hello, I am Viraj

If you ever wanted to engage in passionate conversations with me, you could talk about protecting the biodiversity of our beautiful planet Earth, and using everything from nanotechnology and science to further that goal.

You could talk about my love for everything from computers and gaming to trumpet playing and golf.

You could also decide to dive into discussions about cultural openness or the way history connects humankind across the globe.

But above all, you could casually chat with me about my constant drive to learn, since I wish to grow up strong, decisive, open minded and kind.

I am very passionate about saving endangered species and improving the biodiversity of planet earth through innovative science. It all started in the summer of 2020, when due to the COVID 19 situation, my family and I decided to get a pet. We decided to get a bird as a pet, as they are extremely intelligent animals. When I started looking into which bird I wanted, I concluded that I wanted an African Gray parrot because they are one of the most intelligent bird species in the world. As we explored further, we were shocked to realize there is an illegal trading industry behind importing and exporting these exotic birds, as these birds cannot be bred easily in captivity, that is why they are hunted directly from the wild. I am raising awareness for saving the endangered African Gray Parrot through my website savetheafricangray.com. And this endeavour also led me to fight for global biodiversity, using non-invasive innovative nanotechnology and science as a tool for it.

Thats me in the middle with my dad on the left, mom and then my sister Anika on the right. We are all dressed up in glacial suits to visit Jokulsarlon in Iceland. We were fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to see a big chukc of glacial ice break away and drop into the lagoon, causing a tidal wave so strong that it rocked our boat for a long time. If you would rather see me in action and learn a little bit more, take a quick look at my introductory video below.

Here is a quick 60 second (and yes, its truly 60 seconds) video about me.

A quick introduction to me, my family, the things I love, the places I have been to, and causes I am passionate about.

I love science. That's me (below top left) at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN - also where the Internet was invented; and as a Top 10 Finalist in the 3M Discovery Education Young Scientist Challenge this year (2021).

I love water. I love to play the trumpet - my eventual goal is to master the digiridoo one day; and I love working on my golf skills. That's me below right, with my awesome coach Gary at the Almaden Golf and Country Club.

We travel as a family to all the wonderful places in the world where I get to learn about the place, the people, their history, their religions, and their culture - first-hand. I have seen the most magnificent churches, temples and mosques in the world. I have experienced first-hand the humility in people across the globe, their compassion and empathy for other humans. And towards me personally. Here are some photographs from our travels.