Delhiwale: What’s inside student activist Gurmehar Kaur’s bag

The Delhi University student activist stirred a hornet’s nest not long ago with a viral video prompting us to find out just what stuff she’s made of

She’ll be turning 21 in September and she’s already a social media phenomenon. A martyred army officer’s daughter, Gurmehar Kaur was widely trolled this year for being an India-Pakistan peace campaigner.

Gurmehar Kaur with her ‘Only’ leather bag. (Mayank Austen Soofi / HT Photo)

The other day, we met her outside Lady Shri Ram College for Women — she is studying English literature there and lives in a PG nearby. Ms Kaur was in a denim dress. A brown ‘Only’ leather bag was on her shoulder. Although she is a kick boxer, we dared her to show us everything she’s carrying inside. She obliged.

TAKE A PEEK

Laptop: “It has my manuscript. I’m working on a book that will be published later this year. It’s about why I am the way I am. I carry this laptop even if I’m leaving my hostel room just for 10 minutes. You never know when a sentence might hit you!”

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale: “It’s a dystopian novel about a society where women are just meant to breed. I find it so easy to relate to.”

Diary: “It has got the outlines of my book.”

Four earrings: “I’m a big fan of earrings, and I’m always buying mine from Janpath flea market.”

Wallet: “My friends say it’s the ugliest thing they have seen but I think it’s cute. My naani, Amarjeet Kaur, gifted it to me four years ago. She died this month last year.”

Dependent Identity Card: “It says I’m late Captain Mandeep Singh’s daughter.”

Rose-flavoured perfume bottle: “I love floral perfumes. My nickname is Gul, which means flower.”

Rs 2,500: “I spend about Rs 50 daily in the college canteen. I also hang out in cafes but don’t spend too much there. No junk food during weekdays… though sometimes I help myself to Nutella and bread. I know, I know — but it’s so amazing!”

Coffee shop receipt: “It’s my first GST (new tax regime) receipt. I’ll be pinning it in my diary.”

Smartphone: “Sometimes I Google myself and find people have put up fake YouTube videos claiming to expose the true Gurmehar. Some say I’m a Pakistani ISI agent!”

Watch | Gurmehar Kaur won’t be cowed, will be a soldier against trolling

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