Anya Patel, aged 7, recently took a sponsored 24-hour vow of silence to raise funds to help with the crisis in India. She lives with her parents in Preston. With the help of her doting grandfather Dr Kadaba Vasudev, Asian Voice managed to get a glimpse into this little wonder’s mind about her initiative at such a tender age. Below are a few excerpts from the interview:
Q - What led you to raise funds for India? Have you been to India before?
When I heard about the terrible Covid situation in India with lots of people getting ill and dying, I really wanted to help. My grandparents come from Bengaluru in India and I have been there once to visit my relatives. I really liked India. I thought of doing either a 24-hour silence or running a mile every day for two weeks and my mum said I should do the silence.
Q - As a seven-year-old, what have you understood and learnt about the pandemic?
My grandfather, father and uncle are all doctors and have told me all about the pandemic. We have also learnt about it from our teacher at school. My great, great grandmother died in the pandemic that occurred 100 years ago.
Q - How much money have you raised so far? What all did you to do popularise this effort?
I recorded a little message explaining what I was going to do and asking if people would sponsor me and my parents sent it out to friends and family. Within a few hours, I had raised quite a lot of money which was amazing. In total, I raised £1855 which I think will help lots of people.
Q - Please tell us about the 24-hour silence you took up. How difficult was it for you at such a tender age?
I started my silence at 9 pm on a Sunday and finished at 9 pm on Monday. My little brother really helped me get through the 24 hours by not bothering me and also by being kind to me. I had to communicate with my parents through messages written on paper. I am normally very talkative, and it was very difficult to remain silent for such a long time! My mum read me all the messages of support people were sending and also told me the latest total and that helped me to keep going with my silence. I did find it very difficult because I had never done a silence before, but I still didn’t talk. I think my mum and dad were happy to get some peace and quiet for a day!
