“As a child, I was influenced by Robert Frost’s Poem ‘The Road not Taken’ which says, ‘Two Roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference’. Those lines left a profound impact on me. I wanted to try new things and never bothered about the rat race. But coming from a traditional family, I wasn’t be able to make my own decisions until my graduation. Later, I realised, I must to do what I like irrespective of what people expect of me. I did theatre, studied Mass Communication and worked as a film journalist. I believe that traveling, interacting with people and reading books are the best ways to understand the world around us. I also studied Politics and Leadership at Pune and worked briefly as a legislative researcher in Delhi.

Later I returned and pursued my Masters in English. During the same time, I was part of couple of government advertisements that went viral. When things were looking good, a series of unfortunate events happened where I was deceived, misunderstood and betrayed by some of my most trusted people that left me completely shocked and shattered. I realised that I had been entertaining toxic people in my life. I developed severe anxiety issues and extreme breathing difficulties which were highly ridiculed and judged. It worsened my condition further. I realised that many people misunderstand mental health issues and are extremely judgemental. I couldn’t even complete my basic day to day activities for a long time. Luckily, my family stood by me and gave me time and space to recover. With patience, I slowly started to fight back. I started to do the things which I love the most. I started to read more, do more theatre, watch films, travel and write again. In this process, I began to accept things as they are, to let go and surround myself only with those people who enrich my life and develop a sense of gratitude. Today, I am working on writing a book and trying to make my presence in films as well. It is important to connect the dots of our learnings and experiences and not give up on things that make us happy.”

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