A modern day Joan of Arc, Kirthi Jayakumar, a remarkable woman from Chennai is making a difference with storytelling, one “starfish” at a time

Text Credits: Rheanna Mathews

At first glance, she seems an ordinary confident woman, the same as any you would see on the bustling streets of Chennai, but there is nothing simply ordinary about Kirthi Jayakumar. Founder and CEO of The Red Elephant Foundation, an NGO that mainly uses storytelling and art to promote civilian peace, she works her magic – creating change – one child at a time. Kirthi is a doodler, as evidenced by Femcyclopedia, an Instagram account that offers charming doodles of inspiring women every day, and an author of several books, the most recent of which, The Doodler of Dimashq, has caused many to re-examine life and shed empathetic tears for the plight of a little girl from Syria. She is an advocate and activist for gender equality and women’s rights, having written and worked for organisations across the globe, including the UN, and has won a number of awards for her work.

What made you choose storytelling as a medium?

In all honesty, you could say that the idea was in the making, but didn’t quite catalyse into the form and shape until June 2013. The story, though, begins on the night of December 17, 2012. On December 15, the same year, I had turned 25. On December 16, the gang-rape in Delhi, as most people know, took place. On December 17, I was at the US Consulate General at Chennai, receiving an award for my work with a US-based NGO called Delta Women, which worked for the rights of women in the US and in Nigeria, and the right to education for children in Nigeria.

When I received the award, I truly felt like a hypocrite – because here I was, receiving an award when there was so much more left to be done, when a girl was battling for her life because we, as a community, sacrificed her at the altar of patriarchy, misogyny, toxic and hegemonic masculinity, and due to inaction on the part of a civilian populace that should have been vigilant. I went to bed that night, thinking of how much we had allowed to pass in the name of “We are like this only”.

It was on the same day that I had come to face a dissociated past, where I had completely blocked out my own memories of facing abuse as a child. I decided to do what I could on my own, and started by telling my story. Six months later, I looked back to see how telling my story had made a difference: one, parents and to-be parents began to be vigilant about the vulnerability of their children and began to work with their children to have open conversations towards staying safe; two, I realised that I began to feel better, that my own personal comfort levels felt like they were higher because I had owned my narrative beginning my journey to heal; and finally, that people were beginning to talk, openly, and get issues that were otherwise covert, out into the open. The vision, thus, was to change the landscape through storytelling.  

I heard you speak of your starfish story. You know, the one where a man in a seemingly futile effort, throws each starfish back into the ocean as he finds them. But someone else comes along and asks him what difference he expects to make with this slow, plodding method. And the man reaches down, picks up another starfish, throws it into the sea and replies, “It made a difference to that one”. How many starfish have you reached so far?

From April 2016 until January 2018, we’ve worked with 2100 children and youth. 

Do you really think it is possible to teach children peace? To not resort to violence? Why do you think so?

Definitely. Children are impressionable, and pretty much like sponges. They absorb what they see, learn and engage with around them, and it’s easy for them to be drawn into aligning with an influence that is strong. We believe in teaching children peace, rather than “not violence”, because the power in a positive message teaches them inclusiveness and encourages room for innovation, creativity and action. We’ve personally seen much success in many classrooms where children have made conscious decisions to invest in peace, and that has been a significant validation to our model and approach. 

What makes you so passionate about your causes? And where do you find the time? Your list of accomplishments on your website seem to go on for ages!

I think my passion for my work comes from a place of great selfishness. I see a world of peace, a world free of violence, a world free of hate and a world with equality as a world that will have place for me, and my inner child. I have been bullied, I have faced discrimination on everything from the way I looked to my choice to enjoy and engage with my academics, from the way I walked to the way I would chew my food – and I know what it is like to be at the receiving end. Somewhere, the goal is to try to find a place where many futures are built from a foundation of peaceful presents. Truth be told, I have hardly accomplished anything!

How do you juggle your different responsibilities as writer, activist and advocate?

I look at them all as a continuum, really – they all start and end from one point: the goal of chasing a better future for the world I will leave behind. So it’s not really many balls being juggled, but just one that takes different shapes when I throw it in the air. Right now, to borrow the words of Muhammad Ali, I see my work as the rent I pay for the time I spend and resources I use to live, on the earth. 

Why did you choose Ameenah, a child bride from Syria, to be your heroine in The Doodler of Dimashq? How did you come to choose her?

I didn’t consciously choose the structure of my book, or the protagonist’s nature, character or profile, honestly. I’d been reading and learning about the conflict with great detail and attention, and the loss of some of my friends due to the conflict shook me up. I think that became a trigger for the story and for my subconscious mind to form and produce it. 

Why do you believe that the change you are effecting can be sustainable?

The goal I work towards is essentially a shared goal – a goal for a peaceful present and future. In any of the sessions I co-learn (I don’t teach, I don’t facilitate, I co-learn in all the workshops we do at REF), our core approach is centred on how all of us have a role to play in making a peaceful future possible, and, a stake to hold in a peaceful future. This approach holds the promise of being sustainable because the stakeholder shapes the vision for the future they want, and then works towards it. 

You’re a doodler yourself. How did you start?

I was spacing out in class at law school one day, and wanted the entire appearance to seem like I was writing notes. I bent down into my notebook and doodled with a sense of determination to do a convincing job of pretending to pay attention. I wasn’t thinking of what I was doodling, I let my pen lead, and I happily followed. The end project was a doodle!

What else do you do that the world doesn’t know about? How do you unwind?

I am a kick-boxer, I do yoga… I love dance and dance a little. I also read like my life depends on it.

To know more about her work, click (http://www.redelephantfoundation.org)