Kamala Harris’ name has been at the forefront of all news outlets over the past month as it was announced that she would be Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden’s running mate. There is no denying that this is a historic moment as she is the first African-American and South Asian female to be in this position.

When the humanities department of my high school came up with the proposal of a ‘Historical Walk’, I didn’t know what to expect. I grew up in the industrial city of Kanpur where debris from leather factories collects along the riverbanks faster than dust on windowpanes and popular topics of conversation are mostly politics and pollution.

“There was a point in time where women were expected to do nothing but learn to play the pianoforte, become well acquainted with painting or drawing, and submit to the expectations of a homemaker.”

Perhaps you have heard of the name somewhere, the third-largest island in the world with one of the oldest and most diverse rainforest ecosystems and wildlifes, a home for the great ape of Orangutan, and maybe a place where man-eating Anacondas snakes live, such as depicted in the Hollywood movie Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid?

Pick-me. It’s a term most are familiar with at this point regarding women. Most often, it’s used to describe girls who desperately seek attention from men for validation, wanting to “be picked.”

Bharatanatyam is a classical Indian dance that originated in the Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu, South India. It was originally taught by Nattuvanars, who were dance gurus, and practiced by Devdasis, a group of temple dancers who would perform at ceremonies and festivals.