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.
(July 23, 2024) "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation of all:" ‘Number 6’ on the United Nations' list of Sustainable Development Goals deals with one of the world's most pressing problems. In 2017, a whopping 2.2 billion people (around a quarter of the world's population) lacked access to safely managed drinking water. Access to safely managed sanitation is even more dismal - over 4.2 billion people lack the most basic facilities. As the pandemic hit, it brought to the fore the fact that some 3 billion people lack basic hand-washing facilities at home. It is a matter that will, if it is left uncontrolled, go on to determine the fate of the human race. And one that Shreya Ramachandran, winner of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes and the Google Science Fair Prize and now a student at Stanford University, has attempted to tackle with a simple, low-tech, and cost-effective solution: recycled grey water and the use of soap nuts. The relatively clean wastewater generated in houses or office buildings (usually from sinks, showers, baths, dishwashers, and washing machines, not anything that has come in contact with faecal waste) is referred to as grey water. Born
tanford University, has attempted to tackle with a simple, low-tech, and cost-effective solution: recycled grey water and the use of soap nuts. The relatively clean wastewater generated in houses or office buildings (usually from sinks, showers, baths, dishwashers, and washing machines, not anything that has come in contact with faecal waste) is referred to as grey water. Born and raised in California, Shreya founded The Grey Water Project to address the issue and propagate grey water as a viable solution. The organisation, which has been accredited by the United Nations Environmental Program, spreads awareness on grey water as a concept, the benefits of recycling it and propagating the use of soap nuts or soap berries as an alternative to chemical soaps and shampoos. Global Indian takes a look at her story.
Devastated by drought
In 2014, the pre-teen witnessed first-hand the water crisis in California, during a visit to Tulare County. Spanning an area of 12,530 km, Tulare County is mainly farmland and was home to the now-mostly dry Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes.
At the time, California was at the peak of a severe drought and stringent water-saving measures were put in place. "It wasn't affecting me personally. I was also quite young. So I wasn't aware of the extent to which things had progressed," Shreya told the Smithsonian Magazine in 2021. When she arrived in Tulare for an archery competition, she understood the severity of the situation. Wells had run dry and people brought in water trucks even for basic needs like drinking and bathing.
A global problem
"I just didn’t consider that this is something that could happen in the United States - something that could happen so close to my home." Every year, she would take a trip home, travelling through South India, where farming communities had abandoned their ancestral homes after the monsoons failed year after year.
Shreya began to understand then that water scarcity wasn't limited to the third world. It was a global problem, one with life-or-death implications for every living creature on the planet. During her visits to India, she would turn on the water to find murky liquid ooze through the taps, or to have her shower run dry without warning. If she mentioned the problem, she was handed a bucket and told to stand in line for the water tanker at the break of dawn. This was a normal life. Back home in the Bay Area, even though there was clean drinking water coming through the taps, people were advised not to shower for longer than five minutes and to ensure their faucets were turned off as they brushed their teeth.
Grey water – and soap nuts
As she did everything, she could to minimize her use of water, she learned about grey water. Using grey water recycling systems, she found, can reduce household water usage by about 50 percent. It can be reused for a variety of non-potable uses, including landscape irrigation and flush toilets (the Indian Institute of Science uses only recycled water, through a system installed on campus for non-potable uses). These non-potable uses make up about 60 percent of a household's requirements.
Again, answers found Shreya from India, this time when her grandmother came to visit. "She came bearing soapnuts - a berry shell that releases soap in water - to wash my hair," she told Smithsonian Mag. "What started as a curious experiment turned into a five-year-long process of discovery and investigation to make sure that grey water reuse, especially from soapnuts, is safe, effective and will not negatively affect environmental health."
Spreading awareness
It seems like the ideal solution, right? It could be, but then why are grey water recycling systems so rare? And why are so many people unfamiliar with the concept? Shreya knew as she did her research, that her first challenge would be tackling awareness. The systems are also expensive and besides, and the fact that storing contaminated water is difficult, unpleasant, and unhygienic puts off many people.
