Odisha Tribal Girl Representing India at Junior 8 (J8)

A sixteen-year-old Indian girl, Sanjukta Pangi, from a small village of Karanjaguda, Orissa is representing India in the J8 (Junior 8) international youth summit, which is currently being held in Italy along with the G8 conclave.

This tribal girl from Orissa's Koraput district rubbed shoulders with world leaders at the Junior Eight summit in Italy. At the international submit, the young tribal girl actively participated on issue of climate change with 56 youth representatives from G8 countries. Samuel Venkatesen, 17-year-old boy from Tamil Nadu and Narendra Kumar, 15-year-old boy from Rae Bareli also represented India at J-8.

Pangi is daughter of a small time farmer and was selected to represent India at J8 through a programme conducted by the UNICEF. She wants to become collector of her district, but poverty is the main stumbling block in her education.

Pangi don't even know the names of the leaders she had met in Italy's town of L'aquila, the venue of G8 summit.

"I don't know the names, but I think met African, especially Indian leader and I think American and Mexican leaders," she said.

'Our Prime Minister is very understanding I really like his style when I told him that I belong to a tribal family he got very happy and introduced me to other leaders, I proud of my Prime Minister,' Sanjukta said.

‘If I could ask the world’s leaders to prioritize one thing to help children, it would be education,” says Sanjukta, who has travelled from Orissa to attend the Junior 8, a youth summit being held in parallel to the G8 meeting. “I had to struggle to go to school. If I hadn’t convinced my father to let me continue going to school I would not be at the J8.”

Sanjukta was among 14 teen-agers between the ages of 14-17 who were selected by their peers to meet the global leaders. Young people from India, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the UK , USA, Brazil, China, Egypt, Mexico and South Africa are attending the week-long event.