by Swathi Ramprasad | Jan 7, 2019 | Youth
On every visit back to India, my grandparents shower me with the stories of old, served hot with a little bit of spice to taste. Usually, the stories follow a predictable pattern, trying to teach us a lesson about our own morality. My patti (grandmother) begins, “In...
by Swathi Ramprasad | Oct 22, 2018 | Cover Story, Youth
Her fingers flitted across the paper seal, trembling around the hallowed crest. She stuck her finger in and tore. Hard. The consequence of this letter would be the culmination of 18 years of hard work; academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, and careful...
by Swathi Ramprasad | Jan 19, 2017 | Youth
I was seated on the kitchen counter, my favorite perch as a four-year old. I watched my thatha, my maternal grandfather, draw a “U” shaped white figure on his forehead with what looked like a metal toothpick. Carefully, he placed a red substance with water on the heel...
by Swathi Ramprasad | Feb 2, 2016 | Features, Youth
I was seated on the kitchen counter, my favorite perch as a four-year old. I watched my thatha, my maternal grandfather, draw a “U” shaped white figure on his forehead with what looked like a metal toothpick. Carefully, he placed a red substance with water on the heel...
by Swathi Ramprasad | Sep 16, 2013 | Features, Youth
I look out the window of the airplane and see the glittering lights of Chennai, India. The lights have a breathtaking opalescent glow. The lights are surrounded by shadows, a new darkness that I was awakened to. This summer, I saw first-hand the hellish poverty of...
