Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the inaugural ‘National Creators Award’ at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Friday. The National Creators Award is an effort to recognize excellence and impact across domains, including storytelling, social change advocacy, environmental sustainability, education, gaming, among others.
The awards were awarded in twenty categories, which are Best Storyteller Award, The Disruptor of the Year, Celebrity Creator of the Year, Green Champion Award, Best Creator For Social Change, Most Impactful Agri creator, Cultural Ambassador of The Year, International Creator award, Best Travel Creator Award, Swachhta Ambassador Award, The New India Champion Award, Tech Creator Award, Heritage Fashion Icon Award, Most Creative Creator (Male & Female), Best Creator in Food Category, Best Creator in Education Category, Best Creator in Gaming Category, Best Micro Creator, Best Nano Creator, Best Health and Fitness Creator.
The awards saw the nomination of over 1.5 creators across the 20 categories, and it received over 10 lakh votes for the digital categories. From this, 23 winners were decided and they were presented the awards at a grand ceremony at Bharat Mandapam by PM Modi.
While presenting the awards, PM Modi talked to the awardees on their respective fields, gave suggestions on topics to cover, and shared light hearted moments. The prime minister displayed his awareness of the work done by the winners of the awards, and encouraged them to address the audience.
Here is a brief introduction of the winners, and their interaction with PM Modi during the ceremony:
New India Champion award – Abhi and Niyu
The ‘New India Champion’ award was given to Abhi and Niyu, the husband-wife duo who are focused on bringing out positive stories about India, India’s changemakers, the country’s history, culture etc. They are known for decoding and simplifying issues for the youth with a belief that small steps can lead to big outcomes in the future.
They had travelled across India to find 100 heartwarming stories of change, positivity and inspiration as part of their #100ReasonsToLoveIndia campaign. Abhi and Niyu were the only Indian content creators to represent India at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt in 2022.
At the award ceremony, the Prime Minister asked them about how they keep the interest of their audience while presenting dry facts. The said that like the Prime Minister’s way of presentation, if the facts are presented with energy, the audience accepts that. PM Modi complimented them for taking up the challenging but extremely important field.
Best Storyteller Award – Keerthika Govindhasamy
Keerthika Govindhasamy known for her YouTube Channel Keerthi History was awarded the Best Storyteller Award. She tells the stories from Indian history which are not covered in school textbooks. Apart from historical facts, the woman from Tamil Nadu also provides life lessons for the new generation.
After receiving the award from PM Modi, Keerthika Govindhasamy appreciated the Prime Minister for acknowledging and promoting the great Tamil Language. She told PM Modi about the interconnected nature of history and politics and resulting occasional backlash in social media. She said today’s teenage audience prefers to learn about the greatness of India, when PM Modi asked about the most popular history content among the teenagers.
Disruptor of the Year – Ranveer Allahbadia (BeerBiceps)
Ranveer Allahbadia, known for his YouTube channel BeerBiceps, was chosen as the winner of the Disruptor of the Year Award. He started his digital content as a fitness channel, and moved onto lifestyle and fashion. Allahbadia now runs one of India’s top podcasts called ‘The Ranveer Show’ where he invites guests from various industries to discuss interesting topics. Not just health and fitness, he also picks up topics like spirituality and religion, aliens and supernatural, science and tech etc. Ranveer Allahbadia also runs several other YouTube channels, including his Hindi channel titled Ranveer Allahbadia and others like TRS Clips, TRS Clips Hindi, RAAAZ by BigBrainco, RAAAZ Clips, BeerBiceps Tamil etc.
Ranveer Allahbadia is also the co-founder of influencer management agency Monk Entertainment. He is also the co-founder of Level Supermind, a meditation and wellness app. During the award distribution show, there was fun banter between Allahbadia and PM Modi on stage and they talked about yoga, meditation, aliens and yetis. PM Modi suggested Ranveer to create awareness about sleep deprivation and mentioned sleeping only for a few hours for the past several years. He also touched upon the benefits of Yog Nidra.
Green Champion Award – Pankti Pandey
Ex-Scientist from ISRO, Pankti Pandey from Ahmedabad received the Green Champion Award for amplifying the message of Mission LiFE. A believer in minimalism, Pankti Pandey is a practitioner of zero-waste living and an advocate for slow fashion and slow food. She creates content providing simple do-it-yourself techniques and hacks through which people can make sustainable choices in their daily life.
After presenting her the award, PM Modi delivered an anecdote popularly known to the people of Ahmedabad drawing huge applause from the crowd. Pankti recommended the people to analyse their waste and perform a waste audit of the trash being discarded from home in an effort to make zero waste. The Prime Minister asked her to conduct a detailed study about Mission LiFE and recalled his clarion call to make ones’ lives environment friendly.
