Meet the young wildlife conservationists conquering India’s jungles
Written by: Team GI Youth
(September 14, 2024) “Nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future,” wrote Jon Krakauer in his iconic biography, Into the Wild. Just like his protagonist, Chris McCandless, young conservationists have turned their back on what is tried and tested, seeking their fulfillment in the heart of India’s forests instead. From working with the little-known fishing cat, like Tiasa Adhya, to getting up close and personal with leopards as Shaaz Jung does in Bandipur forest, Global Indian takes a look at India’s conservationists and the people helping to protect India’s treasury of forests and wildlife.
Growing up, Tiasa would run home excitedly to her rooster, Nontu, and his many wives, all cared for by Tiasa and her brother. ‘Home’ had been transformed into a menagerie, with many pigeons, rabbits, fish and the family dog and cat. These experiences were the first seeds of Tiasa’s desire to be in wildlife conservation. Tiasa says in an interview that her coach, Partha, led her to the field. Today, she’s one of India’s young conservationists, and is part of the Fishing Cat Working Group to protect the under-appreciated Fishing Cat.
She has worked with Dr Shomita Mukherjee, the country’s only small cat specialist, to study the species. The team also works to preserve the animal’s natural habitat and to collaborate with local communities to reduce negative interactions.
Members of the International Fishing Cat Working Group also work in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to provide global guidelines to protect the fishing cat.
In 2019, conservationist Ayushi Jain was living in Kanathur village, Kerala, searching for the rare Cantor’s giant softshell turtle. The matter had come to light due to unusual, mass fish death and the Cantor, which can grow up to one metre in length, was suspected as the cause.
Ayushi began working with the Cantor giant softshell turtle back in 2016, during an internship at the Turtle Survival Alliance in Lucknow. After finishing a course on Herpetology at the Indian Institute of Science, she began studying the distribution and mapping of turtles at ATREE, Bengaluru. In 2018, she was selected as a Distinct and Globally Endangered Fellow by the Zoological Society of London. She believes that the most effective conservation efforts involve working with the local community.
A group trip to Eaglenest in Arunachal Pradesh when she was an undergrad student at St. Xavier’s College, would change Nandini Velho’s life. She would go on to be part of the team that organised the first-ever Arunachal Bird Festival at Eaglenest and is the author of The Eaglenest Memory Project, based on interviews with the Bugun and Shedukpen tribes.
One of India’s most important conservation voices, Nandini holds a PhD from James Cook University in Australia. In order to understand policy, she worked as a Policy Fellow at the Ministry of Environment and Forests with then-environment minister Jairam Ramesh, with the forest department and local community leaders.
Malaika Vaz
Even as a child, Malaika Vaz was captivated by the great outdoors. She is the youngest person to reach the Arctic and the Antarctic with the students at the Ice Foundation. Early on, she learned windsurfing, and sailing and is a professional diver. As she grew older, though, she felt she needed more than just adventure. Having witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by unsustainable tourism, illegal trade, and climate change on the marine ecosystem. And she decided to do something about it.
She was swimming in the Maldives the first time she spotted a manta ray – “I saw a beautiful black shadow coming out of nowhere. It was curious about me. I was frozen, I wasn’t expecting this giant cloud to come up to me. It was poetic. Ever since then, I have been obsessed with them.”
“I realised that while I loved being on camera, shaping the stories and bringing in new perspectives and narratives that hadn’t traditionally been seen on television was what I liked best,” she said. She turned to other roles – she has been a director, writer, and producer, apart from presenting. She is also the founder of ‘Untamed Planet’, a production company that seeks to make an impact in the conservation world.
It’s easy enough to see why Shaaz Jung has over a million followers on Instagram. His brand of wildlife photography is raw, captivating and filled with the fury of the jungle.
Shaaz Jung’s role as a conservationist is unconventional – he spends his days studying and photographing wildlife and has become known for his affinity for big cats. He has also helped establish eco-friendly wildlife camps in South India and also in East Africa.
Having studied economics at Utrecht University, Shaaz left the corporate world to follow his passion instead. He now runs his camp, The Bison and is closely affiliated with African Under Canvas, where he leads wildlife and photographic expeditions.
