A moving anthology of diaspora voices about migration and memories
The book Home Across the Horizon was launched under the auspices of ILASA (Indian Literary & Art Society of Australia) at the Art & Cultural Exchange in Parramatta, on 6 March 2026.
Rekha Rajvanshi, founder and President of ILASA, the Sydney-based not-for-profit organization established in 2010, has served as the guiding force behind this venture. She is a bilingual Hindi poet, writer, and educator, who has made a significant contribution to language, literature, art, culture and Hindi in the last 24 years
The event was dedicated to the memory of Neena Badhwar, a leading journalist of an Indian community magazine in Australia who passed away recently. Her husband, Vijay Badhwar, one of the speakers, fondly recalled their 50 years of marriage while launching the book.
Anita Barar was honoured with ILASA’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the event for her contribution to films, art and literature in TV & radio.
The book, a collection of 32 stories, captures the Indian diaspora’s migrant journeys in Australia through diverse stories. Spanning ages 17 to 79 and with diaspora drawn from 14 Indian states, it blends nostalgia, resilience, and belonging across every Australian state.
Home Across the Horizon is edited by Anu Shivaram, a published bilingual writer and translator with a deep passion for languages and literature. In her speech, she compared the editorial process to weaving flowers of varying sizes, from delicate & small jasmine to bold & large sunflowers, into a beautiful garland.
The anthology shines through authentic voices that capture migration’s emotional depths, from monsoon nostalgia to evolving identities, crafting a true sense of belonging. The anthology even features a story narrated by a tanpura, a musical instrument, recounting its nerve-wracking journey from India to Australia.
Community-driven, it nurtures new writers while strengthening India-Australia cultural bonds. Its thoughtful tone encourages readers to cherish the art of building home beyond borders.
The stories and their authors are:
Fifty words to freedom (Alok Rao); Becoming a white Australian (Avijit Sarkar); India in Balmain (Bhupen Thakkar); A cup of dreams (Devaki); Happy anniversary (Gwen Bitti); Unveiling the rhythm (Hamsa Venkat); The next Devi (Hashita Adhikariarachchi); Land of thousand suns ( Hriday Nayyar); A jacket pin (Indranil Halder); A little world cup (Jyotsna Jyoti); The madman of Barahdwari (Meena Mahanty Kumar); A weed in the bouquet (Mekhal Ramprakash); The Mumbai Monsoon (Pankaj Upadhayay); We prayed for a flower (Pooja Anantha); The witch of Karla (Preeti D’silva); The jasmine farm (Rajeshwari Jayadev); A comedy of errors (Rajyalakshmi Jampala); Himalayan holiday ( Dr Rashida Murphy); Resemblance (Rekha Rajvanshi); Echoes from a conch shell (Samantha Sirimanne Hyde); The refuge (Sanjana Vishal); Sushila (Savitha Narayan); A flaw in the glass (Dr Sharon Rundle); Beyond the vows (Shipra Tewani); Illusion (Sonu Sarada); Out of the box (Sumathi Krishnan); Whispers of the wind (Sumathi Ramesh); Hypocrisy (Dr Sydney Srinivas); The Tranquebar connection (Dr Uma Srinivasan); Farewells and welcomes (Dr Usha Salagame); The eternal sands of time (Vibhavari Das Singh); Chaos of the bra (Dr Vinathe Sharma-Brymer).
The book warms the heart of multicultural literature lovers. As a debut anthology, the collection’s energy radiates brightly & resonates with our own experiences. Highly recommended read for the Indian diaspora in Australia and worldwide.
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