“We’re from different castes so we have to meet in secret. My...

“We’re from different castes so we have to meet in secret. My parents would never approve. When my older sister married someone outside of the caste, everyone stopped talking to her. So we have to be careful. My parents actually know about him. He sent me a bunch of heart emojis once and my Mom picked up the phone. I tried to say we were just friends but she saw the words ‘Darling’ and ‘Sweetheart.’ She slapped me when she saw it. She thinks that we don’t talk anymore. When I’m financially independent, I’ll finally tell her the truth. But it’s going to be bad.”

-Calcutta, India