Shaivya Arya: Striving for animal rights
Animal welfare organisation Blue Cross of Hyderabad provides ceaseless support to animals in the city by improving their living conditions, and changing people’s mindset about animal rights. Academy students volunteer regularly at the Blue Cross as part of their CAS activities. Student volunteers walk and groom dogs, assist the shelter’s administration staff and run introductory sessions for new volunteers. Shaivya’s activities were centered around the dogs of the blind and disabled ward. She learnt about dealing with cases of dog bites and interpreting dog behaviour. During her time at the shelter, Shaivya also attended a session by Blue Cross of Hyderabad co-founder, Amala Akkineni.
In her time as volunteer, Shaivya found herself in situations beyond her ken but felt pleasantly rewarded when she worked through them. “Gradually, I learnt how to handle unfamiliar situations without anyone's assistance,” she says. “The work experience serves as a method to identify our strengths and weaknesses.” Shaivya says that working at the Blue Cross has improved her communication, organization and time management skills.
Shaivya is passionate about animal rights advocacy. Before her stint at Blue Cross, she conducted surveys for her personal project, ‘Ethical Treatment Toward Animals,’ to better gauge the issue of animal abuse. “What we do not realise is that activities such as visiting the circus, the zoo or even purchasing a certain product can contribute to animal abuse,” she said. Shaivya went on to lead a successful fundraiser for the Blue Cross at the Academy’s parent teacher meeting in January 2018, raising ₹34,000. The money went toward vaccination programs for strays in the city.
Shaivya’s group members at Blue Cross constantly supported her. She credits them with helping her through tough situations and reflects on how they grew together. According to her, the team’s diversity directly impacted the work they did at the shelter. Dogs would run away from baths or refuse to be groomed and Shaivya notes that that could have been frustrating if it wasn’t for her friends alongside her.
“Each one of us has the power to make a change,” says Shaivya. “To save an innocent creature’s life, to help animals. It is time we make this a better world for us, for them, for all.”
Animal Week at AKAM
Fundraising to mitigate animal suffering
Indira Bulhan: Discovering Universal Success
“Physics has been the subject which never failed to fascinate me. It always made me question, understand, explore and enjoy at the same time. However, I am more interested in looking for things which are yet hidden from human intellect. I like doing things which no one has done before. I aspire to become an astronaut someday.”
It is Indira’s belief that her time at the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad will play a key role in allowing her to achieve her dreams and further her ambition to explore the mysteries of the universe.
“At the Academy, a school day is not just a normal school day, but an incredible journey. Every day is like a new exploration filled with fun and thrills. I enjoy the entire school day as it is filled with fun, challenges and of course, loving friends and supportive teachers.”
Life at the Academy, however, is not simply about gaining a classroom education. For students like Indira, the Academy places great emphasis on learning life lessons through the community service programs that are part of their extracurricular activities. By teaching students the importance of caring about others, the Academy instills a sense of altruism and accountability that will hopefully grow as the students move forward with their lives.
“My favourite extracurricular activity is Caring Hands. [As a group], students go to an organisation where abandoned, ill and stray animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits and birds are kept and taken care of. Being an animal lover, I love going to the place where I can care for the animals and make them happy, even for a little while. Sometimes, language is not required to understand each other and to build a bond and this becomes evident when we go to Caring Hands.”
With her incredible appetite to explore the known and unknown universe, Indira is well on her way to making a remarkable contribution to our society at large, which she hopes will make her father proud.
“My role model in life is my dad. He is the one who never gives up hope and never fails to see the beauty of simplicity. He believes in himself and originality [and is] someone who wants to do something different than what others are already doing. He has always been a source of inspiration for me.”
By Uzma Rajan
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From endangered animals to planets in space
Working for animal welfare with Blue Cross of Hyderabad
Students work to fund Mobile Animal Ambulance
Academy volunteers raise funds for animals in need
Onwards and Upwards
Congratulations to the Class of 2022! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see what you do next. As we welcome our new graduating class to our alumni community, we asked four distinct graduates from the Aga Khan Academies in Mombasa and Hyderabad about their journeys and aspirations.
Imra Dawoodani, AKA Hyderabad
Plans to join the University of California, Berkeley for a BSc in electrical engineering and computer science.
What drives you? What is your superpower?
