“I was born and raised in Assam, surrounded by tea gardens and quiet mornings that seemed to whisper stories. My love for literature began during my schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya Dinjan. I was a shy girl who rarely raised her hand, yet my teachers noticed something in me. They encouraged me to write, recite poems, and step onto the stage. That encouragement planted the first seeds of a lifelong passion.
As the only daughter with two brothers, I grew up with warmth and freedom. My parents ran a tea estate, and although I studied B.Sc Zoology, words and art have always been close to my heart. Life led me down paths I never imagined—starting in a software firm, moving into HR at 24/7 Customer and Deloitte, then transitioning to the British Council, the British High Commission, and today, working with the Trade team at the Canadian Trade Office in Hyderabad.
Each phase taught me focus, clarity, and the courage to move forward. Hyderabad has been my home for 15 years—a city where I built my career, found love, married, and now have a 9-year-old daughter. Life is a beautiful balancing act of work, school routines, and family responsibilities. Over the years, I’ve learned that passion doesn’t wait for the perfect moment—it thrives when you create space for it. No matter how busy life gets, I make that space, because dreams deserve to live alongside everyday life.
Motherhood opened new doors. It encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and explore opportunities beyond my regular work. It led me to participate in Mrs. India Telangana 2021, where I became First Runner-Up, and to take on the role of Joint Secretary of the Lions Club of Hyderabad Yuva. These experiences reminded me that women can explore more than one path at a time, and that there is no limit to what we can attempt.
Gradually, literature returned to me. I contributed to anthologies, collaborated with authors, and recited my poems on a Manchester radio show.
Today, I hold my debut poetry book, Voices of Veil. It speaks about various themes connected to women’s lives—the silent struggles they go through, the stigma they face, child marriage, and the constant expectations placed on them. I have often spoken about why women should support one another and why celebrating women shouldn’t be limited to a single day.
One of the poems, Am I A Superwoman? No Way, talks about the pressure society places on women—how they are expected to manage everything flawlessly without showing tiredness—and it emphasises the importance of support, shared responsibility, and understanding. I also dedicated one poem in the book to my daughter. It expresses how proud I am as a mother, and watching her read it was one of my happiest moments.
People often ask me if physical books will disappear one day. I don’t think so. Stories will continue in every form—digital or printed. What truly matters is that we keep reading, learning, and imagining.
If there is one message I want to share with parents and society, it is this: support art. Support creativity. Support children who dream differently. We often push kids toward fixed career paths and forget that the world also needs storytellers, painters, musicians, and poets. Art survives only when we choose to nurture it.
I’m grateful that the love for words that began in my childhood still lives in me today—and even more grateful that I now have a voice worth sharing.”
— Vijayeta Tirkey