Her classmates bullied her when she developed white patches on her body, with some even refusing to touch her.

Kartiki Bhatnagar, a 17-year-old school student from Delhi, now inspires a lot of people with her message of body positivism.

The color of hair and skin is determined by melanin. But those who are diagnosed with vitiligo, the cells that produce melanin die or stop functioning.

“I started developing white patches on my face, which soon appeared on my legs, hands, stomach, knees and other ‘secretive’ parts of my body,” she says.

Things changed for Kartiki when one day, her friend pointed out a patch on her skin and exclaimed that it looked like an apple!

She started outlining her patches and started painting her white patches into majestic mountains, a little ghost with a little heart, and whatever else came to her mind.

“My body was a story waiting to be told,” she says.

The artwork gave her the courage to accept her body, and she now blogs about body positivity.

“My blog started around 2 years ago. My blog is literally my life. When it comes to body positivity or loving yourself, I find myself really drawn to it. I have also started a campaign on Instagram called ‘bare the midriff,” she says.

Kartiki’s been named the ‘Vitiligo Queen’ and she’s slaying bullies and body shamers one artwork at a time.

“Maybe I’ll even get a tattoo in the future,” she says.

(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)