The Museum of Small Things

About the Collective

The Eclectic Collective (TEC) is a creative writing community founded in 2024 by Akanksha Lochan. Built on the belief that creativity flourishes through conversation, curiosity, and community, TEC brings together writers from diverse backgrounds, professions, and experiences to explore ideas through poetry, prose, essays, and reflection.

What began as an intimate circle of individuals sharing their work has gradually evolved into a vibrant creative ecosystem where emerging and experienced writers alike engage with themes that are deeply personal yet universally resonant. The collective values sincerity over perfection, encouraging members to experiment, reflect, and create without fear of judgment.

The word "Eclectic" reflects the wide range of voices, styles, and perspectives that coexist within the community, while "Collective" underscores its commitment to collaboration over competition. Through themed writing sessions, thoughtful critique, and collaborative projects, TEC creates a space where creativity is taken seriously without becoming inaccessible.

The Museum of Small Things, the collective's debut anthology, embodies this philosophy. Bringing together fourteen distinct voices, the anthology explores how ordinary objects become vessels of memory, identity, longing, and belonging. Through poems, essays, and stories, the contributors invite readers into an intimate museum assembled not from grand artefacts, but from the overlooked fragments of everyday life.

Meet the Contributors

Akanksha Lochan

Writer, curator, and founder of The Eclectic Collective, Akanksha's work explores memory, identity, intimacy, and the emotional life of objects. With professional experience spanning economic research and brand management, she approaches storytelling as both an archive and an act of becoming. The Museum of Small Things emerges from her instinct for curation and her fascination with how meaning resides within seemingly ordinary things.

Veenasree Pradeepkumar

Veenasree writes poetry as a way of understanding and organizing her thoughts. Her work often emerges from emotions, observations, and questions that resist easy explanation. She views poetry as a quiet and honest space where thoughts can exist without the pressure of certainty.

Zaitoon Salim Gandhi

An artist, educator, traveller, and lifelong creator, Zaitoon finds joy in making things—from painting and embroidery to teaching and community building. Her writing reflects the curiosity and warmth with which she approaches people, stories, and everyday experiences.

Shahen Pardiwala

A therapist, proofreader, and workshop facilitator, Shahen brings a thoughtful understanding of human emotions and relationships to her work. Her writing is informed by observation, empathy, and an interest in the stories that shape our lives.

Aum Trivedi

Aum is fascinated by the contradictions of the human experience. Drawn to both its absurdities and its beauty, he writes as a witness to the strange, painful, and meaningful moments that define life. Reflection and curiosity remain central to his creative practice.

Ishika De

A software engineer by profession and a writer by instinct, Ishika often draws inspiration from ordinary experiences and everyday observations. Her work transforms fleeting thoughts and overlooked moments into reflections that feel both personal and relatable.

Niva Gandhi

Based in Southern California and shaped by experiences across continents, Niva explores belonging, migration, culture, and identity through her writing. She is particularly interested in the humor, tenderness, and complexity embedded within everyday rituals and small acts of living.

Janani Ravishankar

A data analyst who balances analytical thinking with creative expression, Janani writes poetry while nurturing interests in mythology, painting, music, and crochet. Her work often bridges imagination and reality, finding stories within both.

Vaishnavi Kamble

Vaishnavi discovered writing through everyday observations and emotions she had long left unexplored. What began as a casual creative outlet has become a meaningful practice of reflection, helping her make sense of life's quieter moments.

Vatsalya Amit

Vatsalya experiments with stream-of-consciousness poetry and prose, often exploring themes of ennui, introspection, and emotional complexity. Her writing embraces uncertainty and seeks meaning within moments of stillness.

Yutika Pandit

An India-based writer, Yutika's work focuses on memory, identity, connection, and solitude. She is drawn to the emotional landscapes that emerge during periods of change and growth, examining how people are shaped by both spaces and experiences.

Ishan Desai

Entrepreneur, engineer, and lifelong learner, Ishan combines business acumen with a deep appreciation for creativity, culture, and storytelling. His writing reflects a curiosity about people, ideas, and the countless possibilities that emerge when imagination meets action.

Kian F. Gandhi

A passionate reader and writer, Kian explores subjects ranging from science and philosophy to history and human behavior. As a pediatric occupational therapist, he brings a unique perspective on empathy, growth, and resilience to his creative work.

Drishtirupa Das (Saki)

Storyteller, former journalist, and communications professional, Drishtirupa writes about belonging, emotional resilience, connection, and the human experience. Her work seeks to illuminate what often remains unspoken, treating storytelling as an act of listening and understanding.

About The Museum of Small Things

The Museum of Small Things is the first anthology by The Eclectic Collective. Through fourteen voices and a diverse collection of poems, stories, and essays, it explores how ordinary objects become extraordinary repositories of memory and meaning.

From childhood keepsakes and inherited treasures to everyday companions and imagined futures, the anthology invites readers to consider the emotional lives of objects and the ways they quietly shape who we are.

At its heart, the collection asks a simple question:

What if the things we keep are also keeping parts of us?