Dhiraj Gatmane

Growing up in India’s tribal regions of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Dhiraj Gatmane witnessed the silent suffering of elders who lacked healthcare, connection, and dignity. Moved by their pain, he made it his mission to restore agency and belonging to older people by launching Second Sunrise – a global, youth-led movement now active in 20+ countries and reaching more than 3.5 million people in various ways.

Second Sunrise has created Tech Pods from recycled e-waste, training over 150,000 elders in digital literacy and social reconnection. Its EcoHomes programme has built 350 green homes for vulnerable elders, while the Grey Guardians initiative has delivered 120,000 health screenings and 150,000 hours of companionship. The model blends empathy, sustainability, and intergenerational leadership – and Dhiraj envisions reaching 10 million elderly citizens across 60 countries by 2030.

Dhiraj’s innovation is grounded in academic excellence. From humble beginnings – studying under one lamp with borrowed books – he rose to conduct AI research at Oxford and Imperial College London, publishing work in the International Journal of Quantum Computing. Despite chronic illness, family hardship, and financial instability, he maintained a 96% GPA, helping his family while mentoring others. 

He is also founder of QUANTAN, which provides quantum-inspired, AI-powered solutions to address deeper technological issues. Dhiraj also launched Stoodive, a research-focused social network with over 2,200 users from top universities like Harvard and Oxford. 

As a recognised global changemaker, Dhiraj has engaged in initiatives hosted by UNESCO, XPrize, UN Youth Assembly, The Earth Prize, and The World Around. He’s a UNICEF Youth Ambassador, a Civics Unplugged Fellow, and a recipient of awards from Rotary International, Global Youth Leadership, and more.

If awarded the Global Student Prize, Dhiraj plans to expand Second Sunrise by scaling Tech Pods fivefold; launching mobile “Sunrise Cycler” labs and drone-deployed emergency units; doubling EcoHome construction; building Elderpreneur MakerSpaces; launching AR Memory Vault Trails for intergenerational heritage preservation; and training 50,000 new youth volunteers. He would also implement a global NFT art campaign enabling elder-young collaboration.

For Dhiraj, innovation is not about prestige – it’s about proximity: to elders, to youth, and to forgotten communities.