Interview with Kripa Bansal
We recently interviewed founder and chief editor of the Pandemonium Magazine, Kripa Bansal.
View the conversation with Kripa below!
Question 1: What is your role in the Pandemonium Magazine? What is your job and purpose?
Kripa: I’m the founder of Pandemonium ! As well as the editor-in-chief So I basically oversee all the work that goes on in the various departments and make most of the decisions such as what submissions to approve, who to contact for further collaborations etc. I also write all the emails and manage most of the social media pages. My work also includes recruiting more members to our editorial board, spreading the awareness about Pandemonium, introducing new initiatives such as internships, contests etc.
Question 2: How’d you come up with the idea of creating a magazine?
Kripa: It’s actually quite a long story! I had attended a summer program in the US on creative writing in the summer of 2018. That was the first time I had gotten an exposure to literary magazines and journals, as being from India, I had a completely different perspective on the literary world. I was even more intrigued when my professor from the course told me about how, along with his friends, he had created a journal during his teens. My curiosity and interest in the topic led me to research more and I started submitting to several teen literary magazines as well. Along the way, I realised that I wanted to channel my passion for writing and entrepreneurship into a venture of my own! And that’s how the idea for Pandemonium was born :) I worked on the idea for 2-3 months and on creating a team and hiring a tech expert, we created a website and launched the magazine in the first week of January.
Question 3: Who’s your biggest supporter in creating and promoting the journal?
Kripa: I think my biggest supporters are my parents and my twin sister! They are extremely motivational and always push me to do my best. They were extremely supportive about the idea for Pandemonium and helped my dreams for the magazine become a reality by giving me a lot of advice. And of course, my editorial board has always had my back! They’ve been ever so helpful in promoting the magazine, posting about it on their social media pages, telling their friends about it and so much more. Last but not the least, my school friends have also been vital in the whole process and have never turned down any request of mine to help support the magazine. I think the success of a magazine relies on the support and trust of people and I’ve been so lucky to have so many supporters with me!
Question 4: What’s your future goal for the Pandemonium Magazine?
Kripa: I really want Pandemonium to grow in the coming years and not just be a platform where someone can submit work but also voice their opinions, share their thoughts and use the platform as a space to be themselves. True to it’s name, people should be able to let the chaos within them out while writing for Pandemonium. I want Pandemonium to have submissions from all over the world and all the teens who submit to us should be able to interact with each other and gain a real exposure to writing by understanding and viewing the different international and cultural perspectives that come in. I would like to grow our team as well by inviting teens with all kinds of backgrounds and experiences, so running this magazine can be more of a learning experience to all of us! I really hope to see Pandemonium grow and thrive in the coming years!
Question 5: What careers have gotten your interest due to starting the Pandemonium Magazine?
Kripa: Starting a magazine is akin to starting a business. It involves all sorts of aspects ranging from marketing to designing to communications and PR and so much more. It’s been such an exiting process for me to explore those sub-fields while developing Pandemonium. So to answer your question, I think it’s opened up possibilities of me going into marketing, PR, Media, editing, business (in general) and HR. I’ve also gained so many skills such as learning to be efficient and successful while making cold calls to potential members of our board, writing professional emails, marketing, designing posters and brochures etc. I think these skills are essential in all the aforementioned fields that I see myself in and I’m glad to be improving and working on them as I work on Pandemonium every day.
Question 6: What are your favorite hobbies that helped you contribute to the making of the Pandemonium Mag?
Kripa: Well I’ve always been an avid reader and writer. Since a very young age, I’ve read a wide variety of genres ranging from age-old classics like Anne Of Green Gables to the magic realism of the Harry Potter series! As I grew older, I divulged myself into books like Beloved by Toni Morrison, Help by Katheryn Stockett and so many more! Reading really opens up a whole new world for you and you gain perspectives into so many new things. This helped me shape my writing and make it more stylistic and nuanced as well. Furthermore, I’m also a great conversationalist and I love talking to people. This was especially useful for me as I was able to converse with people from all around the world to be a part of Pandemonium.
Question 7: Does school conflict with your hobbies and the Pandemonium Magazine?
Kripa: So I’m currently in grade-11 and I’m doing the IB program. It’s a very rigorous program, in which we have to carry out independent research projects in each of the subjects we choose to take in addition to studying for the subjects and writing exams. So I do have to devote a considerable amount of my free time to studying for school. Junior year is also a prime year for college applications and so I also get busy with standardised testing and writing essays for college. However, Pandemonium is my very own initiative and it’s idea stemmed from my passion for writing. So if I am passionate about something, no matter how packed and busy my schedule is, I will end up making time for it. I truly believe that if you’re genuinely passionate and enjoy doing something, then you can easily make time for it and make its successful.
Question 8: What is the best advice you have ever gotten that teens who want to follow your footsteps should hear?
Kripa: So I think what’s really important is to remember to just keep at it! If you start something, you’ve got to keep at it and keep it steady. Being teenagers with limited experience, we are bound to stumble and trip along our path, but it really is up to us on how we can create new paths for ourselves and discover the best way to approach and tackle a problem. I’ll be honest with you, starting Pandemonium was not an easy task. There were moments when I thought that it was too hard and I was quite dejected. However, all around me, people pushed me to keep going and never give up and that’s really something that stuck by me. Another advice I would give to teens is to be creative with every idea you have. Try to break free from conventions or stereotypes and make your initiative a reflection of your individuality. Try to reflect facets of your character into your project and it will stand out on its own. Don’t be afraid to show people who you really are! Be yourself and own it!
Last Question: Any last things you’d like to add?
Kripa: I’d just like to tell every teen out there that we are a generation that’s bubbling with ideas and creativity. It would be quite a shame if we don’t put it to good use! Each of us is good at something and it’s so important for us to really hone that skill or talent and experiment with it. Another thing to remember about creative fields is that your work becomes significantly better when your heart is in it. If you really feel for something or are passionate about it, then trust me, you’ll find it so much easier to write/draw/paint about it! Last but not the least, everything improves with collaboration. Although it can be said with certainty that you often venture into the arts as a single individual, when multiple ideas and viewpoints combine to create a piece, the output can be magnificent! So embrace your recluse while you pursue the arts!
View Kripa's Instagram: @timesofmysoul
View Pandemonium Magazine's Instagram: @pandemoniummag1
Click below for the Pandemonium Magazine's website!