TO live a life of service – that is what Shashivarmaan Thevaraj, fondly known among his family and friends as Shashi, aspires to do. And to show that he does not have his head in the clouds, the 24-year-old has already set the wheels in motion for a few years.
To date, he has set up a social media page to raise awareness of the issues faced by the Malaysian Indian community; taken part in the Rapid Youth Success Entrepreneurship/Employability (RYSE), which is a research and social outreach project to educate, upskill and develop youths; and started a book drive aimed at collecting reading materials for pupils at a school in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.
More recently, he is involved in designing a character development programme for at-risk Indian youths.
For someone who had gotten into fights as a schoolkid and was nearly expelled within his first week in secondary school, Shashi has indeed come a long way.
His journey with community service began when he was awarded the Tunku Abdul Rahman Scholarship by Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman (YTAR) in 2019.
As part of the scholarship, the then international affairs undergraduate at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Kedah was required to undergo a two-year leadership programme with the aim of making a positive impact on the community.
“As a Tunku scholar, I was also required to carry out at least one community project. That was what got me to initiate the social media page with infographics and resources to raise awareness of the plight of my community,” he told StarEdu. According to Shashi, the account has amassed over 115,000 interactions and views.
Having broadened his horizons through the leadership programme, he decided to switch fields from international affairs to community service upon the completion of his undergraduate studies.
“I wanted to join social enterprises which make a difference in education and human rights,” he shared, adding that this was what led him to working as an associate for the RYSE.
Having weathered hardships as a young student, Shashi, who is currently a Youth Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) fellow at Portland State University in the United States, is determined to offer a lifeline to youths who are struggling in schools.
“I believe intervention programmes have the potential to pave the way for a greater future for vulnerable communities,” he said.
Reflecting on the community he grew up in, Shashi explained that youths struggle in environments that lack social and cultural capital.
“To elevate themselves from abject poverty, the youths in my community resorted to gangsterism because they believed it was the fastest means to help and support their families. I was no different,” he shared candidly.
Gangsters were seen to have a “high status” in his community then, he went on to say, adding that such a notion attracted youths to join gangs.
“Due to peer influence, I started getting into fights. My mother was called to my school. She cried in disappointment, saying that I was her only hope to elevate my family’s circumstances. That was when I started to change for the better,” he recalled.
Shashi is thankful that throughout his student journey, he had encountered people who supported his progress.
He attributed his straight As in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) to his aunt, who is a teacher, and credited a “supportive teacher” with coaching him to achieve straight As in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR).
He also has a Teach For Malaysia (TFM) speaker at his school to thank for pointing him in the right direction, leading to him interning at the organisation where he gained insights into various educational pathways and social constructs, spearheaded projects and even helped to publish a book documenting the vision Malaysian students had for the national education system.
His mentors at TFM, he added, were the ones who convinced him to apply for the Tunku scholarship.
On his current projects, Shashi said he has collected over 100 books for the ongoing book drive and is working with various organisations to obtain more reading materials for the pupils at SJK(T) Ladang Tanah Merah.
“The school is in dire need of books as it plans to kickstart a reading programme to improve its pupils’ literacy level,” he said.
As for the character development programme, Shashi said he is in the midst of setting up a team to help him with the endeavour.
“The programme is expected to run for three months in an after-school mode which involves vision setting, developing empathy and community service.
“We would initially target lower secondary Indian students who are susceptible to dropping out and resorting to unfavourable means to support their families at an early age,” he shared.
While he has set his sights on ensuring his community work can be replicated across different communities, Shashi has also given his long-term plans some thought.
“I aspire to start a social enterprise that focuses on organising development programmes for the Indian community and doing research to advise on policy implementation.
“I hope my family situation won’t stop me from pursuing it as I need to resolve some financial challenges faced by my family,” he said.
Divya, 22, a student in Selangor, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.
Now that you have read the article, test your understanding by carrying out the following English language activities.
1 How much information can you recall from your first reading of the article?
Without referring to it, list as many points as you can in your Star-NiE scrapbook. When you are done, check them against the article. Did you get the information correctly?
2 Read the article again. How would you sum it up in 150 words? Look for the link to the article in the “Education” section of The Star Online website. Then, share the link on one of your social media platforms, along with the 150-word summary as your caption.
3 What are five ways you can make a positive impact on your community? Make a pledge to carry them out by the end of this year! Draw an outline of your hand on a sheet of A4 paper. Next to each fingertip, write out a step you will take to do good. When you are done, pin it up in your room to serve as a daily reminder for you to honour your pledge. Remember, change starts with you!
Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@thestar.com.my.