Abhishek Salvi: The college dropout who impressed the Money Heist team and the world with his artwork

ia campaign #WeTheChangeNow. "If there's public awareness first, then we can improve the environment. It will happen if people are aware of climate-friendly behaviours and actions. This is why I want to work in the space of public awareness and mobilization," she said in an interview.

It was lack of environmental and climate awareness in her village coupled with pollution that prompted Hina to take action, and work on the lines of climate change. "I was also the first girl from my village to travel to Lucknow and be part of the Climate Agenda initiative in 2018. I learned about air pollution, the air quality index, and understood that fighting climate change is our collective responsibility and not just of the government," she said in an interview.

At a young age Hina understood that lack of education can lead to other issues, including pollution, improper disposal and drainage system. She saw the ponds in her village filled with garbage and drains overflowing. She knew education was the only route to make people aware of the issues. But her biggest challenge was convincing elders to send their children to school. With most children employed in stone quarries and football factory, parents were happy that they were lending a helping hand financially, and weren't too keen to send their kids to school.

That's when she joined hands with her teacher and visited people in the village, convincing children to not drop out. Moreover, she became an active member of a local NGO, N Block, and started attending workshops and sessions on climate change. Hina didn't leave any stone unturned to convince the villagers to send their kids to school and told them education was the only way to understand the importance of climate change and cleanliness. She believes that change happens at the grassroot level. "I work hard to bring about public awareness and to mobilise positive action through activities like pamphlet distribution, public meetings, door-to-door visits, and surveys. I firmly believe that when individuals change micro-behaviours, they can bring about massive transformational change," added the climate activist.

Her hardwork and persistence helped create a difference as more children have enrolled in the schools now. The Global Indian has become a role model for many children in her village and now many parents want their kids to be like Hina. Moreover, she had led the plantation drive in her village, and often discusses new projects with the village Pradhan.

"Dear human don't become elements of destruction @Climate is changing
Protect your possession pic.twitter.com/rWzZ8LGEIz

— Hina Saifi (@HinaSai03267365) September 16, 2021

Hina, who is currently pursuing an MBA from the Bharti Institute of Technology, Meerut, is among 16 women champions who have been given a platform to address the climate crisis by the Women Climate Collective (WCC). "The Women Climate Collective has given us a platform to raise our voice on environment-related issues. These powerful voices of women will go far in achieving the objective of fighting change and bringing in socio-economic development."

• Follow Hina Saifi on X

slums to becoming the first Indian ever to be selected at the Royal Ballet Theatre, Amiruddin's story is about patience, perseverance, and resilience.

Amiruddin’s story unfolded in the Sanpada slums. His father left his village in UP over three decades ago to eke a better life in the City of Dreams. Struggling to make ends meet, the children chipped in. “From selling eggs to slippers, shoes, mango pickles on the roadside, I did everything,” recalls the Indian ballet star, the youngest of five brothers and two sisters.

Despite studying at a government school, he hardly attended classes. “We went to school because free meals were provided. Not too great, they sufficed, and many families sent their children for that full meal, and to keep them away from trouble,” says the boy, who grew up amidst violence. “When you see people dropping dead in street fights, you begin to look at things differently,” reminisces the Indian ballet star.

With no clear interest in studies, it was dance that called out to the young lad. “I was sort of dyslexic and never understood how to write or count. It seemed too difficult -  I felt comfortable and at ease with the arts. Dancing made me feel alive,” chirps the street dancer.

Then came a Danceworx jazz and contemporary dance programme for underprivileged students. His older brother Nizamuddin introduced him to it, and he even impressed the instructor. This led to him trading places with his brother who was already enrolled. “Both couldn’t be a part of it due to financial constraints, so my brother stepped down,” says an emotional lad, who felt trapped seeing his brother give up his place.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRq_32JmczQ[/embed]

The right place, at the right time

That was when Israeli-American ballet master Yehuda Maor spotted his natural talent and persuaded him to ditch hip-hop for ballet. “He kept looking at my arched feet while (I was) stretching, and knew I was made for ballet,” reveals Shah. New to ballet, he hated every moment, especially, comprehending English commands as he didn’t know the language. “It was nerve-wracking to be doing a dance form I had no clue about,” adds Shah.

The initial years of training were exhausting as Yehuda was a taskmaster. For someone who began ballet at age 12, Amiruddin was working hard to make up for lost years. “Yehuda was packing all those years of (lost) training. It was so intense that I hated him,” he laughs. Today, he calls Yehuda his mentor, someone who changed his life for good.

In less than three years, Shah had aced the language of ballet. Spreading his wings, he won a scholarship to study at the Joffery Ballet School in New York but couldn't make it as his visa was rejected. Demotivated, his fortunes changed when he won a one-year scholarship at the Oregon Ballet Theatre.

“My study expenses were covered, I needed money for lodging and food. We needed $20,000 - Yehuda paid half, and the rest we raised through crowdfunding in six months,” recalls Shah. In the US, his excitement soon faded as he had to learn the Balanchine method, a technique quite different from what he knew. Adjusting to American ballet was tough, “They were so quick on the toes, and it felt like the dancers were flying. The speed was killing me. It wasn’t the right institution so Yehuda and I decided to quit the school,” he adds, very disheartened at quitting.

Back to basics

Back in Mumbai, he continued practicing with Yehuda but with a new perspective and zeal. He was then selected by the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York on a half scholarship, but with his funds depleted due to the Oregon Ballet School stint, he had to bow out.

News of an Indian boy making it to the American Ballet School spread like wildfire. “BBC called me the Billy Elliot of India, and it went viral in the UK. The director of Royal Ballet Theatre saw the news, and offered me a full scholarship in 2017,” smiles the first Indian to ever receive the Nadia Nerina Scholarship (for talented students from beyond EU for three years), and first Indian to study at London’s Royal Ballet Theatre.

Studying in the same ballet school that trained the likes of Sergei Polunin gave Amiruddin goose bumps. “He is one of the best ballet dancers in the world, and at just 19, he became Royal Ballet’s youngest principal dancer. This was enough validation and motivation,” enthuses the 20-something Indian ballet star, who finished a higher level of education in arts & ballet from the University of Roehampton.

Royal Ballet was intense. He repeated a year due to constant injuries, and lack of nutrition. “The body has to look a certain way for ballet. Since childhood, with no nutritious food, it showed in my stamina, led to injuries. I had to give myself a year to heal,” says the Indian ballet star, who performed in Giselle, Sea Interludes, and Elite Syncopations during this period.

Shah also started The Art Door, an app platform to help global artistes collaborate virtually or physically. “Art has the power to change the world and it’s important that we have a platform to join forces.” It helps artistes create high-quality professional digital artworks.

From the slums of Mumbai to London’s Royal Ballet Theatre, his perseverance is inspirational. Director Sooni Taraporevala was totally awestruck, and turned his captivating story into a Netflix original film in 2020. “I am grateful to her for bringing alive my story but I wouldn’t have given her my story if it wasn’t for my brother Nizamuddin acting in the film,” says the boy, who admits he still hasn’t watched the film as he doesn’t connect with his past anymore.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpeOrmjRK90[/embed]

It was also Shah’s way of giving back to his brother who had exchanged places with him a long time ago.

A member of the Miami City Ballet, he was a soloist lead in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC in November 2021. “It was a profound moment,” gushes the Indian ballet star.

From Mumbai to Miami, the Indian ballet dancer has come a long way because he believed in himself. Sharing some wisdom, he says, “Have more faith in yourself than anyone else has in you. Talent can be missed twice, but not thrice.”

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