I didn’t learn sign language in a classroom; I learned it to argue, laugh, and dream with my brother and sister. While the world looked at my siblings and saw a "disability," I saw a different kind of fluency, a visual language just as nuanced and powerful as the spoken word.

My career began at 16, interpreting for the National Association of the Deaf. By the time I was anchoring news for Doordarshan and interpreting the Republic Day Parade, I realised the gap wasn't in ability; it was in opportunity. Society expected Deaf people to be beneficiaries. I knew they were creators.

At 23, I founded Atulyakala to prove it.

Initially, we operated as a Design House, but I soon realised a flaw: I had become the bridge between the client and the artist. As long as I was the mandatory translator, the dependency remained. That wasn't true empowerment. So, we pivoted to a Lifestyle Brand, creating products that could be mass-produced and scaled. This shift allowed us to bypass the bottleneck of translation and let the art speak directly to the consumer.

Three years ago, we took our boldest step yet: Women’s Apparel.

Today, Atulyakala is India’s first brand where the designers and 90% of the team belong to the Deaf community. We have reached lakhs of customers, showcased our collections on national platforms, and our work has been honoured with Presidential Recognition, proving that our designs don't just stand for a cause; they stand for excellence.

But the journey is far from over. My vision is to take Atulyakala global, launching in Dubai, Singapore, and beyond. I want to collaborate with Deaf communities across borders, creating a universal design language that impacts lives not just in India, but around the world.

This is not a charity; it is a movement. And you are wearing the change.