Smita Sahay Editor-in-Chief

Dear Readers,

The June issue of the Usawa Literary Review is dedicated to Collarwali, the legendary tigress of Pench lovingly called Mataram or the ‘super mum’. She was one of India’s most famous tigers after starring in the BBC documentary, Spy in the Jungle. She is well known for having birthed 29 cubs over eight litters, and being the most sighted tiger in Pench. She passed away of natural causes in January 2022 leaving a huge gaping hole in the hearts of the forest lovers of India.

This seventh issue of Usawa is dedicated to the Earth, Environment and Ecology as we participate the celebrations of World Environment Day on the 5th of June.

I keep this message brief, and urge you to spend time on savouring each of the excellent literary pieces across genres i.e. poetry, interview, fiction, nonfiction, and book reviews curated with immense love and expertise by our stellar editorial team comprising of Vinita Agrawal, K. Srilata, Babitha Marina Justin, Kinjal Sethia, Shobhana Kumar, and Kinshuk Agrawal. A million thanks to our webmaster, Ameeruddin Shaikh.

We are thrilled to welcome Priyesha K Naiyer to our team as our Social Media manager, and bid a loving goodbye to our Books Editor, Kinjal Sethia, who needs some time off for personal reasons.

We hope that the cosmos opens up and whispers her secrets to as you read through these pages.

With love and gratitude,

Smita Sahay
19th June 2022