So many people have been instrumental in my journey in the arts and the sciences. Here are few of them as well as some of the contributions they've made. 

Smt Maheswari Amma talking about how she teaches not just dance; she also teaches how one should conduct themselves according to Indian culture and heritage. ​

Nuances of learning and teaching: One commonality between the sciences and the study of Bharatanatyam is the role of mentors and gurus. In both disciplines, while these individuals provide skills, information, and knowledge, they provide so much more. By spending time with my gurus outside of dance practice, I learned how to effectively work with props, develop lighting maps, and stitch dance costumes. As an international scientist, my love for science is tinged with the sadness of moving out of India. However, these feelings are also mixed with happy memories such as my advisors introducing me to rock music and suggesting artists that I might want to listen to. To this day, Led Zeppelin takes me back to the lab and the late nights I spent at the electrophysiology rig. Spending long hours in the lab allowed me to look out of the window and see a beautiful oak tree. Many years later, hearing the news that my favorite tree had been cut down, I choreographed a piece that depicted its sad demise and its impact on the animals around it. Coming full circle, the music I immersed myself in while in the lab now allows me to select songs for a group that I facilitate for those with early-stage Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. ​

In addition to doing science and dance, I also get to write about them! Words are my first love, and I remember being 2 or 3, sitting at the window sill, looking at river Sabarmati and admiring the shape of letters in my father's Business India magazine. Though I did not know what the words meant (I could not yet read), I knew the words had meaning! 

My love for writing was nurtured by my father Appa, and Margie Didi - editor of Wee Wonder, Times of India. Appa showed me how the written word can be used to highlight deserving people. Didi taught me how to use words to transform the world around me into something extraordinarily interesting. Both took an enormous amount of time reading and providing feedback, to which I am indebted.
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My dear friend Carol Schachter spent many an hour reading and editing my works, pointing out how a phrase could be made clearer to the reader. My husband Michael does the same - he does not rest till there is logical consistency in what I write. He can make the most convoluted scientific argument comprehensible. The sheer gratitude I have for those who have taken (and continue to take) time to better my writing, (paradoxically), cannot be put into words.