Surya Utkarsha, a 14-year-old Class 9 student from Bengaluru, is using technology and community engagement to improve road safety and pedestrian infrastructure.
Inspired by a childhood road accident, he founded The Marg Initiative, a youth-led road safety organisation, and developed projects such as RASTHE, a civic-tech platform for reporting damaged footpaths, and Roadyz, an educational mobile game that teaches road safety. Through awareness programmes, research, and innovation, his initiatives have reached over 50,000 people while encouraging citizens to participate in building safer and more accessible public spaces.
Turning A Childhood Experience Into A Mission
Surya’s journey began after surviving a road accident when he was around six years old, an experience that shaped his understanding of road safety and public infrastructure. While continuing his education at National Public School, Rajajinagar, he independently learned programming, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship to develop technology-driven solutions for civic challenges.
In March 2024, he launched The Marg Initiative, focusing on four pillars awareness, advocacy, innovation, and fundraising. The initiative conducts road safety workshops in schools, orphanages, and community spaces, teaching children safe pedestrian behaviour, traffic rules, and responsible road use. Beyond awareness campaigns, Surya has also collaborated on research studying the accessibility of Bengaluru’s skywalks to better understand how infrastructure can improve pedestrian safety.
Building Technology For Safer Cities
Surya expanded his efforts by creating RASTHE, a civic-tech platform that allows citizens to report damaged footpaths, encroachments, garbage, and unsafe walking areas, helping build a crowdsourced database of pedestrian infrastructure issues. He also developed Roadyz, an educational mobile game designed to teach children road safety through interactive gameplay inspired by Indian road conditions.
The Marg Initiative has reached more than 50,000 people through school workshops, digital campaigns, public events, and community outreach. The initiative also organises seed awareness campaigns, collaborates with educators, and works with volunteers across multiple cities to encourage safer road behaviour. Surya has presented his work to entrepreneurs, educators, and public officials, while receiving support from the Bengaluru Traffic Police and participating in discussions aimed at strengthening road safety awareness.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe Surya Utkarsha’s journey demonstrates how young people can use technology to address everyday civic challenges. His work combines innovation, research, and community participation to promote safer roads and more accessible public spaces. As Indian cities continue to face challenges related to road safety and urban infrastructure, initiatives like The Marg Initiative, RASTHE, and Roadyz show how citizen-led solutions can complement institutional efforts. By encouraging awareness from an early age and empowering communities to participate in civic improvement, Surya’s work highlights the potential of youth-led innovation to create meaningful and lasting social impact.
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