Best Creative for Social Change – Jaya Kishori
The Award for Best Creative for Social Change went to Jaya Kishori known as Meera of modern times. Jaya Kishori is a spiritual motivational speaker, who delivers lessons of values and virtues that she believes is essential in shaping a beautiful life. She shares stories from Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana insightfully.
PM Modi complimented for talking about spirituality in modern ways. She explained her journey as ‘Kathakaar’ and how she is creating an interest among the youth by presenting the great insights of the epics of our culture. She also talked about the possibility of living a meaningful life while fulfilling one’s materialistic responsibilities.
Most Impactful Agri Creator – Lakshya Dabas
Lakshya Dabas received the Most Impactful Agri Creator for his work on improving agricultural practices with the use of innovation and technology. Lakshya Dabas along with brother Mrinal Dabas are farmers known for their organic farming. Mrinal is an engineer and Lakshya holds a Master’s degree in Environment and Development. They sell their organic produce under their brand ‘Organic Acre’, and products are delivered to customer’s doorstep within 12 hours of harvesting.
Mrinal Dabas received the award on his behalf and highlighted the need for natural farming in the country. He informed about training more than 30,000 farmers about ways of natural farming and protecting the crops from insects and pests. The Prime Minister lauded his thought process in the present day and age and urged him to meet the Governor of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat to discuss his vision on natural farming where he has persuaded more than 3 lakh farmers to adopt natural farming. He also urged Lakshya to listen to Devvrat’s YouTube videos. PM Modi also asked for his assistance in debunking the myths surrounding natural farming and organic farming.
Cultural Ambassador of the Year – Maithili Thakur
Cultural Ambassador of the Year Award went to Maithili Thakur who performs original songs, covers and traditional folk music in multiple Indian languages. Trained in Indian classical music and folk music, she has sung songs, especially devotional songs, in Hindi, Bengali, Maithili, Urdu, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil, English and other languages. Maithili Thakur’s videos on YouTube and other platforms have become hugely popular, and now is invited to perform at national and international events.
On the Prime Minister’s request at the award deremony, she performed a devotional song for Bhagwan Shiv on the occasion of Mahashivratri. She requested to take a selfie with the PM, to which he said, ‘selfie ke bina nehi chalta,’ and happily posed for the photo.
Best International Creator Award- Kili Paul, Drew Hicks and Cassandra Mae Spittmann
The Best International Creator Award was awarded to three creators, Kili Paul from Tanzania, Drew Hicks from America, Cassandra Mae Spittmann from Germany.
Drew Hicks received the Award from PM. Drew Hicks, with his fluent Hindi and Bihari accent has amassed social media popularity and fame for linguistic talent in India. Expressing his happiness for the Award, Drew said that he wishes to make people happy and raise the name of India. He informed that his interest in Indian culture rose due to his father’s connection with BHU and Patna. Prime Minister Modi wished him luck and said that his every sentence will inspire the youth of the country.
Kili Paul and Neema Paul are known for their videos in which they sing Hindi and other Indian language songs. The siblings came to the limelight after several videos posted by the duo went viral on TikTok and Instagram reels. They have perfected the art of lip-syncing to Hindi songs from the Bollywood film, along with other Indian language songs.
Cassandra Mae Spittmann is a visually challenged German national, who has sung songs in Indian languages. Her Tamil and devotional songs last year had gone viral. She was mentioned by PM Modi in an episode of Mann Ki Baat. During her visit to India, she met PM Modi in last week of February 2024, and she recited ‘Achyutam Keshavam’ and a Tamil song in front of the PM.
She also made headlines with her rendition of Ram Ayenge ahead of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya. She sings in Kannada, Sanskrit, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Urdu, Assamese and Bengali. Although she was not present to receive the award, PM Modi mentioned about her while talking to Maithili Thakur.
Best Travel Creator – Kamiya Jani
Kamiya Jani of Curly Tales was given the best travel creator award. She focuses on food, travel & Lifestyle and showcases beauty and variety of India in her videos. Mumbai based Kamiya Jani started her career as a freelance journalist in 2006, and later started to cover various topics like corporate lifestyle, personal finance, corporate travel, health, fitness, style, and grooming. She started her YouTube channel Curly Tales in 2016, creating video content on food, travel and related topics.
Recently she was subject of a controversy after some BJP members in Odisha opposed her entry into the Jagannath temple in Puri, because her content on food contains some beef items. They accused her of being a ‘beef promoter’. She then clarified that her job is to go to different parts of the country and tell viewers about the food, culture, people, and lifestyle in those places. Kamiya Jani said that she does not consume beef, and only covered some popular eateries that serve beef items.
