Sumeir Bhatia

My Journey with Activism

I believe in care! I believe in caring for my ecosystem. I believe in caring for my fellow human beings. I believe in meeting hate with love and care. My childhood was spent along the India-Pakistan border. It was there that I witnessed the atrocities of war and its after math. My grandfather himself became a refugee at the age of seven during the India-Pakistan Partition. However, despite decades of war, he taught me that I must end this cycle of violence and death. I believe in ending this cycle through care.

• June 2019

  At the age of thirteen, I started a tree drive across my city, Chandigarh, to stop the construction of an overpass which would result in over 500 trees being chopped down. I was able to plant over 1500 trees across low-incomes areas and bring attention to the project. We were able to create a large enough public outcry that the entire project had to be shut down.

  The Times of India: Chandigarh: Class VIII student plants 500-plus trees in Summer Holidays

  Strawberry Fields lass VIII Student Turns Green Warrior

• Oct 2021

  Even as the Pandemic struck, I did not let it affect my journey of activism and care. I decided to start the Helping Feet Initiative when I saw little children walking barefoot across the hot asphalt roads of India. We were able to provide over 500 children with proper footwear whilst starting a nation-wide discussion over the growing need for proper healthcare across India through the help of national media sources such as the Times of India. My journey is far from over. I want to continue my work as an activist. I want to continue growing as a human being. I want to continue to believe in care!

  Chandigarh: City teenager Sumeir Bhatia raises funds at exhibition for buying footwear for underprivileged kids

• Nov 2021 - March 2022

  The Times of India: Chandigarh teen launches drive to collect shoes for underprivileged children

Work Experience

• Software Developer

  Wade Maritime Group

  Skills: HTML 5, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript, JQuery

  Projects:

  Wade Maritime Group

  Richardson Lawrie Associates

• Trainee Analyst - Internship

  Richardson Lawrie Associates Ltd

  Analyzed data and wrote reports maritime regulations specifically concerning the CII, EEXI and the SEEMP

• Lunch Maître D

  Worked as the “Job Boss” of for all Lunch Waiters. Arranges scheduling for a cohort of 25 people. I was responsibile to manage and operate heavy machinery, train new waiters and act as a supervisor for them. I made traditional Indian dishes to feed over 300 people for Diwali Dinner.

• Dinner Maître D

  Worked as the “Job Boss” of for all Dinner Waiters. I managed a cohort of 25 people including cooks and waiters. I trained other staff in operating heavy machinery. I made sure that all operations of our dinning unit went smoothly even in harsh winters and would very frequently fill in for people who would call in sick, during their shift. I also helped the chef in cooking meals for the school, as and when required.

• Lunch G-Sub

  Volunteered to cover shifts for people who were unable to work due to an appointment or an illness. Worked jobs ranging from washing dishes, cleaning gutters, and even making food.

Astronomy and Other interests

Astronomy as a Tool for Change and Accessibility :Over the course of my Junior year, I developed a deep love for Astronomy. I had lived most of my life in an urban environment and the wonders of the night sky remained foreign to me. But it was there in the clear pastures of rural Vermont, that I finally gazed upon Jupiter in all its glory. It spurred a fire within me that soon enflamed into an obsession. This obsession would lead me to repair over 15 telescopes and bolster my school’s Astronomy program. However, the person I wanted to share this obsession with most could not make the journey up to the Observatory due to a disability. But both my obsession and friendship were too strong for me to give up. I would spend countless hours collimating and rebuilding a 1.7-meter Meade Refractor telescope in order to place the gigantic telescope directly in front of their dorm. The wave of excitement that crashed across their face as they marvelled at the beauty of Jupiter, as I had done once before, was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Vocal Ensemble: Practiced and performed songs from a breadth of disciplines and genres consisting of Native American Traditionals and New Wave songs.

Ceramics: Utilized Native American and Traditional Japanese techniques to create pieces that help convey my sense of indigeneity to Indian culture whilst still attempting to exist within the confines of western culture. I created the “Banyan Tree” to echo this very sentiment.

Sustainability Activity, Gardening, and Landscaping: Created compost from food waste. Practiced organic and regenerative agriculture on my school’s self-sustaining 500-acre farm. Engaged in invasive species removal.

Research/Honors Project:

• Climate Colonialism: The Intersection of the Environment, Economics and Equity in the Modern World of Climate Policy

  This 17-page research paper attempted to understand the current state of climatic geo-politics through the lenses of the Ethics of Care and Systems Theory. It incorporated an experimentalist writing style in order to do justice to the breadth and depth of topics it attempted to cover. The main topics it touched upon revolved around Africa’s response to GMO food aid, the Global North’s leverage in the form of globalization and the Global Trash Trade that further exerted pressure across Global South nations in Asia. CLICK TITLE FOR FULL PAPER

• Economics as a Driving Force for Violence and Marginalization in The Modern Era

  Analyzed the impact of market forces on the development of historical events correlated with genocide and war. Utilized the Conquest of the Americas, Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the Persian Gulf War of 1991 as lenses for this research.

• The Impact of Merchants and Traders on the Communication of Ideas along the Silk Road

  Analyzed how the interconnected nature of the Silk Road helped the spur of ideas and materials across continents and how it’s fall directly correlated to the rise of colonialism.

To know more about my research projects, please feel free to contact me

Mobile Number

(802) 380-7606

Email

sumeirb@gmail.com
sumeir_bhatia314@berkeley.edu

Social Network