Aesthetic designs, rusty brown hue, and earthly fragrance you cannot stop sniffing every 10 seconds — decorating your hands with Mehendis(hennas) is one of the best traditions in South East Asia. However, it has been only traditionally exclusive to women. Grade 2 Shrijan didn’t care much about it though when he let his three sisters experiment with Mehendi art on his chest. They made a small heart-shaped design with a few doodles on the borders. The next day in school, one of my male teachers somehow noticed it. He raged at me, stripped me naked, and embarrassed me in front of the class. In the shithole that I studied in for 11 years, this wasn’t anything strange. I remember blaming myself for letting my sisters put Mehendi on me. But as I grew up, my concerns started to change. I believe that the rage stemmed from how masculinity has been defined in our mindsets. I understand that putting on Mehendi is a culturally 'girly' thing. But whenever someone tries something d...
Blogs and Poetry, mostly unedited.