Accepting the award, she talked about the beauty of India and said that the objective is that India should be number 1 on the global map. When she said that she is confused about visiting Lakshadweep or Dwarka, the Prime Minister said that for Dwarka she will have to go very deep, to the laughter among the audience.
PM Modi recalled the bliss that he felt on having darshan of the submerged city of Dwarka. Narrating his experience of going to Aadi Kailash, the Prime Minister said that he experienced the places of height and depth both. He also asked the creators to inspire devotees to experience the holy places in their entirety other than the darshan part. He also reiterated that 5-10 percent of the total travel budget should be spent on local products. Apart from supporting the local economy, this helps in emphasizing the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat spirit also, he said. Kamiya thanked the Prime Minister for rejuvenating the places of faith in the country.
Tech Creator Award – ‘Technical Guruji’ Gaurav Chaudhary
Popular YouTuber ‘Technical Guruji’ Gaurav Chaudhary won the Tech Creator Award. He is well known for his Hindi videos on technology and electronic devices. He primarily posts videos of advices and product reviews. By presenting technology in Hindi without the use of jargons, Technical Guruji has been able to attract a large audience base.
He credited Digital India for contributing to his channel in a significant way. PM Modi said “for a bright future we need to democratize technology. UPI is a big symbol of that as it belongs to everyone. World will progress only when such democratization takes place”. Gaurav narrated his experience of using UPI in Paris and said that Indian solutions can help the world.
Swachhata Ambassador Award – Malhar Kalambe
Malhar Kalambe received Swachhata Ambassador Award for leading clean up drives since 2017. He also raises awareness on plastic pollution and climate change. He is the founder of ‘Beach Please’, who has been conducting clean-up of beaches in Mumbai. He uses social media to raise awareness about cleanliness, and also to gather volunteers for clean-up campaigns. He has been able to assemble general public, authorities, celebrities and corporates in his mission.
The Prime Minister took a jibe at the opposition while presenting the award, saying “Har prakaar ki safai mein kaam aa sakta hai, iss chunaav mein bhi safai hone wali hai” (In this polls too there is going to be a clean sweep).
PM Modi also joked with Malhar and asked to him eat properly as he looks very thin, and told him that there are many creators who talk about food and nutrition.
Malhar Kalambe elaborated on his journey and campaigns and said that attitudes towards removing garbage will need to change. The Prime Minister praised the consistency of his efforts and complimented him for creating an environment for cleanliness.
Heritage Fashion Icon Award – Jahnvi Singh
Heritage Fashion Icon Award was given to Jahnvi Singh, a 20-year-old content creator for Instagram who talks about Indian Fashion and promotes Indian Sarees. Jahnvi Singh from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh mainly makes content focused on spirituality and Indian culture. On her YouTube channel Gita Se Gyaan, she talks about teachings of Gita and how problems in daily lives can be solved through teachings of the holy books. She also shares stories behind the Vedas, Purans, Upanishads, Mahabharat & Ramayana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the textile market goes with fashion and praised the creator for her efforts in promoting Indian textiles. She reiterated her motto of taking Indian themes forward with Sanskriti, Shastra and Saree. The Prime Minister, pointing towards the trend of readymade turbans, dhoti and such apparels that need tying, asked her views on promoting such things. She also emphasized the beauty of Indian textiles. He added that India has always been a leader in fashion.
Best Creative Creator- female – Shraddha Jain
Best Creative Creator- female award went to Shraddha famous for her multilingual comedy sets and creates engaging and relatable content across generations. Known as Aiyyo Shraddha, she is actress, comedian, RJ and Television Host who. Shraddha Jain started her career as a Radio Jockey in a Fever 104 FM and became famous as RJ Shraddha.
However, she went viral as Aiyyo Shradha after she started to create comedy videos talking about various issues. As a digital content creator, she makes videos in 5 Languages including Tulu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi and English.
Receiving her with her trademark ‘Aiyyo’, the Prime Minister said that this is the second time he met Shraddha. Shraddha said that the award is recognition for those who are creating content from their homes and she also pointed towards her approach to find light humour in serious themes. Shraddha complemented the Prime Minister for his spontaneity in his interaction with the creators.
Best Creative Creator-male – RJ Raunaq
RJ Raunaq received the Best Creative Creator-male award. He is a well known radio jockey and the voice behind the character ‘Bauaa’.
Raunaq said that with Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister is also an important, record-breaking figure of the radio industry. He thanked the Prime Minister on behalf of the radio industry. Raunaq also spoke in his trademark ‘Bauaa’ style.
Best Creator in Food Category – Kabita Singh
Award for Best Creator in Food Category went to Kabita Singh known for her Kabita’s Kitchen. Kabita Singh is a housewife who became a digital entrepreneur with her recipes and tutorials. Known for sharing authentic Indian recipes, Kabita’s Kitchen has been able to carved a niche for herself in the field dominated by celebrity chefs.