She wasn't averse to dealing with challenges. Through her organisation, The Grey Water Project promotes the safe re-use of grey water and water conservation. After extensive research, she found that the main pollutants in grey water are soluble salts and borax. She was, however, surprised to find how many people had never even heard of grey water, despite it having been widely touted in the media over the last few years.
The organisation conducts workshops at schools, libraries, and community and corporate events to demystify the use of grey water. Its UN accreditation also been accredited allows Shreya and her team to contribute to UN Policy inputs. In 2018, her efforts landed her the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. She was a Top 20 Global Finalist at the Google Science Fair and is a National Geographic Young Explorer. She is also the winner of the SBI's Twenty Under Twenty and the Children's Climate Prize. The exceptional teen also received the President's Volunteer Service Award Gold for two consecutive years, in 2020 and 2021.
(September 4, 2024) The daughter of a marine biologist, Nadia Nazar grew up seeing how climate change was harming animals. And eventually, she began to see what it was doing to people too. One thing led to another and in 2018, Nadia co-founded Zero Hour, a "youth-led international coimate justice organisation." Soon after their founding, they organised the Youth Climate Summit, which included rallying hundreds of young people to march on Washington DC. Nadia's efforts culminated in public officials signing a pledge to not refuse money from fossil fuel campaigns. After the Summit's success, Zero Hour chapters sprung up across the world, from LA to Portugal to India. Nadia and her co-founder, Jamie Margolin, are no longer strangers to testifying in Congress and Margolin even spoke alongside climate activist Greta Thunberg. In February 2019, Nadia addressed the House Natural Resources Committee Hearing on climate change, speaking about the impact of climate change in developing countries and low-income communities in the US. A talented artist, Nadia, who is currently at Maryland Institute College of Art, believes strongly in art as an effective tool for climate justice, and serves as Zero Hour's art director. Founding Zero Hour Nadia was born and raised
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Founding Zero Hour
Nadia was born and raised in Baltimore county and was in middle school when she first learned about climate change during an environmental science class. With her mother being a marine biologist, Nadia had already witnessed the devastation that climate change could cause and wondered what she could do to offer a solution. "It was really devastating because animals are not doing anything to cause the problem but they're the ones being affected first," Nadia told the Baltimore Sun.
The Youth Climate Summit
Over 100 young people stood together to deliver the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge to elected officials, a day that Nadia still recalls with a smile. Dozens of sister marches had taken place across the US, in a highly publicised spectacle. For 14-year old Global Indian and her co-founder Jamie Margolin, who was also a high school student, Zero Hour's first event had been a huge success.
The Zero Hour story began when Nadia first discovered Jamie Margolin, a high school student who was working on bringing more young people into the fight against climate change. Nadia reached out and the two began to work together. "I was a very goal-oriented person and I really wanted to start this youth march," Jamie said, shortly after the summit. "When Nadia was basically the only person reaching out to me back then, consistently coming up with ideas and being proactive, I was very excited to work with her. She shared the vision that I had and so sharing everything we built together was incredible." They saw a manifold increase in success, though and 44 chapters of Zero Hour sprung up across the US and internationally.
The Summit happened merely weeks after Zero Hour came to be. And even if Margolin was "goal-oriented," organising a nation-wide movement was not easy. The long hours, short deadlines and the sheer intensity of purpose left the teenagers with self-doubt and burnout. "It took a toll on my mental health," Nadia said. "I only really started taking care of my mental health when COVID started because I finally had the time. Learning how to sleep every day made a difference."
However, Nadia admits that her life is drastically different from that of her peers. She sacrifices the parties, the travelling and many of the little things that are part of the high school experience. "They are hard choices to make but I make them for a reason," she says. During Covid, she went back to the self-care basics. "None of us really prioritised rest. You would go to school, come home and do homework and then stay up all night working after that. It was not healthy for any of us. It was draining and it made the work so much harder."
