About Me
I'm joining Service Space because ... I would like to give my time and my skills towards spreading love and kindness.
A good day to me is when ... I am aligned and present to Gods blessings.
My hero in life is ...my 4 year old son, Danyal.
My favorite book is ...Cutting For Stone.
One thing I'm grateful for is ... my breath.
Karma Kitchen Dubai -- A Massive Heart Surgery. :)
Jun 12, 2018, 13 comments, 28 smiles
OMG. All I have to say is that my legs hurt. hahahah. We just finished our first Karma Kitchen in Dubai, and it was a downright phenomenal experience. After months of dotting so many i's and crossing so many t's, we finally arrived. And in short, I can just say that it was a massive heart surgery -- for volunteers who worked so hard, for the guests and restaurant owners and staff who took a massive leap of faith and were over the moon, for the media -- and larger Dubai -- who were happily surprised about this expansive shift in consciousness.
It was an overflowing full house, with 2 rounds of seating, that started at 7PM and closed past midnight! One of the most famous chefs in Dubai, Chef Akmal and his wife Inez who manages the place, hosted this at their restaurant 3Fils. It is one of the hippest ... Read Full Story
Karma Kitchen Dubai!
Jun 10, 2018, 5 comments, 15 smiles
Just concluded an amazing Karma Kitchen launch here in Dubai. More stories coming super soon. :)
Connecting With A Loved One Who Has Passed
Apr 05, 2018, 8 comments, 11 smiles
Dad passed away three weeks before the birth of my son Danyal and because I was about to give birth I couldn't travel, unable to be home for his funeral. He was 59 and he died from a heart attack. It was very sudden.
It was as if dad physically vanished and to make matters a little more confusing his spirit has been hanging out since the day he died so in some ways it is as if he hadn't gone anywhere. My confusion about dad's presence or lack of presence and how I should feel about it peaked on his death anniversary. Each 2nd of April, I stand by his grave disoriented, confused, frozen. I literally don't know what I am supposed to feel and so I go numb. My actions are also frozen for example, I cannot ever bring myself to bring flowers to his grave and going to ... Read Full Story
A Magical Farm In The Dubai Desert
Apr 04, 2018, 10 comments, 14 smiles
Universe is the ultimate guide
Upon my return from the Gandhi 3.0 retreat in January, I remember standing at Dubai airport and asking universe to find me a pure space like Sughad in Dubai that allows me to stay connected to the land (what seemed an impossible ask but after Gandhi 3.0 I knew anything was possible) and then I forgot about it. Over the next few weeks I got caught up with the idea of launching Tafadalu Cafe (Emirati version of Karma Kitchen). And on the day that I went to Red Crescent to get a volunteer license I was redirected to another project.
Meeting Shadia
During my third hour at the Red Crescent office, I met a lovely Emirati lady Shadia who used to be a journalist and left her job to set up Al Rawafed Learning and Development Center- a center for displaced children from Syria who have sought refuge ... Read Full Story
Stitch A Heart Sow A Seed
Apr 01, 2018, 4 comments, 12 smiles
Giving from the heart:
Upon returning from Ghandi 3.0 my heart was yearning to create and immediately put all my learnings from the retreat to good use. Nipun kindly introduced me to other volunteers based in Dubai who also recently visited ESI while Nimo's upcoming visit also brought a local community of volunteers together via email as well. There was a flurry of response going back and forth. I observed an urgency to give back in the air. I remember feeling pressured to participate out of wanting to honor and be worthy of the privilege of attending Ghandi 3.0, of wanting to please Nipun and wanting to be a part of the local volunteer community, and I didn't want to miss out. But I also didn't want to fall into the trap of giving out of obligation. Regardless of extrinsic factors I had to go within and meet myself where ... Read Full Story
Dubai's Stitch A Heart Circle :)
Mar 09, 2018, 12 comments, 27 smiles
[Originally shared on Feb 12, 2018]
A couple of days ago, I made two hearts out of the male Emirati national dress. Without all the heart whizards of Sughad, the first one looked like a sad kidney. :) But the second one was better, and then I improved the prototype with better safety pins. See photo. :)
This week, we are now starting a "Stitch a Heart" circle, where we'll all get together, share stories, stitch, make mistakes, laugh, and plot more (like an upcoming Karma Kitchen -- more on that soon!).
I'm really looking forward to spreading the heart-making fever amongst family, friends and community ... for example, we can teach it to the ladies in the labor camp (who are the janitors in Dubai) and they can randomly gift it to strangers at the mall? Maybe the mall CSR could purchase those hearts and give the ladies a little extra pocket money. I don't know but for now, will finish protyping and plotting with others and see where universe takes organically ...
P.S. News about Karma Kitchen Dubai is coming soon too! :) One of the most famous social-media celebrities in Dubai wants to join us to volunteer. :)