He was 12 when he caught his first snake and looking back, he attributes his sense of adventure to his grandfather, who introduced him to the wonders of wildlife when he was still a child. Soon, Nirmal and his friends were called upon if there was a snake in the neighbourhood, which they would trap and release into the wild.
A wildlife rehabilitator by the time he was in his teens, Nirmal became Goa’s youngest Honorary Wildlife Warden at 18. At 21, he led a team of 200 on a nature conservancy project in Chorla Ghat. Working with Captain Nitin Dond, the conservationist’s team team restored 800 acres of de-forested land and converted it into a diverse, private nature conservancy.
Kulkarni is now the chairman of a research centre and director of a wildlife nature resort. As a qualified herpetologist, he spends the monsoon months in the Western Ghats and heads off to the Northeast in April and May.
(January 24, 2022) Alpine skier Aanchal Thakur does not recall how she fell in love with skiing. She does, however, remember when her feet were strapped to two wooden planks, and was given two sticks to manoeuvre on the snow. “I was five-years-old and I have been skiing ever since,” smiles the slalom champion. The Manali girl, all of 25, created history by winning a bronze medal in the giant slalom category at the Federation Internationale de Ski meet at Kolasin, Montenegro in December 2021. That made her the first-ever Indian to win a medal at the event. It was Aanchal’s second medal, internationally. The first, another bronze, she won at the 2018 Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup held in Turkey. The little girl from the hills "My generation could never think of winning international tournaments. Now, we are slowly gaining confidence. When I won the bronze in Turkey, my father couldn’t believe I had won. Competing against the best is what matters,” says Aanchal. The Alpine skier recalls how she joined the event despite a deep cut on her hand (while ‘tuning’ her skis earlier). The girl with a never-say-die attitude learnt skiing in Burua, Solan Valley. On her seventh
The girl with a never-say-die attitude learnt skiing in Burua, Solan Valley. On her seventh birthday, seeing her potential, her father, Roshan Lal Thakur gifted her, the first professionally made skis. She was hooked.
“I fell in love with skiing and gliding through the snow at high speeds. I would keep challenging myself to go faster,” smiles the girl who awaits winter so she can ski. Her father, a skiing instructor, and her brother (a professional skier) are her constant teachers and guides.
A risky sport, Aanchal admits, “Coming down the hill at high speeds, there are bound to be falls. It is a risky sport, but that's part of the game. A risk of back and leg injuries are always on my mind."
From Solan to Youth Olympics
In India, winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and skating are limited to Manali, Sikkim, Gulmarg and Kashmir. “We hardly have any winter sporting events covered in the media as there aren’t many competitions too," mulls the alpine skier.
Her father, who owns an adventure company in Manali, had organised some events, and Aanchal feels the scenario can progress if there is awareness.
The DAV College (Chandigarh) graduate, Aanchal has been representing India in skiing competitions since school. At just 15, she took part at the Winter Youth Olympics Games at Innsbruck 2012 (Austria). Declared the best skier at the National Ski and Snowboard Championship 2020 (Manali), she came first in the giant slalom, and second in the Khelo India National Winter Games, 2021, Gulmarg.
Training is what keeps her in the running - Aanchal went to Switzerland in 2011, coached under Heera Lal, a former Olympian, and became the first Indian to participate in the Winter Youth Olympics 2012. “I still get goosebumps thinking about the moment when I held India’s flag at the opening ceremony,” she tells Global Indian.
Competing with international athletes can be “demotivating,” but the alpine skier is thankful that her father frequently reminds her of her stellar achievements - how far she has come, and the road ahead. “He would repeatedly say, ‘remember you have come from a place where people are still not aware of the sport,’” smiles the slalom champ.
Skiing is also an expensive sport. Just the skiing equipment costs ₹5 lakh, and training ₹20 lakh as it is overseas since India does not get enough snow, or for extended periods. “Getting sponsors or support in India is difficult as winter sports is yet to make a mark," she says, adding, "My father saved some money for my training. Crowdfunding has helped too. Many people have contributed to buying equipment or for my training abroad.” Incidentally, Thakur’s Instagram has been the most effective to gather funds.
