Seven Years of thendraluthaman.com
I have not made any blog posts about my blog turning a specific age since it was 4! Where has the time gone! And WHY have I not written anything to commemorate these years?? Anyway, I remember being in awe that my blog was 4 when I wrote that but this year, I’m blown away. So, cue seven by Taylor Swift, and let’s have a chat about what a year of firsts this has been!
2024 started with a very unexpected and very surreal invite to feature my work in a project for Black women in STEM. I read, reread, AND reread that email, convinced they had reached out to the wrong person. I actually wrote back along the lines of “Are you sure??” and they replied with, and I quote, “Your beautiful letter speaks for us as women especially “women of color”, regardless of the categories we’ve chosen for ourselves or been placed in by others. Thank you for allowing us to use your words. They are a perfect expression of what we hope for our future daughters, yours and mine.” Brb, screaming, crying, throwing up. The project launched on Juneteenth and will be up for a year. Every now and then, I’ll be waiting to cross a road, I’ll be making my coffee, I’ll be looking at data and I’m hit with the thought, “OMG, I was featured on a STEM project”.
I have already yapped about it PLENTY on my socials and newsletters, so to those who follow my content there, feel free to skip this chunk lest you get bored YET again! But in case you missed it, it’s a mixed-media website featuring art and poems from eight contributors, including me. This means excerpts from my post “A Letter to my Future Daughter” sit alongside words from people with PhDs in Engineering and Writing – WRITING. I wrote that post three years ago and I still don’t have a daughter. And I can’t even fathom how I wrote something that meant something to people who have/ want/ imagine a daughter. The site is best viewed on large screens such as desktops and laptops, not so much on phone screens. The idea is that you will get a unique poem depending on your choices under “mind of”, “body of” and “soul of”. If you want to see my work, select “future daughter” under “mind of”! And depending on your other choices, the song that plays in the background could be Beyonce’s Freedom! I know right!!
Another incredible moment (or moments) this year has been watching my SEO take OFF. So many posts from YEARS ago are just getting comments from people around the world. Someone recently commented on my post about what The Mindy Project meant to me saying “Ok, Mindy Lahiri, this reads exactly like a cold open “rom com inner monologue” from the show. I love it.” I walked around with a smile so wide for two weeks I had jaw pain. I wrote that post in November of 2017. Which is why I can’t even fathom how such old posts are being unearthed through Google searches, and people who don’t necessarily seem to present as South Asian are able to find meaning or comfort in my words. It’s a strange sensation, and an honour and privilege I don’t take lightly. In an age where people scroll through videos that are seconds long, and double tap to indicate they like it, someone taking ten minutes to read a blog post, and then going out of their way to type out and post a comment is such a boon.
This year was also the first time someone did a “buy me a coffee” (and left me the sweetest note at that, making me wonder why I’m even riddled with self-doubt). The idea that you appreciated my work enough to go beyond leaving a comment or reaching out to me on Instagram with a message and contribute financially is so heartwarming. Thank you. Your support fuels me to bring even more quality content to the blog. Anddd it gave me the nudge to self-publish; ANOTHER great thing from this year! It gave me the confidence that there ARE people who would be willing to buy my book, read it and see how they feel.
Which brings me to my biggest accomplishment for this year – putting all of my hopes and dreams, and my labour of love out in the world. Single & Ready for an Arranged Marriage went from a rambling journal entry to a real, hold-in-your-hands book this year, turning me from writer to… dare I say, author? I’ve said plenty of times that traditional publishing is my dream. But, this book needed to be out in the world, and I took the leap, telling myself, “If even one reader finds a slice of themselves in Maya's story, then every single day I spent over the past 8 years working on this book was worth it.” This blog was my pedestal to my book. And now, I have a book. And people telling me they like it. One of you said you totally loved the job aspect of Maya’s story, which was so special because that was the MOST fabricated aspect of the book.
I get to have these moments of gratitude and disbelief because you chose to read my blog. You chose to leave a comment. You chose to say “Hey, I haven’t seen a post from you in a while, is everything okay?” You made me feel like you believed in my blog and book more than me and that’s what has kept me going. I said in my four-year anniversary post that it’s clear writing is what I’m meant to do and I would move heaven and earth if I have to, to make all this work. Many of you who were at the four-year mark are still here at the seven-year mark. God only knows why. But, if what they say about a relationship that has lasted for seven years is likely to last for a lifetime is true, then I hope you like the upcoming posts, and maybe even book(s).
I started this blog with the goal of fostering a safe space where everyone’s thoughts are welcome, and people are able to find the similarities in our experiences rather than the divides on surface-level differences. I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job keeping that. Which you have supported by keeping the space positive as well. So, thank you for being a part of this journey. Whether you’ve been here from the beginning or are just passing through, your presence means the world to me. Here’s to many more years of growth, connection, and shared stories!
What an incredible year!
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