Tell us a little about your background and what you do?
I’m originally from New Delhi, India, and have called Hong Kong my home for almost twenty years now. I’m a jewellery designer by profession, with my own line of handcrafted contemporary sterling silver and gold jewellery that fuses various natural elements and design techniques.
Poetry is one of my great loves, and I’m grateful my work has been published in numerous magazines and journals over the years. I’m also the co-founder and co-editor of an online magazine called Coffee and Conversations. I’m a mum of two, with one child in university and one in high school. I love to read, take walks in nature (in cooler weather), and have an insatiable creative side that I must indulge in one way or another.
I am an unapologetic feminist who, on most days can be found dividing her time between designing, writing, and reading – always with music playing in the background. If you invite me to karaoke, I’m likely to say yes, but be warned, it’s all about the 90s for me.
What are some of the challenging times that you have successfully navigated?
Living with chronic health issues has been one of my greatest ongoing challenges. For over two decades, I’ve navigated life with Hashimoto’s (Autoimmune Thyroid disease), IBS, and other persistent conditions. For many years I lived with chronic pain in my muscles and joints, enough to pop in painkillers a few times a week. One of the symptoms I still experience often is nausea. I am on a restricted diet, where I eat only home cooked foods that I can digest. When I’m out, you’ll see my handy tiffin accompanying me. I wouldn’t say I’m past all these challenges, but I’ve come a long way since my diagnosis. I will admit, years of living with unpredictable health conditions has taken a toll on my mental health as well, but I am committed to doing my best each day, learning, and adapting as I go.
How do you find meaning in your daily life, and what effect does it have on you?
For me, meaning comes from my humanitarian work, which keeps my spirits hopeful and energised; I’ve always felt called to live for something bigger than myself. The years I spent not being that person were also the years I was most unwell. Most recently much of my advocacy and fundraising has been for women and children in Afghanistan whose lives are difficult beyond our comprehension.
My love for reading, writing poetry, and photography fills my days with meaning as well and brings me tremendous joy; I am a creative at heart, and a day filled with creativity is always meaningful to me. Meaning also comes from raising my children a certain way, instilling good values in them, and seeing them become kind and compassionate people in the world. It also comes from being able to show up for people I love in the way they need me to.
I thrive on being a cheerleader; supporting, and celebrating people whose work inspires me adds great meaning to my life.
What is the one mindset shift that you have worked on, and how did you achieve it?
I am reminded of a book I read years back that turned out to be a game-changer for me. It’s called Option B by Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg. When I was at my lowest, I was clinging desperately to a life which was no longer working for me—the foods I enjoyed, the social life I had, and being the person I thought I needed to be specifically for others. That took a huge toll on my health, my self-esteem and, honestly, was not helping me heal. I blamed my body instead of listening to it, convinced that I had to be exactly who I had been, living the way I was, to be worthy and have a worthy life. When I fell short of that, I felt like I was failing.
It wasn’t until I read that book that I realized I could give myself permission to choose an ‘option B’ or even C. Chasing after my old ‘option A’ left me drained and defeated, because I was no longer that same person. My body and my needs had changed. The book taught me that even if our first choice is out of reach, we can still create a meaningful day and a life with alternatives. Choosing a different path and changing our priorities, be it for health reasons or anything else, does not make us failures. It’s sometimes necessary to let go of past versions of ourselves, to meet our present needs.
For example, on days when nausea from IBS overwhelms me, I might cancel my initial plans, but I still find ways to get my work done, and feel good by the end of the day. Instead of letting disappointment take over or berating myself, I focus on what I can do and spend my time productively. I’ve also learned to embrace rest without guilt, giving myself what I need when I need it.
What advice would you offer women who are looking to live their lives meaningfully?
I believe ‘meaningful’ looks different for everyone. With my daughter off at university and my fourteen-year-old son growing more independent, I am more grateful than ever for the passions and pursuits that fill my days with purpose and joy. A meaningful life for me is one where I can live creatively, authentically, without fear of judgment or the need for approval, and have deep, real friendships. And, for me, having a meaningful life means leaving a positive dent in this very troubled world of ours before I go.
My advice to anyone is this: find something that excites you to get out of bed in the morning, something that is yours alone, separate from your roles as a parent, partner, child, or friend. Something truly yours that gives you purpose and brings you joy. I also strongly encourage privileged people to give back in any way they can to those who are not. Making this world better in any way will add meaning to your life – be it in helping people, planting more trees, saving animals, cleaning oceans, etc. See what your heart gravitates towards and make a positive contribution there.
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