Following a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2021, What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian is now on sale via distributor Ethos Books! This anthology of diverse Indian voices is available in both paperback and e-book version, online and in Singapore bookstores.

Buy now!

About What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian

A celebration of the slippages, strife and secret histories that make us—for better or worse—who we are.

A woman faces off against a xenophobic stranger across a supermarket turnstile.

A young girl mistakes her first period for strawberry yoghurt and endures an embarrassing puberty ceremony.

At the funeral of her cruel and prejudiced dadhi, a granddaughter reflects on the confusions of grief and the trauma passed through family lines.

A follow-up to the best-selling anthology Growing Up Perempuan (AWARE, 2018), What We Inherit tells the stories of Indian women (and a few men) in Singapore entirely in their own words. They question the expectations foisted upon them, discover new avenues into old traditions and carve out spaces for joy amid anger and sorrow. At a time when the bonds between us seem at constant risk of breaking, What We Inherit turns our attention towards community in all its complexities. It’s a reminder of how we honour, betray and ultimately bear witness to each other… and ourselves.

What We Inherit is published by AWARE and distributed by Ethos Books.

Featuring contributions by

• • Akshita Nanda
  • Balli Kaur Jaswal
  • Constance Singam
  • Kelly Kaur
  • Mandakini Arora
  • Matilda Gabrielpillai
  • Pooja Nansi
  • Prasanthi Ram
  • Ranjana Raghunathan
  • Sharul Channa

… and many more.

About the editors

Shailey Hingorani is AWARE’s Head of Advocacy, Research and Communications. She has spent the last 13 years working on human rights issues in the United States, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Varsha Sivaram is a Senior Projects Executive in AWARE’s Advocacy, Research and Communications department. They are passionate about literature and advocacy.

About the cover art

Cover art by Prashanti Aswani.