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ART MAKES YOU CARE ABOUT THINGS, SAYS MAHIMA TYAGI

Student, writer and filmmaker Mahia Tyagi shares her views on art and her experience of performing on the international stage.

Mahima began her stint with writing at a really young age and her English teachers in school were to thank for that. She was about five years old when she wrote her first poem. “Not a day goes by for me without cherishing what it is to be a writer and to wield the power of the pen,” said Mahima.

Speaking of what drove her to pursue it after school, she shared, “I was awarded a certificate of recognition by the HRD Ministry in 10th grade. I also, since an early age, associated my self-esteem with academic success. In 12th grade, I suffered a bit of a setback academically and the career path I had in mind went out of the window. But as one door closes, another one opens, and I applied to some universities I had dreamt of when I was young, and managed to get into all of them! I then chose the one I wanted the most and that has been one of my best decisions.”

Tyagi believes in the power of her pen and that, with her writing, she can bring about a change in society. “Writing is art and any kind of art can bring about as much change as extensive political lobbying can. So, if you have the right intention in mind, your art is one of the strongest mediums to do that. I witnessed that firsthand when I competed in an international poetry competition.” Mahima had discussed with her poetry coach about talking about colonialism in front of a panel of judges with mostly white people of British origin. But her coach gave her the green signal. “I remember when I finished reciting my poem, there was a brief pause. That was the final moment for revelation – is this going to work or am I going to lose faith in this entire process? And I got applauded by everyone there and it meant a lot to me because it made me realize that if I truly believe in something, no matter how bold or outrageous, it’s going to arouse an emotion among people,” said Tyagi.

Elaborating more on her poems, Mahima said that she dabbles between socially motivated themes and more lyrical or personal poetry. Studying abroad, in a strange way, has brought her closer to the social fabric of her own country, she admitted. “When we look at something from a distance, we’re able to see it in its entirety and that’s what I was able to do. I came closer to the issues I had grown up seeing but never really noticing, like human trafficking, the class divide or the religious divide,” she said.

Mahima, also passionate about filmmaking, shared, “I realised that poetry is storytelling and so is filmmaking. I think films are visual poetry. The idea is to extend a narrative for people to observe.” She continued, “I started to make videos, and my passion for films came into being. And so poetry, filmmaking and public speaking blended together for me, and it became art, which is something that I really feel passionately about.”

Talking about her sources of inspiration, Mahima said, “Inspiration is everywhere, especially when you have a drive and really care about things. A lot of it also came from fieldwork that I have done. I wrote a little collection about the Rohingya community when I met these people. They are beautiful people and their stories are so compelling and evocative that you can’t help but gain inspiration.”

Sharing her future plans, Mahima said that she believes that one needs to have a cause in life and then have the means to bring that to fruition. She added that the cause should be to bring change in the attitudes and taboos which persist in society. “The idea is to wake up every single morning, care about something and try to change what it is that prevents me from caring about things,” she said.

Conveying her message to the youth, Mahima said, “There is no singular method to bring about change. I think you just need to believe and care and use your privilege to bring about that change. One of my favourite authors, Nikesh Shukla, says, “Get where you want to be, and then throw a line back” and I think that’s a beautiful way to look at life.”

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