~Laila Brahmbhatt is a writer and poet with ancestral roots in Kashmir. Though she was raised in Bengal and Bihar, the memory of Kashmir—its landscape, history, and inherited longing—has remained central to her identity and creative expression. As one of her favorite poets, Agha Shahid Ali, writes in Postcard from Kashmir:
“This is home. And this the closest I’ll ever be to home.”
These lines resonate deeply with her, reflecting a sense of yearning for a homeland she has never known but constantly imagines.
Her poetry often pays homage to her family’s journey—from the valleys of Kashmir to the village of Ganganiya in Bhagalpur, Bihar. Through her writing, she attempts to reconstruct and reclaim a personal Kashmir on the page—one shaped by memory, imagination, and generational stories.
In addition to her literary pursuits, Laila has spent the past 14 years working as a Senior Immigration Consultant in New York. Her creative work—particularly haiku and haibun—has appeared in international publications such as Cold Moon Journal, Fresh Out Magazine, Failed Haiku, Under the Basho, Five Itchy Poetry, and Nii Journal.
Her poetry is a quiet act of remembrance—a bridge between worlds left behind and the ones she continues to build through language.
