rooh sheesha

To become a successful Punjabi woman, you must master the art of disappearance: stay silent, give yourself away, never complain, and forget what it means to want. It’s the kind of success that leaves no space for selfhood. We mistake exhaustion for virtue, but how do you unlearn something that’s been injected into you?

The irony in being the bigger person is that you risk becoming a smaller version of yourself. What begins as generosity of spirit can slowly evolve into a lesson in entitlement — not for you, but for them.

Chaa can survive a heavy hand of spice, a rushed boil, even a spilled cup. Yet some cups still fall short, undone by something no recipe can explain. Something so intangible and unseen that you can’t help but wonder—what’s wrong with your chaa?

Born between cultures, navigating girlhood alone gets complicated. You speak two languages, follow two sets of rules, and still feel like you’re getting it wrong. What happens when you grow up as a Sikh Punjabi-American woman?