A 22-year old Indian “artivist”, Anjali Chandrashekhar, of New York has made India proud by bagging third place in the UN Poster for Peace Contest, presented by the Office for Disarmament Affairs, UN News Centre reported.
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Called “Cutting Barriers Through Peace”, the poster also earned praise from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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The competition was organized to promote awareness among younger people about the nuclear disarmament by globally urging people to use their artistic talents to express its importance.
“Young people did not create nuclear weapons, but it may be their task to eliminate them once and for all,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said
The first prize was given to Ivan Ciro Palomino, 38, from Lima, Peru for his poster “Spinning Peace”.
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The second prize went to 15-year-old Michelle Li for her poster “Peace in Our Hands”.
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A second poster called “Break Free” by the Chennai girl also won “Honorable Mention” at the Awards Ceremony.
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The awards ceremony on May 3 was a gala event, with guests like actor Michael Douglas, who is also a UN Messenger for Peace.
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Anjali founded an NGO called “Picture It” when she was just 10. It uses imaginative imagery to raise funds for several issues.
Speaking to UN News Centre, Anjali said,
“Nuclear disarmament is usually spoken about on such a high level and I believe that art has the power to humanize some of the most pressing issues that the world faces today. It also transcends barriers of age, language and literacy so I thought this was a great opportunity for me to show that a brush can be mightier than arms.”
(Feature Image Source: Twitter/Anjali Chandrashekhar)