Edited by: Shivani Panigrahy
Dear Somebody,
In response to your curiosity, I have finally collected enough data to support my claims.
When people say ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,’ they often mean a fresh bouquet of daisies, the moonlight through a stained glass ceiling or wearing the perfect dress on the perfect occasion.
But, I realized beauty to me was your nonchalant fashion sense, your stupid green jacket and your sudden laugh when you find something funny that no one else does. This realization added evidence to the idea of beauty being subjective to every individual. Case in point, everyone else thinks that you should set fire to that stupid green jacket.
When Khalil Gibran said, ‘Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror,’ he probably meant galaxies viewed through a telescope, that painting of Van Gogh and city lights on New Years’ Day.
But, I realized beauty to me was Amma’s tamarind rice with crispy potatoes, those ridiculous mismatched cartoon socks and long assignments typed in Latex. This realization added evidence to the idea of beauty living in the mundane and uninteresting day-to-day activities. Case in point, everyone would fight till first blood for cute socks (hyperbolic, I know).
When Keats said, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever,’ he would have meant forests that outlive generations, sunlight waking the sparrows gently enough or the promise of clear water gushing between valleys.
But I realized beauty to me was my poetry turning my saddest days to the most beautiful lines, that precisely timed sarcastic joke during dinner and my drama-filled life that I narrate to my selected audience as a weekly series. This realization added evidence to the idea of beauty being synonymous to joy. Case in point, all my subscribers think my life is more entertaining than anything on Netflix.
If you and your stupid green jacket are still confused about where beauty is, here is a limited list:
- Those cyan blue painted walls in AC04, third floor. (Calming.)
- Carefully lined pastries in Chai-Shai. (Those cupcakes are pure temptation.)
- Library staircases at night, glimmering like fireflies. (If you visit them in the evening, the mosquitoes would welcome your company)
- Random potted plants throughout the campus. (They’re cute.)
- Cozy library couches when you want to procrastinate. (Especially when you have an exam the next day.)
- That Her Campus article I wrote about heartbreak, the one which I’m extremely proud of : https://www.hercampus.com/school/ashoka/heartbreak-deadlines-and-exams/ (Shameless self-promotion.)
- That one spot in the mess lawns where I get a view of every jacket. (But, it’s only yours I see.)
In response to my curiosity, I hope you will write to me all the things you find beautiful. Just so I can get to know you as much as you know me now.
Sincerely,
Your Somebody