I love river rafting, scuba diving, trekking, travelling, painting and theatre. Food, travel, cultures, dancing, beaches excite me. But what gets me out of bed every day is my love for people. People inspire me and help me to connect my core with the outside world. My core can be described in two ways: Defined by Values and Transformed by Aesthetics.

My father has defined me by the values and principles he has taught me. He encouraged me to challenge assumptions, struggle for solutions, and to look beyond the literal. He reminded me to do this with humility, tolerance and compassion.

His teachings have defined me as a leader: to take charge, to bring change, to inspire others and be humble, accepting and patient along the way.

My mother, who is a Sanskrit scholar, Indian classical vocalist and an artist, was amazed at my instinctive ability to draw. I started when I was two years old, when I could barely write or even speak articulately. She used to observe my work and avoided mentoring me. My mother's art has moved me deeply. Her brush strokes have a telling conviction, spontaneity and honesty, and while her talent and work has not been recognised in a prominent way, she continues to paint passionately and honestly. Seeing her do this made me realise the value of intrinsic motivation. Inconsequential of results, I have been driven with passion for change; to challenge assumptions and create new paths, not just for myself but for the community at large.

It is a combination of all of the above that has motivated me to take a plunge and start my first entrepreneurial venture 'Antahkaran.' Born as an idea from my observation of the struggle artists, such as my mother and the general art community in India, are faced with, Antahkaran is all about customising art for spaces like homes, offices, institutes, hospitals, hotels and resorts. Art instils inspirational, creative and positive energy in the spaces where we spend our time. To experience the impact, I tested the idea by painting on the walls, cushions and furniture of my home. With my professional experience in the design industry, I created a venture that is ethical, exclusive and social (a percentage of revenue is donated to educate under privileged children in art, in India).

In retrospect, my grandparents also planted a few seeds of inspiration in my childhood. These have grown into the tree of my future work and a vision for India's development. My grandmother embodied the ideal values of love, compassion and positivity. She believed that parents are the biggest influence on a child. She believed that change is within ourselves, that the universe resides within us and that we need to nurture it with love and responsibility. My grandfather, who won bravery awards twice in his lifetime, was not easy to get along with. He was fearless, straightforward, restless and intolerant to injustice. My discussions with him regarding his experiences translated into my own actions since I was at school. I used to mediate, protest or take action to correct injustice committed around me, whether it was small or big. Witnessing certain trends in India, such as corruption, unethical practices, loss of socio-cultural values and hyper consumption, still make me restless. My work on the Soluchana Development Trust is, in many ways, an evolution of the 'tree' that has grown from the seeds that my grandparents (Soluchana is my grandmother's name) and parents planted within me.

My vision is focused on up-scaling the Sulochana Development Trust (SDT). My initiative is to support the creative arts for social impact as well as the integration of the concept of a creative economy for India's future development. This vision is built on five development contexts: social relevance, economic sustainability, ecological balance, socio-cultural context and creative ideas/value creation. The Trust supports developmental projects in arts, architecture, mass media and design. We work with for-profits, non-profits, government bodies and institutes to create a platform that can help us approach the government of India to officially adopt a creative economy vision as a major part of their policies.

The challenge is to show the tangible impact of art and design. For example, the trust has initiated an art education curriculum for under-privileged children in two local NGO's. While the program has been appreciated locally, its implementation at a state and national level has thrown up great hurdles. Standardisation models, socio-cultural contexts, local authority involvement and quality control mechanisms are all challenges part of building an eco-system.

This choice is meaningful to me because it is deeply interwoven with my own value system, my love for creative arts and my drive to empower people who are less privileged than I. My passion for arts grew from a hobby to a sense of purpose. It has shaped my personality. Many people don't have such access or support to pursue their passion in this field. This is an opportunity for me to create an organisation that can support such people to pursue creative arts as a career option. At a community level, I interact with many senior and peer professionals who find a void in this space. SDT creates a platform which brings together creative professionals with a sense of purpose and responsibility towards social impact.

My work and life have been layered with my belief in journeys, trusting the 'process' and in taking initiative towards my dreams. I hope everything I have learned, and continue to learn, will continue to shape my work, life and vision of a Sanskrit insight, "Vasudheva Kuttumbakam" – the world is a family.