“I grew up watching fairytales. I’d imagine myself as one of them. But the world soon reminded me that I, being a chubby kid, looked nothing like them. I was heckled & teased with comments like, ‘Look at that drum rolling’ or ‘Kya khati hai itna, moti?’. In 9th std, I’d participated in an inter-school dance competition–After learning Bharatnatyam for 8 years, I felt ready. Everyone laughed at me & said, ‘Moti’–my confidence took a hit. But still, nervously, I started my performance & to my surprise, the entire auditorium was spellbound. It was the happiest moment! I realized how much dance meant to me. I finally started feeling confident in my skin. But then a few years later in college, a guy said, ‘I’d like you to be my girlfriend but only if you lose weight.’ I felt shattered, and once again, insecure about myself. I ran home to Amma, cried my heart out & told her everything. She said, ‘You don’t have to change yourself for anyone. The right person will love you for you!’. 10 years later, it happened when I met Vikram on a matrimony site. Within the first hour I knew I’d found my soulmate. He was everything I wanted. He’d tell me, ‘You are the most beautiful woman.’ We fell in love & got married. Then, life took a beautiful turn–I got pregnant with twins. But 4 months into my pregnancy, I lost one of the babies & was put on bedrest–I was absolutely devastated but resolved to focus on the other baby. I even quit my job & took care of myself. & just like that, at 28, I became a mother to the most beautiful baby girl, she truly completed my life. Looking at her, I thought, ‘I want to set an example & show my baby to do what makes her happy.’ I started making dance videos & posting them online. I was nervous but excited. This time, I didn’t care about ‘log kya kahenge’! & to my surprise, people loved it–they’d message me saying they found my videos inspiring. The love kept growing. & slowly, even brands approached me. Before I knew it, I’d become an influencer. Today, my life is so much better than the fairytales I grew up watching. I have created a life I love & make new memories everyday. & now when I step in front of a mirror, I just see my beauty.”