Sandalwood Box is a visual diary of my ideas, thoughts, and creativity, a platform for me to express my explorations of cultural crafts, some special moments and all the beautiful things that inspire me.

I have always had a deep love for the arts and crafts from diverse cultures our world has to offer. I may not be able to experience all of them in person, but as a self learner, my explorations allow me to immerse myself into the various traditional works of art and create something inspired by them. I find that these crafts communicate important ideas about a culture and offer a social commentary and insight into the daily lives. These art forms reflect the values and concerns of the people and their closeness to nature which we see in the symbolism in their craft form. With the belief that a curiosity of the told and untold stories is the best starting point towards learning, I attempt inspired and adapted versions of traditional crafts. India’s rich cultural heritage fascinates me most and you may see me leaning towards many things Indian with projects that offer snippets of our culture and arts from different times and places.

The most valuable takeaway from these explorations has been the powerful experience of self-discovery and connections I am able to make through engaging and inspiring works of cultural art. I also hope that you will end up with a deeper appreciation of the traditional art itself, the culture it represents, and the hard working and creative artists that made them.

The name Sandalwood Box took root from a memory and its emotion. As a child; every time my grandmother, mother or aunts opened their Sandalwood boxes; I remember waiting impatiently and excitedly, eager to find out what might be in there, in anticipation that maybe they would let me keep something as they took out things one by one from the box. I remember the love and the sentiments of that moment and the value of that memory years on today. You can read more about it in my blog post titled "Keepsakes". I hope my blog is somewhat like a sandalwood box; igniting in you an excitement and anticipation to see what else I bring out.