cut picture of the future in his mind, “I will be a painter for my entire life. I also want to be a Palaeontologist (one who studies fossils), an inventor and an author.” You will be surprised to know that while his artwork is known for its vibrant shades of bright colours, his favourite colour is black. He says, “Black is my favourite colour. If you mix all the colours, you will get black. So, I felt like I was already using all the colours.”