Rooted Early
Age 3
Planting 30,000 Trees
My journey with sustainability began at the age of three, when I asked my mother for a forest instead of toys. Together, we planted over 30,000 Lakshmi Taru trees across different spaces — an experience that shaped my understanding of responsibility, care, and environmental stewardship from a very young age.
Watching forests grow around me gave me a sense of purpose that has stayed with me ever since. It was the beginning of a lifelong connection with nature and environmental action.
As I became more aware of pollution, plastic waste, and environmental degradation, I began asking deeper questions about the future of our planet.
In Grade 4, I launched my first environmental awareness campaign focused on reducing plastic waste in school and everyday life. Through posters, presentations, and awareness activities, I encouraged students and families to rethink small daily habits and understand the impact of individual choices.
This experience taught me that meaningful change often begins with simple conversations and small actions.
First Steps into Advocacy
2021–2022
Awareness Through Action
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Government Recognition
March 2022
Meeting with DG CAMPA
One of the first major turning points in my journey came when I presented my environmental awareness work to senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, including the Director General of CAMPA.
I shared my posters, awareness campaigns, poems, and early sustainability initiatives focused on pollution and climate awareness. The experience gave me invaluable encouragement and mentorship, helping me realize that young voices can contribute meaningfully to environmental conversations and policy awareness.
In Grade 5, I transformed my environmental work into a larger public awareness initiative through a sustainability-focused Instagram platform.
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Using original poems, awareness posters, short videos, and educational content, I created conversations around:
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Plastic pollution
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Microplastics and marine life
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Climate awareness
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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Responsible living
The platform grew to over 3,000 followers and became one of my earliest experiences in combining creativity, communication, and advocacy to inspire environmental awareness.
Digital Awareness Initiative
2022–2023
Sustainability Through Storytelling
Art as Environmental Advocacy
May 2024
Sliced Sea & Visual Storytelling
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Art became an important part of my environmental journey as I began exploring how creativity could communicate difficult environmental realities in a more emotional and human way.
One of my early sustainability artworks, Sliced Sea, was created using recycled materials to represent the beauty and fragility of marine ecosystems affected by pollution.
The work focused on themes such as:
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Marine conservation
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Ocean pollution
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Human impact on ecosystems
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Climate awareness through visual storytelling
The project was featured in school publications and later recognized by senior government officials, including the Secretary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
In 2025, I was selected as an Environmental Research Intern with the Department of Environment, Government of Delhi.
During the internship, I researched:
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Urban air pollution
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Construction and demolition waste management
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Vehicular emissions
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Environmental governance
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Government-led sustainability initiatives
I authored three research-based articles analyzing pollution mitigation strategies and public policy efforts aimed at improving environmental conditions in Delhi.
As part of the internship, I also conceptualized and presented a microplastic-based art installation and original poem titled The Cry Beneath the Surface to Hon’ble Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
The experience strengthened my belief that research, policy, and creative advocacy can work together to create meaningful environmental conversations.
Environmental Research Internship
June 2025
Ministry of Environment, Government of Delhi
Featured in High Five Magazine
July 2025
Seeds of Change
My sustainability journey and environmental advocacy work were featured in High Five Magazine in an article titled Seeds of Change.
The feature highlighted my work across:
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Sustainability education
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Environmental advocacy
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Art-based awareness
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Youth leadership
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Climate storytelling
It reinforced my commitment to using interdisciplinary approaches to drive environmental engagement among young people.
DUALITY was my first solo art and poetry exhibition, conceptualized and curated around the idea that our world exists in two parallel realities:
one where nature is protected, and another where it is neglected.
The exhibition featured:
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32 original artworks and poems
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Installations focused on pollution and climate change
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Themes of human responsibility and environmental reflection
Over 1,500 visitors attended the exhibition, and more than 100 environmental pledges were made during the exhibition period.
The exhibition received media coverage across India and Asia, helping bring youth-led environmental conversations to larger audiences.
For me, DUALITY was not simply an art exhibition — it was an attempt to turn awareness into emotion, reflection, and action.
DUALITY | Solo Art & Poetry Exhibition
September–October 2025
College of Art, Delhi
IB Festival of Hope
December 2025
Featured Artist
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I was selected as a featured artist at the IB Festival of Hope hosted by Pathways School Gurgaon.
The exhibition showcased artworks centered around:
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Hope
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Sustainability
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Resilience
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Positive social change
The experience allowed me to engage with educators, students, artists, and changemakers while using creativity as a medium for dialogue and impact.
As part of my sustainability research, I conducted field studies at the Okhla landfill and the Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Company Limited (TOWMCL) Waste-to-Energy Plant.
The research focused on:
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Landfill systems
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Biomining processes
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Waste-to-energy technologies
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Urban waste management challenges
Following the research, I authored a detailed report and presented my findings and recommendations to officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
This experience deepened my understanding of the connection between environmental research, public systems, and civic responsibility.
Waste Management Research
March 2026
Okhla Landfill & TOWMCL
Child Prodigy Recognition
March 2026
Government of NCT Delhi
On International Women’s Day 2026, I was recognized as a Child Prodigy for Art, Literature, and Environmental Advocacy by the Department of Women & Child Development, Government of NCT Delhi.
The recognition celebrated my work in:
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Environmental storytelling
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Sustainability advocacy
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Art-based awareness
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Youth-led impact initiatives
I was honored by Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta during the ceremony.
Swachh Kal Eco Club
Present
Pathways School Gurgaon
I founded the Swachh Kal Eco Club at Pathways School Gurgaon to create a student-driven space focused on sustainability, environmental responsibility, and urban ecological awareness.
One of the club’s major initiatives included organizing a field visit to the Timarpur-Okhla Waste-to-Energy Plant in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Through these experiences, students explored:
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Waste segregation systems
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Biomining processes
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Landfill management
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Green energy conversion technologies
The club aims to make sustainability more interactive, practical, and community-oriented for students.
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Swachh Kal
Present
Building Sustainable Habits
Swachh Kal is a student-led sustainability initiative I founded with the goal of transforming environmental awareness into long-term behavioral change.
The initiative is structured around four sustainability pillars:
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Air
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Trees & Biodiversity
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Waste Management
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Water Conservation
Through storytelling, real-life dilemmas, creative activities, and micro-habit formation, Swachh Kal encourages younger students to understand how small daily actions contribute to a healthier planet.
Current projects include:
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A bilingual sustainability booklet for primary students
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Collaboration with CRY NGO and MCD schools
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A behavioral-science-based mobile application promoting sustainable habits
And Beyond…
Creating for Change
Today, my work continues at the intersection of:
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Sustainability
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Research
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Art
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Storytelling
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Advocacy
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Youth engagement
I am currently developing:
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An anthology of poetry and visual art
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Educational sustainability resources for students
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Creative advocacy projects
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Community-based environmental initiatives
I believe meaningful change begins when awareness turns into action — and that creativity has the power to make people pause, reflect, and reimagine their relationship with the planet.
MEHR
DHAWAN
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