Aranya Johar

About

Indian poet and spoken word artist internationally famed for her works rhythmically broaching momentous topics such as gender equality, body positivity, mental health, and more. She has spoken at TEDxICTMumbai and collaborated with Akshay Kumar in the film Padman, making her the first performer to integrate spoken word into Bollywood. particularly grew to influence with the release of her poem, "A Brown Girl's Guide to Gender," which racked in more than 1 million views only 2 days after having been posted.

Before Fame

She graduated from Lilavati Podar High School after having been born and raised in Mumbai, India. Her teenage years marked her first poetic compositions on misogyny issues, which ultimately prepared her for her first on-stage performance at the age of 12. She later attended Mumbai's Sophia College to work toward earning her Bachelor of Arts degree.

Trivia

She has been named on top figure lists in esteemed periodicals such as Rolling Stone Magazine and Harper Bazaar, as well as the BBC's "100 Women of 2019" list. She co-created the More Than Mics organization and assembled poetry performance events such as Blind Poetry Sessions and Throwback Thursday. Additionally, she recited her work at the We the Women event affiliated with UN Women in December of 2017.

Family Life

She was first introduced to the concept of feminism by her older brother Ankur Johar, a rapper who also goes by the stage name Enkore.

Associated With

At the prestigious Goalkeepers NYC event in 2018, she spoke opposite prominent figures including Ed Sheeran, Bill Gates, and Stephen Fry. In October 2020, she joined actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in conversation at Asia's Largest Content Festival for an event called "Capturing the Essence of a Character."