Equity is Nature's Form of Artistry

The air was that of a stagnant summer, stifling hot and stubbornly static. The dirt road that snaked through the serene Indian sugarcane fields had rattled the worn, green rickshaw for hours before it had shuddered to a stop, spurting a final breath of petrochemicals into the sweltering sky. Stepping out onto the muddy riverbank and clay pathway, I anticipated the surprise that my eccentric nanaji had promised. There it sat: a delicate tissue paper kite, a rhombus-shaped assemblage of discarded hangers, frayed cloth, and scraps from urban newspapers. “I made it myself,” my grandfather proclaimed proudly as he caressed his creation, cherishing the last moments with his craft before he set it free. I followed him in awe and trepidation and watched as he thrust the kite towards the heavens, as it scaled the skies with its spell-bounding feats of aerodynamics. “How?” I asked. He gazed at me, his eyes twinkling, and whispered “Equity is nature’s form of artistry.”

Throughout the ebbs and flows of my childhood, I was constantly afraid of being too ‘Westernized’ in front of my traditional ...