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How a Sharjah student chopped her hair and inspired a school

Sharjah - Eight-year-old Malavika Rajeev donated her long locks to the Friends of Cancer Patients organisation.

A brave and kind-hearted Sharjah student got her hair chopped off in front of 400 students during a school assembly, all to help cancer-stricken patients.

Eight-year-old Malavika Rajeev donated her long locks to the Friends of Cancer Patients organisation. She decided to get her haircut during the school assembly at the India International School Sharjah, to send a message to students that it is important to carry out charitable initiatives.

Although what inspired Malavika to donate her hair was her great aunt who passed away from cancer, last year.

"My father's aunt was a cancer patient and she lost most of her hair during treatment. When my father told me about the pain she had gone through, mentally and physically, I felt very sad. She could not survive," she told Khaleej Times. "My parents explained to me about the noble cause of donating hair and told me if I could donate hair, it would be a great thing. So I started growing my hair and now I feel so happy that I donated my hair finally. By God's grace, our hair may grow again. But, donating our healthy hair to someone who needs it makes them feel complete from within. It's a kind, generous and satisfying way to show the society that we do care."

Malavika's father Rajeev Sivaraman said that he and his wife are "very proud" of their daughter's kind gesture.

He said he was really "touched" by what his daughter wanted to do, after his aunt died of cancer.

"We were really happy and felt proud as it's for a noble cause and it would be a perfect way for her to do her part in this Year of Giving. Since the day we decided to donate the hair, she was very excited," he said. "Every week, she used to ask her mother to measure the hair to know whether it was long enough to cut."

The principal of India International School Sharjah, Dr Manju Reji, told Khaleej Times that it was "very brave" of Malavika to get her hair chopped off in front of 400 students. She said that the school was holding events for the Year of Giving, and Malavika's parents approached the school with this idea. "Children usually don't allow their hair to be cut but she is a brave girl who wanted to do it for a good cause. It's really good of her that she did this for the welfare of others," she said.

sarwat@khaleejtimes.com