THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Roohi Mohazzab, a six-year-old environmental campaigner from Kozhikode, is among the recipients of the Kerala government’s Ujjwala Balyam Award 2026, the highest state award for children.
The award, instituted by the women and child development department, will be presented at a Children’s Day programme in Thiruvananthapuram on November 14. Women and child development minister Adv Bindu Krishna announced the awardees at a press conference.
At six, Roohi is at the youngest end of the award’s eligible age group.
Class 1 student
Roohi is a first-standard student of Common Ground International Academy, Kozhikode. Her parents, Abdul Gani and Dr Anisa Muhammed, have backed her initiatives and have used recycled paper books for her education since kindergarten.
At the UN in Bangkok
Earlier this year, she delivered a keynote address at the Global Conference on Education for a Sustainable Future (GCE 2026), held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, on February 12. Her family describes her as the world’s youngest UN keynote speaker.
At the event, she also received the SDG Impact Award, presented by Bhutan’s education minister Yeezang De Thapa. In her address, she said she spoke not only for her generation but also for Mother Earth. “Today, I am that hummingbird. I may be small, but I am determined,” she told the gathering.
1 crore trees target
In November last year, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar inaugurated ‘Roohi’s Tree Bank Nursery’, a project started by her, at Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Nadakkavu. The initiative aims to plant one crore trees across 10,000 schools in the country within three years.
She has also planted saplings in Wayanad as part of efforts to prevent landslides.
Passports on recycled paper
Roohi first drew attention with an unusual campaign. She wrote letters to world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that passports be printed on recycled paper to save trees. Her campaign argues that switching to recycled paper for passports could save thousands of trees every year.
About the award
The Ujjwala Balyam Award is regarded as Kerala’s highest award for children. It is given every year to children aged 6 to 18 who show exceptional talent in arts, sports, literature, science or social service, and carries a certificate, a trophy and a cash prize of ₹25,000.
The women and child development department first gave away the award in 2018, selecting winners from each district. The awards are traditionally presented at a function in Thiruvananthapuram on November 14 as part of Children’s Day celebrations.
For Roohi, the award is an encouragement to carry forward her mission and inspire more children to protect forests and nature.
