Kolkata | Achievement Report

A 12-year-old boy from Kolkata is rewriting what it means to be a child prodigy in India. Abhiraj Shee, a Class 7 student of Delhi Public School Megacity, Kolkata, has built an extraordinary record of achievement that few adults, let alone children, ever come close to matching. Abhiraj has set 12 World Records, received more than 600 awards and over 800 certificates, authored 36 published books, and developed more than 150 computer applications and games. He consistently ranks first in his grade at school, and his growing list of accolades has drawn attention from national broadcasters, international award bodies, and some of the country’s most prominent public figures.

Abhiraj’s story is unusual not just for the scale of his accomplishments but for the sheer range of fields in which he has excelled — from memory-based world records and competitive Olympiads to creative writing, coding, art and public recognition. Taken together, his achievements paint the picture of a child who treats every new challenge as an opportunity to test the limits of what a pre-teen can do.

Twelve World Records Across Four Record-Keeping Bodies

At the heart of Abhiraj’s recognition are his 12 World Records, certified by the India Book of Records, the International Book of Records, the Asia Book of Records, and the World Book of Records, London. These records span an unusually wide set of skills. Abhiraj holds the record for the maximum number of English books authored by a pre-teen, having published 34 books at the time the record was certified. He is also recognised as the youngest child whose book has been published in the largest number of foreign languages.

His memory-driven records are equally striking. Abhiraj recited the entire periodic table of elements in just 42 seconds, a feat recognised as the fastest such recitation by a pre-teen. In a separate record, he identified and recited 100 phonetic words in 44 seconds. He also holds a record for spelling 100 English words — ranging from short words to those with more than ten letters — in 2 minutes and 53 seconds. In another test of rapid recall, Abhiraj answered 100 questions drawn from different subjects in just 4 minutes and 30 seconds. He additionally holds a record for developing more than 130 computer apps and games within a short span of time, and for receiving the maximum number of trophies, medals and certificates in a short period.

These records were not achieved in a single attempt. Reviewing his record history shows a pattern of continuous improvement: his phonetic-word recitation record, for instance, was first set at 1 minute 18 seconds in 2021-22, improved to 48 seconds the following year, and then further improved to 44 seconds — a record he has held with two different certifying bodies.

Over 600 Awards and 800 Certificates

Beyond his world records, Abhiraj has amassed a striking collection of more than 600 awards — medals, trophies, mementos, medallions, books and cash prizes — along with over 800 certificates earned between 2018 and 2026. These have come through competitions in painting, drawing, storytelling, story and poem writing, recitation, coding, quizzes, essay writing, acting, sports, spelling, handwriting, book writing, yoga, presentation, rangoli, card making, campaign design, singing, art and craft, app development, dance, Olympiads, MS Paint and MS PowerPoint competitions, Scouts and Guides activities, creative writing, mental mathematics, hackathons, Spell Bee contests, chess and more.

This breadth is one of the most distinctive features of Abhiraj’s profile. Rather than specialising narrowly, he has pursued recognition across academic, creative, technical, and physical domains simultaneously — a pattern that has made him a repeated subject of media coverage as a genuinely multi-talented child.

Published Author of 36 Books and Three-Time National Young Authors Fair Winner

Abhiraj has emerged as one of India’s most prolific young authors, having written and published 36 books across different genres. He holds the world record for the maximum number of books published by a kid, currently standing at 34 books at the time of certification, with further titles published since.

His literary work has been recognised at the National Young Authors Fair — described as the world’s largest book-writing competition for children — where Abhiraj has been declared a winning author for three consecutive years: 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26. In the 2024-25 edition, he secured first place in India as a best-selling author in the Genre League, and in 2025-26 he topped the Pioneer League of the same competition, also placing third in the Best Seller League that year. Among his published titles are The Tale of Jaxon and Elara, Good Dream Bad Dream, My Trip to the Moon, My Poems of Love, and My Father My Inspiration.

