If a 12-year-old from rural AP can rally for the environment, what's stopping you?
Though Adabala Mahi is all but 12-years-old, she is taken seriously in Yenugupalli, the village in Andhra Pradesh from where she hails. This is not only due to the fact that she won the Energy Conservation Painting Competition in 2018. Just like she used her artistic skills to do her bit to spread awareness about energy conservation, she now uses her voice to spread awareness among schools. And trust us when we say that they listen.
She has 2,852 followers on Twitter and has a profile on Facebook with the name Save Energy
The winning painting depicts themes of saving electricity, green energy and when the painting took Adabala to Delhi, she met former Speaker of the Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan who encouraged her to continue her crusade for the environment. And so she did. Not just through the said awareness campaigns, which she has, by the way, carried out in over 25-30 government schools, but also through social media. This has been happening since 2019. So you see, this class VII student who is studying in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is leaving no stone unturned to make it known that the environment is important to her and it should be for us as well.
On stage | (Pic: Adabala Mahi)
"What I essentially do is share tips, carry posters and talk to the students about energy conservation," explains Adabala. It could be as simple as switching off the lights or even planting trees, but she has the ear of everyone in the room right from the word go. Whether you chalk it down to her content, her age or her passion, or all of the above, it doesn't matter anymore as long as they are listening. It's during weekends or holidays that she takes special permission from the school principals for her one-hour session. During the ongoing pandemonium, oops we mean pandemic, she has spread COVID awareness on social media. Basically, she is unstoppable.
She has been appreciated by the collector, Superintendent of Police and many other public officials
When Adabala is not spreading awareness, carrying out rallies, planting trees, she has planted over 250 of them or she simply draws. She likes to keep abreast of all that's happening in the world by reading newspapers. "I particularly like to read inspirational stories and general knowledge books," she says. Looks like she is already preparing for the Civil Services examination, which is her long-term plan anyway.
Making herself heard | (Pic: Adabala Mahi)
"We have to conserve water and the environment, if not for ourselves but for our next generation," says Adabala passionately. The same passion with which she speaks in classrooms and compels the audience to listen to her.
For more on her check out twitter.com/wewantgreen
