Apart from concentrating on her game, Ashwini Ponappa is busy supporting various causes. Currently, she is lending her voice to the Voice of Stray Dogs, and also advocates the importance of teachers with Aksara Foundation with the same commitment and affection that she cares for stray dogs. “I have gained popularity and that helps me give some mileage to such organisations. I’m doing nothing, all the credit goes to them for their special work. I only throw my weight behind them,” says Ashwini, former world class shutler.
Ashwini says she cannot be more grateful to teachers, as she refers to Aksara Foundation’s social campaign for teachers. “Throughout my life, whoever has been my teacher in various aspects of my life has played a vast role in shaping the person I am today. Teachers are very underappreciated in the society and more needs to be done to recognise their importance.” An animal lover herself, Ashwini’s admits that her hectic schedule had her miss out on adopting a pet.
“But a couple of dogs made my parents’ house their home. So for all intents and purposes, they’re our dogs,” she says. A friend was following the Voice of Stray Dogs page on Facebook and she appreciated their work, so she too ‘liked’ the page. “They (Voice of Stray Dogs — VoSD) do amazing work here in Bengaluru and I want to do my bit to support them. They take care of the dogs until they’re completely healthy. I would love to go visit them in Bengaluru but I haven’t had the time yet.”
