“Youth engagement should go beyond symbolic participation to drive real impact,” says Tanuj Samaddar who has recently been appointed as a member of the Commission on Economic, Environmental and Social Policy (CEESP) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He further remarked that more robust policy frameworks should be in place to propel young talents from the grassroots to the global stage. Tanuj Samaddar is an Indian artist and youth leader who has been recently inducted into the working group of the prestigious Commonwealth Youth Climate Network.
Tanuj Samaddar was awarded the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by the President of India in 2021 in the field of art and culture. It is noteworthy that this is India’s highest civilian award for young people. After that, he never looked back, his trailblazing journey into art based advocacy and youth leadership has been recognised by multiple organisations and governments of foreign nations. He dons multiple feathers on his cap including but not limited to the US President’s Education Award and the Kentucky Colonel Commission which incidentally is the highest civilian award of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He was also nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize , and his staggering list of achievements doesn’t end here, Tanuj was conferred the coveted Karmaveer Chakra award by iCongo in collaboration with the UNDP in 2024 for his extraordinary contribution to the community and creative fraternity. He has been accorded a place in the HALL OF FAME of YUVAINK – A youth led organization based in Bengaluru and was named one of India’s most influential youths in 2021 by SkillShark Edutech.
Tanuj’s special focus has remained on traditional folk art of the country including but not limited to Kalamkari Art, Warli Art and the manuscript art of Assam.His artworks were exhibited in the famous Luxembourg art Palace (France),JQA Art Gallery (Japan) ,Colorado Springs national art gallery( United States) , National state Art gallery( Bulgaria), Turkey .etc. He represented India in the DRAW ME PEACE INTERNATIONAL ART COMPETITION ( France)and clinched the gold medal there. He also won a silver medal in the WORLD COMPETITION FOR CHILDREN’S DRAWINGS ( BULGARIA) and also became the first Indian International winner in the ‘AL Kawther ‘ INTERNATIONAL ‘COLOUR FOR HOPE’ ART COMPETITION ~ 2020, BIRMINGHAM ( U. K.)
‘Tanuj’ a name which has become synonymous with activism and leadership
Tanuj’s journey doesn’t stop in the creative domain, his conquests have raised the eyebrows of stalwarts from different domains. He has left his mark not only in the fields of climate and youth advocacy but also in the scholastic field. His work transcends the conventional artistic boundaries and integrates art with community service and greater social welfare. His artistic pursuits enabled him to voice different contemporary issues of importance through colors which successfully grabbed the attention of media & policy makers from time to time. His paintings are far more than aesthetic endeavors: they often serve as awareness catalysts, drawing social attention to pressing issues like environmental preservation, youth mental health, and gender justice. Tanuj makes each stroke a conscious act of social activism and change-making advocacy. His ‘Hope and Action’ public art project: where he depicted Mother Earth as a symbol of ecological restoration gained widespread recognition transcending national borders.
To know more about how he blended art with activism, read this article !
Beyond Art
While the creative field became his launchpad to gain global exposure, Tanuj admits that his experiences in this field has reinforced his belief that he can bend the edge of impossibility. What began as a journey fueled by the sheer enthusiasm of exploring, has propelled him to global fame. So you might be curious about his extended professional engagements, ain’t you ? So hear us out, Tanuj serves as the Country Lead for Climate Change Writers (Nigeria), he is also an ‘Ambassador’ at the prestigious ‘Hundred’ academy based out of Switzerland. He is also associated with Aunua Global- an Irish non profit, in the capacity of a Global Youth Ambassador. Wait, this is just tip of the iceberg, Tanuj is a member of UNESCO’s Inclusive Policy Lab and also a UN Delegate ! He virtually represented India this June at the 62nd Conference of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) at Bonn, Germany which was organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He is a part of the ‘Working Group’ of ‘Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE)’ group of YOUNGO – the youth constituency of UNFCCC. On top of that he is also a Committee Member in the Society of Gender Professionals.
Tanuj is deeply passionate about making the voice of the youths heard on global platforms , this is underscored by his participation in the UN level event on behalf of the NGO ‘Children and Youth International’. In recent times, Tanuj has also taken up various student related issues with primary focus on the North Eastern Student Diaspora in Delhi. He had interactions with the Chief Minister of Delhi Mrs.Atishi Marlena on the issue of student accomodation & hygiene in the North Campus area of Delhi University and also raised the concerns of ‘Brain Drain’ from Assam with Mr. Sarbaanda Sonowal.. He was also a part of the Ministry of Health’s digital COVID awareness drive and Election Drive 2024 as a youth representative. It is worth mentioning here that Tanuj is gearing up to represent India at the ‘World Conservation Congress’ held once in every four years by IUCN. This year the WCC will be held in Abu Dhabi.
Role as a Global Youth Advisor
Tanuj’s role as a Global Youth Advisor in the Global Youth Advisory Council (Zimbabwe) enabled him to work passionately in this direction. His focus areas were Youth’s Mental Health & use of artistic mediums to address the issue. Under the aegis of the council multiple projects were launched: project YOUTHCONNECT, Project ‘ART4SERENITY’, etc. In project YOUTHCONNECT, Tanuj conducted college wide surveys on the mental health issues the youths faced . His surveys included the respondents of the National Capital Territory primarily, based on the surveys monthly YOUTH MEETS were organized to provide a platform to the youths to connect, network and share their problems without being judged. This project was a massive success with an estimated 350 respondents directly getting involved in it. Under ART4SERENITY project, a short video series was created titled: METAMORPHOSIS: ART4SERENITY in collaboration with the Art of Health, Zimbabwe, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Through this project he was able to touch the lives of more than 2500 people.
Policy, Advocacy and Scholastic Flair
Talking to NE India Broadcast, Tanuj remarked that his interest spans across a plethora of other domains. Tanuj shared how he has grown interested in themes like international relations, geopolitics and public policy. But, his interest has channelised its way to real world engagement evident from his selection as a ‘Policy in Action’ Fellow at the YOUNG LEADERS FOR ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP (YLAC)’s fellowship programme. Chosen among hundreds of applicants in this highly competitive fellowship programme he assisted the Member of Parliament from West Odisha – Shri Malvika Devi in drafting a policy brief on ‘Navigating Climate and Energy Cooperation in South Asia’. He is also associated with the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) as a Project Research Intern and has contributed to an official government report. He didn’t stop here as he now actively collaborates with health policy professionals from IIT Guwahati in the creation of an e-module for raising rabies awareness in North East India. Previously he was associated with Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi as a ‘Geopolitics Youth Fellow’.
Tanuj has co-authored the book ‘Young Changemakers’ with the American author Kristie Maggio and has a few book chapters and articles to his name. He serves as the associate editor of an international journal and is also entering the domain of journalism through his association with the US based media house : ONE AIR MEDIA News as an Editor cum Journalist.
Talking to us , Tanuj says, “Your belief system would be the determining factor for your success, if you firmly believe in your capabilities , there’s no one who can stop you from achieving what you aspire. The sky is not the limit. Go Beyond”
For his contributions, Tanuj was conferred the ‘State Youth Award’ in 2022 and was also nominated for the third highest civilian award of Assam, ‘Assam Gaurav’ in 2024.
