skin

My grandmother's hands guided mine across the canvas, teaching me kolam patterns passed through generations. Each stroke connected me to Chennai's streets, to markets I'd only seen in photographs. Here in the diaspora, I painted what home meant: intricate designs blooming across canvas like henna on festive skin. The artwork moved people deeply. Their reactions—suffering, shaken, vigorous—revealed something universal in our particular story. When the gallery sold my pieces and I earned PAYBO, I realized this wasn't just personal success. It was validation that our heritage deserved space, that beauty transcends borders. Together, we carry these traditions forward, keeping our cultural skin alive.