Serendib Writing

Doing What We Can

Little bits of yesterday and today. Lunch with Roshani at Sen Sushi was delicious as usual, and a good chance to vent / decompress. Mostly this month I’m living in grubby gardening clothes, but I took a shower and dressed up a bit for lunch, just for a change, and was pleased that my gorgeous

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Mulligatawny Dreams

I really was sorry I only caught the tail end of Meena Kandasamy’s presentation; I teach her poems sometimes. Like this one: Mulligatawny Dreams anaconda. candy. cash. catamaran. cheroot. coolie. corundum. curry. ginger. mango. mulligatawny. patchouli. poppadom. rice. tatty. teak. vetiver. i dream of an english full of the words of my language. an english

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Valluvar’s Shawl

One of the fabulous things from this weekend at the FeTNA award ceremony, is that they gave me a shawl along with my award, draping it around me on stage, similar to what happens when you’re hooded with your doctoral robes. My impression is that education & literary / arts culture are highly valued in

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Only a Little Political

Me: Is it okay if I say a few words after receiving the award? Organizer: Yes, yes, of course. But [ha ha] nothing political! Me: Well, it might be a *little* political. Organizer [looking worried]: Women’s empowerment is okay! Poor organizer, dealing with a troublemaker like me. I admit, when I was writing my notes,

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The Day We Lost Roe

The Day We Lost Roe I walk down to the pond by my parents’ house with my children; daughter Kavi, age fifteen, son Anand, almost thirteen. Walking is a good time to have difficult conversations. Walking, you don’t have to look your children in the face when you say awkward things like ‘if you do

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Tamil American Pioneer Award

Quick note that I’ve received a Tamil American Pioneer (TAP) Award for 2022 from the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North American (FeTNA) for my “pioneering efforts in the field of Human Rights.” FeTNA is a non-profit organization representing and recognizing the work of Tamils from South Asia who are living in the US (https://tap.fetna.org).

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