Achievers evidently bloom earlier than ever these days. At the age of 10, Raahithi Tripuraneni is not just a successful blogger who reviews books and has gained many followers for the unique concept of her page, she has also been selected as a semi-finalist in IIT Bombay’s International Business Plan competition, Eureka Junior. Here’s chatting with the blogger and budding entrepreneur...
When did you discover books and reading?
I don’t know when I discovered books but I took it as a hobby around six years of age.
...And the decision to turn reviewer?
The idea of becoming a reviewer was my dad’s but this is my personal reason — books are amazing but only when you read the right ones. I want to help people find the right books because that’s when you find it beautiful.
What is the USP of your channel?
n The USP of my channel is that the videos are only of one or two minutes but cover important points. I try to keep them crisp and I know I have to work more on it.
Honestly, I think the bit sized videos are what makes my channel different because I make a conscious effort of giving maximum information without taking away too much of my viewers’ time. My viewers have been really sweet and I’ve mostly got positive feedback. I think I’ve already made some good friends as well.
Your current fave books Well, in no particular order:
1) Brazen
2) Harry Potter
3) Out of my Mind
4) Fluffy and Me
5) The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
6) Calling Sehmat
Authors you love
1) J. K. Rowling
2) Sharon M. Draper
3) Sudha Murthy
4) Anita Krishan
5) Thea Stilton (Hey, those books got me
started with reading!)
6) Rachel Renee Russell
Tell us more about getting selected as a semi-finalist in IIT Bombay for their International Business Plan competition Eureka Junior.
Eureka Junior was one of the best memories I’ve had with my friend, Sudiptha. Learning something you have never learnt is super fun, especially with friends. IIT seemed pretty intimidating at first but then I was okay. Overall it was a great experience for me.
What was your business idea that got shortlisted?
Social networks should bring people together but instead they have been dividing people with specific generation people joining specific platforms. I did not like this. A social network can bring people across different generations together on one platform. That was my idea and I chose video platforms for it. In the first stages of my idea was to create a video categorising app and then turn it into a platform that enables safe and meaningful connections based on content genres and so on.
Do you ever feel a little overwhelmed by all that's happening in your professional life?
Yes, sometimes I feel like everything is going too fast but I just try and calm down and then everything is fine.
Does it irritate you when people underestimate children and young adults?
I think age does not restrict you from acting superior. Age is just a number that signifies how many years you’ve been on earth, not how much knowledge you’ve gained while on it. Children should have a voice and shouldn’t be considered inferior because we are not.
