srujana’s arangetram. july 28th, 2018.
three days ago, and i still can’t wrap my head around it, you turned eighteen. three days ago, you were dancing your beautiful heart out in sridevi aunty’s basement, moving across the floor in graceful elegance just as you did here on stage. three days ago, i was smiling in anticipation of what today would be like, imagining you in the golden jewelry and sparkling costumes. three days ago i don’t think any of us could’ve dreamed of just how magical this all was.
you have surpassed every single person’s expectations in this room. you were a vision on stage. and it’s an absolute honor to call you my best friend.
you were a cherubic little girl with the kind of childish pudgy tummy that made you a hundred times more adorable when i met you. i don’t remember exactly what we were wearing or what we were doing. probably some ridiculous shorts and pink tank tops, slouching in a circle in preschool, making eye contact like we had already decided we were going to be inseparable for the rest of our lives. that moment changed my life forever.
we were both around five or six, small little girls with wide smiles in mini sarees posing for the camera. you had an umbrella, a pair of glasses and dimpled cheeks that were irresistible to every person who saw you. we would dress up and dance, on stage and in our basements to our own laboriously choreographed routines. we used to dance even before we knew the magnitude of what it would become for us. a passion. a dream. a fundamental.
we were both around seven or so when we first walked into the brightly lit basement of sridevi aunty’s house. again i don’t remember exactly what we were wearing or doing. probably some comical oversized t-shirts and leggings, unsuccessfully attempting some simple neck movements. we probably giggled to each other on the car ride home in anticipation of the next class. that moment changed our lives forever.
sridevi aunty. what you have done for us is beyond the dance floor. you have played a crucial role in who we have grown up to be. you continue to play a crucial role in who we will become. no on in the world could even dream fo a better guru and role model. your impact on our lives is infinite and important. thank you, aunty.
in dance class we learned a multitude of life lessons and i know you, srujana, will take them with you. but i want you to take one more thing. from my treasure chest of gathered verses.
there’s a letter written by a woman, an artist, to her younger self.
she says, “there will be pain, there will be doubt, there will be beauty, there will be the unknown. there will be so many moments of joy and delight that the whole universe will feel painted in hues of amber and wonder. there will be times you are so sad you can’t lift your head and there will be times you are so happy that the sensation of life knocks you down. but most importantly there will be you. a whole, whole lot of it. and you will feel good about who she is and who she is still becoming.”
srujana. you are an incredible, incredible girl. and you will do incredible, incredible things. i only hope to watch from the sidelines and cheer you on as you take the world in your hand. congratulations, my beautiful friend.
the excerpt of the letter is written by Solange Knowles in the 2017 Teen Vogue Music Issue, Volume II