In a major honour, Abhiraj was named Child Author of the Year 2025-26 at the 4th Kolkata Literary Carnival 2026, where he also received the Dickens Medal of Excellence as part of the 11th International Literary Awards 2025-26. His books have gone further still: three titles — Good Dream Bad Dream, My Trip to the Moon, and The Tale of Jaxon and Elara — were selected for the BriBooks Global Hall of Fame, a recognition given to a select group of books from more than 26 countries. My Trip to the Moon was also chosen for display at the Brooklyn Book Festival in New York, described as the largest literary festival in New York City, hosted on the New York University campus. The Tale of Jaxon and Elara has additionally been selected for translation and publication in Malay, French and German.

150+ Apps and Games, and National Coding Recognition

Abhiraj’s interests extend well into technology. He has developed more than 150 computer applications and games covering education, exercise, health habits, quizzes and independence-building activities. While these apps are not listed on commercial app stores because of licensing requirements, they are accessible through code.org and formed the basis of one of his certified world records for app and game development.

On the competitive coding circuit, Abhiraj has represented Eastern India at multiple levels of the iCode Global Hackathon, billed as the world’s largest coding competition for children, drawing more than 30 lakh students from over 75 countries. In the 2024-25 edition, he secured first rank in Eastern India at the Zonal Final, followed by tenth rank in Asia at the Asian Final and twentieth rank globally at the Global Final. He has also received recognition in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise CodeWars Hackathon, the Coding Star award from Codingal, hackathons hosted by BIT Mesra and IIT Roorkee, and secured second position nationally in both the Codingal Code Factor Hackathon and the Radio Street Code Factor Hackathon.

His technology-linked achievements also include becoming a TCS SDG Ambassador after completing 17 levels of the Mission SDG Early Bird Contest, an initiative jointly organised by Tata Consultancy Services and the Mumbai Zoo on the TCS iON platform.

Top International Ranks Across Olympiads

Academically, Abhiraj has built an extensive record across national and international Olympiads. In 2025-26 alone, he secured first rank internationally with a perfect score in the Unicus Global Mathematics Olympiad, and second rank internationally, also with full marks, in the final level of the CREST Mathematics Olympiad. Over the years he has placed among the top ranks internationally in the SOF Cyber Olympiad, CREST Mathematics Olympiad, SOF Social Studies Olympiad, SOF English Olympiad, Unified Cyber Olympiad and SOF Mathematics Olympiad, in addition to topping his zone in the Unified English Olympiad and placing among the top ranks in the UIGKO Olympiad.

He has also qualified for residential summer programmes at prestigious universities including the University of California and Purdue University in the United States, Johns Hopkins University, and Manipal University in India — recognition reserved for high-performing students identified through talent search examinations.

Recognition From Eminent Personalities

Abhiraj’s achievements have brought him face-to-face with some of India’s most recognised public figures. He has been felicitated by the Honourable Governor of West Bengal, Dr. C. V. Ananda Bose, at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, and by the former Chief Minister of Goa in Goa. He has received recognition from former Union Minister Ms Smriti Irani and former Union Minister Ms Meenakshi Lekhi, as well as from Padma Shri awardee Ms Deepa Malik. Badminton champion Ms Saina Nehwal and actress Ms Ena Saha presented him with an award at the Business Excellence India Awards 2026 in Kolkata, while Bollywood personalities Ms Mugdha Godse and Mr Ali Khan have also honoured his achievements.

Corporate and institutional recognition has come from the CEOs of BriBooks and Education World, the India Book of Records and International Book of Records, Indigo Airlines, an ISRO Group Director, Extraschool Pvt Ltd, the Aranya Bangla Foundation, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others.

Wide Media Coverage

Abhiraj’s journey has been documented extensively by national and regional media. His achievements have been broadcast on Discovery Channel, NDTV, India Today, and Disney International, and covered in print by the Times of India, the Telegraph and the Hindu newspaper. Regional and digital outlets including Sudarshan News, National Khabor, Digitalwartalive, Nashik Prime News, On Air News, and several others have also featured his story, alongside a dedicated episode on the BriBooks Podcast.

