‘Rarely this illuminating’: Shashi Tharoor shares Vande Bharat encounter with 16-year-old AI tech whiz

Tharoor said he met Raul John Aju, whom he described as a “tech whiz” doing “incredible work” in the field of artificial intelligence.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, on Wednesday, shared an account of an impromptu meeting aboard a Vande Bharat Express, describing his interaction with a 16-year-old artificial intelligence enthusiast as “rarely this illuminating.”

In a post on X, Tharoor said he met Raul John Aju, whom he described as a “tech whiz” doing “incredible work” in the field of artificial intelligence. The two discussed the need for AI systems to move beyond borders and, importantly, to reflect India’s linguistic diversity, he stated.

Encounters on the Vande Bharat are often pleasant, but rarely this illuminating!

​I had the pleasure of meeting Raul John Aju, a 16-year-old tech whiz who is doing incredible work in the field of Artificial Intelligence. We spoke about the necessity for AI to transcend borders… pic.twitter.com/xyaUfPgrkk — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 7, 2026

“We spoke about the necessity for AI to transcend borders and, crucially, to speak the vernacular of our diverse land,” Tharoor wrote.

He said he was encouraged to learn that Raul and his team, which includes a friend named Ishaan, are already developing voice-processing systems in Malayalam, Hindi and Urdu. Referring light-heartedly to the name, Tharoor noted that it “certainly rings a bell” in his household.

Calling the interaction a source of optimism, Tharoor said the innovation and drive shown by young technologists like Raul offered “immense hope for India’s technological future.”

“Wishing Raul and his team every success. It is young minds like his that will define India’s 21st-century growth story,” he added.