Hi there! This is my first post here so be gentle. My name is Manna Kanuga, I’m 22 and I’ve lived in Bombay, the city of opportunity for as long as I can remember. I’m sitting here today at the first meet up hosted by YKA that I’ve attended and we’ve reached the “writing season” so I’m trying my luck at it just like the rest of us, this room looks like any normal workplace in Mumbai. Everybody’s heads are in their phones, ironically we’re all typing about something meaningful instead of just scrolling through Instagram (at least that’s what I’d like to believe) Also, I’m freezing but the slow, dramatic music makes it worth sticking around to see what’s next.
March Against Monsanto! An opportunity that was presented to me in 2015 by two very important people in my life. I think it was a tipping point for me but I’ll let you decide that if you live through this article. I wasn’t even too sure I understood the issue I was marching against at the time, all I knew and felt was that I was a part of something bigger, something impactful and something I needed to be a part of. As the days went on and things started falling into place, I realised my role in the march was to take photographs and help generate a crowd. I was thrilled and I remember feeling like I belonged there when we were painting the banners and listening to “what’s going on”. I had realised my role wasn’t limited nor is my potential to make a difference.
On the day of the March against Monsanto, a coporation that genetically modifies food. I found this whole idea pretty bizarre because what kind of people would do this to our food, right? Anyway, I approached Carter Road in Bandra and saw a few people already setting up. I started clicking pictures right away and didn’t stop until there were over 400 people walking with us. I stopped for a moment and instead of looking through the lens, I saw with my own eyes the impact we had created just with an idea my friend had before she was turning vegan. She said to me that she wanted it to mean something and it absolutely did.