Art for climate justice
"Anyone can understand art especially if you don't have words to communicate," says Nadia, who had always been interested in art and painting. Now, she sees art as a highly effective tool for change, and to spread awareness. "I think it's so important that we also talk about the emotional aspect of climate change... let's tell the stories of how people are being affected - the anger, the anxiousness and the grief. Art has been a really good tool for that."
(January 24, 2024) After a tough selection process with over a thousand applicants from across the country, NLU Delhi’s Ayan Gupta is among the five scholars selected for the Rhodes Scholarship 2024 to study at Oxford University. “Oxford is a brilliant place to study at and who wouldn’t want to,” remarks Ayan as he speaks to Global Indian. While applying for the scholarship, he drew inspiration from a past NLUD graduate who had been successful in getting the scholarship from the Rhodes Trust. A fifth-year NLUD student, Ayan has a keen interest in matters related to sentencing and punishment with a focus on the complexities surrounding the death penalty and prolonged incarceration. At Oxford, Ayan aims to explore the fields of criminology and criminal justice. [caption id="attachment_35405" align="aligncenter" width="667"] Ayan Gupta[/caption] He is of the belief that in the sphere of criminal justice, the system does not lay enough emphasis on empathy. “Hopefully, I would get to contribute to reforms that lead towards a more empathetic criminal justice system,” he envisions after graduating as an Oxford scholar. Passionate about education, Ayan aspires to shape criminal justice education as an academic, and has also garnered experience as a research and teaching assistant
1-1024x718.png" alt="Indian youth | Ayan Gupta | Global Indian " width="667" height="468" /> Ayan Gupta[/caption]
He is of the belief that in the sphere of criminal justice, the system does not lay enough emphasis on empathy. “Hopefully, I would get to contribute to reforms that lead towards a more empathetic criminal justice system,” he envisions after graduating as an Oxford scholar.
Passionate about education, Ayan aspires to shape criminal justice education as an academic, and has also garnered experience as a research and teaching assistant at NLU Delhi. Currently serving as the editor-in-chief of NLUD’s Journal of Legal Studies, Ayan oversees the publication of scholarly papers authored by students, faculty members, and practicing lawyers.
The Rhodes scholarship
“After getting selected for the scholarship by the Rhodes Trust, one still has to go through the application process of securing admission at the University’s master’s course but with the kind of support that the trust provides, the process becomes more comfortable with lesser anxiety surrounding it,” Ayan shares.
Rhodes Trust would be providing scholarship between £30,000 to £50,000 per annum, depending on the course and institution that one enrols into. Additionally, there's a stipend of approximately £20,000 per year, ensuring that all that the scholar needs to do is to focus on the studies, without being concerned about food, lodging, or recreation expenses.
“This opportunity is truly life-changing, and I feel immense gratitude and excitement. The master’s programmes at Oxford spans two years, with an option for a third-year extension under certain circumstances and for specific courses fully funded by the Rhodes Trust,” shares Ayan.
Law with an empathetic lens
During his third year of college, Ayan served as a death penalty research fellow on Project 39A - an NLUD organisation dedicated to death penalty litigation founded by the NLUD Professor Dr Anup Surendranath. The project draws inspiration from Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, which advocates for the equal justice and equal opportunity, and the importance of addressing disparities that intersect and exclude large segments of our society from effectively seeking justice due to economic and social barriers.
Reflecting on his experience of working on the project, Ayan mentions, “I got introduced to the fact that criminal justice goes much beyond criminal law. Many of the problems that plague the criminal justice system are ingrained in the system. Often, the law is adding to the problems,” he says. “We need to think much harder about what it is that we punish, how we punish, and who are the people we punish. I hope to explore these questions in my master’s programme at Oxford.”
The humane perspective that Ayan wishes to explore may have played a role in his selection for the scholarship. “There is often limited consideration given to the complexities of punishment, and there seems to be a prevailing trend towards stricter punitive measures. However, adopting an empathetic perspective is crucial to recognise that crime is a societal issue,” he says. Ayan is of the opinion that crimes are often rooted in societal, socio-economic, and psychological factors. Addressing these underlying circumstances requires more than just punitive measures. It should involve understanding the reasons behind the crimes and taking an empathetic approach for effective reduction of crime rates.
