Personal essay by Sourima Chakraborty: ‘I opted out of my profession soon after, much to the chagrin of my well-wishers. The day I told my mother how I wish to live—or rather, how I need to live—she suspected that I might be reading the wrong kind of philosophy books.’

Poetry by Mehaq Khurshied: ‘Her nostalgia was only bitter. There was no sweetness to balance it. / Of course, she loved him like our women are taught to love / Love, entrapped in obligation and duty.’

A poem by Sayani Mukherjee: ‘The sound feels warm / A finicky sensation / Buzzing each nerve / In unison’

Art and poetry by Nirali Lal: ‘A rickety ride / That’s a guarantee / it will think and recite. / It’s automatic / If you comply’

Personal Essay by Karan Madhok: ‘My mother handed me the postcard… I couldn’t believe my eyes…Tendulkar had written to me, addressed me by my first name, acknowledged my whole existence with a single thick piece of rectangular paper.’

Personal Essay: In the exploration of a wondrous art museum and travelogue of the Western Himalayan region, Sudheshna Rana comes across time capsules that enrich the understanding of the region’s history, architecture, and mythology.

Poems by Aranya: ‘Delhi smoulders along the length / of my finger, a cigarette that refuses / to go out.’

Poetry by Jyothsnaphanija: ‘Vermicelli sweetness / Tercet of longing / A film screen / Colour with no plurality’

Art and poetry by Nirali Lal: ‘A vortex of sorts / Into fragrant playful striped balls / Bouncing upbeat, / Just for the self, a favour’,

Poetry by Anureet Watta: ‘The world has ended many times before, / just this morning when I heard my father’s footsteps, / just this evening when you looked my way.’

Poetry by Sneha Bhura: ‘A 5 o’clock shadow / Makes oblong pools in my mind / I can't thrash it out’

Poetry by Shyamasri Maji: ‘Playing hide and seek / In the caves of broken giggles’