Inspired by the life of my grandfather’s aunt, Auspicious Beginnings tells the story of a young girl, Lakshmi, who lives in Kallaidaikurchi, Tamil Nadu. She is married at nine years old, and her husband dies soon after, making her both a child bride and a child widow. Though I never met Lakshmi Periamma myself, I conducted in-depth interviews with my grandfather to represent her story as accurately as I could. At the same time, I took creative liberties to imagine how she might have been thinking and feeling as well as how her story could echo across generations.

Beyond Memory’s Edge follows a woman who desperately wishes to escape the mundane, all while going about her typical nightly routine. Her wish is answered in a way she doesn’t expect when an intruder breaks into her apartment.

Encounters follows Julian Karalis, a man who embodies polite confusion. He awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of how he got there, only to realize he might have lost a lot more than he can even imagine. 

The Price of Living is a historical piece set against the backdrop of WWI. The narrator reflects on a moment in the trenches that altered him irrevocably: a missed connection he can’t move past. This piece was published in the 2023 Spring Issue of the Brookline Exhibition.