my baby

When Priya held the artifact photograph, tears blurred her vision. The Keeladi excavation had unearthed pottery fragments her Tamil ancestors crafted centuries ago. She'd grown distant from heritage, caught in social networks and material pursuits abroad. That discovery shifted everything. She shared the news with her diaspora community online, expecting polite responses. Instead, messages flooded in—cousins reconnecting, elders sharing family stories, young people hungry for roots. The validation felt different from likes and follows. This was deeper, ancestral. Priya realized her "baby"—this newfound connection to history—wasn't just personal. It belonged to everyone searching for home.