It takes courage, and dedication
An early riser, Aanchal devotes two hours to outdoor training, another hour in the gym to build her core. She religiously follows Lindsey Caroline Vonn, American former World Cup alpine ski racer. Aanchal was training with her brother Himanshu in Austria for the past few months to prepare for the Winter Olympics at Beijing 2022. Sad that she missed some qualifiers, she reveals, “I participated in a few races, but there was a lockdown in Austria due to the third wave. So, I missed out on a few competitive events that would have seen me participate at Beijing.”
Back to Manali, Thakur hopes to make it to the next Olympics and the World Skiing Championship in March 2023 (Austria). “I have been upset about not qualifying for this Olympics, but my family has been keeping my spirits up. My brother says skiing is all about moving forward. So, I want to look at the brighter side and hone my skills to prepare for my next race,” says the avid football fan who loves CR7 - Cristiano Ronaldo.
(May 17, 2023) A report by multinational marketing research company Frost & Sullivan indicates that the number of webinars grew by more than 153 percent in 2020. In the summer of the same year when the pandemic was at its peak, Indian-origin Dubai-based teen, Netra Venkatesh realised the potential of the webinars and how they connect the world. She was a student in grade IX then and wanted to harness the concept to connect people from far and wide. Soon she launched her social startup SpunkGo, an all-girls global organisation to make knowledge accessible in far-flung areas and managed to reach out to girls in 20 countries. “I was supposed to attend a short-term course offered by a university when the pandemic reached its height. Due to this, the classes were shifted to the online mode.” Sceptical of how effective that mode of learning would be, Netra saw the course getting divided into a series of webinars and discovered that it was fun and engaging. “The whole concept was very fascinating to me,” she tells Global Indian. The student of grade XII, Dubai International Academy is happy about the fact that platforms like Zoom and Google Meet have made connecting
eight. Due to this, the classes were shifted to the online mode.” Sceptical of how effective that mode of learning would be, Netra saw the course getting divided into a series of webinars and discovered that it was fun and engaging. “The whole concept was very fascinating to me,” she tells Global Indian.
The student of grade XII, Dubai International Academy is happy about the fact that platforms like Zoom and Google Meet have made connecting with people so much easier. The teen with an entrepreneurial bent of mind leveraged this potential of technology to make a difference.
Her efforts have bestowed her with prestigious recognitions. George W Bush’s Points of Light Foundation added her to its Inspiration Honour Roll. She also went on to win the prestigious Diana Award in 2022 which is conferred to youngsters for their extraordinary contribution to society. Recently she received a gift from the CEO of Canon Inc, the Japanese multinational corporation. She was handed over the gift at Canon’s regional office in Dubai. “The gift is a part of the Global Good Award which is given to two young people every year for making social impact. There were several entries from across the globe, five people were shortlisted in my category and I was fortunate to win,” Netra tells.
Making knowledge accessible
Just a few months before she founded SpunkGo, Netra had forayed into entrepreneurship with her startup RentEasy – a disruptive platform in the real estate tech space. She was intrigued by the high amount that sellers, purchasers, renters, and those willing to rent out had to shell out as a brokerage fee. Her father, whose ‘love to explore properties,’ had him talking about the exorbitant brokerage amounts, made Netra to come up with a solution in the form of her RentEasy app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6SBprTkRfY
Already in the mode of a solution provider, she quickly donned the social entrepreneur’s hat driven by her webinar experiences and established SpunkGo. “I realised it is an excellent way to make education available to girls living in remote places.” SpunkGo broadens horizons in the areas of life skills – communication skills and mental health with webinars by experts in the field.
Since everyone was embracing the new normal and the use of technology to reach out during the pandemic, Netra could find expert speakers without much fuss. She has since brought a diverse set of speakers to the SpunkGo webinars, ranging from a lawyer working at Microsoft to a young woman from a refugee settlement in Malawi.
