Despite the Hate, Do what you Love | Teen Ink

Despite the Hate, Do what you Love

August 9, 2022
By alissac123 SILVER, Apex, North Carolina
alissac123 SILVER, Apex, North Carolina
9 articles 0 photos 0 comments

While most girls in my school did ballet, hip hop, contemporary, and jazz

I did Bharatanatyam

Or in other words ¨The indiany hard to pronounce dance¨

That phrase stuck onto me, ringing in my ears like a swarm of bees

I almost quit

I didn't want to be known as the girl who

¨Covers her whole body when dancing¨

¨Makes weird hand gestures and moves awkwardly¨

¨Paints her hand with a substance that looks like cow dung¨

¨Wears a bright red sticker on her forehead like she's a kindergartener¨


They just didn't get my culture 

And I didn't care

I appreciate my roots and heritage

Despite the hate

I will do what I love

And I love Bharatnatyam

For it instills a vibration throughout my body

As I feel the rhythm through my veins as I dance

The beat playing a soft melody in my ears

Pushing away those ignorant comments

Painting my hands with mehndi, creating an elaborate yet delicate design

Applying my bindi carefully on my forehead

Looking like a Bharatanatyam dancer


The author's comments:

Hi, my name is Amruta I. and I am currently a rising freshman and am 14 years old. My roots and heritage trace back to the small villages in South India, where my parents were born. As a Indian American teenager life has a lot of obstacles to offer to try and get me to give up on my culture, but whenever I feel that way poetry is who I go to. I release all my emotions into a poem and it is my way of coping with stress and all the feelings in me. I love that poetry is so diverse just like the world around us, and it allows us to express ourselves and create an impact. Besides writing poetry I also learn and perform Indian classical dance, also known as Bharatanatyam. I started learning Bharatanatyam at the tender age of four and it has grown to become a part of me. I am very passionate towards Indian classical dance as it's further connected me to my heritage.


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