2024 Travel List: Destinations Off The Beaten Path

We didn’t fit the ideal Indian family narrative—no heir, no “ghar ka chirag.” Raised eyebrows, hushed gossip, and unsolicited blessings for a male child followed us everywhere. The absence of a boy seemed like a flaw only outsiders could see. But inside our home, we were complete.

I always had two worlds - Inner and Outer. My letters carried my inner world. I am not great at talking about myself. I had letters to talk about my world. Everyone processes life differently. In all my letters, I processed mine.

Victor brings out his running shoes. I pretend to go back to sleep as he slams the door behind him almost pausing the river stream outside the window. As paused as the air between us that stood still; ever since we watched love leave the room. Stinging bitterness encircles me as his furious footsteps fade away. Suffocating.

I saw pink as weak, secondary, common, and powerless. But then, there was my sister - a living embodiment of the very color I had come to despise. She was none of the things I associated with pink. In fact, she was a beacon of strength, resilience, and individuality.

I am the girl who cried in Hindi, but dreamed in Malayalam. The woman who texts in dramatic, extra-H in Hindi, but writes poetry in English. The wife who argues in a mix of Hindi and Gujarati, only to end up laughing or crying halfway through. And if that means I live in a constant state of linguistic whiplash, so be it. Because in all this chaos, I have found my voice. Language is more than just words. It’s our experiences and how we see the world.

And no matter what language I speak in—I will always be heard.

Weddings are a hope, if not a promise of a happy future of togetherness, companionship and growth. How long before we stop glorifying endurance over happiness? A perfect wedding doesn’t guarantee a perfect marriage. That the real work begins when the music fades and the guests go home.

When Clay taught me a thing or two - in Seoul! I had quit my well- established career in Bangalore to relocate to Korea—a significant decision! I knew it would mean a reset and restart for both my life and career.