Alumnus Giving Back to his Home Village in India
When Siva Vaishnav Raj was deciding where to pursue his post-secondary education, he wanted to find a place that held the same values of his home country of India. These values include taking care of your community and supporting those in need. It is easy to see then, why Canada and Cape Breton University is where Siva chose to study and live.
Siva grew up in a small village named Periya Kumarapalayam with a population of just over 2100 people in southern India. His family are long-time farmers, and he knew one day he would have a career in the agricultural industry. He also knew the importance of education to better serve his community.
In 2006, Siva moved to Cape Breton and started his studies at CBU. Siva was very involved on campus volunteering for serval societies and also was a tutor at the library.
Siva graduated in October of 2010 with a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electronics & Controls) and Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology (Instrumentation & Controls) Diploma.
Wanting to be in the community Siva grew to love, he stayed in Cape Breton after graduation, working with Stream Global Services in Glace Bay as a technical support agent for their Microsoft account. In 2012, Siva received his permanent residency status in Canada, which he recalls as a, “day of great pride and joy.”
“I am very proud to be a Canadian Citizen and proud to be a Cape Breton University Alumnus, but I felt that I had a duty to my home community,” says Siva. “I knew that through my education and work experience gained here in Canada, that I would be able to give back and really make a difference for my village.”
In 2015, Siva moved back to India to establish a company selling farm equipment for land preparation including tillers, planting equipment and farm waste shredding equipment. Customers in his region are a priority, but Siva is proud to export to other parts of the world including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Jamaica. His company now employs more than 45 people from his village who receive manufacturing jobs.
During his time at CBU and in Cape Breton, always in the back of his mind, Siva knew he wanted to be able to support his home village and be able to give back.
In 2018, Siva and his farming equipment company were able to help his community after a strong cyclone hit his region in India by donating equipment and helping in the clean-up efforts. And now, during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Siva again is supporting his community.
In response to the COVID-19, Siva has donated $100,000 Indian Rupees to the Government of Tamil Nadu, India, as relief funding, and he has loaned out his employees with power sprayers to disinfect areas across six villages.
Siva is forever grateful for the education and experiences he gained at CBU and in Cape Breton and hopes to continue to make a difference in his community and be able to work together to tackle any hardships they may face.
To find out more on supporting Cape Breton University, visit www.cbu.ca/alumni