Amal Chakravarthy

Grew up… in Seattle, in a traditional Indian family. Amal has two younger sisters, and is supposed to go along with an arranged marriage.

Living… on the road, after leaving Berkeley and his fiancée behind. He’s supposed to be in med school right now, but after he came out to his family and broke his engagement, they disowned him. So instead, Amal is driving cross-country to Providence to see his sister graduate from Brown. He’s accompanied by a strange man named TJ, who agreed to pay their way in exchange for a ride.

Profession… med student. But he’s taking a break from that right now, to figure out his life.

Interests… sci-fi, music, working out. Amal is a bit of a secret nerd, even giving the “live long and prosper” gesture (Mr. Spock’s Vulcan salute) to a fellow driver instead of the middle finger. Amal tells TJ that his favorite band is The Decemberists, and other musical favorites include Regina Spektor and Sigur Ros.

Relationship Status… single, as of recently. Amal had been part of an arranged engagement. He liked his fiancée fine, but unfortunately, he’s gay, so things wouldn’t have worked out between them. Amal isn’t dating anyone right now, since he only just came out of the closet.

Challenge… dealing with his family drama. Being disowned by your family is a pretty big deal, especially when you’re driving across the country to go to an event that they’ll definitely be at. Not to mention that TJ seems to have a few secrets that might end up getting Amal involved in things he didn’t sign up for. Add up all that plus a side of insecurity and self-doubt, and Amal has a lot to work through.

Personality… hardworking and conflict-averse. Amal is passionate about his studies, about pop culture, and about figuring himself out. But he doesn’t like to have confrontations, so he lets things build up until he snaps. That’s what got him into this whole situation. He can also be insensitive or thoughtless, but he is usually willing to think about his mistakes and come back with a wiser perspective.