Dear Dhiren,

Dear younger me on graduation day,

You are smiling because that is what is expected. Inside, you are resigned; you believe this is the shape of your life now. You assume honesty is a luxury other people get. You are not waiting to come out; you are thinking you never will.

I need you to know this first: you are not failing at courage. You are surviving in a world that has given you no evidence that truth and safety can exist together. You genuinely believe you will live a lie because, right now, you cannot imagine another ending.

Here is the part you cannot see.

You will meet someone. Not immediately. Not with fireworks. Just a person who feels different to everyone else you have known. With him, something shifts. You do not suddenly become fearless. But for the first time, the idea of a future that includes honesty no longer feels impossible.

That relationship slowly dismantles the story you have been telling yourself. That love requires self-erasure. That intimacy means staying hidden. Over time, being with him shows you that the life you assumed you were condemned to is not the only option.

You build a life together. Eighteen years. A marriage. A home where you are not performing. That does not mean everything is easy. It means you finally stop living against yourself.

And here is what grows from that.

You find yourself drawn to work that asks you to sit with people in their uncertainty, their fear, their unspoken truths. You become someone who can stay present with pain without needing to fix it. The parts of you that once felt like a liability become your greatest strength. You know what it feels like to believe there is no way out. That knowing allows others to feel less alone.

You do work that matters. Not because it looks impressive, but because it creates safety. You become the person you once needed. The presence you did not know was possible.

Along the way, some people help you expand. They offer patience, belief, and steadiness. Others reinforce fear and conditional acceptance. Learn the difference. Spend more time where you can exhale.

The best advice I can give you is this: do not mistake your current hopelessness for prophecy. Just because you cannot imagine a life where you are entirely yourself does not mean one is not waiting for you.

You are not destined to live a lie. You are destined to live a life shaped by honesty, love, and care.

I’m so proud of you. Hold on; you are closer than you think.

With all my love always

Dhiren