Rajan Thampi: Working for a cause
Rajan has played this role of connecting students to resources for his entire career. His work with Aga Khan Education Services began in 2008 in Maheshwaram Mandal, present day Telangana, where he implemented outreach programs for government schools and anganwadis. Rajan was in charge of programs like introducing life skills to high schoolers, leading health programs for adolescent girls, organising inter school sports competitions, and also training teachers for pre-primary and primary schools. Rajan’s other responsibility at that time, something he is still involved in, is creating and maintaining relationships with government officials.
A significant part of outreach depends on securing permission and getting recognition from government education bodies. Rajan played a major role in getting junior and senior schools recognised by the authorities. Rajan thanks the people who support the outreach department in these endeavors - the Academies Unit and members of the local board, Suleiman Hirani and Jayanthi.
Born in Kerala, the second of five siblings, Rajan grew up in Shakkarnagar, Telangana. Shakkarnagar is home to historical industrial era sites built under the Nizam. Most significant among these sites is the 1,600 square kilometer Nizam Sugar Factory that the town gets its name from. Designed as a model town, the place was built for factory employees and their families. “My father was an accountant in the factory,” remembers Rajan, “and we use to live in the accommodation provided by the factory in its colony.” Madhu Malancha high school, where Rajan went, was also created and funded by the factory. But India’s sugar trade has been in decline for decades, and in his lifetime Rajan has had to see the closure and privatisation of the massive factory. “Asia’s largest sugar factory is now shut,” he muses.
After completing senior school, Rajan gained a Bachelors in Commerce and started teaching at a private school. Finding his calling, Rajan then pursued a Bachelors in Education, focusing on social studies and education. Today he also has a Masters degree in social work under his belt. To Rajan, these degrees are tools to help others. Asked about the outreach department's future plans, his responses are ambitious and focused. “Reaching out to 31 districts of Telangana,” he says, “and to continue to share expertise through collaborative discussion forums for the government teachers are some of my plans.”
“Inner delight,” he says, “and the satisfaction obtained from working for a cause are the rewards I seek from my work." If the outreach program is a manifestation of the ethos behind service and stewardship, then Rajan exemplifies those ethos.
Sarah Keshvani (Class of 2018): using biology to tackle environmental challenges
Sarah’s love for the sciences flourished during the Diploma Programme (DP) at the Academy in Hyderabad. Through her extended essay, she found the opportunity to learn more about how biology can provide solutions to modern challenges faced in local communities. She decided to tackle the issue of water shortages and soil nutrient deficiencies hindering large scale rice cultivation in the state of Telangana, leading to reduced crop yields. Due to zinc deficiencies in the soil, farmers resort to using huge amounts of fertilisers, which further degrade soil quality.
Sarah’s research centred on hydroponics as a possible solution to this problem. Plants are grown in water-based, nutrient solutions instead of soil.
“This technique has recently garnered a lot of attention because experiments have shown that growth is more than doubled when compared to traditional methods of agriculture,” Sarah explained. “Nutrient uptake is more efficient, and farmers can control the type of nutrients the plant is exposed to, in order to enhance different features of the yield. The use of water in hydroponics is still much more efficient than how it is used in open paddy fields that need to be covered in water during certain times of the crop cycle.”
Sarah’s conclusions were positive. Rapid growth was observed and the flexibility to control the nutrient uptake played a huge role in optimal plant health. She realised that a closed system would have provided more accurate results, as the higher evaporation rates disturbed the pH levels. Overall though, she deduced this technique could definitely tackle the challenges faced by paddy farmers.
“The IB curriculum followed at the Academy has played a pivotal role in building many essential skills for university life,” Sarah reflected when asked how she has settled into this new phase. “The emphasis on academic integrity and independence have served me really well here. I was taught to think critically rather than blindly follow textbooks. Its skill-based learning approach, and connecting classroom learning to the real world, also prepared me well for higher education.”
Raghuveer Vyas (Class of 2016): Advocating for change and development
Raghuveer Vyas graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa in 2016 with a desire to be a change-maker in our world. Due to his experience at AKA Mombasa, this desire has become a reality.
Raghuveer Vyas, far right, at a UN Initiative event at NYU.“My time at the Academy undoubtedly influenced where I am now,” Raghuveer said. “The Academy's strong emphasis on contributing back to society certainly further influenced my academic choices.”
Raghuveer pursued his undergraduate degree at New York University (NYU) in Global Liberal Studies with a concentration in Politics, Rights & Development. Currently during his final year, Raghuveer was admitted into NYU’s Bachelor of Arts (BA)/Master of Arts (MA) programme.
“Through this programme I hope to graduate with an MA in International Relations by 2021,” Raghuveer said. “I will be concentrating on Sub-Saharan African affairs and peace and conflict resolution in the International Relations programme.”
