Profiles of the
Young Achievers for 2008

TEAM GARUDA
Team Garuda, the creators of the RVCE Supermileage car, is led by Nishant Sarawgi and comprising Kayaan Kalyaniwalla, Darshan Dwarkanath Chikmaglur Moorthy and Bharat Sharma. A team of students from R.V. College of Engineering, Team Garuda is a remarkable group of young achievers, who have successfully created and test driven India's first ever super mileage car that runs for 180 km on a single litre of petrol.

This conceptual prototype car was launched at R V College of Engineering on 2nd August 2008 by internationally renowned car designer Mr Dilip Chabbria. The innovative aerodynamic design, the technological achievement, the critical engine modifications, optimal chassis design, special transmission system that was imported and redesigned, the ingenious use of ultra light tires and wheels and driver safety measures received much acclaim.

This team has been working for more than two years to design, build and successfully run this super fuel efficient car. One of the first student teams in India to achieve this, Team Garuda is now all set to go international by participating in the prestigious SAE super mileage competition, USA, as well as competing at the UK Shell Eco-Marathon Youth Challenge.

From start to now, the team has fought many obstacles to get here. From finding sponsorships and funding, to arranging for vehicle components of the right specifications, as well as procuring high end engineering design software to working at nights on the car while attending classes and lab sessions during the day, the team has been through a lot.

Currently, the team aims to take the fuel economy of this car to 500 km per litre. And they also plan to add to the tremendous awareness created about global environmental and socio-economic issues like need for energy conservation, affordable green technologies, pollution, global warming, fuel crisis and oil prices. For their initiative, brilliance, endurance and entrepreneurship, we are proud to honour Team Garuda with the Rotary Bangalore Midtown & Brigade Group Young Achievers Award 2008.

ROHAN BOPANNA
Rohan Bopanna has been one of India's most promising stars on the professional tennis circuit since 2003. His freshly won ATP title at Countrywide Classic doubles tournament in Los Angeles, California in August 2008 is proof positive that his talent is being recognised not just in India but everywhere.

Earlier, he achieved his career high doubles ranking of 43 when he reached the finals of The Newport Open in July 2008 with his doubles partner Aisam Qureshi. The partnership between Rohan Bopanna and Aisam Qureshi has won 4 consecutive Challenger Trophies and earned them the nickname 'Indo-Pak Express.'

His other wins include the Dublin Challenger Trophy in July 2007 with team mate Adam Feeney of the USA.

Known for his big first serve, Bopanna has represented India in the Davis Cup for 5 rewarding years. His biggest dream come true was when he played against Roger Federer at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

These astounding achievements were not easy for Bopanna, a tennis player in cricket obsessed India. Sponsorships and funding for the game were a huge problem, one that affected his concentration. But Rohan's family have been completely supportive, especially his father, who ensured that he could travel to play tournaments with all the necessary equipment.

A very down-to-earth and fun-loving person, Rohan has always managed to keep his private and academic life away from his game. Pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Commerce at Jain College in Bangalore, Rohan is widely admired by everyone and is a constant inspiration to his juniors. Thanks to his presence, the college's forte now lies in tennis.

A firm believer in hard work and perseverance, Rohan Bopanna has achieved a lot in a very short time, and looks set to go even further. This year, we are happy to announce that Rohan Bopanna is the recipient of the Rotary Bangalore Midtown & Brigade Group Young Achiever Award 2008.

ANUP SRIDHAR
Possibly one of India's best known badminton players, Anup Sridhar is all of 25 years old and has recently received the 2007 Arjuna Award. After representing the country at the Beijing Olympics, Anup has the year as the top ranked Indian badminton player.

With his career high world ranking being 24, Anup's most famous win was the one over Taufik Hidayat, former world No. 1 and Athens Olympics gold medalist, at the World Badminton Championships in 2007.

The third Indian to reach the quarterfinals of the World Badminton Championships, Anup's performance there was rated among the 10 top Indian sporting performances of 2007 by NDTV. For the last few years, he has been one of the most consistent performers in India

Anup has also been part of the team that won a Bronze medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games as well as a semi-finalist at tournaments in Malayasia and Germany. And well as captain of the Indian Badminton Team for tournaments like the Hopman Cup, mentoring the younger members of the team.

He has battled immense mental pressure and injuries to remain the National Champion through 2005 and 2006 as well as win the Eklavya Award in 2004. Anup is currently all set to go forward and win even more awards and acclaim, that too, on a global scale. This year, we are happy to announce that Anup Sridhar is the recipient of the Rotary Bangalore Midtown & Brigade Group Young Achiever Award 2008.