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"My school supported me a lot, gave platform...": Adani International School student who withstood personal challenge to craft unique innovation

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 2 (ANI): Turning a lifelong limitation into the foundation of a remarkable journey that earns international recognition and benefits society requires grit and determination. It also needs encouragement and support. Adani International School student Aahan Ritesh Prajapati, who was born with red and green colour blindness, has pioneered a machine-learning model capable of modifying textbook diagrams and maps for colour-blind students. Aahan Prajapati,17, told ANI that the constant support of his school played a big role in his journey. "I feel profoundly grateful for the opportunity to drive positive change in society," he said. Aahan said that during his childhood, he used to face a lot of difficulties during lab experiments and art and craft classes, where he couldn't differentiate between colours, and gradually, his parents also realised this. "In Grade Four, I was diagnosed with red and green colour blindness after a test was done. When I got to know about my colour blindness, I realised that many of the students might be facing same difficulty and might not be aware about their condition. So I took it as a social project called Aiding Colours. Ishihara test was done on students from government and private schools," he said. Aahan said he went to over 30 schools, and nearly 120 were found to be facing problems related to colour-blindness. He said there are many jobs in aviation, defence forces and railways where candidates with colour blindness are not eligible. "I took up a project, where I did a computational study to enhance images for colour blind students so that they can see those images better. Initially, I started in my hometown of Anand, but later, when I moved to Adani International School, my school supported me a lot and gave me a platform so that I could conduct tests in school itself and at the Gokul Ashram School," he said. His pioneering machine-learning model, capable of modifying textbook diagrams and maps for colour-blind students, has achieved 99.7% accuracy. The innovation recently won him the prestigious Crest Gold Award (UK) and has been celebrated on global academic platforms. Aahan said Namrata Adani, Promoter, Adani International School, has been a support in his journey, and her encouragement has helped him contribute to society. "She gave me a platform," he said. Namrata Adani believes that stories like Aahan's reflect the larger vision of Adani International School that it is an institution committed to nurturing not just achievers, but changemakers. "Education must go beyond textbooks. It must shape compassionate leaders who can touch lives," she says. Aahan said after moving to Adani International School, he was able to continue his work with the school's support, allowing him to pursue his project "as part of their initiatives rather than as an individual effort". "As part of school activities, I set up a camp with the help of my classmates who volunteered, enabling us to test over 300 students. In the next five years, I aim to scale this project to include more schools across Gujarat and India. I also aspire to advocate for policy changes, such as mandatory primary health checkups for colour-blind students in schools to ensure early awareness, and modifications in textbooks, like enhancing images to make them more accessible for colour-blind students," he said. "Receiving the Crest Gold Award has been deeply meaningful to me, as it recognizes the impact I've made through machine learning analysis to convert and enhance images for colorblind students. I feel profoundly grateful for the opportunity to drive positive change in society," he added. Aahan's mission took root in Anand, Gujarat, where--with the support of the Dr Shivani Bhatt Charitable Foundation--he organised colour blindness screening camps across four districts. More than 10,000 students were tested and 131 discovered, often for the first time, that they were colour blind. For many, it was a life-altering revelation. One aspiring Army cadet, who had struggled silently for years, finally understood why certain subjects had always seemed impossibly difficult. Determined to offer real solutions, Aahan designed not only his artificial intelligence (AI)-powered model but also bilingual awareness leaflets, inclusive stationery, and teacher-friendly guides to make classrooms more empathetic. His work has been featured at the Indo-French Conference on AI and Healthcare at IIT-Delhi and is set to be published in the International Journal of High School Research, New York. For Aahan, the true reward lies in the smiles of children who finally feel seen. "If even one child can understand better because of my work, I consider it a success," he said. (ANI)

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