Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of a Kargil martyr, who dared to question the brand of nationalism proposed by the right wing in the country and led an online campaign for free speech, has been selected by the Time magazine as one of the '10 Next Generation Leaders for 2017.' The magazine termed her as a 'free speech warrior'.
"I am surprised, very happy and excited," the 20-year-old said. Gurmehar added that she would never hesitate to speak for right and would never let anybody suppress her "right to responsible freedom of expression."
"I am very happy and proud and so is my family, especially my mother. But at the same time, this puts a lot of responsibility on my shoulders," she said in response to her latest achievement.
Kaur grabbed headlines earlier in February 2017 when she raised her voice against the campus violence by Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student outfit of ruling BJP, at Delhi University's Ramjas College.
In one of the statements by Kaur, as quoted in Time Magazine, she said: "Why should I keep quiet? While I never asked for it, I was pushed to the forefront. I realised that people listen to what I say. And if I have something positive to say, why shouldn't I say it?"
Kaur hails from Jalandhar and is pursuing English literature. She was trolled for her pictures holding a placard which said, "I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone, all students of India are with me."
In another post which surfaced, Gurmehar was seen holding a placard which said- "Pakistan did not kill my father, war did."
After she condemned the ABVP, she received multiple rape and murder threats on her social media, Kaur said in one of her posts.
The DU student's posts were met with bouquets and brickbats, with people like cricketer Virender Sehwag criticising her. On the other hand, she received overwhelming support from including Bollywood celebrities like Anurag Kashyap, Vidya Balan and Tigmanshu Dhulia.
Offering his support to the 20-year old from Ramjas College, music composer Vishal Dadlani had said: "I'm a nationalist but goons of ABVP & BJP will NOT define my nationalism. I am answerable to my country, not to any goondas. Jai Hind."
