Unseen Veins

I’m excited to see how well Unseen Veins, my poetry and art pamphlet has been received. Identity, belonging, connection are themes that I struggled with and have explored since I was a young student at the International School of Zambia, and since then moved around the world multiple times. After becoming a mother, bringing up …

A Week of Completing Projects – What Joy!

For the last week I’ve been on a “mission to complete” as many of my multiple ongoing projects as I could! Some closure before my time away from BKK is the one way I’d be able to rest, not to mention enjoy the feeling of accomplishment one gets from completing something, however small. Leila on …

Our Moon

Poem: Our Moon (the video). written & recited by Natasha Devalia Music: Cascading Sakuras composed & played by Leila Kassar Footage: Nok Chuanpit, Santosh Perla Video Artist: Nok Chuanpit

Unseen Veins – Runner Up!

I’m honoured my pamphlet ‘Unseen Veins’ was chosen as 2nd runner up in the 2022 Aryamati poetry prize for pamphlets on the theme of social change and peace. Thank you for the recognition, Fly on the Wall Press. [About 'Unseen Veins': In this poetry pamphlet, the complexities of how we label ourselves and where we …

13 Candles

Rahul and Leila are thirteen. That means we have two teenagers in our home. That life is exciting - full of potential and full of the depths of despair. That I am their safe space, that I get their most vulnerable sweet love and the brunt of their moody days. I am honored to be …

Unseen Veins – Short list – Aryamati Competition for Poetry

“A publisher with a conscience.” That’s the tagline that Fly on the Wall Press, a small, independent publisher out of Manchester goes by. I’ve enjoyed multiple poetry pamphlets they’ve published including “Warriors” by Sundra Lawrence, “History of Forgetfulness” by Shahe Mankerian, and “Aftereffects” by Jiye Lee. After the summer holidays I was reminded of the …

Leila – One of the cool kids who rock Asia!

Leila is a true product of Asia, conceived by IVF in Gujarat, born in Hong Kong, lived in Chengdu until age 3, Koh Samui until a year ago and now Bangkok; and she certainly rocks! (Of course it’s not just because she’s my daughter that I’m saying this!😉 Seriously though, she’s one of the most …

At Tesco, Ullapool (The Scottish Highlands)

This August we resumed our yearly weeklong summer holiday in the Scottish highlands. It’s a place one might consider as being “in the middle of nowhere,” that is of course if you are not from there. If however, you are from there, it’s quite likely the center of the world. We fall into the category …

Do I Write About Them or Not? Twins, Tweens, Teens…

I started this blog in 2010 when my new born twins were a few months old. It was my way of connecting with other mothers, of learning from them, of sharing my own stories, thereby having a creative outlet. It was also a way for me to journal some stories for the kids to read …

My places of healing: from Samui to the Scottish Highlands

The flow of my places of healing went a little bit like this: In 2006 and then in 2012 again, Samui was my place of healing. A place that was disconnected enough from my world that I could connect to the Earth. To myself. I’d be visiting from grey Chengdu where the sun shone 32 …