Someone Yelled “You’ve Put on Weight.”
“You have put on weight!” someone announced loudly at a crowded public event.
This is the time for fitness resolutions, gym memberships, and also a time when we look at our post-holiday bodies with that critical evaluation of what’s acceptable.
What we often forget as we judge others and ourselves is that there is a story behind the body. It tells the story of the body’s experiences, of everything good and bad that the body has endured.
My own story is not that different from many. I went from running a dance company full-time to a desk job with insane working hours across multiple time zones. My body revolted by doing what it tends to do great in its 40s, it GAINED weight.
Then my body had to go through EIGHT rounds of IVF. And I don’t mean 8 rounds of transfer, no, I mean 8 rounds of Retrieval on the most aggressive protocols. And if you don’t know how much more intense that experience is, consider yourself very lucky. The result? I GAINED more weight.
The moment IVF was truly over, my body decided to pull a trick of itself. It immediately went into Perimenopause, creating a complete imbalance of hormones, brain fog, and a level of exhaustion that I hadn’t known in a while. The result? I GAINED even more weight.
But there is one amazing thing that the brain does in its 40s. It stopped caring about what others think. Once a compulsive people pleaser, it decided to listen to its mind more. I worked very hard to learn to love myself, even when my appearance no longer aligned with society’s standards.
The day that comment was shouted at me happened to be a very special one. After a long time, I was able to get into that lehenga choli outfit, and it made me very happy. Not because I was thinner, but because I was able to use that outfit again. Anyone who has stared at a closet full of clothes that no longer fit will understand.
And that entire dam of self-love that I had built through the year, instantly cracked with her comment. I can’t lie, I felt embarrassed in the moment. I wanted to yell back all the explanations. But I was so startled that I couldn’t even find my voice. I meekly nodded, acknowledging the truth, and took the conversation in a different direction.
I hope this year I can rebuild that dam again. And maybe build it a little stronger so that it doesn’t start to crumble at the first attack.
Picture from that day in my special lehenga/choli 🙂
Steadfast: 2026 Won’t Be Easy, But It Will Be Ours
I tried to write a recap of this year many times and gave up. That alone says what the year was like – fulfilling, chaotic, beautiful, overwhelming, often all at once.
As I watched with horror of every effort around diversity being mocked and torn down, it filled me with an even bigger fire to counteract with joy. A tiny, one-woman rebellion that may not have shifted the world, but created small, impactful change in the rooms I was lucky enough to enter. In some of those spaces, I was the very first Indian cultural educator they had ever encountered!
Just as meaningful was the community that found me. Rebuilding our kids’ classes brought an unexpected gift: families who are open-hearted, empathetic, and deeply aligned with the values I hold. Without knowing it, they helped heal parts of me shaped by past loss.
2026 will not be easy. This year’s policies are taking effect, and funding is drying up. I can already see the strain ahead for a small, mission-driven business like mine.
So the word for 2026 is STEADFAST.
Because this is not a year for grand leaps or glossy optimism, it’s a year for staying rooted and continuing the work with quiet conviction.
Here’s to a new year where we hold STEADFASTLY to joy, culture, and community, especially when they are treated as optional.
Our work:
Christmas Traditions You Never Heard of!
When people think of Christmas in India, the images are predictable. Goa beaches. Colonial churches. Plum cake. Twinkling lights.
That version exists, but it barely scratches the surface.
Across India, especially among tribal communities, fishing villages, and deeply local cultures, Christmas is shaped by land, livelihood, ancestry, and community values. It often looks nothing like the Western version.
1. Khasi & Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya – Christmas as a community reset
2. Tangkhul Naga Community, Manipur – Christmas with ancestors in mind
3. Warli Christian Hamlets, Maharashtra – Nativity scenes made from the earth
4. Siddi Community, Karnataka and Gujarat – African roots meet Indian Christmas
The Siddi community, descendants of Africans who settled in India centuries ago, celebrate Christmas with powerful drumming, call and response singing, and movement rooted in African heritage.
Hymns may be in Konkani or Gujarati. Celebrations often happen outdoors, full of rhythm and community energy.
5. Coastal Kerala Fishing Communities – Christmas shaped by the sea
For many Christian fishing communities along Kerala’s coast, Christmas begins at dawn, sometimes even before. Fishing boats are cleaned, painted, and decorated with lights and flags. Nets are blessed. Some families avoid fishing on Christmas Day itself, offering prayers of gratitude for the sea that sustains them.
Church services are followed by seafood-heavy feasts, featuring fish curries, appam, stew, and homemade wine. Caroling may happen along the shore, with waves as the background soundtrack.
Love exploring cultures? Check out our Books & Classes!
6. Goa – Christmas as a village-wide celebration
In Goa, Christmas is not confined to church or home. Entire villages come alive. Star lanterns hang outside homes.
Neighborhoods compete to create elaborate nativity scenes, sometimes life-sized, sometimes mechanized, often displayed for everyone to visit. Music spills into the streets, blending Konkani carols with Western tunes.
Food is central, from sorpotel and bebinca to sweets shared freely with neighbors, regardless of religion. In Goa, Christmas belongs to the whole community.
7. Mizo Villages, Mizoram – Joy through discipline and service
Summer Camp 2026
Incredible India Summer Adventure
The perfect combination of Dance, Sports, Folk Art, Hindi, and more!
FIVE DAYS OF ULTIMATE CULTURAL IMMERSION
Join us for an incredibly fun adventure as we journey through a region of India in 5 days! Each day, the participants will explore different elements of Indian Culture and learn about
DANCE
Students will learn dances inspired by five different regions of India while learning stories about the lives of the people from there.
FOLK ART
Students will explore the fascinating folk art from each of the 5 regions, centuries-old traditions that turn storytelling into breathtaking works of art.
HINDI
Students will learn Hindi words and phrases tied to the theme. This creates a more meaningful learning experience.
INDIAN GAMES
Students will learn fun games from India, which are guaranteed to make every expat Indian nostalgic, while delivering loads of fun to the kids!
BOOK BEFORE JAN 31 AND SAVE $50!
“Why not teach a few dance moves and call it a day?”
“Doesn’t sound like a great ROI. Why not just teach a few dance moves and call it a day?”
A small business coach said this to me at a networking event. I had been gushing about my multidisciplinary approach to teaching Indian culture through dance, folk art, language, stories, and hands-on experiences when that ROI comment landed.
Here is the truth: teaching “a few dance moves” has never been my mission. What I’m trying to build goes far beyond choreography.
Let’s be realistic. How many of my students will grow up to be professional Indian dancers whose full-time career relies on Bharatanatyam, Garba, or Bhangra? The honest answer is probably none.
But do you know what they will grow up to be?
1. If they are South Asian, they will always remain South Asian.
2. If they are not South Asian, they will always remain part of a beautifully diverse world.
This is why I teach the way I teach. My goal is not just to create dancers. My goal is to help nurture humans who are curious, culturally aware, and connected to the world around them.
A powerful integrated arts approach brings this to life. Some kids enjoy movement. Others connect through visual art. Others through stories, language, or sensory play. Every child has a different entry point. Why would I ever reduce cultural education to a single doorway when culture itself is a vibrant and multicolored landscape?
If dance became the only path into learning, I would be shutting out countless kids who might absorb culture more deeply through another medium. That would be a disservice to them and to the mission itself.
So no, I don’t measure ROI in dollars per hour or lowest-effort output. I measure ROI in the number of children I can reach. That will always be my north star.
And I’ll never “just teach a few dance moves”.