BUDDING INNOVATOR / RISHEEK KUMAR
In December last year, when President of India Droupadi Murmu conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025, one of the awardees was Jammu & Kashmir’s Risheek Kumar, the founder of the Union Territory’s first cybersecurity company, Hackers Pathshala.
The achievement of the teenaged cybersecurity entrepreneur assumes importance because of his age and also because of the circumstances in which he got interested in the topic of cybersecurity. Answering questions for Science India over email, Risheek said, “I started learning about cybersecurity since I was 15 years old, after internet was restored in Jammu and Kashmir [it was shut down in August 2019 and was restored gradually in a phased manner over the next one year], and we got access to good internet and resources for learning. I continue to learn now as well.” Risheek, who recently turned 18 and has just finished his Class XII exam, hails from the village Smailpur of Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.
He added, “After realising the crime patterns, trends and issues related to cybercrime within India and the whole world, I chose this subject to work in future and develop my career. I want to help and contribute towards creating a solution for cybercrime and enhancing security for different cyber infrastructure in India. I’m primarily interested in child education, cybercrime solutions and law enforcement.”
All Images Courtesy: Risheek Kumar
The citation of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for Risheek reads as follows: “Risheek Kumar, a 17-year-old cybersecurity entrepreneur, founded ‘Hackers Pathshala’, Jammu and Kashmir’s first cybersecurity company and he educated hundreds of police officers at Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy. He has also trained over 5,000 students in cybersecurity awareness and launched the ‘Hack Free Bharat’ initiative. Additionally, Risheek developed the ‘Prarthana’ mobile app to promote Indian cultural practices, which has received positive recognition from Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” Kumar won the award in the field of science & technology.
When asked what inspired him to take up the subject of cybersecurity, Risheek said: “My culture and life ethics are derived from ancient texts, which urge me to do something for the country that will have a positive impact. At the same time, I also want to develop a professional career for myself. Both these objectives aligned well with my interest in cybersecurity as it’s a subject on which I want to work for the nation. I aim to do something unique in the field and help humanity fight cybercrime and safeguard itself from critical issues related to cybercrime, such as suicides, child abuse, human trafficking through digital manipulation and cybercrimes against women and children.”
Risheek listed Bhagwat Gita as an important inspiration. He said, “Bhagwat Gita and Shree Krishna have taught me about situational righteousness. They have taught me to do my karma without thinking of the outcome and utilise my full potential to serve humanity with respect to the problem of cybercrime. I am inspired by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for his leadership qualities, and by Swami Vivekanand for his teachings and ideology. I am also inspired by our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, as he is the person in the present times who has given me the confidence to take one step ahead in my startup and my field, and do something unique while being an entrepreneur. His expectations and guidance towards the youth have given me confidence to work on my cybersecurity projects and also stay confident of the support of the government.”
Risheek lists Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar as one of the best experiences of his life, and also the best experience for his parents and other family members. “Everybody who has supported my work from the start are proud and happy; they were always confident of my work for the nation. I am grateful to be bestowed with the highest civilian honour for children in India but at the same time, I take it as a major responsibility to scale up my projects and innovation at the national and international level. The award has given me a sense of responsibility to not stop but use the platform and recognition to expand my work, and work for the nation.”
Grateful at having got an opportunity to interact with both the President of India and the Prime Minister, Risheek said that the dignitaries appreciated and encouraged the awardees to do even better. “They had positive things to say about my project ‘Prarthana’ as well and said that it would help people connect with each other spiritually across the world and also help in uniting the people of the nation. They showed sincere appreciation towards my work in cybersecurity and made me feel proud of working on a sensitive topic at a young age and taking the step towards entrepreneurship.”
Risheek is currently working on his project, ‘Hack Free Bharat’, which is aimed at making the nation cybersecure. Risheek said that he took the initiative to promote digital literacy, while focussing on bringing effective solutions against cybercrimes related to women and children, sextortion, human trafficking, and cyber bullying amongst minors, to name a few. He is also involved in work on the implementation of cyber ‘Sakhi’ and ‘Bal Raksha’ projects throughout Jammu and Kashmir, covering all government schools and institutions, which are aimed at safeguarding women and children against cybercrimes. Risheek Kumar hopes to expand this programme across India at a later stage, and perhaps, set up a business model for global implementation as well.
