Priya Hajela’s writing is driven by the resilience that comes with being a mother, an immigrant in a foreign country, an immigrant in her home country, and most impressively, navigating the treacherous telecom and IT industry. Born in Ludhiana, she attended boarding schools in northern India and moved to the United States to attend university, and eventually work. She made her way back to India after spending almost two decades there.

In 2014, she decided to start writing, first by committing to writing a novel-length piece within a month. Then, she took online writing classes. After she followed through on these commitments, she knew she wanted to write professionally. She got her MFA in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont in 2017, and has since published short stories across several online publications. Her first novel, Ladies’ Tailor, published by Harper Collins India is available now.

Ashad Hajela (my son) and Nishka Hajela (my daughter)