It was when a friend was dealing with anxiety issues that twins Bhavya and Navya Singh became more aware about mental health and the issues that children face. Upon reading about it extensively and talking about it at length with their parents, the 13-year-olds realised that this taboo topic needs more voices and they decided to talk about it more, first through their YouTube channel called The Inspirers and then through online sessions. And because we are going through anxiety-ridden times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke to them about how kids can stay sane throughout the lockdown.
Check out their channel
The duo first found popularity on YouTube through their channel The Inspirers and have 1.48k subscribers. Videos like Good Touch, Bad Touch educate children while their Weekly News Updates summarises the news for children. They even posted a video on Things To Do In Quarantine and are going to come up with more such videos which will help children.
While academic pressure and the pressure from parents remain the major reasons why children are suffering from mental health issues, during this lockdown, there are many who are worried because their exams have been cancelled and their futures are uncertain. "Don't take on too much tension, keep studying as per your timetable or make a new one. It is important that we study for a certain number of hours every day. Meditation could also prove to be really stress-relieving," says Bhavya. She also adds that what works for them during extremely stressful times are motivational songs. Two from their list are Hall Of Fame by The Script and Apna Time Aayega from the movie Gully Boy. Parents' support is paramount, they assert. "If it wasn't for our parents, we wouldn't be here. So it is the parents who need to encourage children to think out of the box and remember that every child has one unique talent of the other," say the class XI students of Delhi Public School, Neelbad.
The Bhopal-based duo implore children to look at the silver lining and asks them to utilise this time to develop a hobby, brush up their dormant talents or even find a new one. "Take the time to explore your potential," says Navya. When we ask them about the increase of child abuse calls on Childline India helpline, they tell us that children should continue to report, even reach out to relatives or teachers if need be and do all they can to stay safe. "Also, don't believe everything you hear. If you can access it then follow the guidelines of WHO," they say.
They also write, you know
Navya and Bhavya also launched their first book, Post Millennial Tales, in January this year at the Bhopal Literary Festival. The book has 50 micro tales about various topics like mental health, gender discrimination, climate change, transgender rights and much more. "We just thought that everyone writes novels, we should do something different," says Navya, who illustrated the book while Bhavya wrote it. Bhavya tells us they used to write tales on chits and store them in a box and upon the encouragement of a relative, they published the book. Navya was always interested in the arts and after receiving encouragement from her mother, who is an art enthusiast, she started illustrating and that's how she happened to illustrate the book. They are using this time during the lockdown to write more.
The duo also run an online merchandise store called Reading Magic and sell bookmakers, cushion covers, badges, bags, candles and more. All proceeds go towards a good cause, currently, they donate all the money to Parvarish - The Museum School for underprivileged children.
