By Melwyn Williams | The Editor-in-Chief | The WFY Magazine, December 2025 edition
From the Editor’s Desk
As this year comes to an end, I find myself thinking about the journeys that so many of us undertake across borders, cultures and seasons of life. 2025 has been a year of remarkable change for the global Indian community. It has been a year of new challenges, renewed ambitions and, above all, quiet strength expressed in a thousand different ways across continents. Through our stories, interviews, features and conversations, we have tried to capture this spirit as honestly and thoughtfully as possible. Christmas and the New Year bring with them a pause in the world’s pace, a moment to reflect, to breathe, and to remember that even in the busiest or loneliest corners of the globe, hope and love remain the quiet forces that hold our lives together.
Every month, readers from more than a hundred countries reminded us why platforms like WFY exist. Your messages, contributions and observations shaped the way we looked at the world. They also helped us understand what matters most to our dispersed yet deeply connected community: dignity, belonging, opportunity and the comfort of knowing that someone, somewhere, recognises your story.
For millions of Indians living abroad, this season is more than a festivity. It is a reminder of belonging, to our families, to our memories and to the values that shape us. Some of us are able to come home and celebrate with those we love. Many of us stay far away, creating new traditions in unfamiliar places. Yet in every home, every workplace and every community gathering, there is a common wish threading us together: the hope for a better tomorrow.
This edition, our year-end issue, carries the weight of many such stories. From the achievements highlighted in our People of the Year list to the long-form features exploring identity, resilience, innovation and cultural celebration, the December issue stands as a quiet tribute to the lives of Indians abroad. Behind every milestone, there is the familiar mixture of uncertainty, hope and determination that defines the migrant experience.
Why Priyanka Chopra Jonas Is Our Cover Star This December
Every December, we choose a figure who reflects the spirit of global Indian achievement, someone whose story captures ambition, resilience and the expanding footprint of our community worldwide. This year, that choice was clear.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas represents a rare kind of success. She conquered Bollywood, stepped fearlessly into Hollywood, built global businesses, championed regional storytelling, and used her platform for meaningful humanitarian work. Few Indian-origin public figures have crossed as many borders, cultural, creative and commercial, with such confidence and intent.
Her journey is not simply about fame. It is about reinvention. It is about claiming space in industries that once offered none. It is about proving that an Indian talent can stand on the world’s biggest stages without surrendering identity or voice. As she moves between continents, roles and industries, Priyanka embodies the new global Indian, rooted, ambitious and unafraid to expand the map.
In celebrating her this month, we celebrate the limitless possibility of Indian talent everywhere.
Throughout this year, WFY has tried to bring your stories into one shared space, stories of achievement and struggle, of identity and discovery, of connection and courage. Each story affirmed what we already know: the global Indian spirit is resilient, compassionate and quietly determined. It builds, rebuilds and continues forward, no matter the distance.
If there is one message this year has taught us, it is the importance of staying rooted even while we move forward. Across professions, countries and generations, the global Indian identity has grown more confident, more inclusive and more aware of its responsibility to both home and the world. Whether it is through community service, academic breakthroughs, entrepreneurial success or cultural expression, our people continue to leave meaningful footprints wherever life takes them.
Christmas, at its heart, is a celebration of light in the midst of darkness, of kindness in a world that often feels divided, and of peace that begins in the simplest actions. As we step into a new year, these values feel more relevant than ever. May we carry them with us, whether we are returning home, staying abroad or beginning a new chapter somewhere else.
As we step into 2026, I hope we carry with us a renewed sense of purpose. May we continue to support one another, celebrate one another and tell the stories that deserve to be told. May we find courage in difficult times, joy in small victories and clarity in moments of doubt.
To every reader who has walked with us this year, thank you. Your trust, your voices and your stories are the reason WFY continues to exist and evolve. May this festive season fill your homes with warmth, your days with gentleness and your hearts with the quiet confidence that better things are ahead. Above all, may the New Year bring warmth, understanding and a deeper connection to the values that define us.
Thank you for allowing WFY to be a part of your year. Thank you for reading, sharing, contributing and trusting us with your voices. We look forward to walking with you into another year of stories that matter.
From our entire team to you and your loved ones,
here’s wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful Christmas and a New Year filled with hope, love and renewed strength.
Melwyn Williams
Editor-in-Chief,
The WFY Magazine