Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
From the moment I was born, my world was flooded with music. As my grandmother gently cradled me in her arms, her Bengali lullabies filled the air. After receiving a radio deal to sing across India, her father had married her off and her mother-in-law banned music in their household. Inspired by my grandmother’s dream, I started performing at a very young age.
I grew up on the stage, exploring every art form. Practicing across-the-floor combos in my pink ballet slippers and memorizing intricate hasta mudras in Indian Classical Odissi, I danced for years. I drilled scales on the piano and rehearsed difficult flute runs for hours in my middle school’s band. Donning a sparkling flapper dress and character heels for my class play, I explored works from various time periods. Dance, band, and theatre brought me so much excitement, but nothing captivated me like singing. There was a unique thrill in connecting with the audience, expressing emotions that words and movement alone couldn’t capture: I felt like my true self.Grateful for the artistic escape my grandmother provided, I wondered how I could channel my passion to improve the quality of life of local seniors. Last year, I founded my club “Singing for Seniors,” to perform at senior homes and serve as a performance space for young artists. At one performance, a new resident shared how difficult her first three days were, alone without family or friends. She shared that she’d worked at a children’s theater for years and gushed about how our performance rekindled the joy she once felt there. As she left, smiling ear to ear, the activities director revealed that just the day before, the resident had been in tears, doubting she could make it through the week. Understanding the immense depth of power this art holds, I started to imagine the endless ways I will utilize it to shape the world for the better. So the next time a senior resident takes my hands, looking at me with my grandmother’s eyes, and tells me to never stop singing, I know my promise is true.