my latest passion

Help us improve healthcare in Andhra Pradesh.

Project AP

with my numero uno

baby bro

This is one of my favorite photos from my childhood. It's also one of my favorites of me and my brother. It's amazing how one image brings back so many memories and instantly takes you back. I'm also stunned to think how far we've come from that day. I'm 24 now and my brother is 18. I think this photo was taken in 95, when I was 8 and he was 2. He's grown up to be a wonderful man and I'm already so incredibly proud of him. Can't wait to see what the next 15 years have in store for us!

A Walk On The Dark Side

Got an interesting phone call a few hours ago as I sat here studying. I didn't recognize the number so I was a bit rude initially. It turned out to be my hair stylist, Lee. He asked me to participate in a hair show called "A Walk On The Dark Side" being held tomorrow as part of a local breast cancer awareness project. I said yes immediately, without really thinking. I believe there are certain opportunities in life that only knock once. They might turn out to be good, they might turn out to be horrible. Either way, you've enjoyed yourself or learned something. I don't consider myself even remotely close to qualifying as a model but this is something fun and for a good cause. I'm a bit nervous because I have to style my own outfit. Also, I have to incorporate the color pink into my outfit which will be difficult seeing as I own very little of it. Hair and makeup will be in the hands of the professionals. Oh and I don't know how to walk or pose! Still, I'm super excited. Photos to come!

"Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

"I entered like a winner." -Vasuki Sunkavalli

Those who know Miss Universe India 2011 Vasuki Sunkavalli use many words to describe her. Confident, intelligent, genuine, kind, strong, beautiful, etc. Perhaps the most fitting word is driven. This is a woman who has, in a relatively short time, accomplished many things. Undoubtedly, the most striking thing about Vasuki is her unyielding drive. She sets a goal, she works towards it, and she achieves it. What better role model for the young girls of today?

Vasuki attended Symbiosis International University and graduated with an LL.B degree in 2007. While there she was president of the Human Rights Cell and Deputy Editor of the University Law Review. It was during this period that she was approached several times by members of the fashion industry. She declined as her priority then was her education. She knew if tried to do both, she wouldn’t be able to give her all to either. Doing something halfway is not acceptable to Vasuki. In 2006, she received the Law School prize for Most Diligent Mooter and won the gold medal in the Inter-College Moot Court competition. At graduation, she was awarded the D.L. Mazumdar Medal for Overall Outstanding Performance in 2007 and the Mother Teresa Scholarship for exceptional work in Human Rights. Vasuki also found time to do an internship at a law firm conducting research and assisted in drafting license agreements. While in law school, she did a series of internships at India’s National Human Rights Committee where she drafted petitions and wrote shadow reports regarding women’s issues and general human rights issues such as right to healthcare and water.

In 2007, Vasuki made her entry into Indian fashion when she walked the ramp at Wills India Fashion Week. For the next two years, she had a prolific career as a model. She participated in various shows for many of India’s top designers and modeled for brands based in Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, and Kolkata. She was also part of the ad campaigns of Nike, Kit Kat, and World Gold Council. During this period, Vasuki also worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Avahan Project for HIV/AIDS as Programming Officer. As assistant to the program director, she drafted policies and conducted fieldwork in an effort to spread awareness and introduce sex education to rural areas.

In 2009, Vasuki enrolled at New York University to study International Law and Human Rights. She graduated with an LLM as a recipient of the prestigious Dean’s Scholarship. Upon graduating, she interned at the Human Rights Watch in NYC where she worked on reports regarding illegal police detentions and children’s rights. She was then appointed as the Third Committee’s research assistant at the United Nations’ Permanent Mission of India. While there, she concentrated on human rights.

As one can see, Vasuki is deeply committed to making a contribution to the world that has given her so much. Infact, it was one of the reasons behind her enrollment in the Miss Universe pageant. Vasuki is many things. Vasuki is a woman on a relentless pursuit to make a difference. She is a lawyer, an athlete (she played basketball at both state and national levels for eight years), a model, and a crusader for human rights. But to those who know Vasuki, she is quite simply a woman whose gorgeous face pales in comparison to her inner beauty. Many say she is a beauty with brains, but she is in fact much more. She is a brutally honest woman who fights fearlessly for that which she believes is right. Vasuki demonstrates the generosity of spirit and dedication to community that is expected not only of a Miss Universe, but of a true citizen of world.

To vote for Vasuki in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Brazil, click here.

If money wasn't an issue, and if you had to completely ditch your life as it is now and pack up everything... where would you choose to go? What would you do?


Manhattan!




I would walk for miles... breathe in the city... take photos of everyone and everything... eat pizza at 2AM... watch the pigeons... shop for roadside art... sip coffee while listening to the city's cries... welcome the new year in Times Square... stroll through rain and snow in no particular direction... go to Lincoln Center for Fashion Week... jog in Central Park... and become one with the city.

is this progress?

This post is about the following article...

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/four-grams-of-gold-free-of-cost-for-girls-getting-married-jayalalithaa/791626/

Briefly put, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha has pledged to give 4 grams of gold to women getting married. Her other pledges involve free rice, etc.

I'd like to know why incentives are being offered that promote marriage but not education. What the young girls of India need is schooling so they can be financially independent. With this offering of gold, yes there will be people who benefit. But there will also be those who take advantage of the system. Who is to say this won't encourage women to get married several times? Or for men to take advantage of unassuming women in the greed for gold? Has anyone considered the consequences of this policy?

The days of securing one's future via marriage are long gone. We should be encouraging children to become self-sufficient and the way to do that is through education. Politicians, knowingly or not, seem to be stepping on progress with policies such as these. It is time to elect those who recognize the importance of education.

my day job vs my passion

Medicine is my day job. Fashion is my passion.

Medicine is in my blood. Fashion helps me breathe.

Medicine is faith. Fashion is religion.

Medicine is not for all though it should be. Fashion is for all though it shouldn't be.

Medicine is science, logic. Fashion is art, limitless.

Medicine is work. Fashion is instinct.

Medicine lets me help people. Fashion helps me.

Medicine is what my mind tells me to do. Fashion is what my soul needs me to do.