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Artist: Hana Rafee 

What Does “Gulabi” Mean?

 

Bold, intimate, real.

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Gulabi in Hindi and Urdu means rose-colored or rosy. It also stands for lover or sweetheart.

 

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Why "Gulabi"?

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As a color, Gulabi (pink) has various layers and interpretations. Hot pink symbolizes rawness, boldness, and sensuality. Gulabi stands for love, intimacy, and even breast cancer prevention.

 

Gulabi is a mood, a texture, a feeling of being loved, and a sense of openness.

 

Gulabi is the traditional stereotype associated with the female gender identity ("pink is for girls") that gets challenged and smashed time and again. Gulabi is a satirical take on gender roles and patriarchy perpetuated in our communities. 

 

We hope the name for this initiative truly does justice to and represents the voices and stories shared by our storytellers.

The Gulabi Stories: A South Asian Healing Initiative has been funded by the SEEDING CREATIVITY Individual Artist Grant. The Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) in the City of Sacramento received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as part of its American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant program, to subgrant to communities responding to the negative economic impacts and public health emergencies of the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant program supports 45 artists with grants to create and/or present new work in the county during the grant period.

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