Unwritten Chapters: “The Journey of Vithiya” | by Vithyamani | Aug, 2025

A town seen through Vithiya’s quiet eyes, where ordinary days carry hidden weight.

This is my story, the story of Vithiya, a 20-year-old young women from T.C. Kootroad Road, Vanur Taluk, Villpuram District, India. I don’t love my town, and I don’t hate it either. I exist here between leaking roofs, stagnant streets, judgmental neighbors, and the weight of survival.

But within this place, I also carry my family, my memories, and the people who changed my life forever. I may not have wealth, but I am rich with love, guidance, and hope.

Through these pages, I want to share with you my world, my home, my street, my town, my family, and the people who have shaped me. This is not just about where I live, but about how I live, and how I dream of becoming myself.

My House

This is my house.

It has held me for twenty years. My father’s memories are still here, though he passed away four years ago.

When it rains, the roof leaks. We stay awake, restless, as water seeps inside. Sometimes it feels like we are floating in our own home.

I have one simple dream: to build a proper roof. A safe home where my family can finally sleep in peace.

But the story doesn’t stop at my doorstep; it flows into my street.

My Street

At the entrance of my street lies stagnant water. Dark, foul-smelling, and permanent. It feels like it has been waiting there all my life. Every time I see it, I hesitate. Every time I smell it, I want to turn back.

I don’t step out much, because stepping out means stepping into people. Neighbors who watch too closely, who ask too many questions, who judge without knowing.

I don’t talk to them. I don’t want to.

This place is not a village, not a city, it’s something in between. And in between, people are the most nosy. They know how to stare, how to whisper, how to measure you without saying a word.

So I keep my distance. I walk past them without looking, without stopping. To be honest, I don’t have a good relationship with my street, or with the people who live on it.

I live in my house. Outside, I only pass through.

Step out a little further, and you’ll find my town.

My Town

My town is T.C. Kootroad Road, Vanur Taluk, Villupuram District, India.

It has almost everything a town should have: a bus stand, an auto stand, grocery shops, bakeries, jewellery shops, dress shops, and even beauty parlors. But to be honest, I rarely go. I’ve never stepped into the jewellery shops, I don’t like the dress collections, and the bakery is a place I visit only once in a while. Most of these places exist around me, but not for me.

The people here are from everywhere. Unlike some towns where families have lived for generations, T.C. Kootroad Road is filled with people from different districts, different states. That mix gives this place its own identity.

And then there’s politics. During elections, promises arrive, money changes hands, roads get patched, but most of it feels temporary, incomplete. Leaders come and go, but change stays slow.

This is just a short glimpse of my town. In the upcoming chapters, I will share the details about the places, the people, and the stories that make it what it is.

My Family

Like every family, we have our differences. Arguments, different opinions’s normal in an Indian home. But at the end of the day, they are mine. And I love them deeply, because they are the only ones I have.

My mom is my comfort. I love lying on her lap while she strokes my hair, the way only a mother can. In those moments, I forget everything else.

My brother annoys me, and I annoy him back. We almost never agree on anything. Still, I wouldn’t trade him for the world.

My grandma waits patiently for the day I succeed. She carries that hope for me every single day, as if my dreams are hers too.

And then there’s my dad. He is no more, but he is still here. Sometimes I feel his presence so close, as if he never left. To me, he will always be part of this family.

This is my family. Imperfect, noisy, loving, mine. And one day, I know I will make them proud.

Beyond my family, I also have my people.

My People

Family is what I was born with. But the people I earned along the way are just as valuable, maybe even more. They guided me, lifted me, and showed me paths I never thought I could walk. I don’t know if it’s luck or if I deserve it, but I feel grateful every single day.

RFTS Foundation

My journey changed when I got selected into the RFTS Foundation in Auroville. It was a game-changer. I found not just opportunities, but people who became anchors in my life.

Stephanie

Stephanie, the founder of RFTS, was a turning point in my life. She believed in me, guided me, and shaped my career in ways I could never repay. Even though she has passed away, I still feel her presence. Her body is gone, but her soul always stays, wishing for my happiness, always pushing me forward.

Kailash

Kailash did something I will carry with me forever: he sponsored my college fees. For many, it may just look like money. But for me, it was a bridge between my broken dreams and a real future. Without him, I might not even be in college today.

It wasn’t just about the money. It was about faith. He gave me dignity, he gave me confidence, and he gave my career a foundation to stand on. Every step I take in life, I know it’s also because of him.

Elaine

Elaine is the sweetest part of my life, the soul who gave me everything I thought I would never have. She wasn’t just a friend or a guide; she was like a light that filled every dark corner of me.

From her, I learned what it feels like to be truly seen, to be cared for without conditions. She shaped me, she held me, she lifted me when I was sinking. More than anyone else, she became the main character in my story.

Even now, when I think of my life, I can’t separate myself from Elaine’s presence. She is love, guidance, and strength all in one. If my heart has a top place reserved, it’s for her.

Pranav

Pranav may not be someone I meet often, but his presence has always mattered. He never expected anything from me; he was simply a giver.

He guided me in my education, encouraged me to explore technical things, and even gifted me books that opened new ways of learning. Those gestures, though simple, became priceless for me.

Pranav is one of the few people in my life who gave without asking, who believed without doubting. And for that, he means a lot to me.

Karthika

Kartika has been my friend for more than ten years. I don’t even know how we became this close, but we are like two bodies with one soul. She is my diary, my safe space, the one I can tell everything to. More than a friend, she feels like a mix of family and friend, someone who stands by me without judgment. She has always been there, always solid, always mine.

These are my people. They made me rich in ways money never could. They are the treasure of my life.

Becoming Myself

All my life, I never cared much about who judged me or what people said. I was never the kind of girl to step into everyone’s life or gossip around my street. Deep inside, I always wanted something else: freedom. Freedom to live on my own terms, freedom from limits, freedom to choose who I want to be.

Many people have placed their hopes on me, and I carry that weight every single day. I don’t want to disappoint them, and more than that, I don’t want to disappoint myself. That’s why I keep working, struggling, pushing forward even when it feels heavy.

Right now, I’m holding on to one thread of my internship. It may open the door to a job, to a career, to a life I dream about. I give my whole heart to it, because I know it could change everything.

One day, I believe, all this struggle will make sense. Because step by step, I’m becoming myself.

Closing

This is just the beginning, a glimpse into my life, my street, my town, and the people who shaped me. These words are only an introduction, like opening a door halfway.

In the upcoming chapters, we will step deeper into the corners of my home, the struggles of my family, the voices of my people, and the dreams I carry within me.

This is not just my story. It is also about how ordinary places and people create extraordinary meanings.