I'm not an environmental scientist or a global warming specialist.  However, my fascination with science and the Universe, and my love of nature and our home planet have always driven me to find creative ways to be as kind as I possibly can to the environment.  Self-sufficiency, being kind, remaining humble, helping others are not character traits that I was born with, I learnt to be this way from an early age through the teachings of my parents and grandparents, and they became my lifestyle.

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be an astronaut and take off in a rocket to explore the stars.  Oh, the innocence of childhood and the wild dreams of hopping from one galaxy to the next was pure heaven.  I even made a pair of Captain Spock ears out of resin as a school project once and actually wore them to school.  And yes, I still love Star Trek!

It all started with my grandad when I was 5 years old. We lived in a big house in a joint family system, so I got to spend time with my grandparents every day.  I remember the evenings, with gathering pillows and cushions to lay down on the terrace with him to gaze at the stars.  He would point out the different constellations and their shapes, he would show me illustrations of our own solar system and sketches of our Milkyway galaxy to try and put things into perspective for me. We'd look at the moon through a telescope and he'd tell me stories of how it interacted with the Earth.  Over the years, it became a weekly thing, from discussing the Greek philosopher, Plato's writings around 360 BCE, when he matched his five Platonic solids with five supposed elements: earth, air, fire, water and star stuff, to how he paired cubes as the most stackable shape on earth, to the laws of the Universe with sacred geometry, from a scientific point of view.  I didn't view any of it as science lessons but more of wacky science fiction stories told by my grandad.  In the beginning, I was too young to even comprehend that all of it was real, but somewhere deep within, I totally believed everything and was always excited to learn more.  As I gew older, I started to realise how incredible those times were with my grandad and how effortlessly he taught me so much.

My grandma used to explain the astrology behind my gradad's astronomy.  She used to say, listen to the stories of science from you grandad and come to me if you want those stories translated into art form.  So... on one hand I was learning the science of the Universe and Planet Earth and on the other, I was learning the art behind the astronomy and how it connects to people.  From an early age, I leant how science and art is connected to each other.  And now... I live within that connection.  From the science of dying fabrics, and how the fabric weaves flow for tailoring to how I break down my mood boards are pure chemistry and physics.  How I design and turn that science into my tailored pieces takes a few calculations of maths and lashing of art.  From the science of how I grow my fruits and vegetables to cooking and presenting them in a beautiful way is art.  There is no doubt in my mind of the relationship between science and art.

Growing up, the questions that remained in my mind for many years... Where does the empty space end? What was in it before the big bang?  Where did the empty space come from?  How is the Earth floating?  How does it not fall off?  Why does it not stop spinning?  Why does the sun not explode?  How does rain come out from the white couds?  If the clouds are able to float then why does the rain fall to the ground?  If rain and snow are both made of water then why do they look different?  And many more of such questions.  Those were all the questions that my mum and dad answered and explained to me.  Then one day when my dad showed me the structure of a snowflake under his microscope, I thought it was something he made by hand.  I was in awe of how something so perfect can form naturally and then fall from the sky.

I spent much of my childhood years in India, where we had huge gardens in two family homes in diferrent cities. Half of the gardens were full of flowering plants and the other half were for fruits and vegetables.  We had space for cows, goats, chickens and ducks. There were two huge lakes where my dad and uncles farmed their own fish for fishing. And both houses with roof terraces/gardens on various levels.

We all planted different flowering plants and trees in the garden and we all helped out on the vegetable patches and learnt how to grow them.  Different seasons flowered different blooms and produced different fruits and vegetables.  Everything was organic with no chemicals in sight and we had water containers to collect rain water.  We grew potatoes, onions, carrots, spinach and cauliflowers to cabbages, leeks, aubergines, chillies and okras amonst many other varieties of vegetables.  As for fruits, mangoes were my favourite but we also grew, papayas, dates, coconuts, guavas and tomatoes amongst a few others.  The cows were milked and we collected eggs from the chickens.  I was 8, when I learnt that freshly laid eggs were soft, without the hard shell, and when they come in contact with fresh air, the outer membrane hardens to form the hard shell.  I used to be fascinated with all things science, and my dad would get excited in the hopes that I'd follow in his footsteps to become a doctor.  Imagine that... anyone who knows me well would choke at the thought of me being a medical doctor.  I wasn't a fan of fishing so I let the rest of the family carry on with that, instead I learnt how to knit, bake and cut tailoring patterns with old newspapers.

