I was born and raised in Oslo, Norway, to Indian parents who came from poverty and hardship. From a very young age, I knew my life was different from that of my peers. My father battled alcohol addiction and was physically and emotionally abusive. I lived in constant fear, and dissociation became my survival mechanism.

At the age of five, I was sent to live with my grandmother in India. My father believed he was protecting me from becoming like the “Norwegian girls”, liberated, expressive, and sensual. I spent two years there, malnourished, feeling abandoned, and far from home. Returning to Norway was another challenge; I struggled to speak the language, and was often excluded and subjected to racist slurs. I never quite fit in.

Through it all, I clung to one hope: to one day have a family of my own, a safe, loving home where I could finally feel the love and belonging I had longed for. That dream carried me through the years. I transformed from a disconnected, rebellious teen into a high-achieving young woman, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of London, becoming second runner-up in Miss Norway, and eventually earning my master’s degree. I met the man of my dreams and gave birth to two beautiful daughters.