Rajpath in New Delhi, India, a road leading to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President’s House was completely closed to traffic. On 21st October 2019 platoons of Delhi Police landed in the area with orders to clear this significant vista in the middle of India’s capital city. They were amazed at the vast seas of people flooding this important thoroughfare. The placards they carried said The Great October March. Senior police officials looked for the leaders of the demonstration. They wanted to request them to move the march away from the seat of the Government, the Parliament. However, they could not see the leaders. They peered at the centre of the crowd, but all they saw were a lot of heads looking downwards. When they reached the spot, they were surprised to find that the leader of this huge march was an eight-year-old girl.
Born on 2nd October, 2011 at Bashikhong, Manipur, Licypriya Kangujam is one of the world’s youngest activists for climate change. In 2018, she was inspired by an UN Disaster Conference held in UlaanBatar, Mongolia to begin fighting for climate change. Soon afterwards, she began the Children’s Movement to raise awareness to tackle climate change and natural disasters aiming to save the planet.
In August 2018, when floods drowned parts of Kerala, Licypriya donated her savings of 100,000 rupees to the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan to help the flood victim children. She was acknowledged by a letter of thanks from the Kerala Government.
In 2019, this child activist attended the UNESCO Partners' Forum 2019 in Luanda City, Angola and addressed issues on effects of climate change along with Presidents and important dignitaries.
In October 2019, Licypriya led thousands of supporters from India Gate, New Delhi to the Parliament Building to request for immediate action on climate change and a climate law in India. From various locations, this march was held over seven days. Licypriya appealed to world leaders. ‘They are not taking any action. I want all leaders to do more - otherwise our future will die soon. They must act now, to save our planet and our future.’ Often, alone and on her own, this little girl has campaigned for new laws to help address the issue of poor air quality across India. Licypriya has launched a symbolic device called SUKIFU (Survival Kit for the Future) to spread awareness about air pollution. Designed from trash in an almost zero budget, SUKIFU gives fresh air to breathe during times of extreme pollution. The process is unique. A potted plant is carried by a person in a transparent backpack. A tube from the backpack goes into a face mask worn by the person. Another hole at the bottom of the rucksack supplies the natural fresh air into it through four layers of activated carbon. This device is a recognition of the Green Movement for air pollution. Licypriya launched the SUKIFU before the Punjab & Haryana Legislative Assembly House at the oath taking ceremony of newly elected Haryana MLAs & Ministers.
In an interview, she says of SUKIFU, ‘This is the ultimate solution. Whoever, carries this, especially the children moving on the street laced with smog, would attract the attention of the climate experts, pollution control board members, scientists, policy makers, city/municipal commissioners and the entire generation, who are bound to ensure 'Safe Future' to their 'Generation Next'. This type of pollution is not acceptable by any standards. This invention sends a poignant message about environmental degradation and questions the planet's unknown future and environmental depletion.’
She says, ‘Governments are busy blaming each other instead of finding long term solutions on the deadly air pollution. Children are unable to go out of the home in Delhi. All schools have been shut down by the Government. They must act now otherwise our future will be dying.’
In December 2019, The United Nations Climate Conference was held at Madrid to discuss the international action on climate change. It was attended by 26,000 people from 196 countries. Along with other global leaders, Licypriya Kangujam addressed world leaders at COP25 urging them to act now before it was too late. She met the UN Secretary-General and submitted a memorandum, ‘on behalf of the children of the world’.
In 2020, with other activists, Licypriya published a letter to the participants at the World Economic Forum. It was a plea to companies, banks and governments to stop subsidizing fossil fuels. In an opinion piece given to The Guardian, they said, ‘We don't want these things done by 2050, 2030 or even 2021, we want this done now – as in right now. We call upon the world’s leaders to stop investing in the fossil fuel economy that is at the very heart of this planetary crisis. Instead, they should invest their money in existing sustainable technologies, research and in restoring nature. Short-term profit should not trump long-term stability of life.’
Most significantly, Licypriya Kangujam has been actively campaigning to make lessons on climate change compulsory in the school curriculum across India. Rajasthan and Gujarat have heeded her call and climate change has been included in the syllabus of state schools.
On Earth Day, 2020 Licypriya addressed gatherings globally at a virtual event at Washington DC, United States. She was part of a crowd of global leaders, influencers, celebrities, athletes, and musicians who gave a message of hope to fight the ongoing climate crisis.
Licypriya Kangujam has been awarded World Children's Peace Prize in 2019 and National Youth Day Award of Bharat Seva Samvad in 2021 among many other international and national awards. She has also been mentioned in Forbes India 30 Under 30 Special Mentions in 2021.
Only ten years old, Licypriya Kangujam has been campaigning for climate change in India for the last four years. Her family is not rich. In fact, her father. Mr KK Singh says that when they received the invitation to COP25, they had no idea how they would manage to travel to Spain or stay there. For a long time, nobody sponsored them, until a kind person from Bhubaneswar booked their tickets. Licypriya’s grandmother sold her gold chain to book hotel rooms for them at Madrid. Fortunately, at the last moment, the Spanish government provided accommodation for the 13-day event. It is only Licypriya Kangujam’s passion to make the future of our world better that keeps her, with her family’s support, to continue campaigning for climate change. As she told BBC, ‘I cry when I see children lose their parents or become homeless due to the dangers of disasters.’ I believe, we should find ways of supporting her fight, don’t you?
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