“I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SEEING SO MANY THINGS MY GRANDMOTHER NEVER GOT TO SEE.”

I don’t really have an attachment to objects. I don’t like clutter. Stuff stresses me out. The things I hold on to are my memories and my stories and adventures. But when these bangles came into my life, they were so tied to my history and to the woman I am today that they’re more than objects for me. They belonged to my grandmother who lived in Udupi, India. I only saw her once a year, but we were very close. A lot of my family there would tell me I should think more about family and ritual and getting a husband. But my grandmother, who spent her life in the house taking care of family, always had praise for me, for my accomplishments in school and my career.

I wear them on my left wrist, and only take them off for airport security. They remind me that I have the privilege of seeing so many things for her, things she never got to see.

~ Anarghya Vardhana, venture capitalist, San Francisco, CA