I learnt the science behind growing flowers, fruits and vegetables and the importance of looking after the soil.  I learnt about photosynthesis in the garden, instead of a classroom and how important it is to look after our planet.  Dad made it really fun for us to learn and even the complicated science of atmospheric presures and jet streams for weather conditions were a breeze to learn the way my dad taught us, as little stories.  I learnt about carbon footprint when I was 11 years old during a BBQ at a friend's garden.  From talking about the natural fuel supply for the BBQ, the discussion went on a tangent about fossil fuels and how to manage carbon footprint in very simple terms with brilliant metaphors and examples.

The fresh mangos that we can now reach to pick from the terraces in the family homes.  The Indian doves are a big fan of them too.  The gardens were always filled with different types of wildlife.  From monkeys to birds and badgers, we learnt about everything that visited our gardens.

As I grew older, I started learning more and more and by that time, it was already a way of lifestyle for me.  From conserving water and energy supplies to organising our days to keep our travels to a minimum and reducing our food wastage, I learnt so much.  Taking jute and cotton carrier bags to the shops was standard.  If we could walk somewhere instead of being chauffered by our parents, then we did.  It was a childhood free of waste and full of family fun.

Now, when I visit the family homes in India, it brings back so many happy memories.  These days I don't have to climb on the terrace walls to reach for the fruits, thankfully I've grown to be tall enough to just reach my hand out and pick fresh organic papayas and mangoes. 

I may live in different countries now, but I haven't forgotten my roots or the lifestyle that I grew up to know.  I've created my own garden full of fruits, flowers, and the vegetable patches.  I manage to grow enough to last me a few months of the year as well as being able to give to my neighbours.

I have many water containers that I collect and store rain water in, so I don't rely on the water that comes out of the taps to produce my flowers and vegetables.  Being self sufficient for a proportion of the year helps to reduce a significant percentage of my carbon footprint.

Duruing the times I don't grow vegeratables and flowers, I grow evergreens, that help in multiple ways.  They produce oxygen and feed on carbon dioxide to clean the air, they keep the soil healthy for when it's time to plant more vegetables, and in the spring, I have lots of fully grown evergreens that I utilise in set design.  Saving trips to flower markets not only reduces my own carbon emmissions but also, it negates the need for me to buy flowers and plants that come with massive carbon footprints.

My lifestyle and how I utilise my green spaces help me neutralise a significant percentage of my brands carbon footprint.
To learn more, you can visit my 'Planet Earth' page.

I fell in love with growing flowers, fruits and vegetables and my brother fell in love with keeping animals and birds.  Whilst I have vegetable patches, a garden full of flowers and a full size peacok that's made of paper and feathers, my brother has a real pet peacock, chickens, pheasants, exotic birds, pigs, cows and lakes with fishes.  Luckily he has the land to create a free range lifestyle for all his beloved birds and animals.  It's not uncommon to walk into my brother's house and see a calf having a nap on the sofa or the peacock posing at the window whilst admiring the open countryside views from the inside.  There's never a dull moment in our family.

Gotta look out for the wild boars and the deer herds though.  You certainly don't want to find yourself in the midst of them.  My phrase 'You never know when you might bump into a wild animal' refers to my brother's lifestyle, he's like a real life Doctor Dolittle.  Whenever he visits me, he always turns up with something, whether it's a cockatoo or a snake.  Once he turned up with a eguana, I thought it was a cute baby dragon, and I was patiently waiting for the fire display to start.  My sister is a lover of horses and hand made crafts, as well as being a fantastic baker too.  We've all grown up to embrace different aspects of a natural lifestyle.

The closest I ever get to looking after wildlife is at home, in my garden, where I have a constant supply of food for the birds, squirells, and of course, plenty of flowers for the bees.  And at Christmas, I always make a door wreath for the wildlife, from the pine cones and flowers made with cut and carved dried fruits, to twigs and cinamon sticks made of moulded wildlife feed.  Everything is edible except for the ribbons and the wire frame.  The times I incorporate blue pine in the wreath, I make sure to have extra decorations made with wildlife feed is on there to compensate for it.  I'm susch a sucker for fairness!  Usually by the time Christmas morning comes around, half the wreath has already been eaten.  The images below are when I first hang it on my door.