Writer Megha Rao was just 18 when she got a lesson on how tough life can be. A bunch of kids at her college in Chennai had made Rao a prime target of their bullying, and would lurk around her classes waiting to hurl insults at her and spout vile lines such as "why does she wear so much make-up?" or "why can't she just die?" It was then that the young author, who had already published two young adult books for Penguin, decided to start writing poetry on Facebook. "My poetry was a reflection of my anger, and I wanted these people to read it, so that I could tell them that I wasn't broken. They may have not read it, but I got a steady audience that did start reading it." People started sharing her poems, followed her on Instagram, and even wrote her mails, proving that her poems were helping them survive. "I changed as a writer after that experience. And even though I was barely saving myself, people would write to me saying 'you saved me'. It was intense. I think if you write something private and personal in a relatable way, it becomes universal," says the 23-year-old, who now lives in Mumbai, and works at Terribly Tiny Tales as content lead for its app.

On Instagram, Rao's writings are raw, and always manage to make the reader sit up and take notice with their imagery and honesty. She also intersperses it with her art and sketches, that are keeping with her surreal aesthetic—one that she says is the product of her obsession with Frida Kahlo. "I am an ardent worshipper of Kahlo, and I realised with magic realism I could bridge the gap between reality and imagination without going insane."