MEET: Khushi

Interview of Khushi Gupta by Freya Bennett

Hi Khushi, how are you?

I’m great thanks!

How old are you?

I’m 14 but I’ll be 15 in 2 months.

Where do you call home?

I live in the U.K but my family is from India, therefore I feel like India is my home because I truly belong there and my family and culture is there.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I’m a 14 year old from England, I’m Indian and I’m Bilingual. I love to travel and so far I’ve been to 3/7 continents, I’m vegetarian (have been for 14 years and counting) and I have a strong passion for equality and social justice.

What do you love about being a girl?

I love the support, and that we have each others backs. I love how I can express myself through my clothes and makeup. And I can express my emotions and feelings in front of my friends and that I can trust them with anything. I love seeing strong females break barriers that inspire us to aim high.

What do you think is difficult?

I don’t like the stereotypes and labels that constantly surround women. That women are inferior to men, that we are weak and submissive. Women are not taken seriously and that we have to go the extra mile to be taken seriously by men. I don’t like that if we do defend ourselves or are assertive, we are called ‘bossy’ or ‘moody’ or told we are ‘on our periods’.

Why is intersectional feminism important to you?

Intersectional Feminism is important to me because feminism should be inclusive to everyone. Feminism cannot achieve its goals without intersectionality. By excluding women of colour and other marginalised groups, we make feminism a movement that privileges certain perspectives over others — exactly what feminism is trying to combat, which is why intersectionality is so important.

Tell us a little bit about your hobbies?

My passions are reading, writing speeches and poetry. I enjoy public speaking and talking about things I believe in. I like art and trying out different types of art such as ceramics, painting, and printing. I like swimming, basketball and boxing. I’m also a massive Harry Potter fan! I have read all the books, watched the movies and the new ones as well.

What kind of speeches are you passionate about writing?

So far the majority of the speeches I have written are ‘activist’ speeches. For example, I’ve done a couple on racism, feminism, human rights and refugee rights. For a competition that’s coming up I’m doing a speech on ‘procrastination’. I hope to branch out and be able to talk about anything and learn different ways to keep an audience engaged. What I love about speaking is that I am able to show my passion through my words and I think it’s so cool that I have the privilege to have a voice and be heard.

How did you get into boxing?

I’m currently doing my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh and you have to do a physical activity for either 6 or 3 months. I chose to do Boxing as my physical, and it’s been great so far. Also my friend’s been asking me to go for ages!

What do you love about art?

Honestly, I like art because there are no wrong answers. Everything is open to different interpretations, which is really cool. And it’s fun to make and try different types of mediums to portray your work. I’m doing an Art Design GCSE at the moment and we’ve been doing ceramics and different types of printing like Mono-printing and stenciling and it’s been great trying different types of art rather than just the standard drawing and then painting on a canvas.

Tell us a bit about what you want to be when you ‘grow up’?

I aspire to have a career in medicine and then probably go onto specialise in surgery or something, I’m not too sure yet. But I also want to travel and help those who are less fortunate and who cannot afford medical treatment, for example, work for charities. I also want to continue writing speeches and campaign for justice.

What is your favourite book character?

I honestly love Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. She’s so amazing and strong and smart. She starts a club called S.P.E.W which is the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare which was like a social justice movement that she poured her heart and soul into, which was sadly left out of the movies. Here was a girl my same age who wasn’t afraid to openly declare her passion for studying and reading, a bad-ass who found a group of true friends who accepted her as she was.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

That’s a really hard question, I want to go to so many places and my bucket list is massive. It would be amazing if I could go to New York City. It seems amazing from the countless movies and TV shows I have watched, and it seems like an exciting place to visit. There’s so much culture in New York.  It would be an unforgettable experience.

Do you have a favourite quote to leave us with?

Our backs tell stories that books do not have the spine to carry. – Rupi Kaur