When asked what his final words to future participants were, 12-year-old Viraaj Kaushal, studying in 8th grade from St. Mary’s School, confidently replied, “Don’t be nervous, just go with the flow.”
Joined by GEMA for an interview after his win in the GEMA International Student Speaker Contest, Viraaj opened up about his love for public speaking and the thought process behind the scenes of preparing for the contest.
I believe books aren’t just for school but for life.
On being asked how he felt on winning, Viraaj expressed how happiness and a sense of pride washed over him. In his speech on “Reading In The Digital Age,” Viraaj emphasized his belief that books shouldn’t be restricted to school but should be treated as essential lessons in life.
He expressed that getting to show people everything he had worked hard for and putting his effort to the test was his favourite part of the entire journey, claiming that despite previous experiences in public speaking, repeated rehearsals and memorization helped him overcome the tiny bit of anxiety he had.
They helped me craft the best version of it.
Viraaj shared that his mother and teachers had been his primary support during the preparatory journey of improving his weak spots and staying consistent. He credited them for being the ones who helped him not sound like a robot and craft the best version of the speech, which would ultimately lead him to his big win.
Viraaj enjoys being expressive and mentioned that speaking in front of people helps him do that, and he credits his past experiences for helping him grow more confident on stage and on camera.
As a confident and well-spoken individual, he shared that a topic he would like to speak on in the future was marine life and AI— a topic over which he and the interviewer shared a chuckle over given their shared interest in marine life.
If you could win a prize for anything else, what would it be?
As the interview drew closer to its end, Viraaj spoke about his big dream of being recognised and appreciated by the Prime Minister of India.
“When it comes to accolades, the list just doesn’t end. But the real honour would be being recognised and appreciated by the Prime Minister of the country,” he shared.
As the interview wrapped up, Viraaj left a clear mark as a confident and thoughtful young speaker. With his ambition and gratitude for those around him, and interests ranging from marine life to artificial intelligence, it’s safe to say we’ll be hearing more from him in the years to come.
Watch Viraaj’s full interview here.