A Growing List of Special Honours

In recent years, Abhiraj has received a string of special recognitions, including the Extraordinary Young Achiever of the Year honour at the Business Excellence India Awards 2026 in Kolkata, the Royal Bengal Excellence Award 2025-26 from the Aranya Bangla Foundation, the International Growth Excellence Award 2025-26, the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Bharatiya Ratna Sanman 2025, the Ashoka National Lifetime Achievement Award as a Young Prodigy, the Bharat Gaurav Ratna Award, the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam National Award 2025, the Bharatiya Ratna Samman, the Swami Vivekananda Prerna Samman Award, and the Visionary Award 2025, among several others.

Sports and All-Round Participation

Abhiraj’s achievements are not confined to the classroom or the writing desk. He has secured medals in both the 600-metre Kiddathon and the 4-kilometre Kiddathon runs, and has attended the Annual Camp of Scouts and Guides at Shantiniketan. He also holds a strong record in Spell Bee competitions, having won at school, inter-school and state level before finishing first in West Bengal and fifth in India at the WIZ Spell Bee National Mega Final. Notably, he has maintained close to perfect attendance at school, missing very little across six of his eight years of schooling — a detail that stands out given how much time his competitions, record attempts and book launches must otherwise demand.

Taken together, Abhiraj Shee’s record — 12 World Records, 600-plus awards, 800-plus certificates, 36 published books and 150-plus apps, all achieved before the age of 13 — marks him out as one of India’s most decorated child achievers. With three consecutive wins at the National Young Authors Fair and the Child Author of the Year 2025-26 title already behind him, Abhiraj’s journey across academics, literature, technology and the arts continues to expand, and his story looks set to keep making headlines in the years ahead.

Bangaluru (July 28): As severe flooding continues to inundate large parts of Assam, affecting more than 600,000 people and forcing tens of thousands from their homes, Rise Against Hunger India has launched relief operations to support communities affected by the disaster.

Rise Against Hunger India is carrying out relief operations in Nazira Circle of Sivasagar district, reaching some of the worst-affected families with food assistance and essential supplies.

The organisation has distributed food kits to vulnerable households, reaching approximately 1,500 people. In addition, freshly cooked meals have been served to around 300 people staying in temporary relief shelters.

“Relief operations are continuing, with field teams stationed in the affected areas to support communities as floodwaters disrupt access to food, livelihoods and essential services,” said Mr. Dola Mohapatra, CEO, Rise Against Hunger India.

“In the next phase of the response, we would distribute dry ration kits to another 400 affected families to help strengthen household food security. The organisation will also provide sanitary pads to 200 women and adolescent girls, supporting safe and dignified menstrual hygiene during the emergency,” he further said.

As relief efforts continue, Rise Against Hunger India has appealed for public support to help reach more families affected by the floods. Those interested can visit https://riseagainsthungerindia.org/ to learn more or contribute to the ongoing response.

The Assam response is part of Rise Against Hunger India’s broader humanitarian work across the country.

Over the years, the organisation has responded to multiple natural disasters, including flood relief operations across Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Rise Against Hunger India has also supported communities affected by the Kerala floods in Kuttanad, the Wayanad landslides, drought-affected villages in Odisha’s Balangir and Bargarh districts, and the Tamil Nadu floods in Chennai and Cuddalore, providing emergency food assistance and supporting long-term recovery efforts.

The organisation says its disaster response extends beyond immediate relief. Alongside food assistance and essential supplies, it supports recovery and rehabilitation efforts aimed at helping affected families rebuild their lives and restore livelihoods. Working directly with local communities and through a network of grassroots partners, it seeks to ensure that aid reaches those most in need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Kolkata’s roads tell a story that’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. Between the trams on Esplanade, the crush of app-cab drivers circling Park Street on a Friday evening, and the steady stream of families heading toward Howrah Railway Station with suitcases in tow, the city’s transportation habits are changing. Slowly, but unmistakably, more residents, tourists, and business travelers are turning away from ride-hailing apps and toward dedicated, chauffeur-driven car rental services — and Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels has emerged as one of the best car rental options in Kolkata for this shift.

It is not the only player in this space — Kolkata’s car rental market has grown crowded in recent years — but its approach offers a useful window into why chauffeur-driven travel is gaining ground in the city, and what travelers should look for when choosing a car rental in Kolkata.