Initially started as a hobby in 2014, Kabita’s Kitchen channel quickly gained momentum as Kabita Singh continued to share her recipes of everyday dishes.
Continuing with his concern for Malhar Kalamber’s lean physique, the PM jokingly told Kabita to take care of him. She stressed the importance of cooking as a key life skill. Kavita Singh said that everyone should learn cooking, and during Covid-19 pandemic the importance of cooking at home was realised by everyone. She also said that schools should sensitize the students about agriculture so that they realize the importance of food and avid wastage.
The Prime Minister said that people should try the local cuisine when traveling. PM Modi also asked food related creators to promote millets and also promote the awareness of nutritional values. The Prime Minister remembered his visit to Taiwan where he was recommended a Buddhist restaurant for vegetarian food. When he saw non vegetarian looking dishes there and on enquiry, he was informed that vegetarian dishes were shaped like chicken mutton and similar dishes so that local population get attracted towards such food.
Best Creator in Education – Naman Deshmukh
Naman Deshmukh received the Best Creator in Education Category. He is an Instagram influencer and content creator in tech and gadget space. He covers technology, gadgets, finance, social media marketing and educates audiences on tech related subjects like AI and coding. Deshmukh is known for his ability to break down complex topics into simple, understandable language. He also runs ‘The Growth Plus’, a course to help individuals boost their social media presence.
He informed the Prime Minister about his content on educating people on various online scams and also benefits and ways of availing benefits from the government schemes. The Prime Minister praised him for creating awareness about safe surfing and social media practices. The Prime Minister told the creators to create content on Atal Tinkering Labs set up by the govt in schools across the country. He also said that children should be encouraged to take up science as successes like Chandrayaan have created a new scientific temper among children.
Best Health and Fitness Creator – Ankit Baiyanpuria
Ankit Baiyanpuria was given the Best Health and Fitness Creator Award by the Prime Minister. Ankit is a wrestler turned fitness influencer and is famous for completing his 75 hard challenges. Originally started by US-based author-entrepreneur Andy Frisella in 2020, the challenge involves going on a strict carb-free diet, performing two 45-minute workouts, drinking a gallon of water, and steering clear of cheat meals and alcohol.
Ankit Baiyanpuria had collaborated with the PM Modi in October 2021 as part of the ‘Shramdan for Cleanliness’ program, a part of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign. When PM Modi asked him to address the audience, Ankit asked them to work out regularly and lead a balanced lifestyle.
Gaming Creator – Nischay Malhan
‘Triggered Insaan’ Nischay was given the Gaming Creator Award. He is a Delhi-based YouTuber, Live-streamer and gamer. He is known for commentaries, roasts and reaction videos on his YouTube channel.
Nischay thanked the Prime Minister for recognising the Gaming Category by giving the award. Later talking to ANI he said, “There is a stereotype that Gaming is not a good field, one cannot make their future in gaming, but there is nothing like that. Gaming is a field where we learn a lot of life lessons. It increases analytical and cognitive thinking. Government has recognised this, it is a great thing.”
Best Micro Creator – Aridaman
Aridaman was given Best Micro Creator. He specializes in Vedic astronomy and ancient Indian wisdom. He explores astrology, spirituality and personal growth.
The Prime Minister narrated a light-hearted anecdote pretending to be a palm reader in an unreserved train compartment how he was given a seat every time. Aridaman said that he makes content on Dhram Shastra, and does not make videos on astrology. He said that the trophy has many elements of the Shastras with Dharm Chakra, Vrishabh and Simha. He said that we need to follow the ideals of Dharm Chakra. Aridaman also stressed the need to embrace Indian attire.
Best Nano Creator – Piyush Purohit
Best Nano Creator Award was given to Piyush Purohit from Chamoli Uttarakhand who highlights little known places, people and regional festivals. He is a budding filmmaker and editor who makes videos on Uttarakhand.
He shows cultural programs and other contests from the state, adding VFX to the videos, and the videos are quite popular.
He said that he tries to spread awareness about old traditions of Uttarakhand, and tries to make the videos interesting by using effects. The Prime Minister recalled one of his requests in Mann ki Baat where girls from Kerala sang a song from Chamoli.
Best Celebrity Creator – Aman Gupta
Aman Gupta, Founder and CEO of boAT and famous for his involvement in Shark Tank India, was given Best Celebrity Creator Award. Founded by Aman Gupta in 2016, boAT has become a popular Indian brand of headphones, earphones, speakers and other electronic products.
Aman Gupta told the Prime Minister that he started his company when Start Up and Stand-Up India were launched in 2016. And in a short span of time, they are one of the largest audio brands in the world. He said that boat is the second largest audio company in the world, and credited Make in India for the same.