Me and myself,

It’s Tuesday morning, and you’re sitting in the back of an Uber on your way to the Heritage Aura’s headquarters in Worli. Your phone buzzes—it’s Priyanka from the AKS foundation, excited about the children’s campaign response. “Avneet, we’ve raised ₹82 lakhs in three days, and the video has 2200 subscribers in 72 hours!”

You smile, remembering how scared you were at 16, wondering if you’d ever figure out how to charter your path in this world. The coffee in your hands tastes like possibility as you review the slides that bridge centuries-old craftsmanship with Gen-Z+ values.

This is what loving your work feels like—when Sunday morning fills you with work excitement.

Last month, when you stood on stage at the Sustainable Fashion Summit, Prague, speaking to 800 industry leaders about “Luxury with Purpose,” you felt Mom and Dad watching the livestream.

Later, Dad called: “Beta, you were right about following your heart. But you were also smart about it.” Mom added, “Your _______ would be so proud—you’re carrying forward their values in ways they would have never imagined.”

It’s not just the work.

—It’s coming home to your one-bedroom apartment in Bandra, walls covered with campaign posters from brands that refused to compromise their ethics for profits or eyeballs.

—It’s the social groups with your college friends where you share wins and losses.

—It’s mentoring Sia, that shy girl from Pearl Academy who reminds you of yourself, helping her find her voice.

Some evenings, you walk along Carter Road, thinking about that confused teenager who couldn’t choose between dreams and practicality.

You didn’t have to choose. You built a bridge instead.

The work is demanding, campaign pivots that require weekend brainstorming, corporate politics that test your patience, but you have your family to support you. And when you see that artisan woman from Kutch featured in Vogue because of your storytelling, when a young girl from your foundation’s program gets a design scholarship, when a sustainable brand doubles their impact because of your strategy—you take a pause on the same bridge, enjoying the breeze.

You’ve become the person you hoped you’d be: someone who doesn’t just talk about change but enables it, one narrative at a time.

With pride

Your dreaming 16-year-old self—Avneet