Page 18 - Masala Lite Issue 169 January 2025

18 COVERED

IN HIS TRIAL VIEW VIDEO

by FIRE

Anant Kothari, Director of
Anan Jewels and Founder of

Anan Foundation, shares the
inside track on finding his true
purpose — helping burn survivors
blend into normalcy through his

eponymous non-profit. You’ve played an active role in helping burn victims through your foundation.
Could you please share what inspired you to work on an admirable initiative
BY POOJA PRABBHAN SRIJITH & AYUSH MADAN and why it’s so close to your heart?
As a burns survivor I feel a sense of duty to help others in need. As I grew older, I learned
it’s not something to hide or run away from. Rather, it’s my duty to educate people
about burns. People who experience acid attacks and burns of different degrees have
here are myriad ways to find your purpose. But Anant Kothari, Director at often shut themselves out of the external world. I’m fortunate to have the access to
Anan Jewels, chose to do so by finding meaning through his scars from an turn my life around, go about my life, meet people, and learn more along the way.
accidental burn—transmuting a childhood mishap into an opportunity to It’s important to make use of my voice and power to help and make a difference to
empower and aid those who are battling similar conditions through his eponymous those who aren’t able to. And that’s what directed me to build the foundation. On
non-profit foundation, Anan Foundation. “What usually happens with burn the one side, we should raise awareness and, on the other side, offer financial aid to
survivors is after the first interaction, you’ve met them, then you kind of realise: those who aren’t able to afford the treatments.
hey, it’s just a regular person. And that’s pretty much what I’m striving for — to
normalise it in whatever capacity possible,” begins Anant. That said, the first interaction is always the most difficult because people have this
thing called the scarcity mindset. There’s only so much that a person can think about
In a freewheeling interview, we get the 30-year-old entrepreneur to drop deeper in their head. And if one of those things you’re interacting with someone is about,
insights into the things that matter most to him: raising awareness on causes oh, why do they look different? Or what’s that scar on their face, then it limits the
he cares about and thriving at a family-run diamond jewellery business that he’s conversation that you can have. What you want is just for somebody not to notice it,
grown to love over the years. and you can go through a regular life. It’s ironic that we are discussing this, because
it might make people think about scars more, like if I told you don’t think about
Take us through your journey. A little information on your background.
dolphins, you will think about it more.
I’m a pretty regular guy, born and raised in Thailand. I was burned in an accident
when I was three years old. I was wearing a costume that caught fire, which left How do burns impact your personal life?
scarring on my face and arms. Being so young, I do not remember the incident, so When people see a face with scars for the first time, this takes time to process. The
most of what I know comes from what my parents have told me. visuals can be surprising at first for most people. Luckily, after a few meetings, the
scars become less noticeable. Our brain stops seeing them. Occasionally, we face
When I was younger, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. Thus, at 18, I decided to
take some time off, travelled the world, and realised that I wanted to do something odd remarks like:
meaningful in the education sector. I also came to know that the most important “Why do you look different?” I was burned in a fire at age 3.
educational institutions were built by people from business backgrounds. So, the “Does it hurt when touched?” No, it’s like normal skin, just textured differently.
best way to achieve my goal was to join the family business. Through this journey, “Is this contagious?” No, it’s just a scar.
I realised the more time and care you spend working on something, the more “Nice Halloween costume, looks very realistic!” Thank You!
you love it. This has been my case. As much as I was intrigued by the industry, I The last one was a joke, but the accident definitely made me more introverted as a
can say that it wasn’t until I invested adequate amounts of time that I became as person and more comfortable around people I’ve known for a long time.
passionate as I am today.

MASAL A LITE ISSUE 169 - JANUARY 2025