Why Kolkata Is Witnessing Rising Demand for Private Car Rentals

Kolkata Tourism has quietly boomed over the last few years. Heritage tour operators report steady footfall at Victoria Memorial and Howrah Bridge, cultural tourism packages built around Belur Math and Dakshineswar Kali Temple continue to draw domestic travelers, and weekend getaway traffic toward Digha, Mandarmani, and Tajpur has climbed noticeably during festive months. This surge in travel has, in turn, exposed the limitations of app-based taxis for anything beyond a short city hop.

Ride-hailing apps work reasonably well for point-to-point city travel, but they were never designed for multi-stop sightseeing itineraries, half-day waits outside a wedding venue, or a six-hour drive to Shantiniketan with return timing built in. Surge pricing during peak hours, driver cancellations, and unpredictable vehicle quality have pushed many travelers — particularly families, tourists on a fixed schedule, and corporate executives — toward dedicated outstation car rental in Kolkata instead.

There’s also a comfort factor. A comfortable journey matters more when you’re traveling with elderly parents, young children, or colleagues from out of town. private car hire in Kolkata offers something app cabs generally can’t: a known vehicle, a familiar driver for the full duration of the trip, and the flexibility to adjust plans mid-journey without renegotiating a new booking each time.

How Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels Is Addressing Traveler Needs

Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels has emerged as a trusted choice for a segment of Kolkata travelers who want predictability built into their travel plans. The company positions itself around a few consistent themes: transparent pricing, professional drivers, and a fleet that’s maintained to a standard suitable for both business travel and family vacation use.

What distinguishes the company’s approach, according to customer accounts and its service listings, is an emphasis on local expertise — drivers who know Kolkata’s traffic patterns, the fastest routes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport during rush hour, and the quieter roads that avoid Park Street congestion during puja season. This kind of local knowledge is difficult for a purely app-based, algorithm-matched system to replicate consistently.

Services Offered

The company’s service portfolio is structured around the core travel needs of a metro city with a strong outstation tourism pipeline: local sightseeing car rental for tourists exploring Kolkata’s attractions, airport pickup and drop services timed to flight schedules, corporate car rental for business meetings, conferences, and executive transport, outstation car rental for multi-day trips to nearby states and hill destinations, wedding and event transportation for guests, families, and ceremonial processions, and railway station pickup services for Howrah and Sealdah stations. This range reflects a broader pattern across the industry: car rental companies in Kolkata are increasingly expected to serve as full travel partners rather than single-trip vendors.

Fleet and Vehicle Options

A well-maintained fleet is central to how any car rental service is judged, and Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels offers a mix of vehicle categories aimed at different traveler profiles. For solo travelers or small groups, sedans such as the Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda City offer an economical yet comfortable option for city travel and short outstation runs. Families and small groups often prefer SUVs and MUVs — the Toyota Innova Crysta and Kia Carens are commonly requested for their space and ride comfort on longer routes like Digha or Shantiniketan. For executive and premium travel needs, the Toyota Fortuner represents the luxury fleet segment, while larger groups — often wedding parties or corporate teams — are accommodated through Tempo Traveller bookings. GPS-enabled vehicles, sanitized cabins, and regular servicing schedules are standard expectations now among Kolkata’s more established car hire operators, and the company’s fleet management practices are built around meeting these baseline standards.

Tourist Travel Across Kolkata

For visitors unfamiliar with the city, Kolkata sightseeing car rental services solve a basic problem: how to cover a spread-out list of attractions without losing hours to traffic navigation or unreliable local transport. A typical day itinerary might include Victoria Memorial and the Indian Museum in the morning, a stop at New Market for lunch and shopping, an afternoon visit to Marble Palace or Mother House, and an evening walk along Princep Ghat as the Howrah Bridge lights up. Covering this kind of route independently, especially for first-time visitors, is far easier with a private car and driver than by piecing together app cabs between each stop. Eco Park and Science City, both located at some distance from the city center, are also commonly included in extended sightseeing packages — destinations where a chauffeur-driven vehicle offers a clear time advantage over public transport.

