SASHINI MANIKANDAN

Sashini Manikandan is an inquisitive and innovative ninth grader at Delhi Private School, Sharjah. She is a Sheikh Hamdan Awardee for the year 2021-22. She is a consistent achiever in school and inspires her friends.

She is a mental-math wizard and has awed many people, with her mental-math abilities. She has many accolades in the field of Mental-Maths, ranging from mental calculation challenges to  solving Mental Maths puzzles, securing national and international ranks.

She is also very talented in creative writing, and has two books, one audiobook and many published works to her credit. Under the patronage of Emirates Literature Foundation and UNESCO along with the support of VoFG (Voices of Future Generations), she has published her story in an anthology titled: Young Voices of Arabia 2020. She has also won 1st place in Reedz Story Writing Competition, with her story on biodiversity conservation titled, Tweet, and had her short story published as an audiobook in Reedz App. Her contributions in writing have been recognized by Sharjah Education Council. She is a bilingual writer, with her story on biodiversity conservation  in Hindi gaining international recognition by securing 1st place in the region, among numerous entries.

 She has also taken an avid interest in conserving and preserving the environment and has led several initiatives for promoting sustainability and has led international environmental campaigns. She believes that Nature has created everything for a reason and encourages all her fellow peers to contribute to saving the environment. Her environmental endeavors have been recognized by the Indian government and she has been honored with the WATER HEROES Award by Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ganga rejuvenation. She has also been recognized for her efforts by UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), WWF and Thirst Foundation.

She is an able speaker, getting a chance to share her voice and aspirations for the future as representative of UAE for several international organizations. Some of them include, National History Consortium, Book Fairies UK, Expo 2020 Dubai and many more.

She has a flair for teaching and leading teams, which can be seen in her multiple roles as a leader and teacher in various events. She has been recognized as an all-rounder in her school, vice-head girl and environment coordinator.

She is also an active member in social awareness groups such as Water Alliance, EEG, Green Nest, Mohammed Bin Rashid Community Immunity Ambassador and Yes4Us.