At 17, Punjabi singer Ginni Mahi has a YouTube following of over one lakh followers. She says she wants to be the voice of the Dalit caste and help them get their due rights.
Through her songs, she aims to spread the message of equality.
"Mostly people talk about women's empowerment or men's empowerment. But in the process we forget about the LGBT community. I will sing for that equality as well as I strive for the same message," Mahi told IANS.
"From my end I will try my best to bring about a change. My songs talk about equality a lot," added the singer, who was recently in the capital for the first edition of The Bridge - Conversations to talk about gender empowerment in India.
She hails from Jalandhar, Punjab, and said she has no reservation about being from the lower stream of the caste divide in the country.
"I am myself a Dalit. I heard a lot of problems that Dalits have dealt with, but now there is a lot of improvement compared to the time before.
"Now it is good that they are getting a lot of opportunities. People have moved on... But the people who are still suffering, I want to be their voice and help them get their rights," Mahi, who has crooned tracks like "Yodha", "Tunke" and "Danger Chamaar", said.
Although she hasn't faced any problem herself for being a Dalit, Mahi says that she has "enough knowledge" to work for the caste in her own way.
Asked if she pens her songs herself, Mahi said: "My songs are written by different lyricists selected by a team for me".
Currently pursuing Bachelors in Music first year, Ginni aspires to be a versatile singer.
"I listen a lot to great singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan," she added.
