The Festival Costume
INDIA11SHORT STORY
Devika
10/12/20251 min read
Devika’s class was performing a traditional dance at the school festival.
The teacher assigned matching costumes.
Devika’s costume arrived too small.
The sleeves squeezed her arms, and the waistband would not close comfortably.
The costume supplier had no larger size available.
“You can stand in the back,” one student suggested.
Devika considered dropping out.
She had practised for six weeks and knew every step.
Her aunt, who sewed clothing, examined the costume.
“We can alter it.”
“There is no matching fabric.”
“Then we will not match.”
Auntie added gold side panels and wider sleeves using fabric from an old scarf. The altered costume looked different from everyone else’s.
At rehearsal, several students stared.
The teacher worried the costumes would no longer appear uniform.
Devika asked whether matching mattered more than dancing.
The teacher paused.
She changed the plan. Each student added one individual detail: a coloured border, different bracelet, embroidered shape, or ribbon.
During the performance, the costumes still looked connected, but no two were identical.
Afterward, another student admitted that her costume had also been uncomfortable. She had been afraid to say anything.
The school changed its ordering process and began collecting accurate measurements earlier.
Devika kept the altered costume.
It reminded her that inclusion did not always mean forcing everyone into the same shape.
Sometimes the group had to change its design.