Jalandhar, October 14: Having been selected as one of the 10 Next Generation Leaders by Time magazine, Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur (20) says that the recognition has brought her more sense of responsibility.
Daughter of an Army Captain who got martyred, she has been picked as the ‘Free Speech Warrior’. “I am feeling so proud of myself. This selection has given me a fresh life. At times, I have chosen to be just a normal college student, sit back, lead a simple life and not keep on raising my voice. But such recognitions give encouragement to do something again,” she says.
She shared the news on social media today and wrote, “Humbled and honoured to be mentioned alongside people I’ve always looked up to and admired, as one of Time’s Next Generation Leaders and as the first Indian woman to do so. You don’t know the amount of strength and resilience you’re capable of till you are put to test. Peace and love for the win, always!”
Jalandhar-based Gurmehar, who had boldly faced trolls and threats after she had figured with placard ‘I am not afraid of ABVP’, now says, “This selection by Time is also giving me a feeling that people of my own country could not recognise my worth, which another country has done. I am thankful to the people who have stood by me. My family, especially my mother, stood by me like a rock when all those hate messages were being circulated against me. This is what gave me the much-needed strength. Even as politicians too fanned those hate messages against me, she gave me lessons on forgiveness. Her lessons helped me get over with it all.”
Gurmehar, who has been currently writing a book ‘Small Acts of Freedom’, will be releasing it at the Jaipur Literature Festival in January. She is also a co-founder of Citizens for Public Leadership, which has prominent people on advisory board, including ex-minister Shashi Tharoor and news anchor Nidhi Razdan.
