Our story begins…

I am a woman born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I am a daughter born to East Indian parents both raised in small villages in India. I am a sister born just 14 months earlier than my only sibling in a home oceans away from my family. I am an immigrant taught by my mother’s perseverance to raise two girls in a country not her own. I am a business owner, lawyer-turned-artist, mother, author, travel lover, and storyteller. I am the Pfister’s 12th Narrator-in-Residence.

It is with all of these experiences that I walked through the Pfister’s doors. Classical music danced effortlessly around me as the staff, one after another, greeted me. Big smiles lit up their faces and their warm “hello”  was just enough to set me free.

It had been some time since I had been in the Pfister and its elaborate and expansive lobby. Rosy, the Artist-in-Residence, saw me before I saw her and called to me. Her hair was piled high as if a crown, and she was wearing a dress fit for a modern-day African queen. As we walked, I noticed how it flowed behind her. She pointed out her favorite things. The etchings on the elevator doors. The statue in Blu. The white bookcases. And the Pfister’s architectural and design features that had already captured her imagination. And now mine.

As  we made our way back to her studio, I recognized Craig Zetley. I practiced law with him for six years before leaving to live, travel, and work in India. We saw each other almost at the same time. He gave me a warm embrace. His office, my old office, was only a block away. We reminisced about office happy hours at the Pfister. He was coming from the bank and had stopped in the cafe to treat himself to a cookie. The three of us talked about small and big things. He is still practicing law and active in the Jewish community.

And I am still a runner, advocate and an artist— I play with lines, shapes and words until they fall into place capturing the moments, thoughts, ideas, hopes and dreams that we all share. Embedded in every line I draw and every word I write are all of the experiences and people in my life. I believe strongly that it is in each others’ stories, we find the beauty of the human spirit.

This is my story. What is yours?