Esther Hnamte, Aishi Borah Northeast Win Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025

Two amazingly bright and talented kids from the Northeast, Esther Lalduhawmi Hnamte from Mizoram and Aishi Prisha Borah from Assam, have been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025, which is India’s highest civilian award given out on children, for their achievements in the fields of Art & Culture and Science & Technology respectively.

As stated in a PIB news release, they are among the 20 children chosen for this year. The awards were given by the President of India, Draupadi Murmur, to honor outstanding achievements under categories of Bravery, Social Service, Environment, Sports, Art & Culture, and Science & Technology at a function held at New Delhi.

Mizoram’s Singing Prodigy: Esther Laldu

Esthers, who hails from Lunglei in Mizoram and is only 9 years old, received the award in the Art & Culture field for her moving performances filled with patriotism.

Esther was born on June 9, 2016. She is known to have started singing at the age of three. She became overnight sensation in October 2020 when her video singing A R Rahman’s “Vande Mataram” went viral on social media platforms. This video was posted on social media platforms by former Mizoram CM Zoramthanga. This video was later posted on social media platforms by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Esther, in August 2021, uploaded a professionally recorded video of the Indian National Anthem on her channel, involving members of the Assam Rifles, and this video reached three million views in just a week, with over 47 million views currently, one of the most-watched in India by a child artist.

She continued to receive recognition at a national level in December 2024 when she sang "Vande Mataram" at Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav in New Delhi, which was attended by Prime Minister Modi. On this occasion, he received a Northeast mascot themed "Poorvi" from her.

Being the youngest among three siblings, Esther has received several awards, including the Young Achievers Award presented by Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, and the Amul Girl in 2021. Her documentary film titled 'A Star is Born,' on her life and achievements, received the Silver Award for the Best Documentary at the Northeast Film Festival in 2023. The Mizoram Governor General, Gen (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh, described her as "a symbol of national pride and a representation of harmony."

Assam Young Innovator: Aishi Prisha Borah

From Jorhat, Assam, Aishi Prisha Borah, aged 14, received the award in the Science & Technology segment for her inventive and environment-friendly projects that concentrated on sustainable development and converting waste to wealth.

Her projects include natural farming methods, newspaper mulching, and the creation of a machine that makes use of newspaper waste to create pencils. Aishi has displayed her inventions at shows such as the Rashtriya Bal Vaigyanik Pradarshini at New Delhi, the Regional State Science Exhibition, and the National Children’s Science Congress held at Ahmedabad.

The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sharma, appreciated Aishi’s work and said that being so young and passionate about sustainability is an inspiration that will eventually make other children follow environmentally sustainable patterns.

National Recognition on Veer Baal Diwas

The award comes as a celebration of Veer Baal Divas, a festival observed annually on December 26, to commemorate the martyrdom of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh ji, who were the young brothers of Guru Gobind Singh ji. Their spirit of bravery and sacrifice is reflected in the works of this year’s awardees.

While congratulating the awardees, the president said that the children had made their families, communities, and the country proud and that he was confident that the honour would encourage the young minds of India to work towards excellence and make a valuable impact on society. The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is given on an annual basis to children between the ages of 5 and 18 years, inclusive, on the basis of outstanding achievement in various fields.