By Aadhyaa Aravind
5th grade | VidyaNiketan School | India
Finalist, Global Health category

With lines from “Resilience and Survival: Documenting the Lives of People Diagnosed With Leprosy” by Rohit Jain, a Pulitzer Center reporting project

It was the evenings that I looked forward to the most.

Orange hue of the sky, mild dust kicked up by cows returning after a graze,

                                                                                                            kids playing and us ladies enjoying a nice talk time,

                                       sharing a recipe, a gossip or applying beautiful patterns of mehndi on our hands.

Talking, laughing, giggling, being and enjoying ourselves.

The house needed sweeping,

cooking to be done for my family of 8,

                                                                                                                     the cows needed milking, their sheds cleaning,

                                                                                                            the clothes needed washing; the utensils cleaning.

Amidst all this, the white patch on my arm went unnoticed.

Week by week it grew ; I was forced to consult a doctor.

“It’s the most dangerous among all diseases,” he said.

                                                                                                                                     Nothing remained the same afterward.

                                                                 My husband of years, my very own children did not want to touch me,

while I yearned for a comforting hug and understanding.

Evenings were no longer my favourite.

My neighbours, my friends walked away upon seeing me.

                                                                                                        When my husband wanted to remarry, all I said was,

                                                                                      “You can marry as many times as you want. What can I do now?”

Leprosy took away everything from me.

Apulki is now my new world.

A few friends along the way I have made,

                                                                                               together in the boat of leprosy and social stigma we sail.

                                                                                                                              What is the purpose of mehndi on my hands?

What will be drawn in these hands without fingers?

Then a dot of mehndi is drawn on the tip of the lost finger. It gives me a big smile.

Although I have found peace here,

                                                                                                    I sometimes wish to go back to the life that I once had.

                                                                                                                While I still miss the warmth of the old evenings,

I have learnt to smile in whatever little the new ones bring.

Aadhyaa studies in grade 5 in Bangalore, India. She lives with her parents, younger brother, and grandparents. She has been writing poetry since she was 6 years of age. She is an avid reader, loves writing essays, stories, and poetry, is a cricket and badminton enthusiast, and a movie buff. She is very compassionate and is always willing to help. She has had a great experience taking part in this poetry contest and is honored to be one of the finalists.

Read more winning entries from the 2024 Fighting Words Poetry Contest.