Ardain Isma
CSMS Magazine
Editor’s Note
At CSMS Magazine, we are always drawn to voices that linger—writers who attend to the quiet truths of everyday life and remind us that reflection itself is a form of care. In celebrating the tenth anniversary of Rashmi Writes, we honor not only a decade of thoughtful prose, but a sustained commitment to observing the world with generosity, humility, and grace. This tribute is offered in that spirit: as a recognition of how one writer’s attentiveness has created a shared space for connection, memory, and meaning.
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I came to know Rashmi through a mutual friend at the very beginning of the pandemic—a time when uncertainty weighed heavily on all of us, and meaningful human connection felt both fragile and urgent. Around that same moment, I had just launched The Conversation, a YouTube podcast created to spotlight indie authors and give space to voices that might otherwise remain unheard. It was a modest endeavor, born of necessity and hope.
As a gift, Rashmi sent me a copy of From Life’s Cove: Laughs, Musings, and More—a collection of anecdotes rooted in the quiet poetry of everyday life. I read it with genuine pleasure. There was nothing performative or overstated in her writing; instead, it carried a calm attentiveness to ordinary moments, rendered with clarity, warmth, and an unmistakable sincerity. That reading experience made the invitation inevitable. I asked Rashmi to join me on The Conversation, and the exchange that followed only deepened my admiration for her voice as a writer.
It was through Rashmi that I came to discover Rashmi Writes, her blog—now celebrating its tenth anniversary. From its very first post, the platform revealed itself as something more than a personal archive. It was, and remains, a space of reflection: thoughtful, observant, and open to life in all its textures. Rashmi writes as one who listens carefully—to people, to memory, to the small, often overlooked rhythms of daily existence. Whether she is reflecting on family, festivals, books, films, or fleeting moments that linger in the mind, her writing never feels confined by genre. It breathes.
What makes Rashmi Writes so compelling is not only its range, but its generosity. Rashmi does not write to impress; she writes to connect. Her reflections invite readers into a shared human space where joy, nostalgia, humor, and quiet vulnerability coexist. Over the years, this openness has cultivated a loyal and ever-growing readership—many of whom began as strangers and are now bound to her through the simple but profound act of shared reading.
As Rashmi herself notes, writing is both therapy and joy for her—a truth that resonates deeply with anyone who has turned to words not merely to explain the world, but to make sense of it. In an era often marked by speed and noise, her blog has offered something increasingly rare: time to pause, observe, and feel.
Ten years on, Rashmi Writes stands as a testament to consistency, curiosity, and quiet courage—the courage to keep writing, to keep learning, and to trust that thoughtful words will find their readers. It is a privilege to celebrate this milestone with her, and a pleasure to look forward to the many reflections still to come.
Here’s to a decade of thoughtful writing—and to the journeys yet unwritten.
Congratulations, Rashmi, on ten years of Rashmi Writes—ten years of clarity, compassion, and quiet wisdom. May your words continue to travel far, linger long, and find readers who need them, just as they have found so many of us.
With admiration and gratitude,
Ardain Isma
Note: Ardain Isma is a university professor, novelist, essayist, and scholar. He serves as Chief Editor of CSMS Magazine and leads Village Care Publishing, an indie press dedicated to multicultural and social-justice-oriented literature. His works include Midnight at Noon, Bittersweet Memories of Last Spring, Last Spring was Bittersweet and The Cry of a Lone Bird – his latest novel which explores resilience, love, and the enduring quest for human dignity.Â