Using social media for good
Netra is impressed by the wide reach of Facebook. “It’s a great medium for targeting specific regions and age ranges.” She used the social media’s advertising feature to reach her target audience – 16 to 24-year-old-females staying in remote locations. In quick succession she was able to form 20 chapters of SpunkGo in countries like ‘Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Singapore, India, UAE, Malawi, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia & Eritrea, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the United States’.
[caption id="attachment_30072" align="aligncenter" width="688"] SpunkGo ambassadors from different parts of the world[/caption]
Using social media for a cause, SpunkGo connects girls in each country through dedicated groups so that apart from attending webinars, they can look at people around them, get inspired and grow personally and professionally.
Making a difference
The non-profit initiative, born out of the pandemic, has been offering free webinars to women in rural settings for the last three years with help of 30 young women who are addressed as SpunkGo ambassadors. They take care of the day-to-day functioning of the organisation voluntarily, while Netra handles strategy, social media marketing, communication with partners, and coordination with all of them.
The organisation has partnered with Canada based Simbi Foundation. Under this partnership, members of SpunkGo global voluntary programme conduct book narration sessions for displaced children staying in Bidibidi and Palorinya refugee settlements in Uganda so that they can learn by listening. Netra’s organisation also supports the less fortunate in partnership with Shower’s Education Centre & Orphanage, Dandora Slum, Kenya, The Al Noor Centre, UAE, and Hope Foundation, Chennai.
[caption id="attachment_30074" align="aligncenter" width="868"] Children at Simbi Foundation, one of the philanthropy partners of SpunGo[/caption]
To raise funds for these initiatives SpunkGo helps startups, SMEs, and individuals in website designing and social media marketing, the proceeds of which are utilised for the cause.
Future ahead
The Dubai-born teen who loves playing the piano, has plans to scale up her initiative in time. Her eyes are also set on a career in the corporate world in the domain of marketing, business, and economics. “Even when the world has got back to its pre-pandemic way of functioning, the webinars are going to be staple as people have gotten habituated to impart and access knowledge through this medium. It is not going to die down,” Netra signs off. She seems to be right. “By 2025, the number of webinars will be 10x over the pre-pandemic level,” states the Frost & Sullivan report.
(November 4, 2022) The last wish from their dying grandmother, who was then battling pancreatic cancer, played a catalyst for Charlotte residents Sherya Mantha and Sahana Mantha in starting Foundation for Girls (FFG) in 2014 - a nonprofit to help underprivileged girls and women. The journey into social service began early for the Mantha sisters who were raised by their mom to help those in need. "Our mom has always encouraged us to lead a purposeful life and carve our paths. She has helped us by being our brainstorming partner and always challenging us to overcome obstacles and continue forward," Shreya tells Global Indian. While FFG has impacted over 2500 homeless mothers and their girls through coaching, workshops, and care packs, it began with Shreya tutoring sex trafficking survivors and school dropouts when she was in Class 8. "Before FFG was established, every Friday evening, I was tutoring girls between the age of 13 and 15, in Math and English, along with my father. At the same time, Sahana and mom would ensure we had enough food for the girls, as it is hard to concentrate on an empty stomach. We would leave them with enough till we met them
ather. At the same time, Sahana and mom would ensure we had enough food for the girls, as it is hard to concentrate on an empty stomach. We would leave them with enough till we met them the following week. The most important thing our mom taught us was 'treat them as just regular girls your age, and barriers will break down,' and that has how it has always been. So, our foundational principles of inclusivity and equity have much to do with how we live and lead," adds the 21-year-old.
[caption id="attachment_23775" align="aligncenter" width="708"] Shreya and Sahana Mantha co-founded Foundation for Girls[/caption]
Being a teenager herself then, she learnt it takes time to gain the trust of girls who come from "traumatic backgrounds." However, Shreya says that "consistency, care, and communication play an important role" as the transformation journey isn't easy and takes a long time. "FFG invests in girls for the long term. This also means the allocation of a coaching team and resources to match the needs of every girl and child. Many of the participants of FFG were 13-14 years old when they joined, and now they are 18-19 years. Today more than 95 percent of the girls join FFG by referral," avers Shreya.
