Over the past few months, both of us have come to realize that home is more than a place where one belongs. It is an embodiment of the self, and its true nature surfaces only when one believes in it. This issue, in a way, brought us closer to ourselves, closer to home. It was going back home that made us believe and find strength in our vulnerability and imperfection.

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When we started Inklette, we hoped to invite more people into this landscape. We knew that being a mere literary publication would not suffice. We wanted to be a community, an oasis for everyone who could see the desert.

We are ever so thankful to the masthead for the same. In the past four months, we have developed an even stronger sense of home. From reading submissions to editing the pieces you will read in this issue, we cultivated an even greater belief in being unafraid. In fact, we work, not as editors, but as a family. We admit to our insecurities, we anchor each other.

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We are pleased to feature Akhil Katyal and Vikram Kushwah in this issue. Akhil Katyal’s revealing poetry on topics ranging from the vividly personal to the conspicuously collective, took us by surprise. Vikram Kushwah, on the other hand, courageously combines and portrays the dynamic nature of the human mind in his spell-binding photographs.

While Katyal’s poetry sharpens the conscious dimension of our mind, Kushwah’s photographs integrate that very space into an altogether movingly subconscious landscape. Both of them are accomplished artists, uniquely subtle with a remarkable body of work.

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Needless to say, Issue II is bold and eclectic. During our submissions period, we received four times the number of submissions we received for our first issue, whereas the acceptance rate in every genre witnessed a significant decline. This amplified expectations, but we have tried our best to deliver what we believed we ought to.

Our contributors belong to several countries and come from different backgrounds. For some, it is their first publication! When you click to read different pieces, you will find yourself in varying landscapes, in the spirit of stunning identities and hopefully, at home.

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Dear readers and contributors, you brought us here. You motivate us, the Inklette team, each day to make Inklette an experience, relying solely on true creation.

You are the energy that drives us and we, as usual, are infinitely thankful. We do hope you enjoy reading Issue II.

Trivarna Hariharan and Devanshi Khetarpal

Editors-in-Chief

Inklette Magazine