BBH twins pen book on diversity, empathy

Submitted by Lilli Rawlin

In a world where embracing differences and helping others is more important than ever, two students from Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School have stepped up to make a powerful statement. 

Sophomores, Arya and Amiya Bindra, have made it their mission to help others by publishing their very own book. The twin sisters that have been on a mission since visiting India at the age of 7. 

There, the sisters discovered families were often so poor that they could not afford to send their daughters to school. Because the sons of the families took precedence, the daughters would often not get an opportunity for a fair education and their families would force them to instead marry young to relieve them of the financial burden. 

Even at a young age, the sisters were deeply affected by this revelation and decided to take action to give the girls they met the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Upon entering their freshman year of high school, Arya and Amiya settled on the perfect idea after hours of brainstorming: they would publish a book that spoke about the beauty that comes with diversity as well as the importance of empathy. 

This book, entitled The Magic Rainbow, was written by Amiya and illustrated by Arya. It follows the girls as they take a trip to several different countries, and each time, they meet new friends who share a bit of their culture. 

During their time on the rainbow, the girls learn to further appreciate everyone’s differences and see the beauty of diversity and acceptance.

But the twins didn’t stop with just publishing their book, they decided to give back any success they earned. They mutually agreed to give all the proceeds from the sales of their book to a charity.  Because they could not find only one non-profit that met all of their criteria, they started their own nonprofit organization dubbed Rainbow Lollipop. All of the funds go through their nonprofit to the charity of their choice. 

“We are donating it all to an organization that helps fund the education of young girls,as well as providing them with hygiene products and materials they require for school,” Amiya said.

Arya and Amiya won’t stop there, however. They plan to start even more projects to raise money for their cause, and hope to advertise their book to a wider audience. Their incredible dedication to their mission has inspired so many others around them, including their classmates at BBHHS. 

Both sisters have displayed academic excellence, and dedication to their extracurricular activities. Amiya Bindra helps lead her school in the student government organization as a freshman, and spends time running for the school’s cross country team. Arya Bindra puts lots of energy into supporting the school’s sports on the cheerleading team as well as being a disciplined dancer.The Bindras are living proof that age takes no part in making a meaningful impact on the world. Through their book and nonprofit, they have already started to change lives by spreading the message of cultural acceptance and aiding girls in receiving the education they deserve. Their accomplishments are a testament to their compassion, creativity, and determination.  

Editor’s note: This article was written by a journalism student in conjunction with a partnership between ScripType Publishing and The HyBreeze, the BBHHS student news site accessible at hybreezebbh.com. 

photo caption: Amiya and Arya Bindra have written their first book, The Magic Rainbow. Photo submitted.