Talking about his association with Project 39A, he mentions, “I am happy that I was able to discover my area of interest through the project and glad that I would be able to explore it further at Oxford. I am thankful to Dr Anup Surendranath for being a wonderful mentor along the way.”
International law with a comparative lens
Ayan’s interest extends to international law as well. “From international law, it has evolved into more transnational or comparative law,” he remarks.
The scholar’s interest in international law underwent a transformation from an initial focus on environmental law during a moot. This shift led him to critically assess the shortcomings of environmental law. Over time, this curiosity developed into a passion for comparative law, prompting him to explore how different nations address shared challenges.
Stetson International Moot Court competition
In the third year of his college, Ayan participated in the Stetson International Moot Court Competition, which primarily focuses on environmental law. Due to COVID-19, what was initially planned as an in-person event in Florida transformed into an online format. The competition featured more than 20 teams from across the world. Ayan’s team managed to become the semi-finalist in the competition. He was able to bag an individual prize for being the second best oralist.
To get an opportunity to participate in the global competition, Ayan and his team of five members had first competed and emerged as national champions in the India national rounds which saw participation of around 25 teams from across the country. Ayan had emerged as the best oralist in the final round as well the best oralist, overall in the national competition.
Talking about the global competition, the youngster remarks, “The fascinating part of it was that we were arguing with lawyers from different jurisdiction and countries and all of them had their own ways of looking at things and ways of presenting the case depending upon their cultural backgrounds. To experience that diversity was very interesting.”
Learning from experts
While studying at NLUD, Ayan has also served as a research assistant of some academicians. The experience has broadened his intellectual horizons and fuelled his aspirations to become a law faculty in future. Collaborating with Dr Anup Surendranath of NLU Delhi, Dr Aparna Chandra of NLS, and Dr Mayur Suresh of SOAS, London was an extremely rewarding experience for him.
“Working directly with academics as an intern, instead of organisations, provided me with insights into their unique thought processes. Difference in their approaches to handle research exposed me to diverse perspectives of looking at a problem,” he says. This firsthand experience with such experts has polished his ability to contemplate on relevance, critique, and utilise reasoning in academic research.
Personal observations on Rhodes scholarship
Significance of personal essay
“Given the high volume of applications, receiving a call for an interview seems a bigger achievement than actually making it through the interview,” Ayan remarks with a smile. Hence, personal essays play a crucial role as they determine whether one will be selected for an interview and also serve as the foundation for the questions posed during the interview.
In his essay Ayan delved upon his observations and experiences during his involvement as research fellow in Project 39A. He talked about impactful stories of people on death row that struck him hard. He also wrote about his aspiration to be a future law academic to challenge and rectify societal perceptions of criminality, and how his teachers especially Professor Anup, the founder of Project 39A made a huge impact on his life at NLUD.
Misconception around sports
“There's a prevalent misconception that being exceptionally skilled in sports is a prerequisite for earning a Rhodes scholarship. While this may have been somewhat true in the past, it is no longer the case in the present scenario,” says Ayan emphasising that the trust just seeks to understand the multifaceted components of an individual’s personality.
Involvement in sports can simply be a part of one's life. “During my interview, I made it clear that I watch tennis tournaments and play tennis just as a means of relaxation, and have never participated in the sport competitively.”
Before joining NLUD, Ayan studied at Amity International School, Gurgaon. His father is an Udaipur based neurosurgeon while his mother is a former Hindi and Sanskrit teacher. The youngster loves playing ukulele in his free time.
