selfie ☺️

Amma taught me to smile genuinely, the way Tamil mothers do—eyes crinkling at the corners. That afternoon in Chennai, I finally understood. Standing before the Kapaleeshwar Temple's ancient stones, I captured my reflection in the temple mirror, my grandmother's jasmine flowers still fragrant in my hair. My cousins called it terrifying—me breaking tradition with a camera. Yet something slayed about reclaiming my story, my joy. The photo spread through our family group. Aunts messaged heart emojis. Appa beamed. That simple click rewarded me with something deeper than likes: belonging woven through generations, my heritage alive in my smile.