The impact of experiences. Experiences have moulded the most intricate details of the world as I see it. Whether new, old, unexpected, or a planned experience, each circumstance prompts the creation of a new approach within me, defining my ability to adapt to a multitude of situations. Sometimes it outlines my path, in other cases it intrigues me to look for one.
How did the Academy impact you?
It's been a journey. Exposing me to every emotion one could feel, pushing me forward every second because life never stops, and opening routes to a variety of opportunities, the Academy has thoroughly done its part in making me realise that I'm the only one who can take a call for myself.
You’re a new addition to the crayon box; what color would you be and why?
Grey may not seem like the ideal choice, but it depicts my conflicted self. I'm the one trying to figure out light and darkness, ebbs and flows, the balance between emotions and practicality. A simpler derivative to this conclusion would be my utterly annoying indecisiveness. I'd be the one to mix sushi and dal however horrendous it sounds because I just cannot choose what I want to eat today.
Jacintha Thota, AKA Hyderabad
Plans to join the London School of Economics and Political Science for a BSc in politics and economics
What drives you?
Two things that have driven me for a very long time are fascination and long-term goals. I am someone who just loves the idea of learning new things. Whatever I put my mind to is always driven by a sense of love, a sense of wonder, whether that's my academics or my extra curriculars. That fascination keeps me going. When it comes to long-term goals, I do know I want to work in the field of economics when it comes to equity or sustainability and that has shaped my interests and path.
How did the Academy impact you?
The most profound impact has been that it has shown me the world is so much bigger than the bubble that you grew up in. It brought together people from different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. It has shaped my goals to be community oriented. And it has shown me that being a good person is having the right mindset and being tolerant to new ideas and new people.
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
COVID-19 lockdowns and the kind of terror it put around the world when I was doing my DP journey meant it was incredibly hard to stay motivated when people were literally dying around you by the thousands. It left me with a sense of cynicism and feeling really demotivated. But actually, coming back to the academy and being around people again reminded me just how much I valued this community. It definitely helped overcome the sense of dread I had started to feel during those 18 months or so.
Khushi Bajaria, AKA Mombasa
Plans to join the University of Miami to study health science (pre-med
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? What was your best mistake?
I faced the challenge of making friends because of the way I felt the need to please my friends continuously. However, as I focused time on my goals, I eventually became part of a diverse group of friend groups. I also first thought it was a mistake that I ignored the warning from my personal project coordinator to not go ahead with my idea as it may impact my grades if I fail in it, however, as I believed in the impact it could make and communicated with the right people, I was able to be successful in it and make a greater impact than expected.
How would you describe success and what do you hope to achieve in the next 5 years?
Success is a never-ending mountain with large rocks of joy and glee that help one stay stable, and numerous smaller rocks that keep pushing one to slip backward in their journey of meeting their expectations. The soil of the mountain is then like family and friends that support and help piece part of this journey together to make success what it is. I hope to have completed my bachelor's degree in health sciences and my first year of medical school. I also hope to have expanded my project (teaching Grade 5 to 7 students in how to create and help an eco-friendly microscope). I hope by then, I shall have taught the developmental process in more than fifteen schools in different countries through a team internationally.
Mishal Lalani, AKA Mombasa
Plans to join Middlebury College to major in microbiology and biochemistry and a minor in geography and sociology
What are your plans after graduation?
Firstly, I plan to sleep, have fun and just wind down all the stress that we have been put through for the past two years. I also look forward to and plan to spend time with my family before I leave for university in August, as well as the friends who live around me. Similarly, I hope to do a short internship at the Aga Khan Hospital in Mombasa just to grasp the healthcare environment as that is what I hope to pursue in the future.
What drives you? What is your superpower?
What has particularly always driven me is the community around me. Seeing the community improve when I help out or different community projects help out makes me want to go the extra mile and do more.
How did the Academy impact you?
The Academy made me an all-rounded individual and made me a global citizen. Being the first cohort to go on the exchange programme, I felt very privileged to be at the Academy and to have access to such amazing opportunities that will indeed be spoken about and recognised for the rest of my life. I made the most special memories at the Academy. Most importantly, the Academy taught me that no matter who I am or where I come from, I can make a change if I want to. This was the biggest lesson for me, and I believe it will take me far in life.