Since joining NYU, Raghuveer has been a member of the United Nations Initiative at NYU, which was created to increase the dialogue between international leaders and the youth/students who have become disconnected from the global political process. During his final year as an undergraduate, Raghuveer became the director of the Initiative because he believes “the UN Initiative’s mission and actions to be absolutely critical to the political discourse at NYU.” Due to his commitment and passion, Raghuveer said he has made some impressionable strides in the Initiative.
“I personally have worked to increase the participation of the African international leaders, such as the ambassadors of Egypt, Nigeria and the African Union,” Raghuveer said. “I’m also working to expand our panel discussion series, which focuses on thematic issues as opposed to the affairs of nation-states.”
As part of the Global Liberal Studies programme at NYU, students are required to spend a year abroad at one of NYU’s satellite campuses, such as Berlin, which is where Raghuveer decided to go. Through this, Raghuveer discovered his passion for climate change when he started interning with Climate Analytics, an international climate science and policy institution.
Raghuveer Vyas, far right, at at UN Initiative event at NYU between an ambassador from Egypt and NYU students.“I truly began to understand that climate change poses the single largest threat to the human species, and would disproportionately affect lower economic classes and citizens in developing countries, with the African continent poised to be one of the worst hit, “ said Raghuveer.
While in Berlin, Raghuveer worked as part of the climate policy team at Climate Analytics where he conducted scholarly research on the policies surrounding climate change mitigation and adaptation. As part of the team, Raghuveer said he was able to co-author a report, “Decarbonising South and South East Asia”, for the Asian Development Bank and the UN Environment Programme.
“The report aimed to investigate the current state of fossil fuel consumption in South and Southeast Asia and analyse the potential of renewable energy forms to replace these fossil fuels,” Raghuveer said.
Due to his time at Climate Analytics in Berlin, Raghuveer said he rejoined as an intern at their New York office during his final year at NYU. In New York, Raghuveer worked with the Implementation Strategy team, which assists developing countries, specifically countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.
Raghuveer Vyas, far left, at a UN Initiative at NYU.“While the work I did was quite diverse, I worked quite closely with the small, and severely threatened, country of Saint Lucia,” Raghuveer said. “The country was attempting to receive financing from the international community to realise its ambitious National Adaptation Plan for climate change. I got to work on the national Private Sector Engagement Strategy (PSES), which chartered, among other things, a means through which the government could better engage with the country’s private sector in making them more resilient to climate change. This was submitted to the Saint Lucian government in early December, with the Cabinet of Ministers poised to read it in the new year.
Along with this, Raghuveer said he has worked on preliminary research for a universal Green Affordable Housing Project for Saint Lucia, which “aims to create a relocation and housing system that is resilient to the effects of climate change and compensate victims.” Raghuveer said he also drafted a funding proposal for Saint Lucia, “which aimed to revamp the national health sector and make it more resilient to climate change, both in terms of service provision and infrastructural soundness.”
Although his interests aren’t only focused on climate change, Raghuveer said he understands the urgency of recognising this phenomenon and the implications it can have on the entire world.
“Climate change is somewhat personal to me as I come from a farming family in Kenya,” Raghuveer said. “I’ve directly witnessed the impacts of a changing climate on the farm and seen how widespread the impacts are. For me, climate change has provided a unique lens through which to understand and question some of the perennial challenges facing the Global South.”
Reflecting on his time at the Academy, Raghuveer said he would not be where he is now had it not been for the various opportunities he received and the different skills he learned at the Academy.
“I first discovered my passion for global politics at AKA Mombasa through different platforms ranging from participating in Model United Nations, to having an incredible team of Humanities and Global Politics teachers who all really encouraged me to hone in my skills in the subject,” Raghuveer said. “A lot of necessary skills, such as critical thinking and analytical writing, were taught to us at the Academy, making it far easier for me to adjust to the demands of college.”
Raghuveer Vyas, far right, at the NYU Jordan Center.Although Raghuveer is unsure of what he’ll do after his Master’s at NYU, he said he is looking forward to what the future has in store for him.
“I’m excited to be a student during one of the most fascinating and influential eras in Global Politics and I’m looking forward to learning more about the various issues that grip us as an international community,” Raghuveer said.
By Anusha Lalani
Junior School celebrates Mother's Day
Junior School students at AKA Mombasa celebrated Mother's Day on 10 May 2020.
Anahita Aman (Class of 2020): Building on her Academy experiences to pursue international development
Anahita Aman, a graduate of the Class of 2020, studied at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad for eight years. Currently pursuing history at the University College London, she hopes to build a career in international development.