(December 21,2021) Recycling batteries for a better future Recycle My Battery has recycled over 145,000 used batteries Every day almost 15 billion batteries are purchased to power everyday objects, most of which end up in landfills. In Edison, New Jersey, a seventh grader works tirelessly to rid the world of battery pollutants, aspiring to make the world safe from fires. Interestingly, his campaign also started when a fire at a waste plant in California caused million of dollars' worth of damage. When Sri Nihal Tammana read about it on his tenth birthday, he realised the culprit was a discarded lithium-ion battery. That became a clarion call for the 12-year-old to start a campaign to rid the Earth of used batteries. It galvanised the community, and like-minded children to begin collecting and recycling all types of batteries. Most importantly to save the planet. The little boy founded recyclemybattery.org which has grown exponentially since it began in 2019. Collaborations with Call2Recycle, today there are recycle bins in 200 US locations, and the non-profit is also working with US school superintendents, covering over 200 schools (200,000 children). [caption id="attachment_8698" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Recharge My Battery founder Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption] "I started to learn about
[caption id="attachment_8698" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Recharge My Battery founder Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
"I started to learn about all types of batteries, and how chemicals cause pollution when they end up in landfills, poisoning groundwater and damaging the ecosystem. I realised that our entire world is powered by batteries, and they are only going to be more widely used. I founded Recycle My Battery to address this," says the pint-sized TEDx speaker, environmentalist, eco-hero and Point of Light honouree.
His large, observant bespectacled eyes light up at the mention of science and sustainability. The winner of the NJ Governor’s Award and the Jefferson Award for his work, Nihal has a sensibility that defies his years.
The method to the research
The Woodrow Wilson student, Nihal researched on how to prevent batteries ending up in landfills, and it was a huge turning point that has been the guiding light that is slowly creating a change. "I started RMB to reduce the 15 billion batteries that are carelessly thrown away each year to zero. We have an amazing team of over 150 kids, and have achieved so much in the two years thanks to my team! We have recycled over 145,000 used batteries so far, and educated over an estimated one million people." Now, Nihal hopes to reach India with his campaign.
[caption id="attachment_8700" align="aligncenter" width="837"] Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
Always thinking ahead, partnering with Call2Recycle and Best Brains helped spread RMB’s wings across the US. Call2Recycle offered free battery bins while Best Brains helped right from initiation, advising on where to place battery bins in over 150 locations. Today, 145,000 used batteries have been recycled and the team has educated an estimated one million people on battery disposal, etc.
The 2009 March-born student has been STEM-inclined since he was a toddler, and thus math and science were his favourite subjects.
Infact, Nihal already had dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur even though his parents were concerned that he was too young to start an organisation. He started it, anyway. At age 10, news of fires and lithium-ion batteries put him well and truly on this path. His younger sister is in awe while his parents who work in IT, and are extremely encouraging, especially his father, "He kept motivating me towards my dreams. Without him, I wouldn't have started my organisation!" says Nihal. Nihal loves speaking to his grandparents in Vijaywada, India, and often regales them with his stellar achievements.
From recycle to spreading awareness
The TedX speaker admits sheepishly to being extremely nervous on the podium, and it took two months of practice to prepare for his TedX speech. The Eco-Hero awardee is a 12-year-old who has only just begun tackling world problems. With the help of more than a 145 strong childrens’ team, today RMB has placed more than 250 battery bins across the US. "We have also won 15 plus national and international awards," chirps Nihal.
The PEYA Award is what Nihal cherishes the most, One in a Million Award, NJDEP Recycling Award, Citizens Award, Nihal is thankful for the acclaim and attributes it to team effort, and the partners who supported his dream.
If STEM subjects bring a glint to Nihal's eyes, he is also a proficient artist, and has won national awards for his distinctive drawings, one of which is shared below. "I have loved art and drawing since I was little. It was super creative and fun to draw, and impress everyone. I drew frenetically just to pass time - 100s of drawing, and I have gotten many awards," says the achiever who seems earnest and adult in demeanour.
The boy who has received appreciation from New Jersey state senators Bob Menendez, Sam Thompson, Patrick Diegnan and Vin Gopal, and Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey, exudes a wisdom beyond his years, and is grateful for their support which has furthered RMB.
As other children were gaming or playing tag, Nihal went CEO hunting to ask for support. That came in the form of kudos from Kevin Kassekert, COO of Redwood Materials, among many others.
