Queer Indian woman starting life
My Travel Story
## **Title**: *Camp Kaif: A Journey to Rebuild a Life and Dream Beyond Grief*
### **Who am I?**
Hi, I’m Pranita Katkar.
I’m a writer, daughter, middle child, overthinker, survivor — and now, for the first time in my life, a dreamer who’s finally asking for help.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve learned how to shrink. Shrink my dreams, my needs, my ambitions — just to make space for a world that never made space for me. I grew up in a middle-class Indian family where emotional support was limited and my choices — from what I wanted to study to who I loved — were never really my own.
Despite all this, I found strength in my words. Writing became my voice when no one was listening, my shelter when grief came in waves — and it always did. Whether it was the silent grief of growing up unseen, the grief of losing chosen family, or grieving the version of myself that never got to be carefree.
But here I am. Alive, still dreaming. Still choosing to try.
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### **What is Camp Kaif?**
*Camp Kaif* is my vision — my rebellion in soft, strong steps.
It’s a project that combines travel, learning, and healing. I want to attend writing workshops, creative residencies, and courses that give me a chance to grow not just professionally, but personally. Next year, I plan to travel to key learning opportunities across cities (and possibly countries), especially focused on LGBTQ+ storytelling, writing residencies, and trauma-informed creative communities.
This isn't a luxury. It’s my attempt to finally live the life I never thought I could have.
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### **Why I need your help**
The estimated budget is ₹2,00,000 — this will go towards travel, program/course fees, and essentials like accommodation and meals while I pursue these growth opportunities.
I’ve already started supporting myself, managing small writing gigs, and building a portfolio — but to leap further, I need to invest in learning, networking, and exposing myself to global, inclusive, emotionally intelligent creative spaces. Most importantly, this experience will help me:
* **Overcome self-doubt and trauma** I’ve carried from a lifetime of rejection and loss.
* **Reclaim my confidence** as a queer woman and storyteller.
* **Build a career I believe in** — with freelance writing, emotional commentary, pop culture essays, and queer narratives.
* **Create community** with other people who’ve known what it means to feel like “too much” and “never enough” at the same time.
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### **Why this matters so much**
Because I never got to just be a person — only a version that worked for everyone else.
This fundraiser isn’t just about money — it’s about reclaiming my autonomy. It’s about turning grief into grit, loss into learning, and survival into storytelling.
I’ve made it this far without asking for much — but I’m finally learning that *receiving help isn’t weakness*. It’s community. It’s hope.
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### **How you can support me**
If you believe in second chances… if you know what it means to rebuild from scratch… or if you simply believe that stories heal — I ask you to contribute to my fundraiser, no matter how small.
If you can’t donate, you can still help — share this with someone who might. Cheer me on. Follow my journey. Let me know I’m not alone.
Because I know that when I finally get there — to that workshop, that city, that place of becoming — I won’t just be carrying my backpack.
I’ll be carrying every single person who believed in me when I finally believed in myself.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for believing.
With resilience,
**Pranita (Camp Kaif)**
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$ 2,400 USD
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$ 2,400
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