Why Climate Storytelling Matters ?

Creative arts and storytelling have been the two most powerful tools throughout my activism journey. They have allowed me to break barriers, spread awareness, reengineer, restructure and rebuild faulty government systems, bring about tangible change in a way that empowers the locals to take change and create a ripple effect. 

I grew up in the city that houses one of the seven wonders of the world. A small rural town in the northern part of India called Agra.Once a land known for its cultural and historical significance where forts and palaces were built over the robust and pristine river Yamuna where the incomparable white marble of the Taj attracted anyone that laid its eyes on it was now slowing turning yellow in front of the almost barren river plagued with dirt and waste. That river bank was often a safe space for me and my dad to visit early morning before heading to school to sit and talk about the day away from the chatter, I saw it deteriorate right in front of my eyes.I saw how the leather tanneries, shoe industries and the commercialisation of the city ruined these places.

As a young girl I would often cherish going out with my parents in the beautiful hills during the summer breaks in the far north of India.The beautifully planted tea gardens and the crisp breeze that flowed across the hills. Tragedy struck soon when those hills experiences one of the most devastating calamities every seen in hundreds of years, a place that was so close to my heart where I sat with my parents without a worry is now the same place which turned into ghastly chaos for many, the gently flowing streams had now turned into a flooded and landslide ridden terrain that had devastating torrential rains that took away the lives of many this town that was my safe space was now a victim of climate change. I knew I had to do something. 

I started advocating for climate rights when I was ten years old. It was odd for many people to see and hear a girl raising her voice against injustices.What started as a simple school rally on climate change soon translated into a bigger mission: a movement. I started my journey as a child rights advocate with NGOs and organizations locally to advocate about pollution and climate change. Most people didn’t really understand it at first, especially as it came from the mouth of a young female in a patriarchal, socio-cultural norms were at play. I used the power of community to bring together theater artists and together we performed Nukkad Nataks (Street Shows) to bring about awareness in an engaging way.

I also went on to become the youngest radio jockey in India at the age of 12 to reach the grassroots level where people from rural areas could also get awareness around how they can revolve and use best practises and live reported on natural disasters to bring in aid to affected people.I used the medium of storytelling to change mindsets and worked in a short film called Pinky to talk about the depleting state of the rivers and our environment with the lead being a female girl child to evoke change. I conducted charity concert fundraisers for changing climate policy locally using my skill as a trained Hindustani classical singer and engaged children, families and local authorities to bring about change.I created two albums to drive a change using creative arts.I also served as the coordinator for the tree plantation action group in the Inter Religious Commonwealth Youth Alliance.I was also one of the youngest youth representative for the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum in 2021 from India and in addition to this was also invited to the Youth Environment Assembly by MGCY UNEP and as a delegate for Regional Dialogue on Youth Empowerment in Climate Actions by UNDP and also as the representative for my country India at the Asia Pacific Forum On Sustainable Development which is organized by the United Nations Major Group for Children and ARROW.Led two powerful campaigns ‘one book one plant’ to promote SDG4 & SDG13 and encouraged the power of writing and storytelling for young children to write their thoughts using a letter through the ‘My letter My Voice’ campaign. I also led the high level ministerial meeting for greening education partnership for UNESCO, UN partners during UNGA 2023 among others. 

Working as a regional UNEP ambassador as a teen gave me the tools to ensure that I used my platform to spread awareness around important climate change issues and bring to light topics that are often left in the dark. Throughout the activism journey we young people have faced a lot of struggles trying to lobby and fight for the rights of those most vulnerable and those that stand on the frontlines of this crisis that are- women and children.

 For far too many years populations across the world have not known or strayed away from the fact that the climate crisis is indeed a human made crisis ! My hope for the future is to build on from today, educate and hold people accountable for this crisis and take rapid action and to leave behind a more climate resilient world for future generations