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Summers come with laissez-faire clichés — long, lazy, endless, and most teenagers were happiest taking refuge from the blazing heat in coffee shops and gaming arcades. Not any more though. Groups of impassioned youth are taking their academic time off to make the world a better place.
Whether watching over hatching Olive Ridley turtles on a Chennai coastline, cleaning out the cages at the zoo or getting involved in lake conservation, these zealous youngsters are on a mission.
Sharan Chandrashekhar, 15, P.S. Secondary School, says, “I love turtles and am involved with turtle conservation. We set out on the beaches at 10 pm, every weekend to look for Olive Ridley turtles. These beautiful creatures have dwindled over time. They lay their eggs and swim back to the sea. We protect their eggs and see that they hatch away from predators. We treated a few injured turtles, before returning them to the ocean. As part of the project, we satellite tagged two turtles recently to ensure they don’t get caught in fishing nets. Getting permission from parents for an all-nighter has never been this easy!”
These young crusaders follow their calling with great pride and responsibility. R. Mohan, 14, from Chennai, is a fantastic example to the older generation when he says, “So what if the government can’t support these initiatives. We are capable enough! My friends and I have undertaken the cleaning of beaches and lake conservation. We have to make time over the weekend for these initiatives. These projects are a lot more fun than watching TV or catching up with friends for games. It also spreads awareness — we are very excited — to contribute to our country.” 
Hearteningly, the volunteer bug has bitten the young across the country with clubs sprouting, good will hunting. A few teenagers involved with conservation projects at the Lucknow Zoo and Ahmedabad, even go as far as entering the lion’s cage to clean it. Some have adopted the animals and readily take care of them, watching over them and making sure they get medical attention. Varshith Veesamsetty, 15, a class X student exclaims, “I am very passionate about protecting nature. Some of my friends and I were inspired to make paper bag from recycled material and today 50 students have taken the cue. We make, stitch and design them. We have found a few retailers in the city who have readily discarded plastic bags and buy the paper bags from us to support our cause. We even make a tidy profit!”

N. kartik rao
The Asian Age