Abu Dhabi siblings win Princess Diana award

ABU DHABI: Two Indian siblings from Abu Dhabi have won the prestigious Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award for Inspirational Young People for their environmental campaigns using art.

Sai Rahul of Grade 10 and Sai Rohan of Grade 7 from Ryan Private School bagged the award for their ‘RR’s Save Wildlife campaign’ in the UAE.

“It is a great honour to be recognised at an international level and a huge encouragement for us to pursue our passion for wildlife,” said Rahul, the elder of the two.

The Diana Award was established in 1999 to recognise courageous, caring, compassionate young people who transform the lives of others – qualities identified with the late Princess of Wales.

Trophy signed by David Cameron

The boys will receive a certificate and trophy signed by UK Prime Minister David Cameron in July. Trained by Chinese artist Jack Lee, Rahul and Rohan have conducted dozens of exhibitions and are fairly popular in the local art circle. In 2014, their artistic genius was appreciated by none other than Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, now Minister of Culture, Social Development, when he bought their painting for his personal collection.

The brothers have also displayed their works in London, New York and Pennsylvania.

Rohan said it was their deep passion for environment and wildlife protection that prompted them to start the “RR’s Wildlife Campaign.’

“We have used art as a medium to raise awarness about endangered species like elephants, rhinos and tigers,” said Rahul.

“Animals are helpless in the face of human cruelty and this is what I want to depict. I wanted my art to have a purpose,” said Rohan, who aspires to be an aeronautical engineer.

“I certainly want to pursue my passion for art but I also want a become an aeromautical engineer,” he said. The boys are also active campaigners for The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Global March for Elephants and Rhinos.

They are also associated with Emirates Environment Group (EEG) and regularly participate in their events. They also run a ‘RR Happy Planet Initiative’ through which they conduct charitable initiatives to help needy people.

The boys said they were initiated into the colourful world of painting by their mother, Sunita, who is also an artist. “They were hooked to painting from a very young age. After finishing their studies, they would spend hours working on canvases,” said Sunita.

Rahul and Rohan’s father Jagannadha Raju, who is from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is a supervisor at a mechanical company in Abu Dhabi.

“We are really blessed to have such talented children. Luckily, we are living in a city which is known for its love for art. There are so many art-related events happening here. My sons not only get to visit various exhibitons and workshops but also have the opportunity to interact with national and international artists and learn from them,” said Raju.