This 12-Year-Old’s Mindset Will Surprise You

My parents were attending the Quantum Retreat, but what was I doing there? Well, I just tagged along because it was supposed to be a family retreat. I did not know what to expect at first, but then something really cool happened. I saw my mom and dad standing right here as speakers. Man, I was so inspired. I had always seen them talking in front of a tiny screen on the laptop, but standing in front of a huge audience like this, it's a whole new level of transformation. Now I'm jumping into everything— school events, elocutions, singing competitions, dramas and skits. And even weekly chess tournaments. It's like my energy bar has got a power boost. I can't believe how from being a spectator I became a performer. I used to see my parents here on the stage, totally mesmerized, and today I'm the one standing here, speaking, learning, and growing.

Siddharth Rajsekar.

This first speaker, this first creator of ours is just 12 years young. He's chota packet, bara dhamaaka. He's just in grade 8, but he's been part of the ILH family for the last 2 years. Yes, give it up, give it up, give it up. And you know, in the last 6 months, he's been an integral part of Next and very recently he actually enrolled for the next class of 2025.

Yep.

So some of you are wondering what's next. We'll tell you what's next. So he is amazingly passionate about chess and one fine day dreams of being a chess grandmaster. Wow, that's phenomenal. And I must tell you that there are a few things that he loves to explore. It is his secret dream to explore the world through his travel and to connect with people of different ethnicities. Isn't that awesome? I don't know about you, but at 12, I don't remember whether I was coming or I was going. I think I used to use my top or my dress or my t-shirt to wipe my nose, kind of thing. Honestly, yaar, I mean, come on, haven't we all been there? But these guys are something special, and he represents all of these amazing special ones. He has a phenomenal vision of creating a pollution-free island one day.

Wow!

Wow! And just as serious and big as his dreams is also his wicked sense of humor. So at 12, he's got quite a sense of humor. Please help me welcome the very awesome, with a standing ovation, everybody, Kush Bhatta!

Wow! Siddharth Rajsekar. Wow!

It feels amazing to be standing on this stage. And as I am standing here, I can't help but think of the moment when this journey really started for me. It was a beautiful morning in January in 2024 in Mahabalipuram, just one day before our mentor Siddharth Rajsekar's birthday. My parents were attending the Quantum Retreat, but what was I doing there? Well, I just tagged along because it was supposed to be a family retreat. I did not know what to expect at first, but then something really cool happened. I discovered this awesome Science Corners especially made for kids like me. At first, I was like, "Hmm, what's this all about?" But then I found other kids like me. We played team games, we laughed, we shared ideas, and before I knew, We had all become great friends. We had so much fun that we decided to stay in touch even after the retreat, only to meet at our next event called the FBR, the Freedom Business Retreat. Fast forward to FBR 2024, but this time it wasn't just about catching up with friends. This time I had a serious job to do. I was now a young crew member at FBR. At first, I thought crewing would be this super serious job, like running around, making sure everything is perfect, paying attention, staying quiet. Basically, I imagined myself as a secret agent, but without the cool gadgets. But then, something happened that totally blew my mind. I saw my mom and dad standing right here as speakers. Man, I was so inspired. I had always seen them talking in front of a tiny screen on the laptop. But standing in front of a huge audience like this, it's a whole new level of transformation. [APPLAUSE] And then I kept asking myself, "What did Siddharth Rajsekar do to make this happen?" That's when I started looking at Siddharth closely. I wasn't just hanging around, I was on a mission to learn. And by the end of the FBRs, I have learned 6 things that have stayed with me till now, and today I'm going to share these 6 things with you all. [APPLAUSE] Lesson number 1: Teamwork makes the dream work. Siddharth Rajsekar. At first, I was shocked by how fast everything moved. Every break was like boom. We had only a few minutes to clean the whole hall. And I remember thinking, if I had to do this alone, I'd still be cleaning when I'm 20. But with a team, it's like watching a superhero squad in action. Everyone did their part, and we finished it in no time. So teamwork is like a Wi-Fi signal, stronger when everyone's connected. Lesson number 2: Learning without realizing it. The coolest part, I learned so much without even realizing I was learning. Just by listening to Siddharth Rajsekar and other coaches, watching them do their work and helping out, it was like I was downloading knowledge into my brain. And then, one thing that Siddharth Rajsekar really stayed with me. He said, "Even if you are stuck in life, you should know how to get out of it." So, life is like a video game. When you are stuck, find the cheat code and keep going. Lesson number 3: The richest I've ever felt without a piggy bank. By the end of the event, I felt like I hit the jackpot, but not with money, with real friends.

Aww!

