Author, researcher, and changemaker
Hello! I’m an anthropologist (PhD) by training and a researcher and design strategist by profession. I’m passionate about uncovering rich insights about human behavior that make sense of the world we live in.
I’m currently writing about the experiences of my female ancestors who lived in a patriarchal culture in India in the generations before mine. The book is currently titled Daughters, Not Sons.
Through my writing I hope you can connect to your stories of strength and resilience, and ultimately, shape the future for the better.
Daughters, Not Sons
The smallest acts of resistance and courage build change for the generations to come
Daughters, Not Sons is a collection of stories about three generations of women in my family living under patriarchy in India, ending with my story of coming to the United States, marriage, and divorce.
In a patriarchal culture, women’s stories are mostly invisible while male stories are celebrated and remembered.
The stories span the early 1900s to present day. A seminal story to this book is the murder of my father’s sister by her husband for dowry. It transformed my father, a young man at that time, who went on to become a fierce advocate for women, a loving husband, and a father who raised three independent, strong daughters in a time when sons were valued over daughters.
The act of writing these stories of resilience, courage, and resistance makes them visible and connected to the present.
Ultimately, acknowledging the past is a step to breaking the patterns that hold us back and setting the future free.
The pictures are of my grandmothers, mother, aunts, and daughters, dated 1950-1960s.
