It had been a long time since Tanvi’s family had walked into city life. Her paternal grandfather left the village right after his marriage and slowly most of the family followed, scattered across the country in search of a different kind of life.
But the elder brother of Tanvi’s grandfather decided to remain in the village with his wife and only son, refusing to let the family’s existence fade from the village and several years later Tanvi’s favourite cousin and a close friend Manjula lived in the village.
Both of them loved sharing their day-to-day life experiences with each other over texts, phone calls and video calls. On the surface things were quite similar, but within the intricate details of life lived the unique differences that made things unique in their own way.
However, on the other hand the families had grown apart in time. Unlike Tanvi and Manjula, they weren’t in talking terms anymore. If it were not for the grandparents Tanvi and Manjula may have never interacted and kept in touch with each other.
With the grandparents too old to travel and parents disinterested in that particular matter, the cousins wondered if they would ever get to meet each other and found their only hope in growing up enough to travel.
They did grow up, they did travel, but not to each other, to the new destinations of their lives with friends they made along the way. If asked, Tanvi wouldn’t be able to tell how it faded or when, maybe the studies, immediate friends, hobbies, worries and aspirations of the future or something else contributed to it.
But in the end not all things are meant to stay afloat forever and in reality no matter what fringe of emotion someone might feel about it from the outside, the people involved may never feel it at all, as things end unnoticed.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 
One response to “Unbecoming”
This piece is a quiet, poignant reflection on distance, time, and the subtle ways relationships fade without conflict or intention. The narrative gently contrasts village and city life while capturing the emotional thread that once bound Tanvi and Manjula together. What stands out most is the honesty with which it acknowledges how connections can dissolve—not through drama, but through growing up, changing priorities, and the natural flow of life. The writing is sensitive and understated, leaving the reader with a lingering sense of nostalgia and truth. It beautifully reminds us that some bonds shape us for a while and then, almost imperceptibly, drift into memory.
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