Experience and impact has already given Tammana the depth to charter new paths in his life. His research-minded proclivity takes him forward, "I tend to do research to learn more about the environment, waste management, and recycling! When I see the battery bin is full, I feel very proud that people are using the bins that we place," says Nihal who still has ample amount of schoolwork to do, his first priority. After that comes RMB work, and of course, research.
[caption id="attachment_8702" align="aligncenter" width="772"] Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
Busy increasing RMB's influence across the US, the 12-year-old was also hired to research on waste management by an Indian firm. "I was recently hired as the youngest research lead at the Delhi-based EnviroVigyan (started by a professor and some PhDs). I want to do more research to learn more about waste management now," he adds. He also blogs for them.
Higher goals, ahoy
Egged on in no small measure by parents in IT, Nihal now has a clear goal in mind - of studying at an Ivy League like Stanford, and learn about environmental science, business development, science, space science and math.
For budding STEM students, his advice is, "Always go after your dreams and never give up! Failure leads to success!"
Having the right mentors opened a whole world of learning and opportunities, and Nihal is grateful for the guidance of Professor Dr Madigosky, Call2Recycle ex-CEO Carl Smith and his dad who "has guided and supported me throughout my journey to bring down the 15 billion batteries thrown away each year to 0!" he smiles.
It's not all work and no play, with doodling giving him the space to rejuvenate, playing and developing video games adding some fun, yet on any given day, reading and researching touts all else.
[caption id="attachment_8696" align="aligncenter" width="541"] A doodle by Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
"I practice martial arts, and recently got my black belt in Taekwondo. I love to learn about space. My dream is to become a space scientist. I hope to learn lessons from space to help us improve life on Earth," says the boy who has his own YouTube channel Learn with Nihal, where he educates through videos.
"In my spare time I draw and have also won some national awards for my work. I like to develop and play games on Roblox with my friends," smiles the boy who recently came third at a school geography competition, the GeoBee.
The world is his oyster, and Nihal is already thinking ahead, about how alkaline batteries help grow corn (which even the author did not know), and, a hopeful wish, "I want to start another company that can develop clean batteries in the years to come."
(January 31, 2022) Unlike India’s favourite sport cricket, basketball is still languishing in the shadows. While Indians like Princepal Singh and Sim Bhullar have made it to the NBA in the US, and created a buzz, the sport is still finding its place among the other more revered sister sports. One lively young man is trying to change this. Govinda Sharma who ranks #1 in FIBA 3X3 and is in the top 2,000 in the world, according to FIBA. The talented basketball player has taken it upon himself to make the sport a household name. Sharma, 26, is already one of the leading names in Indian basketball. That in itself is an achievement. He has worked as a coach at the NBA Basketball School, is the first Indian to be a FIBA 3X3 certified professional, trying hard to make this three-a-side game popular. Global Indian speaks to Govinda Sharma about his journey, and how he is helping popularise the FIBA 3X3 game in the country. The days when basketball was just an idea Born in Punjab, Govinda travelled around India as his father Kamal Sharma was in the Border Security Force (BSF) and his mother Geeta is a homemaker. His
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The days when basketball was just an idea
Born in Punjab, Govinda travelled around India as his father Kamal Sharma was in the Border Security Force (BSF) and his mother Geeta is a homemaker. His father's job meant frequent transfers and relocations. Although, a keen athlete, basketball was not his first love. He donned boxing gloves, and dreamt of becoming an international level pugilist. But that was not to be. Contact sport was a big no-no at home. “My parents were against boxing as I would come home with bruises and injuries on my face,” he laughs.
He slowly discovered basketball when he saw his father’s colleagues playing the game. He was taken in by the skill, stamina and speed. “I loved the way the BSF boys played. I started developing an interest, and realised that I had a bit of talent too,” says Sharma. Mohit Vasisht, the BSF team coach was instrumental in shaping Govinda’s career at just 14 when the basketball bug bit him. A few years on, Sharma joined the Sports Authority of India team in Jammu and Kashmir.
He pursued the sport, but not how he would have ideally liked to - he had to continue studying, thus basketball took a back-seat.
