For as long as I can remember, I have been enthralled by all things fun and fascinating with food. I am lucky enough to have been raised in a household that revolved around the kitchen. My favourite summer memories include trips to the farmers market with my mum and the scrumptious simplicity of the toasted tomato sandwiches we would munch on upon our return. I feel fortunate to have had imparted upon me an appreciation for what it means to eat well. Food has always been to me, a source of enjoyment, something to share (in making and in eating) and just like every other form of consumption, a choice that has an impact on the world outside of your front door. As I grew up, my experiences in my own kitchen and garden , volunteering in elementary schools teaching cooking, working in restaurants and in cooking schools and traveling, have all instilled in me an appreciation for the power of food and its fundamental importance to each and every one of our daily lives.

Along with food, I am deeply passionate about travel. The travel bug bit me hard when, as an 8-year-old, my parents took me on a nine month round the world adventure. By the time I graduated from high school, I was itching to get back out into the big wide world. At 18, I took the trip of a lifetime with my best friend. We backpacked through South and South East Asia. I came back with a renewed excitement about the world and a bolstered confidence in myself.

On both of these life changing trips, India got under my skin. I find it difficult to articulate exactly what it is that is so captivating about the subcontinent except to say, in India, it feels like anything is possible. I was spellbound by the spirit of the place. Its noisy, dirty, colourful, chaotic streetscapes; warm, generous, entrepreneurial people; pungent, vibrant markets; grimy, bustling, street side eateries and awe-inspiring spirituality drew me into its grasp.

And so, I landed here, in UBC’s Global Resources program which allows me to indulge my sundry passions through interdisciplinary academic and not-so-academic study. This blog will document my journey through university, India and beyond. I’ve called it “darshanabhilashi” which means “a person who has a desire of seeing” in Hindi.