Know Your AIQA – Deepshikha Hazra

Hello, this is Deepshikha Hazra, although my thoughts are sometimes all over the place, I like to think of myself as an occasionally cool person. I write and create art.

I’m am(Bi)dextrous (yes, both) and 18. – I’m a freewheeling bisexual (as Magnus Bane would say about himself in Cassandra Claire’s The Mortal Instruments.

From a very early age I’ve disliked labels. The concept of barrier between people’s choice to love one another seemed really unnecessary to me. After a lot of hassle, trying to convince my friends, being at constant turmoil with myself I have come to a conclusion about my sexual orientation but honestly it’s no pressure, it’s never too late  or too early to finally sort out your sexual preferences.

A broader and a simpler approach, being more initiating, open and being accepting of others is all it takes. I think people should be able to accept that everyone is different be it their physical aspect of their mental and that doesn’t make them any less normal or valid than the other. Their sexual orientation / preference / or their social liabilities shouldn’t barge in between treating each other lovingly.

I boldly and openly consider myself a feminist and  I cannot help but emphasize any less on its concept. People fail to patronize with it because most of the time they’re not well versed about it or most of the time it is not about themselves so they don’t bother to relate or educate themselves about it. Equality of sexes is an integral part of feminism and is a given. What use if of feminism if it’s not intersectional? Feminist in its realest terms goes deeper than this. It should be able to tackle issues faced by men, women both and everyone in between in different aspects – mental health and discrimination between  sexes, nationality, caste, religion and Creed.

I believe feminism also brings a sense of relief (of not fully, but to some extent) to victims of abuse, harassment, trauma etc. It gives them a ray of hope that they are not alone, we are in this fight together and it helps them to open up, seek out for help and raise their voice.

I am a huge huge huge lover of animals BUT not only the cats, dogs and all the cute ones which are brought from luxurious pet stories. When I say I love animals, I mean ALL OF THEM, even the ones who are mercilessly slaughtered for food and commercial use. Not a single living being likes to live in fear and under the subjugation of there and I believe and stand by the same for the animals, they are as worthy of freedom as we are. It’s been two years since I’ve become a vegan and I’ve never been more proud of the lifestyle I’m living now. Don’t you feel healthy and satisfied when you realize that none of the ingredients in your meal has been non con sensually derived from animals? Also, if you’re a fellow animal lover like me, please reflect on the motto of “ADOPT, DON’T SHOP”

Also, part of why I’ve become vegan is because exploiting animals and globally warming due to climate change go hand in hand. Apart from having become a vegan, I try as much as to not exhaust the unconventional resources of earth by reducing it’s consumption to the minimum and trying to make use of the recreational and reusable products which is ultimately convenient for us, the animals, and the nature and society as a whole. 

Deepshikha Hazra