“I was born in Hubli but have lived in many towns in South India before finally moving to Bangalore. In 2017, I graduated from Christ with a Masters in English Literature and now I am an English professor.”

“Funnily enough, I don’t recall having dreams of becoming something. But a lot of other factors culminated into shaping my career choice. One, I come from a family of many teachers. Two, my reading habit was pivotal to the goal of becoming a teacher. And three, I believe that literature offers a sense of flexibility and liberty to understand the world and myself better.”

My favorite book?

“Never ask an avid reader about his favorite book. (Haha!) If I had to pick though, they’d be ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ and ‘Immortality’ by Milan Kundera. He writes about mundane events in life and makes it relatable. It’s hard to feel removed from it. Lately, however, I’ve been making an effort to read books by marginalized and underappreciated black women authors and poem collections by Indian women that might make the list.”

A lover of solitude

“All I need is a book, paper, and pencil to keep my company. Any day, I’d prefer a glass of whiskey to myself than a shitty breezer at a dirty pub. In that sense, I love spending time by myself.”

“But at the same time, it’s a bit scary to be in committing relationships. When I’m around other people I tend to come out strongly about many things. Like, I don’t believe in monogamy and am openly bisexual. But I have learned that it is completely okay to have a difference of opinions. I have learned to appreciate it and this makes conversations with others all the more interesting.”

“I came across this quote sometime back and I never fail to repeat the same to my students – ‘Don’t listen to respond but listen to understand.’ I believe everyone can live peacefully with this motto. I am Sangeetha Alwar.”