Meet Aakshita Sinha Roy: A 15-Year-Old Girl Who Has Adopted 100 Horses

In a time when the world is filled with dreariness, heroes have taken centre-stage. Meet Aakshita Sinha Roy, a superhuman who has dedicated herself to the wellbeing of other people and animals, all at the age of 15! By Bayar Jain

Growing up, chances are most of us spent our time playing in the park, enjoying with friends, and fighting against what was considered the biggest injustice at the time: homework. A cube of our favourite chocolate would often be enough to get us excited and calm our tantrums. However, for 15-year old Aakshita Sinha Roy, helping solve bigger challenges and problems that plague the world can bring a smile to her soul.

With a philanthropic gene running through her body, this young girl has been donating all her savings to feed feral horses – around 100 of them – in Kolkata. Her love for animals, however, transcends species. “I have adopted almost 14 animals across many zoos in India, such as Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Darjeeling, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Bhubaneswar. I’ve even adopted lions, zebras, leopards, peacocks, elephants, and bears in the South African and London zoos,” says an otherwise introvert girl. It comes as no surprise, then, that she is a record-holder of the highest number of animals adopted.

Roy’s foray into helping the world started early on, roughly at the age of seven. For the past six years, she has been feeding the many birds who flock to her balcony every day. As a young(er) girl, she would watch her father, Sandip Sinha Roy, looking after her grandparents while balancing his professional career. “He would also help my mother (Bonhi Sinha Roy) for household chores, spend time with me, and teach me to treat all people and animals equally.” Parents aside, her brother and best friend – a Shih Tzu named Koko – completes the family.

Throughout her growing years, these lessons taught early on have underlined all her initiatives. She has been celebrating her birthday among orphaned children for the past eight years, sponsoring the education of a young girl in Bihar, feeding 80 families during the lockdown, and even donating to local clubs supporting the education of girl child. Earlier, the family donated to the Bharat ke veer fund for Pulwama martyrs, and, more recently, the PM CARES COVID Relief Fund. “My family and I are planning to distribute dry food packets, water purifying tablets, and baby milk to villages affected by cyclone Amphan,” Roy says. To her, a big heart, a smiling attitude, willingness to work, and love for the country and its people is all one needs to be able to don this philanthropic persona.

Despite a huge repertoire of noble deeds and subsequent appreciation by eminent personalities like the member of Lok Sabha, Maneka Gandhi, joint commissioner of Kolkata police, director Shyam Benegal, singer Penaz Masani, actor Mallika Sarabhai and Nandita Das and more, backing her, the tone of humility continues to radiate. “These messages encourage me a lot, and give me the power to think, involve, and do more work.”

But all of 15 years and a long-life laying ahead of her, she has only one goal in life: “To be a good human being.”

Related: Cyclone Amphan: Here’s How You Can Help West Bengal Bounce Back

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