Gujarati

I’m not sure there is such a thing as *ready.* Maybe it’s a mindset, maybe there are people that truly feel prepared for what life throws at us, or feel in control when they take risks to move things forward. As much as I want to believe…

When I left my job, my father told me he wished I could have held on longer. It was an insult, it was salt in the wound, for he had no idea what it meant for me to continue to compromise my integrity. Integrity. This is not a word my…

This tote is buttery soft and inviting, this Italian leather is luxurious. I don’t want no labels, just a beautiful leather bag will do. Labels are for status, not style. I wear something because I love it, because of the way it makes me feel, because it’s an expression of…

Buying a house was one of the scariest things I’ve done. I’m a single Indian woman and single Indian women don’t do that. We stay at home, or rent if we don’t live near our parents, or we get married and live with our husbands. We leave the money up…

I’m sensitive to noise. Doors slamming, loud voices, the ringing of your phone. There is So. Much. Noise. I am trying to be heard and I’m exhausted. I refuse to combat the noise. I speak quietly because I’m tired of screaming. Tired of being beaten to death by the abrasive…

The Coconut Blog #11 It was born in my mouth before I knew it was there. Lilting. Musically. Innocently. It carried me through the early years — singing on my tongue. The same melody. Binding me to generations that had long lost their voices. As I grew older, it was contaminated by its brother. Used more often. Jostling in line to be…

By the time I had got to secondary school, the majority of racist violence and abuse had reduced. I was in the top band of an ex grammar girls’ school and was one of only three from my primary school; the other two being a Bangladeshi and an Indian girl…