Pallavi Somusetty (Brown on Broadway and Keeping It Real)
Pallavi moved to New York City recently to pursue her dream of, well, living in New York City. She's gotten used to the city's taxi drivers speaking to her in Hindi and likes to respond in Telugu to throw them off. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Pallavi graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a major in creative writing and a minor in journalism. Pallavi currently works as a research assistant for an ad agency, despite her journo professor's proclamation that she's sold her soul to the devil. She's quite certain that contributing to Nirali every month does absolve her from going to journalism hell. A self-proclaimed foodie and feminist who boycotted makeup as a teenager mainly because she couldn't find the right shade, Pallavi now swears by Real Cosmetics' Karachi. Email her at pallavi@niralimagazine.com.

Pavani Yalamanchilli (Feast for the Soul)
Pavani lives in Los Angeles and likes to take the occasional road trip up or down the coast. A Southern California native, she swears that she hardly ever says "Dude!" except maybe when the occasion calls for it (e.g., "Dude, like check out these delicious dosas."). Pavani missed the pakoras but enjoyed the paintings and plenty more at this year's ArtWallah Festival. She contributes to Nirali Magazine and can be reached at pavani@niralimagazine.com.