News – Artist After All

An Accidental Beginning

Growing up in a small town in India, my mother wanted me to join music classes. To escape them, I ended up joining an art class instead, never knowing that one small accident would have such a profound impact on my future.

Art started as a hobby.
Then it became a passion.
Then expression.
And eventually, purpose.

A Journey Across Worlds

Life took me across continents, from engineering classrooms in India to pursuing my master’s in the U.S., and later working with companies like Microsoft and Meta.

From the outside, it felt like the dream path I had worked hard for. But somewhere along the way, I realized that while my career was growing, my connection to community and human impact was slowly fading.

Art became the bridge that brought me back.

Art Beyond A Profession

Outside my corporate life, I began teaching children, creating artworks, and using them to support fundraising and charitable initiatives.

Parents encouraged me to charge for the classes, which found its way back into causes I deeply cared about: education, children, and community support in India.

For years, this lived quietly alongside my 9-to-5 life in the U.S.

Until one day, the pull toward purpose became stronger than comfort.

Returning Home

Last year, I made the decision to leave my life in the U.S. and move back to India to work in the education and social impact space.

Along with my husband, Prajwal, I started Polygnan: a Section 8 non-profit working in education and youth empowerment.

As I spent more time in rural communities and with young people trying to shape their futures, I could see both their struggles and their deep craving for opportunity, direction, and dignity.

The Larger Vision

I met young people full of potential and willingness to work, yet lacking access, exposure, mentorship, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

And that brought me back to art once again.

My artworks are slowly evolving from being personal passion projects into something much bigger, a vision to train and employ young women from rural communities through art, helping them build skills, confidence, financial independence, and eventually even their own creative ventures.

Creating livelihoods and Independent Futures

Today, these artworks are crafted by me alongside young women from rural communities who are gradually becoming part of the creative journey through hands-on training and collaboration.

Some of the artworks and handcrafted pieces you see today are already being created together, helping earn a livelihood and sparking confidence in this journey

What began as a personal passion is slowly evolving into a larger mission: building an ecosystem: community art centers, where women can learn, create, earn, and eventually lead independent artistic ventures of their own, fostering confidence, financial independence, and meaningful opportunities through art.