EDITORIAL| Shweta Ganesh Kumar on 'Leap Of Faith'




Dear Reader, 

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Inkspire – a digital showcase for new and upcoming Indian writing. The theme for the issue this quarter is ‘Leap of Faith’ – a sentiment that writers are most familiar with. From the point when the piece is done and dusted, till the point that it is published, all that writers see in front of them is an abyss. An abyss that they might manage to leap over into the world of being read or one where their writing could perish. 


That first step a writer takes to submit his or her piece is always the hardest. You have poured your heart into this piece and slaved over it for hours, days, weeks, months, even and now it has to be sent away to some stranger. And who knows what the stranger will think of it? And if it does get published, then you can celebrate and sit down again so that you can write another piece and go through the agony all over again. 


It sounds like a weird passion to have... Writing. Every time we want to write something we want to be read, we have to gather all the courage that we have to make that leap, unsure always if we will land safely on solid ground or crash with a thud. But leap, we must. 

And so, I thought it fitting that 'Leap of Faith' would be the theme for this online magazine that has been created solely to showcase aspiring Indian writers. Inkspire encourages you to make that first leap of faith, to think of yourself as someone who can write, who has the courage to send your babies to editors everywhere to be read and critiqued. This is the point where I want to congratulate every single writer who submitted for the first Quarter, irrespective of making it to the final pages. You dared to submit and that is the hardest part of the process.  Kudos also to the writers who made it to this inaugural issue of Inkspire. I was pleasantly surprised at just how many takes there were of the theme.

 In our Poetry section, we have Ajisha's Anklet that muses on a leap that would help the protagonist change the course of her life, Maya Philip's Beneath the Stars debates a literal leap of faith vs a metaphorical one and Pallavi Rajput's The Era of Depleting Human Emotions pleads a return to sentimental times.


The Creative Non-Fiction section boasts of utmost diversity with writers interpreting, 'Leap of Faith' in myriad ways.
Jyotsna's 'As I learn and Grow' is about her experience of navigating unknown terrain as parent to a special needs child. 'A leap of faith in retrospect' by Rajalakshmi Ganesh talks about the author's decision to move countries two decades earlier. Swarna Janaki writes about her 'Deep Dive into Motherhood'.  'Guin, Me and My Leap of Faith' is Vanessa's attempt to make sense of body positivity as a mother. 


'Googling Leap of Faith' is a fun take by Samanvitha. B on whether her life experiences matched her research on 'leap of faith'. 

Zainab Raazi's essay 'When Mom Guilt and Filial Guilt join forces' is an essay on a mom who has to choose between travelling and staying at home with her twins and mother.

'A Leap of Faith for a safe work place' by Shreya Shetty tells us the inspiring story of an everyday hero who took her experience of being sexually harassed at work and changed the narrative.

 'Bursting Out of the Cocoon' by Swathi Chakravarthy is about being pushed out of her comfort zone to make a major life change. And 'Coffee' by Smruthi Thota is a philosophical music on her favourite brew.


We have two book reviews in this edition - The Power of Positivity - Optimism and the 7th sense by Namrata and 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Shwetha. Both reviews explore how the authors encourage their readers to come forward and challenge themselves. 


In our fiction section, we start with Arulmozhi's 'Ranjitham's Choice' that follows a domestic worker in rural India. 'Coffee Jazz' by Resham Bhattacharya takes a look at the life of an expat mother whose friendships wax and wane. 
'The Phone Call' by Prutha Pai makes Anjali confront her past.
'Between thePast and Present' by Sowmya Ravichandran tells us a tale of Sashi, a woman stuck between two worlds, literal and metaphorical. 

'Lost' by Shashank Kaushal is a gripping Kafkaesque take on the usual boy meets girl tale. 
'Joshua' by Arathi Unni keeps you on the edge of your seat as you root for the six-year-old Joshua. 


This issue has been a labour of love. Most of the writers in this issue are baring their souls to the world of readers for the very first time. We hope that you enjoy their work and if time permits leave them some thoughts on what you felt about their work.  



So, sit back and join our writers as they take you through hitherto undiscovered paths and well-trodden ones as they leap into the great unknown.

Happy reading! 

Shweta Ganesh Kumar


Editor-in-Chief
Inkspire




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