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Saleem Khan encouraging Indian youth to have science contributions. |
More than a year after romping home the Outstanding Youth Campaign Award at the fifth Annual Youth Assembly of the United Nations, Saleem Khan is still to reap any benefits from his country or to receive the support he had expected he would receive.
The 24 year old man from India defeated participants from 150 countries for his research on the conservation of mangroves at Urur Kuppam, a village located in South Chennai along the coastline. With over a dozen state, national, and international awards in his kitty, Khan is proud to share the stage with renowned scientists and research scholars of his country.
How it All Began
Khan's sojourn into mangrove vegetations began when he was studying for his Master's degree in Biotechnology. His thesis included a part on "Mangroves - A Life Saving Vegetation". While working on it, he traveled around coastal areas of the Tamil Nadu state of India.
While on his mission, he came face to face with victims of tsunamis and the ecological imbalance they create. He spent over eight months spreading awareness on the importance of conserving mangrove forests among the residents of Uroorkuppam in Adyar of Tamil Nadu State, for which he received the award.
Khan feels discontented when it comes to awareness about mangrove forests among people living near the coastal areas. He told IslamOnline.net (IOL) that, "very few people know what mangroves are. Only old people have seen mangroves some 60-70 years back."
| He came face to face with victims of tsunamis and the ecological imbalance they create. He spent over eight months spreading awareness on the importance of conserving mangrove forests among the residents. |
According to his research, mangroves could act as a natural barrier against calamities such as tsunamis and cyclones. According to Khan, "the intensity of high tidal waves can be effectively reduced by dense mangrove vegetations."
Mangroves are tropical trees and shrubs that are mostly found in saline habitats with their roots partially or totally submerged in sea water. The mangrove's massive root system and underlying sedimentation helps in dissipating wave energy.
Had Khan not been internet savvy, he would not have received the UN award. His UN recognition was neither recommended by the Indian nor the Tamil Nadu State governments nor any other non-governmental organization. He approached the UN by himself through the internet.
Khan regularly tracks UN programs and their work in different areas through the UN's website. During one such casual visit he noted that they were inviting participants to the Fifth Annual Youth Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York. Wasting no time, Khan immediately applied to the event. All applicants were required to pass an online examination; Khan passed the hardcore exams and several other competitions before being selected for the prestigious award entry.
It was the surprise of a lifetime when Khan received the news of his selection; what was even more surprising to him was when he actually won the award. Initially, he thought that he would be just one among 25 contestants who would have been selected for the award.
The award was handed over by the United Nations and the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation to his brother, as Khan himself could not make it to the venue due to a delay in his visa processing.
For the Sake of Humanity
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| Saleem Khan on stage with other scientists. |
Khan says he is an emotional person and that he thought of doing something good when the tsunami tragedy struck in 2004. He wrote several poems, which were well received. He then moved to more active steps and focused on minimizing or preventing tragedies like tsunamis from occurring in the future and thus began the foundation for his research work on mangrove vegetations.
Khan told IOL that he has been selected by the Indian Youth Climate Network to attend the COP-15 conference organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark this December.
He has been selected by the Center for Climate Change and Adaptation Research at Anna University in Chennai as the Indian youth representative for the Indian Youth Science Congress 2009-10. He has also has registered for a Ph.D. research program at the Center.
Khan expressed to IOL his wish that he would have received, "moral as well as financial support from the government or any government-aided organization."
"I had met the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu; he expressed a few words of appreciation but no help of any kind was extended," Khan complained.
"I had also given requests for support to the ministries of Youth and Environment, [of] Tamil Nadu State but there is no response from them as well."
"My present financial condition is really tough to manage and I have no idea how to tackle it."
Khan's dream is to work for either the United Nations or the World Bank, to continue his work which he hopes will be of benefit to the Earth and to humanity.
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