My Story
About Me
As a Rehabilitation Professional (CRR No: A93207) affiliated with the Rehabilitation Council of India, I am an Arts Based Therapy (ABT) Practitioner and Arts Practices for Inclusion Educator. My journey in the realms of education, social innovation, and entrepreneurship has been deeply fulfilling. I hold an honorary distinction in Social Work from LADC Institute, USA, and a fellowship from the Complementary Medical Association (UK). Additionally, I am proud to be a TEDx speaker and possess a Post-Graduation Diploma in Community Based Rehabilitation. My academic journey is further highlighted by a CDP certified Diploma in Neuropsychology and a university rank for my Masters in Biochemistry. Currently, I am pursuing certification with the International Coaching Federation.
My commitment to therapeutic practice, education, social innovation, and fostering inclusion through Arts Practices for Inclusion (API) education spans over two decades. As the founder of Snehadhara Foundation, an NGO dedicated to individuals with multiple and moderate/severe intellectual disabilities, I advocate for API, utilizing arts practices as the primary methodology for teaching and learning.
Beyond my work with the NGO, I consult with corporates on diversity and inclusion, having conducted workshops for esteemed companies like Oracle, AMAT, Alation, Intel, Google, and Accenture. My research-based innovations in curriculum, pedagogy, content, and delivery have earned recognition from organizations such as Qatar Foundation, Millennium Alliance, and the Association for Experiential Education in Montreal, Canada.
I am committed to continuous learning, and have completed the TA 101 Course and training in Transaction Analysis. I am proficient in Bharatanatyam dance, Hindustani and Carnatic vocals, African Drumming, and my endeavors as a biker. Since 2022, I have delved into Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing. Recently, I returned from the North-South Cultural Exchange in Guinea, where I underwent intensive djembe training under the guidance of Master Babare Bangoura Fakoly and his African Ensemble.
I continue to walk the path of the transformative journey of education, inclusion, and the arts.
My Journey
The arts are a big part of my life. They played an integral role in my upbringing, honing nascent talents and skills. I come from a typical family where we learn to sing just as soon as we can talk, and dance just after or before we walk. I was introduced to the arts and their techniques early on. When I took up hobbies like dance and music, it was with the intention of finding my extra-curricular persona. Little did I know that these serious hobbies would also go on to shape my identity.
Nothing that I am today would’ve been plausible without the strong foundation in the arts that I’ve undergone. And by that, I do not mean certificate courses or specializations. The arts are not just to be learned; they are to be experienced. They are a way of life. My love for music comes from a very musically-rich maternal family. A grandmother who was a radio singer, a mother who is a classically-trained vocalist, and extended family members who could’ve pretty much started their own music collective or band if they consolidated their skill sets. Dance comes to me from my paternal side, with rhythm in my very being and expression.
My beginnings with experiencing the arts as therapy and healing began a few years ago. Experiences of my life, the journey with my life partner, and the unlearning with my two daughters all seemed to find their rhythm in the untold stories these children created each day, in the melody of a calling, and in the tempo of the dance that prompted me to break barriers and look beyond the conventional.
This marked the beginning of looking at learning differently. I was not the model child but a gifted one who has dabbled with a gamut of subjects, each enriching me further and grooming me for what lay ahead. My strength lies in my belief that I can reach out to the good in everyone.
When I started working with children with disabilities, I was quite clueless about what terms like Autism, ADHD, PDD, and LD meant. My knowledge of this would have been as much as I could understand from movies like I Am Sam, Taare Zameen Par, or My Name is Khan. What helped me the most was not knowing what they meant, as the starting point for me was not from data I read, studied, or collected, but from where each child who walked into my life led me.