Chasing his dream again
The Punjab University student did his BA in business management, and another BA in physical education. As opportunities came his way, he worked in different companies like Track, Byjus and Indospirit. He even worked as a guest service officer at the ceremonial lounge of Indira Gandhi International Airport in 2014.
But leaving basketball behind rankled him. He finally called it quits and followed his passion. “I just wanted to play basketball,” Govinda says.
That took the bright-eyed boy to Singapore in 2017 for training. It made a world of difference. “I was trained by professional coaches and used the latest equipment to brush-up my game and gain strength. The best memory is when a local club - CBL, (Community Basketball League) asked me to play in the basketball league. I have learned a lot over there. I also witnessed the ASEAN Basketball League in Singapore,” recalls the sportsman.
Back in India, Govinda saw what the US National Basketball Association (NBA) was doing in India to promote the game at the grassroot level - Jr NBA programme, NBA Basketball School, NBA Academy, Basketball Without Borders, etc.
“Even the Basketball Federation of India has announced a professional league in India. Many state associations have started their own leagues like Rajasthan Basketball League, Mizoram Super League and others. It’s good to see Indian players participating in the NBA draft in the US too. That is an indication of the talent and the sport gaining popularity in India,” adds the sportsman, who founded an NGO - Sab Khelo Sports Foundation (now closed) where he taught wheelchair basketball players and the underprivileged to promote the sport he loves.
Taking basketball to a different level
Rather than taking the regular basketball route, Govinda has chosen the 3X3 version to take the game to various corners of the country. He was also an ambassador for the Indian government’s Fit India Movement, where he spread the word about fitness across the country. "I promote healthy lifestyles, fitness and motivate the youth towards fitness with workout videos. I ask basketballers to send workout videos to correct mistakes, and do zoom sessions to clear doubts," says Govinda, who does these free of cost.
As the first Indian to be FIBA 3X3 certified player in 2017, he has been driving the sport ever since. “FIBA 3X3 basketball is a variation of basketball with three-a-side, with one backboard, and played in a half-court set-up,” he explains.
According to an ESSEC Business School study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, 3X3 is the largest urban team sport in the world. In fact, in 2017, it was included in the Olympics. Is it gaining popularity in India? “Yes, it’s gaining popularity in India because of the style, and format of the game,” replies Govinda. Further, he explains, “Players who participate in FIBA 3X3 get ranking from FIBA and they can play at the international level too.”
Govinda Sharma is now a full-fledged coach and he has his own sports academy called KAGA Basketball Academy in 2021 - in Delhi, Noida, and Siliguri. “We aim to promote basketball in the northeast. We also offers hostel facilities,” he says. Darjeeling is also set to have an academy soon. Incidentally, KAGA is named after his parents - KA from Kamal and GA from Geeta.
Govinda says that his dream is to see more Indians taking to 3-a-side basketball, and India figuring in the Olympics. “There is no reason why India cannot produce a team of international standards as we have very talented basketball players in the country,” he says, hoping to lead this 3X3 revolution.
Indians that made a mark in National Basketball Association (US)
The National Basketball Association or NBA is one of the four major sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Many Indian origin players have made their mark in this popular world sport. Here are a few…
Satnam Singh: The 25-year-old was the first-ever Indian to be drafted into the NBA after the Dallas Mavericks picked him in the 2015 draft.
Sim Bhullar: Sim Bhullar is revered in the sport as the first-ever player of Indian origin to score a point in the NBA. He was signed by the Sacramento Kings on a 10-day contract in 2015.
Sachin Gupta: As the first Indian origin person to be an NBA executive, Gupta was appointed as the interim president of basketball operations of Minnesota Timberwolves in 2021.
Princepal Singh: Princepal Singh scripted history in 2021 as the first Indian in the NBA championship-winning roster. The 20-year-old won the title with Sacramento Kings.
Ayan Gupta[/caption]
Ayan Gupta[/caption]
Recharge My Battery founder Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
A doodle by Sri Nihal Tammana[/caption]
