stay safe

Ammu's grandmother clutched her phone, staring at the WhatsApp message from her grandson in Chennai. "Stay safe during the festival," he'd written, along with a small digital gift card. In Srirangam's ancient temple streets, she smiled. The old woman had never understood online networks until her grandchildren showed her how to video call during Margazhi concerts. Now, despite the distance, she felt their love traveling through invisible threads. She'd use the money for new silk for the temple offerings, maintaining traditions her family cherished. Distance meant nothing when heritage bound hearts together, when children remembered their roots.