I was born and brought up in Delhi and completed my education in the national capital. I was six when I witnessed a white patch on my eyelid. It created panic at home as my parents rushed me to a doctor for a medical check-up. The doctor, after several inspections, confirmed that I had Vitiligo. I was too small to understand the meaning of this disorder, but it was prominent on my eyelid.

It’s a disorder where your immune system attacks you, making it hard to treat. The Vitiligo treatment works for some people and doesn’t work for others, and I was among those. However, my parents didn’t lose hope and took me to different places for treatment with the expectation that I would recover from white patches. With the passing days, the white patches kept on spreading.

My childhood has been challenging due to Vitiligo. I had no friends in my school in Delhi as they used to pass remarks on my looks and appearance, which started affecting me badly. I used to sit alone, hardly spoke to anyone in school, and always had my lunch separately.

I was very young to identify how different I am from others. I always wanted to perform on stage, sing music, dance on tracks and do acting, but none of these was possible as my teachers wanted good-looking students to perform.

‘I Accepted Myself’

After passing class 10, I realised I could be more than my appearance and looks. I started focusing on my studies and secured good grades in the class 12 examination. Following this, I took admission to a college in Delhi. There I got the opportunity to express myself as I participated in several events, including debates, which boosted my confidence.

I met people from different backgrounds and realised that the world is much bigger than someone’s looks. I started writing poetry, attended guitar classes, and performed several times on stage. I started my journey and never looked back to those remarks I got in school about my appearance.

I frequently post my poetry and other content on my social media platforms. This became an advantage as it helped me get a modeling assignment in a reputed production company. I realised that Vitiligo has never been into mainstream art, but I was lucky enough to get a chance.

After years of struggle, I stand today as an artist who is expanding my horizons toward acting and modeling. I believe my faith is very strong, and it has helped me stay positive since childhood. If I look back at my journey, I find that every incident that occurred helped make me what I’m today.

If you, too, have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com