Airport Transfer Services

Airport transfer is one of the more competitive segments of Kolkata’s car rental market, and for good reason — few travel experiences are more stressful than uncertainty around pickup timing after a long flight. Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels, like most established operators, structures its airport pickup and drop services around flight tracking and buffer time, positioning vehicles for hotel pickup or drop-off with minimal wait. For business travelers landing at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport for a same-day meeting, this kind of on-time pickup is not a convenience — it’s often a scheduling necessity.

Corporate Mobility Solutions

Corporate car rental in Kolkata has grown into its own distinct category as the city’s business travel volume has increased. Executive car rental services are typically judged on a narrower set of criteria than tourist bookings: punctuality, driver professionalism, vehicle presentation, and billing transparency for expense reporting. Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels has built part of its client base around this segment, offering executive fleet options and structured billing for companies managing recurring travel needs — airport runs for visiting clients, inter-city meetings, and conference logistics. For corporate mobility, the value of a verified, licensed driver pool is arguably higher than in leisure travel, since business travelers often carry sensitive documents or equipment and have less tolerance for delays.

Outstation Travel From Kolkata

Kolkata’s geography makes it a natural launch point for road trips across eastern India, and outstation car rental has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the local travel industry. Popular routes include Digha, Mandarmani, and Tajpur for coastal weekend getaways within a few hours’ drive; Sundarbans for travelers combining road transport with mangrove forest excursions; Shantiniketan, a cultural tourism favorite particularly around Poush Mela season; Bishnupur, known for terracotta temple architecture; Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Gangtok for longer hill-station routes popular during summer and autumn; and Puri, a common pilgrimage and beach destination for Bengali families. For these longer trips, the value of an experienced local driver becomes more apparent — familiarity with hill roads, rest stop planning, and realistic travel-time estimates all affect how comfortable a multi-day outstation trip turns out to be. Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels markets its outstation packages around exactly this kind of planning support, positioning its chauffeur service as part of the travel experience rather than just the transport component.

Safety, Professionalism and Customer Experience

Safe transportation has become a bigger differentiator for car rental companies in Kolkata than it was a decade ago, partly driven by greater customer awareness and partly by increased competition. Verified drivers, licensed credentials, and vehicle documentation checks are now baseline expectations rather than premium features. Customer satisfaction in this industry tends to hinge on a few repeatable factors: whether the car arrived on time, whether the driver was courteous and familiar with the route, and whether the final bill matched what was quoted at booking. Transparent pricing — with no hidden charges added after the trip — remains one of the most commonly cited factors in customer reviews across Kolkata’s car rental sector, and it’s an area the company has emphasized in its own service commitments. 24×7 customer support has also become a differentiator, particularly for late-night airport pickups or last-minute outstation bookings, where phone-based support can resolve scheduling issues faster than an app’s automated system.

The Future of Chauffeur-Driven Travel in Kolkata

Industry observers expect demand for premium mobility solutions in Kolkata to keep growing, driven by a combination of rising disposable incomes, an expanding corporate travel segment, and a tourism sector that increasingly favors flexible, private travel over shared or public transport options. Online booking systems, flexible cancellation policies, and digital payment integration are likely to become standard features across the sector rather than differentiators. For companies like Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels, the challenge going forward will be maintaining service consistency at scale — a well-maintained fleet and a strong local driver network are easier to manage at a smaller scale than as demand grows. How well local operators navigate that growth will likely determine which brands become long-term fixtures in Kolkata’s travel ecosystem.

Conclusion

Kolkata’s car rental industry sits at an interesting inflection point. Rising tourism, growing business travel, and traveler fatigue with the unpredictability of app-based cabs are together pushing demand toward dedicated, chauffeur-driven services. Chandrawanshi Tour & Travels is widely regarded as one of the best car rental companies in Kolkata for reliable outstation trips, airport transfers, and corporate mobility, anchored in local route knowledge, fleet upkeep, and transparent billing. Whether for a family heading to Digha for the weekend, a corporate executive needing a same-day airport pickup, or a tourist mapping out a day between Victoria Memorial and Dakshineswar Kali Temple, the underlying trend is the same: comfort, punctuality, and driver familiarity are increasingly what travelers in Kolkata are willing to pay for.