Dhruv Patki started a podcast in eighth grade to inform students on American politics that is still running to this day.
Staff Writer
After leaving school at around 3pm on the 210, after teaching eager kids Karate at West Coast World Martial Arts on Jarvis Avenue, after finishing homework and notes for all of his classes, junior Dhruv Patki finally sits down and writes a page of notes listing the most important stories in the news he saw that day. Drawing information from a variety of sources, the page serves as a speaking guide for him as he picks up his phone and hits the “record” button.
Patki is the creator of “The Washington Podcast,” a multimedia platform dedicated to exposing youth to modern American politics in an easy, interesting, and digestible manner. Patki was first inspired to start the podcast at just twelve, remarking, “I was getting a lot of questions from friends [about the elections], and I got tired of telling the same story to multiple people. I just thought I’d make it a little more efficient, so two days after Biden was elected, I started the show.”
Dhruv’s deep-seated interest in the news didn’t begin with the 2020 elections, however. He instead traces its origins back to when he was in elementary and early middle school.
“When I was a kid, every morning on the way to school my parents would play the news in the car. Anytime we were running errands, we had the news playing—NPR, KQED, different weekend broadcasts. I [eventually] started listening to the entirety of the PBS news hour every day in 6th grade.”
His fascination with the news transitioned into his late middle and high school years, contributing to the creation of the podcast and to the effectiveness by which he is able to share information he learns, according to listeners like Yashwanth Sunkesula (11).
“[The podcast] is really informative,” says Sunkesula. “Sometimes I’ll be too tired to read articles, so I’ll just look at Dhruv’s podcast and watch a couple videos. Things just make sense when Dhruv angrily yells at you.”
Outside of the podcast, Dhruv has already involved himself in national politics, volunteering for President Joe Biden’s official 2020 campaign by running a text chain for residents of Northern California.
“I was sending out hundreds of messages eight hours a day off of my laptop,” explains Dhruv. “I would respond when people would message back, so I was actively contributing to that campaign. [The campaign managers] didn’t know I was thirteen, and I didn’t bother telling them.”
Evident from his active political involvement, Dhruv has aspirations to enter the political world of the United States and play his hand in public policy. As elderly members of society continue to dominate the field, he finds increasing importance in giving young people a voice in how our government is run. William Holland, a freshman at UCLA and contributor to the podcast, emphasizes Dhruv’s potential in the political sphere.
“With his political intelligence and overall knowledge, I think he can definitely achieve a career in politics,” remarks Holland. “He’s a very smart guy, he knows what he’s talking about, and he knows how to use that to his advantage.”
Sunkesula shares Holland’s sentiment, suggesting that Dhruv may eventually make it to the highest position in the country.
“Dhruv is gonna be president one day,” says Sunkesula, “and he would make a good president. He’s not evil…yet.”
While not inherently evil, Sunkesula insists that Dhruv ingests an “evil” amount of caffeine on a daily basis.
“He has an espresso machine at home, so he has caffeine at home. Then he goes to Lucky’s and buys Celsius, and often goes to Starbucks and gets coffee there. I think he might go to Pete’s or Suju’s [later on]. And then he finally goes home and has coffee again. Dhruv is gonna have a heart attack by the age of thirty, but he’s a good guy. He exercises.”
When asked about criticism of his coffee addiction, Dhruv chuckled and remarked, “I say caffeine is a good thing. I drink around 300 milligrams of caffeine per day. I like coffee. [My favorite caffeinated drink] is straight espresso.”
Along with helping run a podcast that uploads 10 shorts per week and one full-length episode every 2-3 weeks—and manage school work at the same time—the caffeine also helps to keep up Patki’s energy when he goes to teach Karate at the same dojo where he became a black belt himself.
“I started martial arts when I was eight after I saw Tom Cruise beat up a bunch of people in Mission: Impossible. I started teaching in November 2020 because I was bored and I was spending way too much time on my phone.”
Patki credits Karate as one of the things that kept him active before and after the coronavirus pandemic, a period where most of his time was spent inside the house.
“If I hadn’t done martial arts, I would have ended up extremely lazy. It’s the only sport I’ve been able to stick with. I like it because it plays into a demeanor of aggression, and it leaves me prepared for all scenarios in life.”
Being a Karate teacher and the host of a podcast that has garnered over 25,000 views on the YouTube channel alone, Dhruv’s leadership qualities are among the first attributes of his mentioned by people he spends significant time around, including Ms. Do, the AHS librarian for whom Dhruv can be found volunteering throughout the course of the school day.
“I think that he could be involved in leadership roles and positions,” says Ms. Do. “He’s very vocal about his opinions and he can articulate his thoughts very well. He’s a voracious learner, and he’s very curious.”
“Dhruv is extremely smart, and he’s an intellectual person,” says Sunkesula. “Talking with him is challenging. It’s like working out a brain teaser. It’s very fun to hang out with him.”
A martial arts instructor, a library volunteer, and a founder of a podcast helping to foster interest in politics in young people, Dhruv Patki is proving that politics is not, and should never be, a field strictly reserved for the elderly.
Caption: Patki looks out the window, planning out his next podcast release (PC: Muhammed A. Ali (11)).
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