“I grew up on the edge of the city—Perungalathur to Chrompet—but Chennai has always had my heart.

One of my first memories is of walking into a school’s annual day celebration and being completely mesmerised. I tugged at my mother’s hand and told her, “I want to study here.” That moment sparked something. My mom joined the same school as an English teacher, and I began my journey of discovering what made me feel alive.

I told her later that I wanted to study English. She didn’t instantly approve—but she didn’t dismiss it either. Deep down, I longed to pursue Visual Communication and explore performing arts. But I come from a fairly orthodox family, where anything linked to media felt like unfamiliar territory. Still, I held on.

My mother was my biggest creative influence—her oration was magic. My grandfather, too, had a flair for drama—he’d cook up entire stories just to sneak out for a film. That blend of theatrics and language stayed with me.

Covid took away my campus life, but not my hunger. I did my Master’s, found like-minded creatives on Twitter, dipped my toes into radio, writing, internships—anything that felt fun and meaningful. Slowly, my work started getting noticed.

Chennai felt distant at first. But every film outing, shopping trip, or beach walk brought me closer. Today, this city fuels my hustle and holds my dreams. I still call myself lazy—but I’ve learned that self-motivation beats everything else.

I’m still figuring things out. But I know this—I want to keep creating. One story, one idea at a time.”