Home Across The Horizon – Stories That Travel Beyond Borders

There are journeys we take by choice, and journeys that quietly shape us into who we become. Home Across The Horizon is a celebration of those journeys – of courage, longing, resilience, and belonging.

Spearheaded by Rekha Rajvanshi, Founder and President of Indian Literary & Art Society of Australia Inc (ILASA), this remarkable anthology brings together thirty-two migrant stories that echo across continents and cultures. Edited with sensitivity and vision by Anu Shivaram, the collection is a heartfelt tapestry of lived experiences. This is a  literary tribute to Late Neena Badhwar.

The collection explores migration not just as movement across borders, but as an emotional journey – carrying memories, language, traditions, and dreams into new lands. From the quiet ache of nostalgia to the hope of building a new future, these stories reflect the many layers of the migrant experience.

Featuring voices representing 14 Indian states and speaking 16 languages, the anthology also celebrates Australia’s diversity, with stories connected to every Australian state and territory. The contributors span generations – from a 17-year-old writer to a 79-year-old storyteller – capturing the evolving identity of the Indian diaspora in Australia.

Published by the Indian Literary & Art Society of Australia (ILASA Inc), founded by Rekha Rajvanshi, this anthology continues ILASA’s mission of nurturing literary expression within the Indian-Australian community.

Each writer has poured their heart into narratives that capture the layered realities of migration – the excitement of new beginnings, the ache of separation, the negotiation of identity, and the slow, tender act of building a home across distant horizons.

Through these stories, the anthology amplifies the voices of the South Asian diaspora, strengthens Australian cultural diplomacy, and nurtures deeper understanding between India and Australia. It reminds us that migration is not merely movement across geography – it is a profound emotional and cultural transformation.

Film maker, SBS Hindi Radio Producer Anita Barar was honoured with ILASA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her creative contribution to Films, Art and Literature.

Among the powerful contributions are:

• Avijit Sarkar’s Becoming A White Australian
• Pankaj Upadhyaya’s Mumbai Monsoon
• Dr Sharon Rundle’s A Flaw in Glass
• Rashida Murphy’s Himalayan Holidays

Each story invites readers into a different landscape – sometimes literal, often emotional – offering moments of reflection, recognition, and revelation.

I am deeply privileged to be one of the contributing authors in this extraordinary anthology. My story, A Jacket Pin, weaves a personal thread connecting Australia, India, and France – a symbolic journey across continents that reflects how identity can be stitched together through memory, heritage, and unexpected encounters. Being part of this literary project has been an enriching and humbling experience, one that affirms the power of storytelling to bridge worlds.

Home Across The Horizon is more than an anthology; it is a shared space of belonging. It is an invitation to readers to discover, understand, and appreciate what it truly takes to make a home beyond familiar shores.

– Indra Halder