Street to stage: Sejal Kumar is Indian ambassador for YouTube's Creators For Change

What started as documenting her passion for fashion has now become an unlikely career for YouTuber Sejal Kumar, The vlogger has been chosen this year’s Indian ambassador for YouTube’s Creators For Change with Michelle Obama and Liza Koshy, centred around girls’ education.

Proud to be part of the initiative, this opportunity with the former First Lady came as a surprise to the 25-year-old blogger, who is a major part of the YouTuber community a regular at YouTube Fanfest. “This opportunity is a great honour to be a part of. It’s a really nice project with Michelle Obama for girls’ education across the globe. I got to create a content piece that I feel strongly about and YouTube has helped me make it in terms of being a partner on the project. This is a really big deal for me, it’s like a dream come true,” she smiles.

Kumar, who was asked to create content on her idea of women’s education, has launched her debut track Asis Hun that revolves around the life of a girl raised in a confined family environment and is expected not to ask questions. The idea is to implant a basic understanding among people of initiating conversations around taboo topics like contraceptives, periods and sex.

“I have co-written it with a producer friend. The video is a beautiful story about a girl who comes from a caged environment and eventually finds her own voice. I have always been pushing and speaking up for women and girl’s rights. It's a song promoting the importance of girls' education across YouTube. I wrote this song with an insight into the world of a lot of girls and with the intention to make a difference in the lives of young girls and their families. It’s not just a song for a cause that I want people to listen to and enjoy, but I also want them to take away from it, to ask questions, to be curious, to be free. I want young girls to be able to be themselves, get an education, learn and be comfortable in their own skin. In the coming months, I will be doing the same aligning with this project,” shares the singer with over one million subscribers.

For someone endorsing open conversations around impermissible topics, Kumar has also been doing a series with her gynaecologist mother, called Mom and Me, wherein they talk unabashedly on topics otherwise frowned upon. “The series with mom has been such a game changer for me and a lot of people respect my channel and my work because of that series. It brings some legitimacy to these difficult topics to talk about. We recently did a video about consent and sex and I haven’t seen a video like that anywhere. My fans have appreciated that content,” she smiles.

A flagbearer of chasing dreams while talking about women's issues, the vlogger’s journey started with and continues to comprise fashion, styling, and shopping videos. It was only in her second year of studying economics at Delhi University that she stumbled upon fashion-lifestyle vlogger Bethany Mota and found her calling.

“I was always interested in performing and I loved fashion, dance, and singing. I also had a strange interest in Photoshop and editing. I always wanted to put myself out there. I also was interested in acting, did theatre, and gave lots of auditions but was always rejected,” giggles the YouTuber who started shooting videos with the help of her parents, friends, and online tutorials. Right from editing and uploading to marketing her channel, Kumar ventured independently into the world of vlogging.

“My channel purely started with fashion, styling, budget shopping videos, going to different street markets and doing shopping challenges,” smiles the vlogger, who slowly evolved her channel into showcasing her other talents and travel vlogs.

Making videos consistently every week for four years now, Kumar plays by a simple motto when making videos — be happy, positive, and with people who are good influences. “I have made some 600 videos now, and each is different from others,” she opines.

When asked about the challenges of being a vlogger, Kumar reveals, “You are your own boss; you are responsible for getting the content out,” she smiles.