Thiya Kalan

In 1989, the World Wide Web was invented. It was groundbreaking. In 1996, Dolly the sheep became the first successful cloning experiment. It was historic. In 2007, the first iPhone was released, changing and ultimately reshaping the world as we know it. Every generation grows up convinced that they have reached the pinnacle of progress. And technically, they are right.

Dear You, Hi. I wonder where this letter finds you today. Maybe you’re wearing the clothes you always wished for, sitting at a desk in the job you worked so hard to attain. Maybe you’re backpacking across the world and your socks are wet. Or maybe you’re right where you’ve always been – a student in university and living with your parents, wondering what’s next. Either way, if you’re reading this, you’re alive. And I think that’s reason enough to stay a little longer.

Who is the coolest girl you know? Is she the life of the party, always travelling somewhere exotic, wearing so many bangles you hear her before you see her? Probably not – she would be “quirky”. Maybe she is the girl who wears glasses, a book in hand, always answering in class? Probably not – she is “nerdy”. Is she tall and lithe, into male-centered sports, drinks beer, and never ever makes a scene? Now she is cool. Maybe you know her, maybe you do not. Maybe you have tried to be her.