Women's Day Doodle

Freedom to Be Me

By Shini Abraham | Artist and Dark is Beautiful Supporter

This freedom doodle was inspired by thoughts that emerged as I pondered over the intimate connection between courage and freedom. We all have access to revelation and insight - powerful truth about ourselves, revelation about distorted and toxic beliefs, clarity on casting off oppression. Insight is the light that shines and shows us the path to freedom. However, freedom, while it exists for us all, isn't something we just stumble into. It requires commitment on our part, a step of faith, an act of determination before we can attain it. Courage is that bridge to freedom.

Insight > courage > freedom

Freedom is
finding the courage
to be me.

Courage is
willingness
to stand alone,
determination
to take a stand against popular opinion,
and conviction
to stand firm on principle.

Courage is freedom to be me.

(© Shini Abraham, www.ducodivina.com/blog)

Shini is an artist, inspirational speaker and a published author on contemplative doodling. She works with children who struggle with learning disabilities, youth-at-risk, as well as with people who have experienced severe trauma and pain in their lives; and teaches on communication design, inter-personal, and inter-cultural communication around the world. She loves the outdoors, books and people - not necessarily in that order.

If you would like to learn more about the book or her doodles, go to ducodivina.com and facebook.com/DucoDivina. 

A New Operating System

By Arpit Jacob | A Dark is Beautiful campaigner

Arpit Jacob says we need to rethink the way we talk with kids about skin colour— at school, at home and in the media.

Photo Credit: Zippora Madhukar Photography

I’m Arpit:

user experience designer
trekker/traveller
gadget geek
30 years old
and happily married.

During my school days in North India, a few of my classmates gave me other labels: kalia (black) and hapshi (negro).

Surviving Discrimination: The Chandra Vadhana Story

By Chandra Vadhana | An UNfair & Beautiful contributor

Right from childhood I developed a BIG inferiority complex because I was dark. 

I had the privilege of being schooled at one of the best convent schools in my locality, despite being born in a middle class family. In fact, I was one of the darkest in my class and hence the most "un-preferred" for any on-stage events. And that made me shy away from getting on the stage, even when I was sure of my capabilities. 

I used to cry and shout at my mother for giving birth to me dark. She was actually fairer and I used to be jealous of her beauty. But she was a woman of substance. She always motivated me and instilled great strength in me. Her belief in me made me realize that i can achieve anything in life and that my abilities are never connected with my skin colour.

Not Fair!

By Kavita Emmanuel | Founder Director, WOW

Each year on Independence Day I get to recite our National Pledge: ‘India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it…”

Are we really proud of our varied heritage? Do we accept each other as fellow citizens on the same level barring differences over caste, creed, and particularly, colour? Is skin colour bias an issue in our country?

The answer is obviously ‘yes’! And I would not be completely wrong to assume that skin colour bias is more pronounced among the educated and the most forward sections of society.

Brown Girl In The Ring

By Zippora Madhukar | Photographer and WOW CORE Member

Vivacious, animated, a go-getter, vibrant – all these words came to mind when I first met Aparna - a professional dancer who challenges the norms of what a dancer should look like in our country.

Aparna Nagesh is the founder of Showstoppers INC, an arts promotion and event concept brand and the founder of High-Kicks, Chennai’s first and only all-girls performance crew.

Aparna spent 12 years building her foundation with John Britto’s Dance Company (Photos by Zippora Madhukar)

She has now been in the dance and entertainment industry for over 14 years and she loves it to the core.

However, Aparna knows that it is not easy to hold your own when performing in a field where what you look like determines how far you will succeed – especially when you are not fair, tall, slim and therefore not ‘beautiful’.