Yathaarth Murthy, the 14-year-old Anthemologist and change maker, recently had an exclusive interview with Global Child Prodigy under Prodigy Talks. The renowned Entrepreneur, Educationalist, and Humanitarian, Mr. Kavin Kumar Kandasamy, hosted the talk. He is also the Managing Director of Mangalam Educational Institutions. Mr. Kavin’s institutions serve more than 7000 students every year.
Let’s get to know the inspiring story behind Yathaarth Murthy’s success in this interview.
Hello Yathaarth, How Are You and How Has the Pandemic Been for You So Far?
I’m fine, Mr. Kevin. Initially, the pandemic situation was tough for me. Like most others, before the outburst of the CoronaVirus, I didn’t know what a pandemic was. Undoubtedly, the pandemic is an undesirable and unfortunate condition, but we can also try to spend the available free time wisely. Most of the time, I miss going to school and physically spending time with my friends. But the bright side of it is that I get to spend more time with my parents now.
Tell Us A Little About Yourself
My name is Yathaarth Murthy, I’m from Bangalore, and I’m honored to be a GCPA awardee. I’m a two times Limca Record Holder for singing the most number of National Anthems. I’m a three times TEDx Speaker as well. My parents are both architects, and they are my support system. I’m a grade 9 student at Vidyashilp Academy. I have no siblings, so I’m the only child in my family.
Are You Happy With Online School Education?
I’d say I’m able to adjust to it. Now, I’m used to online school, but, yes, I miss going to school and physically spending time with my friends. But, I guess, at some time you have to adjust to the new normal. It has been challenging from the start, but now it’s fine with me.
When Did the Whole Thing of Being An ‘Anthemologist’ Come To You?
It started in June 2014, that time I had my keyboard class every evening at 7 pm. It was just another music class, but then one day, my mentor told me that he plans to teach me National Anthems on the keyboard. The idea amazed and excited me. He taught me the National Anthems of four different countries- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Japan.
It lit a spark in me, and I was excited to learn more about National Anthems. So, it started as a hobby. After learning four National Anthems, I asked my teacher if he could teach me more, but, unfortunately, he didn’t know any more of them. Starting from 4, today I can sing 260 National Anthems, which I have learned through YouTube and Wikipedia.
Yathaarth, Did You Understand the Literal Meaning of All the National Anthems Back Then?
In the beginning, I didn’t go for the word-to-word meaning of every anthem. But, I tried to understand the overall purpose of it. I tried to get an idea of what meaning the anthem was conveying, and just like that, I’ve learned a lot about the country and the history associated with the anthem.
How Many Anthems Do You Know?
Currently, I can sing the National Anthems of 260 countries. I mean, according to the United Nations, there are 193 recognized countries. But there are a lot of other countries that have not been recognized by the UN. They are known as Non-UN members. These Non-UN member countries also have their National Anthems, while some borrow it from other countries. For example, Cyprus borrowed its national anthem from Greece.
Other Than the Indian National anthem, Is There Any National Anthem That Struck You Personally?
Yeah, National Anthems intrigued me, and my second favorite is the national anthem of South Africa. It is mainly for two reasons. First, it’s melodious, and second, it has five paragraphs and five different languages in it. Thus, each para has one different language.
Is the Term ‘Anthemologist’ Recognised Yet?
Well, I did coin the term Anthemologist. I thought if we had words like biologist and sociologist, then why not have Anthemologist? It’s not recognized yet, but I’ve been telling people that I’m an anthemologist. So, that’s used to describe a person who sings and studies the national anthems of different countries and the history and culture of those countries.
Has This Passion Ever Taken You To A Special Place?
Yes, as I can sing national anthems of all the countries, many diplomats have invited me, and most times I sing at the National day of different countries. There are two most memorable times which I will never forget. When I sang at the ceremony of Dana Kursh, the Counsel General of Israel to India, she enjoyed my performance and got emotional. Second is when I was invited to the UN, and they gave me a two-hour platform to sing the national anthems to the Un visitors.
Tell Us About Your Role As the India CSR’s ‘Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Positive Change.’
Mr. Rusen Kumar Ji recognized my talent and gave me this responsibility. CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, and many companies offer some percentage of their wealth to the India CSR. It donates all the collected money for noble social causes.
Yathaarth Murthy Can You Tell Us About Your Social Entrepreneur Background
I like helping people, from helping my classmates in Maths to going to a larger scale, like donating wherever possible. The best thing that I’ve done as a social entrepreneur is conducting an online Tambola (Housie For A Cause). I conducted a WhatsApp tombola, and all the collected money was given for a social cause. During the lockdown, I collected juice and biscuits and gave them to our local police force. One of the most significant projects I did for ‘Housie For A Cause’ was donating money to Kenya’s orphanage. It proved to be of much help to them.
Tell Us About Your Campaign To Revive The 4.5-acre Lake In Bangalore.
It was part of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) Project. The team included four of my classmates and me, and we had to take a project which solves at least ‘3’ sustainable development goals of the UN. We decided to take up a lake revival as it was never done before by teenagers. With our mentor’s help ( Lake man of Bangalore -Anand Malligavad), we decided to revive a 4.5-acre lake situated near Bannerghatta National Park.
We were five team members, and each of us had to collect Rs 2 Lac to get a total of Rs 10 Lac for the project. Unfortunately, one team member backed out midway, and we were down to Rs 8 Lac. This was where Mr. Anand came in and reworked the plan. We were able to revive the lake within a month after that and presented the project in New York.
What Is Your Vision In Life?
My goal is to represent India at the United Nations as an Indian Ambassador to the UN. I’m going to do it in my capacity and will work hard to fulfill my dream.
How Does It Feel To Receive Recognition From the GCPA?
Honestly, I feel honored as it’s one of my international recognition. It was an honor being there among 100 other global child prodigies. It was an excellent opportunity for me as I was able to meet other talented children.
Yathaarth Murthy Is There Any Other Prodigy You Look Up To?
I’m good friends with and look up to the child author Stacey Fru. One person who wasn’t there at the GCPA but I still look up to is Capri Everitt, who has a Guinness World Record of singing 80 national anthems in 80 countries worldwide.
Any Message for Your Audience?
Firstly, I hope you all are safe and staying at home. Secondly, I’d like to say that if you have a dream, then the only thing to do is work hard for it. I got to know about my goal at the age of 12. So all you need to do is keep working hard for your dream. Remember that any obstacle that comes your way is temporary, and even though it may deter you, if you keep striving, you’ll achieve your goal one day.
Thank you, Yathaarth Murthy. You are a wonderful person. We wish you all the best for your future. May you get all the success in life.
If you know someone close to you who deserves to be in the next Top 100 Child Prodigies list, make sure to click here.
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