Having spent her fundamental years at the Academy in Hyderabad, Anahita credits the Academy for shaping her into who she is today, not just as a person, but in her interests and career choices as well. Anahita lived in the residences on campus, and she misses that feeling of knowing everyone and the close-knit community, “which is hard to find in college when you are an international student in a different country,” she expressed.
Anahita appreciates the opportunities provided to her at the Academy, such as the creativity, activity, service initiatives she pursued along with the internship programme she participated in, which strengthened her application to her current field of study at university. She believes the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes at the Academy helped her explore more about who she is as a person.
“Even though you are working in criteria and a certain structure, you still have the space to express your viewpoint."
The one experience from the Academy in Hyderabad that firmly stuck with Anahita was the Model United Nations (MUN) club, in which she served as the secretary-general for the 2019-2020 academic year. MUN taught her a lot in terms of management, planning, communication, leadership and even finance as you work towards an event dealing with multiple stakeholders in the Academy. Known for her calm nature, Anahita was a completely different person in the MUN.
“That was a fun thing, I never knew that side of me existed until I was put into the position. I didn’t know if I could do it but when you are in the atmosphere and put in that position I think some part of you just takes charge. That’s a new side of me that I saw, which boosted my confidence because I realised I could lead people if I needed to and it was a great thing.”
Anahita calls the Academy a second home, practically growing up there. She believes the IB, teachers, the residences and her friends helped and impacted her in more ways than one and have had a significant impact on who she is today.
Aga Khan Academy, Bishkek
The Aga Khan Academy, Bishkek, part of an integrated network [JMC1] of schools located in Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East offering girls and boys an international standard of education from pre-primary to upper secondary levels with a rigorous academic and leadership experience.
Bishkek is targeted as one of the first four complete Academies (in 4 different regions) serving as a test bed of the network of Academies. The first Academy opened in 2003 in Mombasa, Kenya and is the first school in Kenya authorised to offer all 3 IB programmes (PYP, MYP and IB diploma
The project is progressing...
The market study was completed in September 2008, The Academies Unit and land planning teams have visited two sites and specific parcels of land have been identified and negotiation is underway to establish land ownership.
The initial site visits to the land review zone have provided an important and initial opportunity to
assess the zone in relation to site programming and planning needs. Among these needs to which the land must be evaluated to provide a positive response are:
• Long-Term Expansion
• Access and Accessibility
• Infrastructure Support
• Urban Context
Whilst the evaluation of academy site will include the assessment of the development programme and the ability of the site to physically accommodate the programme in practical terms, design criteria inevitably embrace issues that are more subjective in nature but have important impact to the evaluation process.
• Environment: or the ability of the academy and its surroundings to facilitate the creation of a living and learning environment. In this regards the emphasis is on the quality of the site and not just the adequacy of size.
• Identity: or the potential for the creation of a special “sense of place”. The physical complex of architecture and landscape that will embody an inspirational environment, tangible to the students, faculty and visitors, is in many ways also affected by the surrounding land forms and uses.
• Position: or clarity of location within the surrounding landscape or community.
Aga Khan Academies Alumni Update
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The MUN Press Corps
Reporters and photographers were on their feet at all times, running to capture a crisis update, to jotting down the points. As director, chasing them to do their work was a bit tedious, being left with a sea of words to look over. At the end of the day, the array of words and pictures will keep the memories of the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad Models United Nations alive for years to come.
By Nikita Madhani
Sazil Ramani – an ‘Academy advocate’ for service and social change
– Sazil Ramani, grade 10, Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad.
Sazil joined the Academy at its inception in 2011 and has since discovered many passions and predilections. “After coming here, I realized that I have a talent for photography, and am pretty good at design too. This year, I got to not only act in the annual summer productions as part of our drama class but also designed the posters and brochures. The Academy has given me many opportunities to prove myself, and I am sure this will help me in choosing a career in the future.”
His favourite subject is science, because he likes discovering new things, especially with regard to the realities of life and our surroundings. In particular, he enjoys scientific pursuits because they provide appropriate evidence to back the claims they make, and this makes it possible to persuade others towards positive social, economic and political change. Sazil aspires to be a mechanical engineer.
“As I am a residential student, I get a lot of opportunities to experience different aspects of life at the Academy,” says Sazil. “What I find most unique is the studious and peaceful environment, the greenery around us, the people from different backgrounds and cultures living with us, the facilities provided and the number of opportunities we get to prove our talents.”
Sazil’s biggest role model is His Highness the Aga Khan. “His hard work and dedication, his vision of a better world and his mission to improve the quality of life of those less fortunate. I have a similar vision and that’s why he inspires me.”
Watch a video Sazil made compiling visual anecdotes of diverse service experiences of his classmates and himself at various government school sites.
