A mother and her daughter talk about colour
and confidence
by Pranuthi Bunyan | With a poem by Sanchitha Rahael Sathyadass
As a mother, I have heard people come up to us and make statements such as, "Your younger son has a better colour than the others!" And this would at most times be in front of the kids. It's ridiculous!
Our three kids, Sanchitha (12 years),
Tharan (9) and Vivaan (3) are three different shades. We consciously reinforce
to them that each shade is precious--one chocolate, one coffee and one caramel!
Also, we emphasize that God has created each one fearfully and wonderfully and
makes no mistakes!
Sanchu, as we call her, is a born
artist. She loves to dance and sing and is a part of a children's choir called
"Shine," and has formed little singing quartet called the
"Four-tunes"! When she was in public school, she was sometimes
ridiculed by her classmates for her colour. It would make her upset at first.
One time my eldest son was made fun of
at school; one boy called him “black Tharan” in front of me. I immediately
asked the child if Tharan's hair and face were the same colour. When he
sheepishly said no, I told him to learn his colours better!
While there are people who are around
who make senseless statements, there have also been others who have been an
encouragement. There was an opportunity last Christmas when the two eldest kids
were featured in a music video. Opportunities such as these and focus on their
inner strengths and gifts, have been the main factors in developing a
confidence that we have seen, especially in Sanchu over the last few years. We
hope that the two boys will also develop their strengths and live as confident
people.
When asked to write for Dark is
Beautiful, Sanchu was apprehensive initially. But when we told her
that this was helping to campaign for a cause that it would help bring
awareness to several others and help create a world that is free of
discrimination on the basis of colour, especially for the next generations, she
cheerfully agreed! In a matter of minutes, she said a little prayer and had the
poem thought out, typed out and formatted!
Amazing this way
by Sanchitha Rahael Sathyadass, age 12
Black or white,
Red or blue,
We are the same,
And that is true.
Lotions, perfumes,
Face washes and soaps,
Make you think that
You should glow.
Washing your face
And applying cream
Is unnecessary.
You look amazing
Just this way,
Cause dark is beautiful,
And that’s what we say.
