“When you’re a child, everything seems magical. Each summer, we’d go to my family home in Bsharreh, which is on the edge of the Kadisha valley in Lebanon. Our garden was full of grape vines, bushes bursting with berries and trees bearing the sweetest fruits– cherries, apples, pears and apricots. There was a small stone fountain in the middle where you could wash what you picked. I would climb up a grape vine and sit on a branch that I called my house, taking up small steaming cups of coffee and staying there for hours. My grandmother would be shouting for me below but I wouldn’t answer. I loved that it felt like I was in a different world.

The house was full of stories. One time we removed the wood panels from a wall and there was a library hidden behind it full of old, historical books. There were black and white photographs of my great grandparents pasted on the walls – memories of previous generations illuminated.

My grandmother was an amazing storyteller. I can still imagine her in the kitchen, her smooth, warm voice lacing with the grating of metal as she sharpened knives above the stove. A dozen neighbourhood cats gathered around her, waiting for the remains of what she was cooking.

The child in me always wants to discover secrets, to find new ways of seeing. I’m always looking for magic. It’s everywhere; it’s just the way you look at things.”

“A friend of mine and I started a design festival called D.noise in my hometown of Jaipur. Known as the Pink city of India, Jaipur has such an effervescent personality, known for it’s hospitality, vibrancy, and rich cultural heritage, crafted in the terracotta lime temples, the sun-soaked streets and chaotic bazaars. We had an exhibition of 35 designers, artisans and craftsmen showcasing everything from clothes to furniture. We focused specifically on young entrepreneurs who couldn’t afford expensive exhibitions to come and share their work.

I wanted to show how design can be inclusive, how it can be a platform for young people to come together, to talk and think and dream. To realise the impact design could make, in every day life.”

“I started singing when I was 7 or 8. I was the lead singer in a group of 10 boys; we were all the same age and from the same area in Kerala, India. We would have lessons every day afterschool in duffmuttu, which is an art form that involves a mixture of singing in Mayalaam and Arabic and playing a small drum called the duff, which is made of wood and ox skin.

During this time, I used to participate in Kadha Prasangam, which means storytelling performance. It uses speaking, acting and singing to tell a story about famous characters in history. There were no instruments or costumes; the power was in the voice, hand movements and passion of the performers.

Even now I like all types of music from different cultures; even if I don’t understand the words, I like the rhythm and how it makes me feel.
Whenever I’m singing, I love it. It makes me happy.”