Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Three Indians among winners of Diana Award

Uday Bhatia, Manasi Gupta and Netra Venkatesh have won the award

Three Indians among winners of Diana Award

A New Delhi-based innovator whose low-cost electric invention helps overcome power cuts, a mental health campaigner from Haryana and a student from Dubai who helps to empower girls across the developing world are the Indian winners of the Diana Legacy Awards this year.

Uday Bhatia, founder of Uday Electric, Manasi Gupta, founder of Huesofthemind Foundation and Netra Venkatesh, who started SpunkGo, received their awards from Prince William, the elder son of Princess Diana, at an event held in London’s Science Museum on Thursday (14).


The award recognised 20 young people from around the world for their social activism or humanitarian work.

When Bhatia began mentoring students as a 16-year-old schoolboy in the slums of Bichpuri, Uttar Pradesh, he saw how frequent power cuts rendered children unable to study. To tackle the crisis, he developed his ground-breaking invention called the Outage Guard bulb, as a low-cost solution designed to provide uninterrupted lighting for up to 10 hours during power cuts.

It has reportedly resulted in 950 families receiving stable and reliable power, boosting their educational and employment opportunities.

“Being a social innovator means tirelessly solving problems for the community. I view the Diana Legacy Award as a means to generate a ripple effect that inspires social innovators to change the way we view global issues,” said 18-year-old Bhatia after receiving the award.

“My late grandmother always motivated me to be a changemaker and to be the best version of myself. I hope that I’ve made her proud. More than just recognition, it has provided me with a launchpad and a vast network of connections to enhance my impact."

Bhatia now focuses on energy generation alongside energy storage, with the goal of “lighting every house across the globe, one bulb at a time”.

Gupta, 24, was recognised for having personally delivered over 100 sessions globally to encourage an emphasis on mental health support.

Impacting over 50,000 lives through her non-profit foundation, she is credited with creating an empathetic community focused on mental health support, and in collaboration with over 200 stakeholders, has delivered innovative campaigns, projects and events globally.

“It’s such a heart-warming experience to receive the Diana Legacy Award. I feel truly humbled by the trust the panel has in the work of my organisation, Huesofthemind Foundation,” said Gupta.

“I believe that we have a long way to go to make mental health services more affordable in India and to encourage conversations around mental well-being. In Gandhiji’s words, I continue to use that barrier as motivation to keep being the change I wish to see – by leveraging the power of communities, expressive arts and compassion,” she said.

Gupta has also created an illustrated book to raise funds and increase awareness through social media, reaching more than 1.2 million viewers in the past four years.

Venkatesh, a 17-year-old student Indian student from Dubai, has been honoured for her humanitarian efforts and commitment to empowering young people worldwide.

She started her organisation SpunkGo in July 2020, which brings together over 5,000 young girls from over 20 countries and from all walks of life to one community platform with the objective of using social media for good.

Through SpunkGo, she organises free life skills webinars featuring inspiring women speakers, to impart knowledge to girls around the world.

Venkatesh, student, Dubai International Academy said, “It was an honour to receive this award from HRH The Prince of Wales today. I thank the Diana Award team for the useful workshop they held for the awardees ahead of the awards ceremony. I am most happy for the further recognition this brings to the over 5,000 girls of SpunkGo. This award will go a long way to further our cause of empowering girls across the developing world via education.”

The other South Asian winners of the award are, Alizey Khan, 26, from Pakistan, who started Ruhil Foundation  to ensure nobody would go hungry in her city; Nafira Nayeem Ahmad, 20, from Bangladesh, who founded Amplitude  to abolish social taboos and discrimination in the country and Shamim Ahmed Mridha, 26, also from Bangladesh, who started the Eco-Network Global to ensure proper climate education through training programmes and awareness campaigns.

Pakistani American Sikander (Sonny) Khan , 25, who founded Paani Project, along with his friends, to tackle Pakistan’s lack of secure access to clean water, also received the award.

(with inputs from PTI)

More For You

Bridget Phillipson

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson leaves following a cabinet meeting at Downing Street on September 9, 2025.

Getty Images

Bridget Phillipson joins race for Labour deputy leader

EDUCATION SECRETARY Bridget Phillipson has announced her candidacy for Labour’s deputy leader, becoming the most senior figure to enter the contest so far.

Clapham and Brixton Hill MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy is the only other declared candidate in the race to replace Angela Rayner.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport

Passengers walk back to the reopened terminal after emergency services responded to what they called a 'possible hazardous materials incident' at Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport.

Reuters

Heathrow’s Terminal 4 reopens after hazardous materials alert

HEATHROW Airport has reopened Terminal 4 after it was evacuated on Monday evening following what authorities described as a "possible hazardous materials incident."

The airport said the terminal was declared safe and apologised for the disruption. In a post on X, Heathrow said it was "doing everything we can" to make sure flights depart as planned.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nepal protests

Demonstrators weild stones and sticks as they clash with riot police personnel during a protest outside the parliament in Kathmandu on September 8, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Nepal PM Oli quits as anti-corruption protests spiral, leaving 19 dead

Highlights:

  • Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigns amid violent anti-corruption protests
  • At least 19 killed and more than 100 injured as police clash with demonstrators
  • Social media ban lifted after protests turned deadly across Nepal
  • UN and Amnesty call for probe, two cabinet ministers also resign

NEPAL prime minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday, his aide said, as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vijay-Mallya-Getty

Vijay Mallya, accused of loan defaults of over about £756 million, has been living in the UK and is contesting extradition. (Photo: Getty Images)

UK team inspects Delhi jail as India pursues extradition of fugitives

INDIA’s efforts to secure the extradition of high-profile economic offenders from the United Kingdom, including Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, have moved forward with a recent visit by a team from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to Tihar Jail in Delhi, an official said on Sunday (September 7).

The CPS delegation visited the prison last week to review jail conditions as required by UK courts before deciding on extradition requests, the official said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shabana Mahmood

The minister, promoted from the Ministry of Justice during prime minister Keir Starmer’s Cabinet reshuffle last Friday, said securing the country’s borders would be her main focus.

Getty Images

Shabana Mahmood warns of visa cuts for countries refusing to take back migrants

Highlights:

  • Mahmood warns countries refusing to take back migrants could face visa suspensions
  • More than 1,000 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats over the weekend
  • Mahmood hosted Five Eyes ministers from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in London
  • Home secretary says border security will be her main focus after Cabinet reshuffle
  • NEWLY-APPOINTED home secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday (September 8) outlined a tougher approach on immigration, warning that countries refusing to take back illegal migrants could face visa suspensions.

    Keep ReadingShow less