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Nandini Balial
Nandini Balial

2.9K Followers

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Chai is a Four-Letter Word

An ode to the camel-coloured elixir. Note: This essay was first published on July 2, 2015. It was my first ever freelance piece, commissioned by an editor at Queen Mob’s Tea House, a delightfully odd little blog that published its last post in April of this year. Without this essay…

Immigration

7 min read

Chai is a Four-Letter Word
Chai is a Four-Letter Word
Immigration

7 min read


Published in

ZORA

·Pinned

The One Where a Finance Bro Paid Me to Run His Tinder Account for (and While Pretending to Be) Him

Picture this: Harlem, New York City, 2013. An unemployed New York University graduate, with a decent résumé of internships and jobs, is unable to find full-time work, struggles to pay for rent and her MetroCard and therapy and meds, lives off $40 worth of groceries every fortnight, and in desperation…

Tinder

12 min read

The One Where a Finance Bro Paid Me to Run His Tinder Account for (and While Pretending to Be) Him
The One Where a Finance Bro Paid Me to Run His Tinder Account for (and While Pretending to Be) Him
Tinder

12 min read


Nov 10, 2022

Five Burning Questions I’m Asking Myself Before Leaving for India Tomorrow

It’s my first visit in 16 years. Q: You moved to America when you were 9, and haven’t visited India since you were 14 (summer 2004), nor since 3 out of your 4 grandparents died, including the one pictured above who raised you. …

India

4 min read

Five Burning Questions I’m Asking Myself Before Leaving for India Tomorrow
Five Burning Questions I’m Asking Myself Before Leaving for India Tomorrow
India

4 min read


Oct 11, 2022

An Interview With: Alfre Woodard

Before you reach the body of my interview with the legendary Alfre Woodard, I have a disclaimer to add. I had the privilege of speaking with Ms. Woodard, about the new BET series The Porter (which she both executive produces and stars in), sometime during the third week of May…

Black Women

18 min read

An Interview With: Alfre Woodard
An Interview With: Alfre Woodard
Black Women

18 min read


Oct 5, 2022

Welcome to The Chatterbox!

Introducing an interview series with folks, from all over the world, trying to make a difference. First up: a two-part interview with Ayesha Malik! Known as @Spishaa on Twitter, @spisha on Instagram, @ayeshaspisha on TikTok, I have long admired Ayesha for her progressive politics, championing of diversity and representation, and…

Curly Hair

9 min read

Welcome to The Chatterbox!
Welcome to The Chatterbox!
Curly Hair

9 min read


Sep 29, 2022

Link Sink: An updated list of my favorite bylines

[Updated 9/29/2022] Greetings, lovely readers! Firstly, thank you so much to everyone who has read my Medium post on working as a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac; the essay was featured by Zora and I am so grateful for y’all’s kind words and solidarity. You can read that piece using the…

Interview

3 min read

Link Sink: An updated list of my favorite bylines
Link Sink: An updated list of my favorite bylines
Interview

3 min read


Sep 25, 2022

I’m Glad the Queen Died

And there’s nothing you can do to make me feel bad about it. I’m glad the queen died because I, my brother, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins, my childhood classmates and teachers, my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandparents, my great-great-grandparents, and my great-great-great-great grandparents were all born in a…

Queen Elizabeth

7 min read

I’m Glad the Queen Died
I’m Glad the Queen Died
Queen Elizabeth

7 min read


Sep 18, 2022

My Curly Hair Conundrum, Part II + A Tribute to Ayesha Malik

Fast-forward again to late 2019. This subject is still painful for me, so I will be brief. I’d been living in my parents’ house for two years, having moved back to Texas in the aftermath of the implosion of an abusive relationship. Without a therapist I fell into some pretty…

Curly Hair

6 min read

Curly Hair

6 min read


Sep 16, 2022

My Curly Hair Conundrum, Part I

Wavy, coil-y, curly, kinky, and combinations of all the above: there are just as many types of curl patterns as there are stars in the sky. A gift, some say, a unique trait. Lovely circles bouncing off your scalp! What could be better! Countless people—strangers and loved ones alike, in…

Beauty

9 min read

My Curly Hair Conundrum, Part I
My Curly Hair Conundrum, Part I
Beauty

9 min read


Sep 14, 2022

Jane’s Journey: Day 3 & 4

Note: This essay neither includes nor encourages recommendations of treatments for any illness. Always consult with your physician(s) before making any changes to your treatment. In the following journal entries, my friend Jane—who is currently weaning herself off her cocktail of psychotropic meds so she can being microdosing psychedelic mushrooms—continues…

Psychedelics

3 min read

Psychedelics

3 min read

Nandini Balial

Nandini Balial

2.9K Followers

Writer | @nandelabra on Twitter | Use this link to help me help you (have access to great writing for $5/month): https://nandelabra.medium.com/membership

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