the beauty in diversity
PRARTHANA JAGAN
“I developed vitiligo at the age of 11. After consulting a lot of doctors, one derm suggested I apply ‘theatre make-up’ to cover up the spots. And while it did conceal the condition, it made things harder at school, as the other children began mocking me for wearing make-up. I remember one particular incident, when I was travelling in the school van, and the kids started throwing water at me and asked why the make-up wasn’t coming off. I remember crying for days about it. No-one understood that I just wanted an even skin tone…like everyone else. As the bullying became more brutal, I started to distance myself from the crowd. During that time, maintaining a journal really helped me—I have been able to track my journey and let go of a world of pain. After eight long years of
