“Have you ever been bullied? Felt insulted? Felt unnoticed? Trust me you are not alone.

Episodes of derision roots back from my childhood. I could not escape some maniacal mouth and the subject of scorn was my skin color. Neither my grades nor my skills were enough to shut them. I remember being called “Karuvachi” (a derogatory term for someone who has a dark skin tone) during my high school. I was never enough for them and for me.

Low self esteem internalized within me. No matter what I did I was never enough. I let this happen for many years and eventually it tormented me for decades and eventually I entered a perpetual state of inferiority complex.

I moved to New Zealand a couple of years back and eventually started having friends from different nationalities. That’s when I realized how different the concept of beauty can be. The real world of beauty embraces all colors, shapes and figures. It treats no one differently and it’s a space of pure energy and bliss.

A couple of months from then, the firmly embedded image of beauty in my mind started to blur. Today, being very pale, dark, dusky, tanned, freckled, body shapes and frames, skinny has become so trivial. It has taken a lot to be where I am today and I am still not there as yet . Accepting myself has been a constant work in progress.

That’s exactly why I have been working with my little one to let her know that she is beautiful just the way she is and everyone around her is as beautiful as they are in their own way.

Colors are for merchandise and not mankind. Today and forever I want to show Shastra that she is always enough.”