My Family's Climate Personality

Growing up, the values of care, repair, and resourcefulness weren’t just lessons taught to me — they were lived every day.

 Some of my earliest memories of caring for the planet began in the kitchen. Food, in our household, was never wasted. My grandmother had a quiet but powerful way of instilling this value. She would always save leftover ingredients or meals for the next day, placing them gently in the fridge. I still remember her voice: “Think about the people who don’t even get one meal a day. Think about them before you throw your leftovers away.” On days when she cooked a little extra, she would set aside a full meal for our house help — not out of obligation, but out of genuine care.

That ethos of mindfulness extended beyond food. It shaped the way we treated everything — clothes, electronics, money, and even how we celebrated festivals. Before buying me anything new, my mum would always ask, “Is it something you really need, or something you just want?”


It was never a reprimand — just a gentle invitation to reflect. Even today, we continue to sell scrap paper and household items to our local kabadiwalas and raddiwalas. Old electronic devices are passed on to NGOs that responsibly recycle them.
Sustainability wasn't a buzzword in our home. It was a way of life.


Take Holi, for example — the festival of colors in India. As much fun as it sounds, I remember my mum explaining how harmful synthetic colors could be, both to our skin and to the earth. A scientist by training, she’d make homemade colored water for me using turmeric, beetroot, and spinach — transforming a fun celebration into a lesson in care and creativity.
These small, everyday acts of kindness, responsibility, and awareness have left a deep mark on me.


They’ve shaped not only how I live, but what I want to dedicate my life to. Today, as a student of Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures, I carry these early lessons forward — but with a vision to scale them. I want to design a world where this mindset of care isn’t rare or personal — it’s collective.


A world where kindness is systemic. Where sustainability is second nature. Where we don’t just consume, but consciously contribute.

This is the future I want to build. And this is the legacy I hope to co-create.