Rooted in Vision: A Childhood That Defied Expectations
I was born in Kanpur, into a home that blended deep-rooted values with quiet rebellion. My mother, a homemaker who hadn’t even completed college, was a woman of bold vision. She believed her daughters were meant to live full, independent lives, and my father—an entrepreneurial spirit who had once aspired to study law in Germany—stood beside her in complete support.
As the middle child, I was often unwell—sensitive, soft-spoken, and physically fragile. But I had a fire that never flickered. Despite frequent illnesses, I remained in the top ranks at school. I looked nothing like the person I am today—glasses, oiled pigtails, always the dainty one in the family. But there was a silent strength growing within me. I was preparing for IIT and had scored 98% in Mathematics. My dream was technical, academic, precise. But one night during a blackout, my mother handed me a stack of forms to sign. I didn’t question her. I was tired. I signed.
One of those forms was for IHM Mumbai. And just like that, my trajectory changed.
A Brush With Death and the Beginning of Becoming
I got the call from IHM Mumbai with only ten days left to join. My family was in shock. I would be the first girl to leave home for a hostel, to go to Bombay of all places. There was excitement, fear, resistance, unsolicited opinions—but no turning back. Tickets were hard to come by. Flights weren’t feasible. We booked a bus to Indore and a train to Mumbai from there. That journey nearly ended my life.
Our bus fell 30 feet off a bridge in the early hours of the morning. People died on the spot. My father thought I had too. He broke the window with his elbow and pulled me out, covered in blood. A drizzle woke me up. I was alive. With bandages on my head and my arm in a sling, I arrived at the college days later. The staff was stunned. They confirmed my admission and told me to rest and return when I was well.
That accident could have ended everything. Instead, it became the moment I truly began. I completed my hotel management degree and joined The Oberoi Group. Soon, I found myself drawn to airport lounges and the airline world. I applied to be cabin crew and got selected. Flying opened up new horizons. It eventually led me to Curacao, a small island in the Caribbean, where I joined Marriott. Life was good. I was growing, adapting, surviving in foreign lands. And after two and a half years, I moved to Dubai—a city that would soon feel like home.
Resilience in Private: A Marriage That Shattered Me
While my professional life in Dubai soared, my personal life took a different turn. I entered a marriage full of dreams, only to find myself slowly silenced at every level - emotional, financial, mental. It made me question my worth. It isolated me from my own voice.
Eventually, I left. I walked out with two bags and no regrets. I gave up everything—apartment, savings, car—just to reclaim my peace. What followed were months of darkness, introspection, and painful healing. I went through complex surgeries. I went through stillness. And then, something shifted.
Right after one of my major surgeries, I received multiple missed calls from an unknown number. When I finally picked up, it was the organisers of Mrs UAE Paegant, they found my profile online and insisted that I participate. I was barely out of recovery, stitched, vulnerable. But something in me said yes.
I walked that ramp wearing the weight of every scar with pride. It wasn’t just about the stage—it was a reclamation. A bold, unapologetic return to my own body, my own presence. And not only did I walk the ramp—I won. I was crowned. I was the winner of ‘Mrs UAE Title’, just days after lying in a hospital bed. That moment wasn't about fashion. It was about freedom. It reminded me of who I was before the world told me to shrink.
The Spiritual Awakening: Finding Myself Again
Another pivotal moment came during one of the lowest points in my life. After yet another failed IVF cycle, I was driving aimlessly through Dubai, heartbroken and numb. I had gone to receive the results alone. I didn’t want sympathy—I wanted silence. As I sat in my car, crying, my phone buzzed. It was a notification: a meditation session I had registered for weeks ago was about to start. It was five minutes away.
I drove there on impulse and walked in. That’s when I met my spiritual teacher – Maitreya Dadashreeji. He wasn’t there to preach or fix me. He was there to help me see myself clearly. His path wasn’t religious. It was rooted in radical self-acceptance, deep awareness, and inner friendship.
He taught me how to sit
with my pain. To stop running from it. And to finally look eye to eye with I -
every part of me I had buried. Meditation became my compass. It changed how I
healed. It changed how I led. It changed how I spoke.
From
Vision to Voice: Writing ‘Eye to Eye – with “I”
During
my meditation practice, I kept getting visions of a book. I saw the title
clearly: Eye to Eye – with “I”. I printed a dummy cover thinking one day I will
write this book. During one of the spritiual retreats, I took that cover with
me and asked for Dadashreeji’s blessings with a silent promise that the next
time I saw him, I would bring the real book.
Almost a year passed. Life kept happening. I barely
had ten pages written when I received an invitation to return to the ashram. I
only had ten days. And no book. I broke down. But the universe was listening.
The next day, I met a publisher by pure coincidence. I
told him I wanted to publish a book in four days. He smiled and said, “Write
30,000 words in three days and we’ll talk.” I wrote 45,000. Locked myself in,
barely slept, barely ate. I just wrote.
Five copies were printed overnight. One of them made
it to the ashram—handed to me minutes before I walked in. And in the most
surreal moment of my life, my teacher—my divine friend Maitreya Dadashreeji
unveiled Eye to Eye – with “I” in front of the entire gathering. I cried—not
because I had published a book, but because I had fulfilled a promise to
myself.
Legacy in Motion: Matiti Group and Beyond
Today, I lead Matiti Group—a people-first consulting
firm focused on leadership development, cultural transformation, emotional
wellness, and tech-enabled HR solutions. Alongside an exceptional team, we work
with organizations across the world to create workplaces that are conscious,
resilient, and future-ready.
I also design and lead communication coaching programs
that help leaders find their voice, and use it with intention. I’ve spoken on
over 300 platforms across the globe—from COP28 to Expo 2020 to C-suite strategy
summits across continents.
But what matters more than the mic or the stage is
this: I speak to be of service. To remind people that failure doesn’t mean you’re
broken. That your story has power. And that speaking your truth is the bravest
thing you’ll ever do.
From a childhood marked by illness to flying across
oceans… from heartbreak to healing… from being silenced to walking ramps
stitched in strength… my life has been one long becoming. And I’m still
becoming.
Because transformation is not a moment.
It’s a choice we make—over and over again.