The Wind In Our Sails
My short story ‘Unbounded, I Float’ is a part of the published memoir collection ‘The Wind In Our Sails’.
First launched at the Pune International Literary Festival in 2018, ‘The Wind In Our Sails’ is a collection of reflections as memoirs, a book that has come to be an honest and intimate exploration of the private moments that shape our voices as young individuals finding a place in this world. It’s a collection of the truths of coming of age. Together, the stories of ‘The Wind In Our Sails’ wonder and reflect on questions such as:
Are we ever done ‘growing up’ ? What does it mean to belong ? How important is shaping a sense of our identity as individuals in the world?
Read our stories in the ‘The Wind In Our Sails’.
Book Available Now
Unbounded, I Float
‘Unbounded, I Float’ gently explores the experience of not belonging and the struggle to fit in and find a sense of identity. Floating between two cultures, this story crosses the borders of the UK, and floats its way into India, all while seeking a place to land.
In a language that is personal, lyrical as well as embarrassingly honest, I reach out to the reader to connect to my younger self’s perception of the world. The story traces uncomfortable and vulnerable moments of my life, written as openly as I may have in my diary, revealing truths about the parts of us as children that long to be seen and tend to stay hidden in our deep subconscious. I bare it all with the ease of knowing that my experience is shared by so many of us, allowing for a sense of collective familiarity.
In writing this story, I was called on to remember and acknowledge the fractured moments of instability that so many of us face in our growing years and the personal courage and fortitude that we have displayed in overcoming them.
I hope my words can hold meaning for you.
Excerpt from ‘Unbounded, I Float’
“I became aware of my identity as it was ripped away from me.
It hurt like the separation of a nursing baby from a mamma’s nipple, like a stubbed toe, like a toothache spreading from your mouth across your face, like the crushing of your ego when someone says you’re not a good painter and in fact, you paint for a living. It hurt.”
Excerpt from ‘Unbounded, I Float’
“Puberty was paradoxically disorienting and reassuring all at once. All these identities scattered in the clouds to choose from. It made me nervous, it made me dream.”
About The Writing Process
An Interview With LiveEncounters
Labour of Love Available Now