Vatavaran

This one is close to my heart.

My Universe Within series is being auctioned at a community event hosted by the Punjabi Community Centre and 50% of raised funds goes directly to Seva Food Bank.

Four pieces. Four elements. Four powers of the universe.
🌍 Earth - anchored by a Banyan tree. Roots that hold everything together.
💨 Air - butterflies carried by the wind. Movement, freedom, the unseen force.
💧 Water - figures draped in veils, flowing and still at the same time.
🔥 Fire - a Phoenix. Transformation. What rises from what was lost.

Each piece is painted in a fusion of Madhubani folk art from India and Australian indigenous dot work…..two ancient art traditions brought together into one visual language. The result is something that feels both deeply rooted and completely new.

This series is about the forces that govern all of us - bigger than any one person, any one culture, any one story.

If you’re based in Toronto and want to own a piece, local delivery is available. Link in my bio to place your bid.

‼️Auction closes this weekend‼️

Can’t bid? Share this post. Someone in your network might be. This is bigger than the art. 🙏🏽

I am a Punjabi. From Delhi. A foodie to my core.

Health consciousness was never part of the deal. Growing up, the only thing anyone ever said about my body was lose weight. And every single time someone said it, I moved further away from caring about my health…..not closer.

So I ate what I loved, I moved when I felt like it, and I told myself I was fine.

My body had other plans.

A stent at 32 was my body’s way of saying “okay we need to talk” and for the first time I actually listened. Not because someone told me to be thinner. But because I finally wanted to understand what my body actually needed.

That’s when everything shifted.

I started learning about heart health for real. And somewhere in that process I discovered strength training, not as a weight loss tool but as something that genuinely changed how I feel mentally. Calmer. Stronger. More in control. Nobody had ever told me that part and honestly it changed everything.

I started embarrassingly small. Lightest weights. Shortest sessions. Equipment where I can see it. Bar low on purpose.

Still going.

If nobody ever taught you health either….you’re not lazy. You were just never given the right reason or knowledge.

I was 32 when my heart failed me.

And I never saw it coming. No symptoms. No family history. Nothing that would’ve made me think - okay, something is wrong. It just popped my perfect bubble completely. Out of nowhere.

The diagnosis was one thing. But making changes after? That felt daunting in a way I can’t even describe. I genuinely didn’t think I’d be able to do it. I was the person who never exercised. Never had to think this hard about what I ate. Never had a sleep routine. And suddenly everything had to change — all at once.

Then I went through cardiac rehab. And that’s where something shifted. Not just in my health but in how I thought about building a life that supports it. I learned how to design and reshape my environment around what my body actually needs.

I started strength training….from someone who knew nothing about work outs. Changed how I eat. Fixed my sleep. Adjusted everything. But what actually made it stick wasn’t discipline or motivation. It was the systems I built around myself.

Things that weren’t just about being organized, they were things that enabled me to maintain those changes and turn them into actual habits.

My kitchen, my morning routine, my home….all of it designed to make the healthy choice the easy choice.

And I’m still going. Still adjusting. Still learning.

But please🙏🏻, if you’re South Asian, if you’re a woman, if you’re in your 30s and think this couldn’t possibly be you…go get your heart checked. I thought the same thing.

I’m not sharing this to scare you. I’m sharing it because I really wish someone had told me sooner. 🤍