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By Arya Varma
Posted on February 1, 2025
Cover Image Title: Girl Dancer
Cover Image by: Saanika Purushotham
Classification: Digital Artwork
Specifications: 2000 pixels X 2000 pixels
Year: 2024
Golden, ringing, leaps and twirls,
Spinning in silks and milky pearls,
Bell-shaped earrings twinkle and laugh,
A sunlit anklet glitters on her calf.
Her steps are nimble, her voice is sweet,
Rich ebony hair, a flower-adorned pleat.
She dances to music, the tinkling of bells
The drums grow behind her, harmonium swells.
Bangles glisten on her bronze forearms,
Her garnet-red sari embellished with charms,
Each of her toes wears priceless gold bands;
Flowers of henna creep along her hands.
The dance finishes with a flourish, silk drifting in the air,
The last lyrics hushing; some plea, some prayer,
Our dancer bowing - oh how she flew!
Indian nights are alight with her sacred deep hue.
Description:
Colonialism is a prevalent issue in many ethnic communities around the world. Often a result of colonialism, it usually appears as prejudice towards those with darker skin amongst people of color. As a previously colonized region, cultures on the Indian subcontinent are disproportionately affected by colorist standards that have become normalized and are now perpetuated by society. Those with darker skin are considered undesirable, and bleaching creams and skin treatments are commonly found as people strive to meet a Eurocentric beauty standard. The poem details the simple beauty of South Asian cultures, symbolized by a dancer. She is beautiful and skilled. Her dark color takes nothing away from the impression she leaves on the audience. Her skin tone is only as remarkable as every other part of her image and her culture - she is the epitome of South Asian beauty and a rejection of colonial norms in and of herself.
[ Writing Editor: Anonymous. ]