GREEN SEA SHELLS

​​I grew up in Mumbai in a family where travel was simply part of how we experienced the world. Every summer, my grandparents gathered all six grandchildren and took us to a different region of India for weeks at a time. Spending those long summers away showed me early on that every place had its own distinct way of living, eating, and communicating.

​

As I grew older, my parents expanded that horizon. They took us across India and eventually internationally, giving us the confidence to step into unfamiliar cultures with genuine excitement rather than hesitation.

​

That ease with the world ran deep in our Gujarati heritage. For generations, our community has crossed oceans, building lives in new countries while carrying pieces of home wherever they went. Long before I studied migration academically, I had already seen what it meant to belong to a culture that viewed the world as something to explore.

​

When I moved from India to the United States on my own for graduate school, that perspective became essential. Living abroad meant constantly learning to navigate new environments and connect with people from every background. My studies in literature, communication, and consumer anthropology were a natural extension of that experience—a way to understand how culture shapes the way we think, live and communicate.

​

That focus stayed with me throughout my career, whether I was researching wellness, teaching, or building human-centered businesses. I was drawn to the deeper questions behind human behavior: why people travel, how traditions endure, and what makes certain places stay with us long after we leave.

​

When I met my husband, Puneet, our shared background made immediate sense. He had spent years living and working across several countries, driven by that same fascination with the world. Together, we chose to pass that same life on to our daughter. Travel has been woven into her childhood from the start—she received her first passport before her first birthday, growing up around road trips, global music and food, and open conversations about different cultures.

​

Green Sea Shells grew naturally out of that trajectory.

​

What began during the pandemic as a small collection of stories on Indian culture and wellness evolved into a destination-first digital magazine celebrating remarkable places, distinctive stays, and cultural traditions. It reflects the way I have always moved through the world—traveling to truly understand a place rather than just visit it.

​

Looking back, the thread connecting every chapter of my life isn't wellness, research, teaching, or even travel itself.

​

It is curiosity.

​

And Green Sea Shells is where that curiosity found a home.