The word "mosaic" can mean different things depending on the context. A decorative artwork made up of small pieces of glass, stone, or other materials arranged in a pattern or design. A picture or design made by arranging small colored pieces of stone, tile, glass, etc. A combination of diverse elements, often cultural or social, that come together to form a whole. In linguistics, a mosaic refers to a language contact situation in which different linguistic features from multiple languages come together to form a unique dialect or language.

Overall, "mosaic" often refers to a pattern or design made up of small, distinct pieces that come together to form a larger whole. A mosaic is one of the many artistic styles that were used in the western world to express ideas and represent a culture.

Although, a mosaic piece is dominated by the use of contrasting colours, I believe it radiates a feeling of wholeness and unity. Its soothingly repetitive structure paves the way for a huge motif in the centre. Art has always played a centripetal role in the way humans connect and communicate.

Since mosaics have always been adaptations of respective cultures, one can also view culture as a series of mosaics. Cultural evolution, journeying from simple to complex, is not a sum of parts but a greater whole. A holistic plethora of events and exchanges, knowledge and behaviours, traditions and beliefs, ideas and people.

Diversity and inclusion; recognition and respect; celebration and growth; the true essence of us, as a people, co-existing in this world in peace and harmony is a mosaic. We are uniquely united, each of our pieces coming together, paving the way towards humanity and togetherness; the centre of our mosaic, the force that binds us together.

We are humbled to present the pieces featured in this issue, that are themselves a beautiful mosaic of emotions woven together by equally beautiful people. Exploring this theme with amazing writers, me and my team have found great solace and satisfaction. We hope the readers find it too.

We are also delighted to speak with two esteemed authors, Sayantani Dasgupta and Avni Doshi, for the issue's featured interviews. Through the interactions, we have tried to glean from their creative processes, their experiences around writing in general, and aspects of this issue’s theme in their works.