KOZHIKODE: Edacheri native Amal Manoj is on cloud nine as he gears up to represent India as a distinguished youth delegate at the forthcoming Y20 (Youth 20) summit of G20, scheduled to be held in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, on April 14 and 15.
The 22-year-old was chosen after he made headlines with his participation as the Indian Youth Ambassador in the India-China Youth Delegation in 2019, where he was the youngest-ever Youth Ambassador from India. Apart from his contribution as a National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteer, he proved his mettle in arts and culture by bagging several accolades for Ottan Thullal and Mono Acting at the State School Kalolsavam.
Amal is also one of the guest speakers of the Y20 agenda ‘Heal, Wellbeing and Sports: Agenda for Youth’ He is pursuing his master’s from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication’s Mizoram campus after completing graduation in Mathematics from Ramjas College in Delhi. He completed his higher secondary and high school education at Iringannur HSS and BEM HSS Vadakara, respectively.
Talking about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Amal said, “The offer came directly from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Government of India) as I was part of the Indian Youth delegation in China. The state government recommended my name for the China delegation as I had bagged the state award the same year. I would like to see myself as a diplomat after completing my course in Mass Communication.”
In 2018, he bagged the state award for the best NSS volunteer leader, and the same year, he was part of the National Youth Festival, where he won the best performer award. He was the only speaker to represent the state at the National Youth Parliament. Performing Ottan Thullal before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the most memorable events of Amal’s life. Interestingly, he was one of the 15 students to be a part of the Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 2021, the year, when Covid-19 was at its peak.
The Y20 summit is an attempt to create a connecting point between G20 governments and their local youth. The upcoming summit will exemplify India’s youth-centric efforts and provide an opportunity to showcase its values and policy measures to youth across the globe.