A first: my family in the audience

Originally posted on LinkedIn.

Last Saturday was a first.

For the first time in my life, my parents and my husband saw me step on stage, hold a mic, and speak — while they sat in the audience, cheering for me.

To say it was a big day for me is an understatement. It was an even bigger day for my mother.

She has fought for me at every pivotal moment — first, to send me to a missionary school in an otherwise conservative Punjabi household. Second, when I wanted to study journalism at LSR while others in the family thought I should be in computer science.

And when the time came for a leap, it was my father who backed me when I chose to quit my job and freelance instead.

In their eyes, it felt like a quiet confirmation that their support meant something.

The event happened in Delhi (thankfully!) and hence my family could attend. Design leaders under 40 were invited to speak after a jury process, and I was fortunate to be part of a lineup full of many incredibly talented people, including Rasagy Sharma, Shivani Mehta, and Pratyush Gupta, who shared very inspiring journeys (and quests)!

I spoke about five reflections from trying to build a niche design practice in the country through Revisual Labs.

And just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, it did. At dinner with the family afterward (and totally randomly at an unrelated setting), we ran into a former client who told my parents, “Your daughter is an amazing entrepreneur and designer.”

The look on their faces at that moment and earlier, sitting in the audience was everything.

Thank you, team ADI Delhi, for making it possible!