"I don't write because I know I write because I want to unplug the realm between the known and unknown."

If someone had met me a decade ago and told me that one day I could become a published author, let alone be a recipient of the Today Book Awards 2024, I would have laughed out loud at the audacity of dreaming or thinking this big!

But life led to circumstances where I found the dire urge to connect with myself through a creative writing platform online and learnt how to write poems. Poems led to blogging and eventually publishing poetry books. As a young girl, I would often write a journal in my diary and ink my thoughts. This process of putting thoughts from pen to paper became a habit, but who knew this journal writing - not so confident- young girl could one day grow up to become an Author of five poetry books!

It is my books that brought the honour of me being selected as one of 50 under 50 personalities in 2024 in Today's Magazine special edition. Dreams do come true, and impossible is nothing is the biggest takeaway I would like to give anyone from my writing journey. The Second Runner-up position in the Today Book Awards 2024 proves that words can unite people despite the diversity of culture, race, religion, or creed.

Echoes of Silence is my take on the narrative behind conversing with God. I have tried to put across my deepest and honest views on seeking my path to spirituality and growth. The process eventually led to the road to self-discovery, which is exclusively expressed towards the end of the book. Self-discovery, the by-product of spiritual experiences, is conveyed through my verses in the end. To know that the reader can resonate through some of my innermost, vulnerable, and poignant thoughts on life and living, then this writer is ecstatic to have succeeded in my tryst to make myself and my readers heal.

I am extremely thankful and grateful to the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Today magazine, Mr. Nitish Raj, who has always shown tremendous support and encouragement for my work. The recognition and appreciation for the book Echoes of Silence has been gratifying, to say the least, and it is through awards like these that authors like me will continue with our creative cause of spreading the message of love, light, and peace through poetry. ‘Create Believe Inspire’ has been my writing mantra (also the name of my Facebook blog page). Heal! One verse! One poem at a time.

Echoes of Silence contains spiritual reflections of the author, written during the two years of the pandemic. It has a separate section, 'Surviving the Pandemic, ' that mainly deals with emotions experienced during the lockdown days of COVID-19. The book summarizes the gradual journey of self-discovery.