The calling
The Mantha sisters didn't have to look far for motivation as they found their role model in their mom. "She raised both my sister and me with warmth but also strength and determination. And that’s something we carry with us daily. She’s all about positivity and about doing good things for others and doing it every day. It’s not just a once-a-month thing or a once-in-a-while thing. When you do good for people, not only do you feel good but it’s impacting them in a good way too," says Shreya, who is a senior at Stanford University, adding, "More than anything, she raised us with really strong values."
[caption id="attachment_23781" align="aligncenter" width="666"] A group photo of FFG moms[/caption]
At the age of 13, Shreya began tutoring sex trafficking survivors and school dropouts in her hometown of Charlotte. The nudge to help the marginalised women and children came from the realisation that despite being one of the US's fastest-growing cities, Charlotte is at the bottom in terms of economic mobility. That's when she and her sister Sahana started exploring their community to understand the problem at the grassroots level, realising the challenges faced by the at-risk girls. "They are insufficiently prepared economically, educationally, and emotionally to support themselves. They have low incomes and experience economic hardships, particularly as many are disproportionately disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities," adds Shreya, who understood the importance of meeting the women's needs to improve their lives as well as help them become contributing members of society.
[caption id="attachment_23779" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Shreya and Sahana Mantha with FFG mother and daughter[/caption]
"Women who span the approximate ages of 15 to 26 are in a critical period of development, with long-lasting implications for their economic security, health, and well-being. Without deliberate action, however, this period of development is likely to magnify inequality, with lasting effects through adulthood. There needed to be intentional and thoughtful approaches to provide them with the resources, relationships and recommendations needed on their journey to independence," explains the Diana Award recipient, who launched Foundation for Girls to play its part in "empowering homeless single mothers to become financially savvy, digitally capable, career confident, and socially connected for multi-generational change."
Making an impact
Till now, the Mantha sisters have impacted over 2500 homeless single mothers and their children through Foundation for Girls, which now has nine chapters including California, Iowa, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Maryland, and DC, under the leadership of Sahana, who is a sophomore in high school at Providence Day School. She dipped her toes into the world of social service eight years ago when she "sourced and provided fresh food for girls who were being tutored" and later moved to teaching digital skills to FFG participants.
[caption id="attachment_23780" align="aligncenter" width="785"] Sahana Mantha with FFG moms[/caption]
Currently, the 16-year-old works on the strategy aspect to "meet the ever-expanding needs of the FFG community to maximise the multi-generational impact." The implementation of FFG technological solutions during the pandemic, enabled girls from nine states to work with coaches, regardless of their geographic location. Moreover, the teenager leads the Circle of Care program wherein she looks into the sourcing and assembly of care packages that are delivered to the moms every week.
With a team of over 75 volunteer coaches and 150 plus volunteers, FFG coaches build bridges and human connections through one-on-one coaching for transformative impact and multi-generational change. With a mission to empower homeless single and support their children, FFG "invests in women to be financially savvy, career confident, digitally capable, and socially connected."
Every challenge is an opportunity
Shreya and Sahana, who have come a long way, call FFG a learning curve. Funding to setting partnerships in new states during expansion were some of the hurdles that they had to go through together. Since the girls were still in school, getting funds for FFG was a challenge. "Our parents gave us our seed money to get everything started. Later, we learned how to write grants and get funding," reminisces Shreya, adding that FFG currently raises money from corporate sponsorships, grants, community foundations, and family-based foundations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JsgLOFccoE
The Mantha sisters call every challenge an equal opportunity to learn. The hardships made them better at every step of the journey. "Persistence and the power of collaboration are key. Having the right team and values-aligned individuals have made the impact possible," add the changemakers for whom FFG will always be their way of giving back to the society. "We hope to continue to drive long-term systemic, sustainable change for homeless single mothers and their children," chimes in Sahana.
Though they share the same goal in terms of FFG, the Mantha sisters enjoy diverse interests. While Sahana, a competitive golfer, loves exploring new cuisines, her older sister loves "listening to podcasts, watching movies, and hiking."
The sisters, who are making an impact in society with FFG, say understanding the problems in the community and identifying your role in problem-solving is the first step towards making an impact. "Begin small and take small steps every day," says Shreya while Sahana signs off adding, "Identify your partners and build your team along the way."
