About The Project

The story opens with Dhara, a young South Asian woman and aspiring graphic artist, discovering that she is pregnant after a few months of seeing Siddharth, a nursing student. She and Siddharth are not in an “official” relationship, and when she invites him to attend a family event with her, he declines. Later that day, Dhara attends an annaprashan, a traditional Bengali ceremony in which six-month-old infants are fed rice for the first time, for her cousin’s new baby. At the annaprashan, Dhara’s mother and aunt pointedly emphasize Dhara’s failure to achieve any significant financial, career, or personal life stability by societal and cultural standards.

Facing unexpected emotions surrounding this clump of cells in her uterus with biological potential, Dhara confronts Sid about their relationship. Sid in turn expresses uncertainty about their future and dismisses Dhara’s emotions. Feeling misunderstood and disrespected by Sid, Dhara suggests a break in her relationship. She calls Planned Parenthood and makes the appointment to have the abortion, despite her misgivings and ambivalence about her decision.