dragonfly

My grandmother clutched her phone, showing me Avvaiyar's ancient Tamil words translated to English. A dragonfly hovered past her window in Toronto, and she smiled, remembering monsoons in Madurai. "See this insect?" she whispered. "The poet wrote about such creatures centuries ago. Our ancestors understood everything." She'd joined a community platform sharing Tamil literature, earning modest amounts while teaching others. My cousins in Chennai and Singapore gathered virtually, contributing translations, stories, wisdom. That dragonfly became our symbol—fragile yet resilient, connecting continents and generations. In that moment, I understood heritage wasn't preserved in museums but lived, shared, and nurtured through modern bonds.