(March 15, 2023) Being surrounded by nebulizers and inhalers during Diwali has been one of the core memories for Delhi-born Krrish Chawla while growing up in the capital. As someone who battled respiratory problems throughout his childhood, the 20-year-old was always surrounded by air filters to enhance his breathing. This propelled him to find a solution for many like him, who were facing similar issues. "Being curious as a kid, I was just 14, when I dismantled a purifier inside my home to discover a very simple working design. However, I was taken aback the moment my father told me about its exorbitant price. With a strong resolution that breathing pure air is not a luxury but a necessity — I decided to build one myself," the Stanford University student said. Being a science student, he was well aware of the operations of an electrical circuit and soon started experimenting with different prototypes. It took him 320 prototypes to finally come up with a commercially viable model - "with a focus on delivering maximum efficiency at the most economical rates." This gave birth to Breathify in 2018 - an air-purifying device with an innovative ‘Reverse Air’ technology. "My parents helped
l - "with a focus on delivering maximum efficiency at the most economical rates." This gave birth to Breathify in 2018 - an air-purifying device with an innovative ‘Reverse Air’ technology. "My parents helped me immensely during the initial days. With the help of my father, I was able to innovate and design a technology called 'reverse air'. It essentially reverses the components used inside the device to reach maximum filtering efficiency," he added. In simple terms, the technology reverses the direction of airflow, thus eliminating any scope of air-mixing with surrounding pollutants.
Made of eco-friendly components, the air purifier is 99 percent plastic-free, uses a HEPA filter that can trap 99.97 percent of ultra-microscopic particles, and is available at ₹4230. "It is a simple plug-in-play operation, consuming 25-65 watts of electricity. The only maintenance is to change the HEPA filter," he told HT.
Being a teenager when he made the device, Krrish had to face many challenges, but for him, the prime struggle was to convince people about the simplicity of an air purifier. "I did several demos in front of people showing them the efficiency of my device. Since childhood, I was deeply inspired by minimalism. I believe that instead of incorporating a lot of complexity inside the machine, we should focus on a simple design to boost functionality," the Global Indian said.
The startup began with initial financial assistance from his father and later, he invested the profits from new orders. "I learned on Google through research and experimentation. The challenge was to understand the airflow and correct it as required,” he said. Breathify has till now helped improve the lives of over 48,000 people and has reached more than 12000 users in India.
Krrish, who is currently pursuing Computer Science at Stanford University, is an avid photographer and a national-level golfer. He is constantly striving for social upliftment, making positive differences in the world – a step at a time. A common aim of all his projects is environmental sustainability, which he hopes to achieve in the near future.
(November 10, 2023) Maryland-based Vayun Amula wears many hats at the tender age of 15. The freshman at Poolesville High School is an integral part of Rise N Shine, the youth-led initiative aimed to tackle the effects of food waste through composting and food recovery programmes. Outside of school and community activities, he is a state level cricket player in Maryland and has a knack for innovation to solve problems. The youngster excels in all his many interests and has earned many awards and accolades for his accomplishments. He received the Governor's Youth Service Award 2023, and the President's Volunteer Service Award (Gold) in 2022. In Maryland’s official qualifying tournaments of the First Lego League, Vayun and his team managed to earn the first position becoming the recipients of the Innovation Project Award in 2022. Another big achievement came one year prior, when Vayun led a team to bag the first position in the Robert Design Awards and also the Core Values Awards in that year’s first Lego League tournament in Maryland state. [caption id="attachment_34019" align="aligncenter" width="694"] Vayun Amula[/caption] “I manage my cricket, studies, volunteerism, and other activities by sticking to a schedule,” the youngster says, as he connects with Global
“I manage my cricket, studies, volunteerism, and other activities by sticking to a schedule,” the youngster says, as he connects with Global Indian. Once he returns from school his afternoons and evenings, from three to 10 pm, are a choc-a-block with activities as he works to meet the demands of his multiple interests.