I met people from different places, learning about their culture, their tradition, and laughed so hard that made my stomach hurt. For an extrovert like me, basically a person who can't stop talking, it was a dream come true. [APPLAUSE] So, it's like Wi-Fi. It doesn't matter where you are, and you don't need a Bluetooth to connect. Lesson number 4: Never judge a book by its cover. At first, I thought Siddharth Rajsekar would be super strict, like my maths teacher when I forgot my homework. But then, when I met him, wow, was I wrong. He wasn't old and serious. He was young, friendly, and he smiled like he actually wanted to talk to us. He made me feel that I belong there. And now I truly feel that I belong here. It's funny how your brain makes up stories, and then reality just flips the script. Lesson number 5: Ye dil mangi more. Before I joined the ILH community and NEXT, my life was pretty basic, like a plain toast without any butter. My routine was like school, home, homework, play. Toss in one or two activities, and I felt like I was a champion. But after seeing the energy in this community, I realized that there is so much more to do. I saw kids my age balancing studies with sports, adventures, and cool hobbies. And then I thought, "Wait a minute, if they can, why can't I?" Siddharth Rajsekar. Now I'm jumping into everything. School events, elocutions, singing competitions, dramas and skits, and even weekly chess tournaments. It's like my energy bar has got a power boost. So, well, you know what they say, the vibe of your tribe really is contagious. And before that, I used to overthink on almost every decision. My brain was like, "Should I or shouldn't I? Debate club." But now, it feels like I have found my inner voice. I know what I want to do. No more confusions, no more second-guessings. School teaches us maths, science, and history. But here, I learned leadership, teamwork, and how to push yourself when you're stuck in life. The actual life skills that will help me to move forward in life. Life skills that will provide me with an inner support system to become self-sufficient and independent. My brain stopped buffering YouTube videos. Smooth decisions, here I come. Learning Lesson number 6: Learning the magic of AI. And here, I'm not just talking about artificial intelligence. Being in ILH, we all know how powerful AI is, right? Big thanks to Siddharth Rajsekar. It's no longer just tech magic, it's life magic! At first, when I tried AI, I was blown away by how it transformed random lines into creative masterpieces. If AI was a physical space, it would be the ILH community and the community of teenagers, meaning next! I walked in as a regular schoolboy and came out feeling like an AI prompt— upgraded, optimized, and ready to conquer! Big thanks to Siddharth Rajsekar for not just teaching us AI, but for turning us into unstoppable versions of ourselves. Thanks to Siddharth Rajsekar for being the AI coach. Absolutely incredible. For instilling in us with AI power, automated intelligence. And enabling in all of us with AI, adaptive innovations. I can't believe how from being a spectator I became a performer. I used to see my parents here on the stage, totally mesmerized, and today I'm the one standing here, speaking, learning, and growing. [APPLAUSE] Feels like a superhero story, isn't it?

Yes!

Oh, but where's my cape? Oh yes, it's invisible, but you can see it through the sparkle in my eyes and the fire in my voice.

Thank you.

Standing ovation!

Let's get up for Kush.

So proud of you, Kush. And let's have the proud parents come up on stage. Let's get up for Forum and Falgun. For really giving him the space. Standing ovation for the family. Wow. Microphone. Thank you, thank you. So, Kush, you blew our minds away. Did he blow our minds away? Even I don't get an applause in every line that I say. You are a genius because you have amazingly genius parents. What would you like to share for him?

Blown away. Too many improvisations by his— on his side after coming on stage. And I think Phalguna and I were mesmerized because we too were not expecting this.

Yes.

Since we joined ILH with the sole reason that we'll grow our business. If the business grows, our community grows, that's it. We don't want anything else. But after joining ILH, we realized that we are being groomed here as individuals. Not only that, we are being nurtured, our business is being nurtured. And with that, our families are being nurtured. All these— all these values that we're getting here were automatically being passed on to Kushi. He was picking up, I don't know when, I don't know how, but yes, it was being passed on. I belong to a family of doctors, my parents are doctors. And as child, I've always seen that people introduce them as, "These are my family doctors," you know. So we have family doctors, we have family lawyers. Falgun and I today can proudly say that we have a family mentor in Siddharth. Thank you.

We found a family mentor.

Thank you.

And just one more thing. When there was a discussion going on in one of the next groups, in the parents' group, I think Prachiti said a very wonderful thing which has stayed with me. She said— some conversation was going on and she said, I think she might be in the room, she said that we are witnessing a history in making. And I think each and every child here who is associated with ILH and NEXT, has a potential to create that history. And I think, Siddharth Rajsekar, I'll connect this to what Blair said yesterday.

Yes.

That, you know, you are creating stars, you are helping us radiate our energy to the brightest. But Siddharth Rajsekar, let me tell you, you're also impacting so many nebula and protostars that to become their— you know, to become stars in the future. And I don't know about us, but yes, these— the future generation is all set to become stars.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Forum. Falgun, what would you like to share?

So, uh, thank you very much, Siddharth Rajsekar, for creating this space. We never thought 2 years before a a simple decision. We joined ILH with the simple reason that we want to scale our Facebook ad, but it has gone beyond, much, much more and beyond, you know, Google ad, Facebook ad. Business is one thing, but the kind of bonding which we are seeing inside us, the common vocabulary— I can proudly say that we all three are product of Quantum and NEXT. Thank you very much, Siddharth Rajsekar.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Falgun. Thank you so much for sharing.

Also, My heartfelt gratitude to Vani and Apurva for holding the space for these amazing kids. Yes, yes. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Okay, before that, we only have one Avenger on the stage. Can we bring on the other Avengers on stage? Come on, give them a big round of applause.

Yes!

And anybody else?