Meet Kaanchi, the 17-year-old 'artivist'
FollowAt 17 Kaanchi Chopra, is a blogging sensation and is being read in 29 countries and unlike other teenagers, she is not here for imparting her knowledge about fashion and the quirky stuff that teenagers are up to. She is here doing her bit to acquaint people with the term ‘artivism’- which is nothing but a pure combination of art and activism.
Every day headlines on social issues like rape and harassment got this teenager want to do something towards bringing a change in this flawed society and spread more awareness about these matters world-wide.
Doodles of beautiful impressions on women were doing the rounds all over social media with people across the globe appreciating the teenager’s thoughtfulness. “I had been reading a lot about acid attack survivors. It started off with a chemical/medicine I wanted to build which could heal their scars. Since I was unable to do that and being so deeply involved in the story, I resisted that I had to do something for these unsung heroes. I had been doodling since 9th grade and it struck me in school that I could use my doodles as a beautiful impression on their faces,” says Chopra.
She first realised about her inclination to create art about women when she was just 10-years-old. “I had to make a painting on ‘Stop killing the girl child’. I painted a necklace and in one of the beads made a girl’s crying face. Over the head of the girl, I drew a sword and wrote – Like a necklace is adorned with pearls, a family is adorned with girls. Don’t commit this sin, don’t kill girls,” adds Chopra.
Chopra further mentions that her primary motive is to convey the concept of ‘artivism’ and inspire more inspire more and more individuals to use their talents and abilities to make a change. Though initially her blog didn’t do that well, today it crossed 2000 views in 29 countries in just six months. “I believe with a blog I can reach out to a bigger audience since anyone in any part of the world can view, comment or share it. If you're creative and unique in your approach, you're beyond to get success through your works. It creates a community of people online who believe in the same concept as you do and who're encouraging you to do more and inspire more,” she said.
Going forward, she is planning to write a book on mental health among teenagers and is hoping to get a wider audience to please