Managing food waste to avert climate change
The United States discards more food than any other country in the world. Every year in United States, approximately 31% (133 billion pounds) of the overall food supply is wasted by consumers and retailers, as per the estimates of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS). The wasted food is either dumped in landfills or burned in trash incinerators. This leads to 18% of the US’ total methane emissions that come from landfills, resulting in global warming and impacting food security and resource conservation.
Vayun found inspiration in his elder sister, Shrusti Amula, the founder of the non-profit, Rise N Shine Foundation, who earned the prestigious title of L’Oreal’s 'Woman of Worth' honouree this year. Witnessing her dedication and the significant impact his sister’s work was making, Vayun decided to become a part of the organisation himself.
[caption id="attachment_34020" align="aligncenter" width="683"] One of Rise N Shine’s food collection drives[/caption]
“I became a part of the Rise N Shine Foundation in 2020, when my sister explained the pressing problems in the world, such as food wastage, climate change and homelessness. Her passion for addressing these issues compelled me to join non-profit as the COO (Chief Operating Officer). I am committed to working with the foundation's dedicated team to make a positive impact on these critical challenges,” he says.
Innovation and awards
Vayun’s dedication to the cause did not go unnoticed and this year he received the Governor's Youth Service Award, a state-level recognition program that honours young individuals who have made significant contributions to their communities through volunteer work and service initiatives. This award aims to acknowledge and celebrate young people who have demonstrated leadership, dedication, and a commitment to positive social change. In 2022 he had received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold) for his work at the non-profit.
He also received the Gold Star award for Student Engagement from Montgomery County’s Public School system (MCPS). “This award is given to students who demonstrate intensive involvement in leadership, service, and extracurriculars and have more than four years of proven track record in athletic and/or extracurricular activities. I got this award for all my service, leadership and extracurricular involvements, in addition to my work with Rise N Shine,” he says.
[caption id="attachment_34023" align="aligncenter" width="737"] Vayun Amula with a friend[/caption]
In pursuit of STEM learning and problem-solving
In the 2022 First Lego League innovation project, Vayun undertook research on a pressing issue involving cargo containers falling off cargo ships. Their investigation revealed a significant 40 percent slowdown at a California port in 2021 due to such incidents. To address this problem, Vayun and his team introduced a ground-breaking solution known as the ‘smart container’, which resolved multiple challenges. One of these challenges involved preserving products at a consistent temperature, achieved by incorporating smart heaters and coolers. The smart container was designed to also equip electromagnets and wind sensors. Vayun and his team’s exceptional prototype secured the first position at prestigious Innovation Project award.
In 2021, serving as the team leader, the youngster achieved a remarkable feat by securing the First Lego League Robert Design Award for his team. He had played a pivotal role in programming a robot to excel in the Robo Game. Additionally, his team was honoured with The Core Value Award, which recognises exceptional learning and teamwork. “Receiving the Core Values Award is a significant achievement in FLL, as it highlights not only a team's technical prowess but also its character and commitment to collaboration and ethical behaviour in the pursuit of STEM learning and problem-solving,” Vayun says.
Cricket, India and future goals
A state level cricket player of Maryland, Vayun has been representing his state in the Mid-Atlantic region in U15 cricket matches. “My dad is a big fan of cricket and I was introduced to the cricket by him. He is my coach as well as my practice buddy,” he smiles.
The native of Maryland, maintains a close connection with his place of origin, Mumbai. His software professional parents have reinforced the family’s ties with India through regular visits.
Despite excelling in sports, the youngster aspires to be a successful entrepreneur. "I want to establish a company that can consistently make a positive impact by assisting those in need," he signs off.
Netra Venkatesh[/caption]
SpunkGo ambassadors from different parts of the world[/caption]
Children at Simbi Foundation, one of the philanthropy partners of SpunGo[/caption]
Shreya and Sahana Mantha co-founded Foundation for Girls[/caption]
A group photo of FFG moms[/caption]
Shreya and Sahana Mantha with FFG mother and daughter[/caption]
Sahana Mantha with FFG moms[/caption]
One of Rise N Shine’s food collection drives[/caption]
Vayun Amula with a friend[/caption]
Vayun Amula[/caption]