It has been years since I first fell in love with magic and it will be a lifetime longer before I outgrow it. The various worlds I have been able to find between the pages of books has done well for nurturing that love and has inspired a great number of artworks, but it wasn’t until relatively recently that I began to recognize glaring absences in the stories I’d come to love so dearly. Witnessing the consistent under and misrepresentation of South Asians in media has served as motivation to take up space in places saturated with eurocentrism, featurism, and colorism.

 

Today, I take pride in the voices I am able to amplify through my work, particularly in the fuzzy brown bodies that I am able to depict for their inherent beauty. Our cultures and people are art, and our stories are worth telling.

​

"What I wish I knew" - an illustration for a ‘Draw This in Your Style’ challenge inspired by the loss of history

​

"Jasmine" - inspired by the song by Anju

​

You smell of jasmine

And sandalwood so far

तुम जियो हज़ारों साल

साल के दिन हों पचास हज़ार

​

"Suzanne" - an illustration inspired by a follower’s beautiful desi nose

​

"Diaspora Child" - an illustration for a ‘Draw This in Your Style’ challenge to honor Indo-Caribbean history & identity

 

May stories and tradition forever tie you to your roots, and your roots keep you tethered to this earth - no matter how many seas you’ve traveled.