JOHOR BARU: An eight-year-old boy not only wrote a 14-page book, he also managed to get it published and sold, with all proceeds donated to charity.

       The boy’s father, businessman Ramakrishnan Nair, said his son Krishh Haran Nair had been passionate about helping people from a very young age.

       “Whenever he sees a poor person, he will ask me for money to give out.

       “At restaurants, if he sees people not eating, he will approach and ask them if they need any food,” he said.

       On the book idea, Ramakrishnan said it started off as an assignment by his online tutor in July. Krishh Haran took about a month to write the book titled The Mysterious War In The Deep.

       “My wife and I were not privy to the contents until it was completed,” he said.

       Ramakrishnan, 40, said his son then told them that he wanted to publish the book to raise funds for the poor.

       “We agreed and he made a short voice recording talking about his book, and that all proceeds from the sale will be given to charity.

       “We then started sending the book out to our friends and relatives. Each book costs RM5,” said Ramakrishnan, adding that they also printed copies of the book which was purchased by a Tamil school in Negri Sembilan.

       He said that many people paid up to a few hundred ringgit to support his son’s initiative.

       Ramakrishnan said by September, they managed to raise more than RM7,000, which was then used to buy about 100 boxes of groceries comprising items such as canned goods, rice and noodles.

       “My son was concerned about the well-being of the people, especially the poor and needy during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

       The charity boxes were given to the Sultan Ibrahim Johor Foundation.

       “We never expected our son’s deeds to receive the attention of the Johor Ruler (Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar) who sent Mejar Cina Datuk David Wong to meet us,” he said.

       He revealed that his son was now planning to work on a sequel to his book. Like his peers, Krishh Haran is an active child who loves playing the drums and ukulele. He also harbours dreams of joining the army one day.

       The other items were presented to the Church of The Immaculate Conception last week, which was later distributed to Myanmar refugees and locals in need.

       Sultan Ibrahim, in a post on his official Facebook page, said Krishh Haran was the youngest donor to the foundation.

       “I am very proud of this young boy and his parents for bringing up such a bright and kind-hearted child.

       “You are an inspiration and a leader for others to follow in your footsteps. I applaud your efforts and thank you for doing your part to help those in need,” said Sultan Ibrahim.

       Those who wish to support the boy’s initiative by purchasing his book can email jayanthimarlin@gmail.com.