"Why Does Storytelling Shape Identity?" | Mansimar Kaur | TEDxStrawberry Fields High School

In this talk, Mansimar Kaur explores the relationship between storytelling and self-perception — asking what truly makes you you. She examines the tension between "the story I tell myself" (am I capable, powerful, a leader, an outsider?) and "the story others tell about me" (shaped by family, community, culture, and expectations), arguing that identity lives somewhere in the tension between the two.
Kaur grounds this exploration in real-world stakes: from the intimate act of stitching and craft as a form of storytelling, to the lived experience of displacement (as seen in flood-affected communities), to the state of narrative freedom itself — citing India's 2025 World Press Freedom Index ranking of 151/180 and 65 documented internet shutdowns in India in 2025 as evidence of how access to voice and story is contested at a societal level.
The talk closes on a provocative note: "If who I am is what I am, and what I am is lost — then who am I?" — leaving the audience to sit with the fragility and fluidity of identity when the stories that construct it are unstable, contested, or taken away. Mansimar Kaur serves as the Social Welfare and Community Services Captain at Strawberry Fields High School.
She is the Founder, Project Qala & Chardikala Foundation
Mansimar Kaur is a social impact leader, writer, and one who strongly advocates equanimity, promoting it consistently through her work and contributions.
She has led fundraising initiatives for Punjab flood relief in 2025, and secured national support for her social venture. Recognised by the Government of Punjab for her efforts, Mansimar is passionate about journalism, public policy, and the power of stories to shape perspectives. In her TEDx talk, she reflects on how the narratives we inherit influence identity, perception, and the choices we make. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx