Chandigarh, Dec. 27 -- Seventeen-year-old Vansh Tayal, a resident of the Children Home for Boys at Snehalaya, Maloya, Chandigarh, has been conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for his selfless social service and leadership despite the curveballs life threw at him. The award is presented to children for exceptional achievement across fields. Vansh was all of 13 when he lost his mother, an anganwadi worker in Maloya, to uterine cancer and Covid in 2021. Just as he was trying to come to terms with it, he lost his father six months later. With no immediate support from extended family members based in Ambala, his school, Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, informed the institute of his condition, asking them to intervene. Following this, Vansh was admitted to the Snehalaya in 2022. Recalling his initial days at the institute, Vansh said he was struggling emotionally. "I was very quiet in the beginning and was undergoing multiple depressive and anxiety episodes," he said. "However, a shift came when I met someone who was struggling much more than I was, yet chose to not give up." Vansh was referring to another child at the Snehalaya, a boy with multiple disabilities, who had earlier been abandoned at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). "He became the first person I started opening up to," Vansh said. "I began helping the physiotherapist with feeding, exercises and staying with him. I was going through a depressive phase myself and helping him helped me cope," says the 17-year-old. Between 2022 and 2025, Vansh volunteered as a patient care supporter, assisting children with special needs. His involvement later expanded to community work, including volunteering with Sanjhi Soch NGO andparticipating in awareness sessions and child focusedinitiatives. Within Snehalaya, he served as the head boy of the Institutional Children's Committee (CCI), representing residents on issues related to education, health and hygiene, and mentoring new entrants. Vansh has also been active in sports. He represented Snehalaya Maloya at the State Rugby Championship 2024, where the team finished first and he earned a bronze medal at the state level, receiving appreciation from the governor. He has also competed at the 36th Men National Atya Patya Championship in Chennai in 2023 and won bronze medals at the state level in both U-17 and senior categories. In 2023, he participated in Pariksha Pe Charcha through the MyGov platform and received an appreciation letter from the Prime Minister's Office. As for academics, Vansh is currently a Class 12 Humanities student at AKSIPS 45, with psychology as his favourite subject. Looking ahead, Vansh said he hopes to pursue clinical psychology, with Delhi University as his "dream college"....