Back in 2017, somewhere within the meandering alleys alongside the Ganges River in Varanasi, a waiter at a crowded German bakery sat two strangers at the same table. Echo and Chris became friends in the time it took the bread and butter to be served. She had just arrived in the holy city, yet he was set to take a train to Patna that evening, so after this serendipitous meeting, they exchanged email addresses. Over the next three years, their conversation continued to flow as the two strangers discussed every twist that turned their lives. While quarantined during the corona pandemic (one in Mexico and the other in India), they decided to roll their shared stories into a message about what it means to care - a true tale: Time to Be.

Macco, born and raised in Stockton, California, began writing creatively five years ago. Short fiction and travel tales can be found on his website (www.wanderlunge.com). One time, Macco and some friends drove a tuk-tuk from Jaisalmer to Kochi and at one point, they got a little lost in the outer-outskirts of Mumbai. A man passing by invited them into his home to share some chai tea, and after all the cups were empty, the man relaxed and said, “The light from this morning’s sunrise is the same light within you and me.” Macco really likes that quote and is happy his first book will be published in the country where he heard those words. He hopes the book Time to Be will emit some of the light he harnessed while wandering around the ever luminous India.

Ruby, who usually strolls through long corridors when she yearns for inspiration, is a writer from China. As a Hindi student, she has been immersed in the diversified cultures of India for the past six years. In that time, she has been striving to get closer to the country to listen to India’s heartbeat. While living in New Delhi, apart from talking to the Pipal trees and drinking coconut water, she is always thrilled to bury herself in Sanskrit literature. From her extensive studies and insatiable interest in the world, she has come to realize that her lifelong mission is to infuse the light of ancient wisdom into her own contemporary writings.