the phoolish girl
Namaste, my name is Jyoti!
I am an Indian Heritage enthusiast and can be found traveling across India to learn about indigenous knowledge arising from our diverse cultural roots.
I enjoy writing about living heritage focusing on traditional food systems and their connection to ecology.
As an Army kid, I lived across diverse Indian states learning about their cultural heritage. When it came to deciding what I want to pursue academically, I chose to study History at the University of Delhi (2013-16). One of the most common question I would get asked is- 'why do you like history? it's so boring'. The comments never bothered me. I enjoyed learning from the past and connecting what I learned in textbooks to the real world. As a result, I regularly volunteered at cultural organizations, museums as well as non-profits. These experiences were extremely valuable as they helped me practically interact with Indian history, learn about my cultural roots, and the chance to work with diverse people.
My most memorable experience has been my engagement with Pravah (youth leadership non-profit); I was part of incredible opportunities; I learnt from mentors, a diverse set of peers, and rural communities. During this time, I was a recipient of an international exchange program in Germany (2016-2017). This allowed me to travel across Europe. The experiences strengthened my love for Indian heritage and made me realise my aspirations to learn about it.
As part of Pravah's SMILE in-turn-ship, I spent a month in Jhiri, Rajasthan, documenting the locals crafts & teaching English at the local school
Sharing my journey at Pravah's annual event Music for Harmony celebrating journey of young people & their transformation- #MetoWe!
I got an opportunity to be a part of an international program in Germany. I learnt immensely travelling across Europe and seeing all the greens around
I decided to study to pursue my master's in Heritage Management at the Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University (2018-20) - diving deep into Indian Cultural Heritage. During this time, I had a deeply immersive experience to visit Korea National University for Cultural Heritage (KNUCH) in South Korea (2019), where I learnt about Korean culture. For my academic thesis, I focused on integrating traditional crafts into school curriculums, which ignited my passion for heritage education. Througout this time, I curated and conducted Heritage walks in Ahmedabad, highlighting stories of women, craftspeople, textiles, and historical events.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world. My health was affected, and it took a few months to recover. During this period, I began documenting my learnings and writing for UNESCO-ICHCAP (2020). What started as a single article about a craft turned into a fulfilling journey. For the last few years, I've been learning and writing about preserving Indian Cultural Heritage.
I enjoyed conducting heritage walks visitng the old monuments in Ahmedabad
Two years of intensive work immensely in the heritage world and cultural systems
Exploring a 300-year-old textile craft and learning from the Chitara community
After 2 years of intense academic experience, I worked as a Chief Minister's Good Governance Associate (CMGGA) in Sonipat district, Haryana (2021-22), supporting the District Administration. My interest in the culture space inspired me to initiate a project on basket weaving- a traditional craft practiced in the Sonipat region- to strengthen women's livelihood possibilities in the district. I enjoyed designing the project and engaging with rural women to revive an age-old craft from Haryana.
After CMGGA, I engaged with an early-stage start-up- Leela Life focusing on building and improving the quality of life by focusing on well-being based on ancient knowledge systems of India. I had the rare opportunity to meet, interact, and learn about the oldest systems written about well-being and understand the interconnections & relevance in the modern world. This was a life-changing experience and all the learning has helped me so much to improve my health and look at well-being from a completely different lens.
A year of understanding governance and transformation in Haryana
A passion project to strengthen the locals craft of basketry in Sonipat district, Haryana
Immersing in the ancient knowledge systems of India and bringing joy
I decided to take a break in October 2023 to focus on my health and deeply think about how I want to move ahead it life. I wanted to experience a slow life and integrate all the learning from my professional experiences. I took a few months off to rest, and reflect on my life. During this time, I spent a considerable amount of time in Auroville (Tamil Nadu), experiencing new things and learning different ways of living. I met so many inspiring people and it led to a new discovery of its own. I volunteered for projects that called me and learn immensely about Indian culture through its food heritage. I contributed to a project called Shalikuta on India's Rice Heritage. I constantly thought about my own roots, my native state and where do I come from. I resumed my work on Jharkhand's Cultural Heritage through my blog 'Chulhaa Chaukaa'. I was able to create my website & blog (everything you see here) and it was such a therapeutic and healing experience for me. I don't know what would happen next, but I am excited to see what emerges from this process and waiting to embrace it with open hands, heart & head.
I have had a culturally rich life as I traveled across India and
was introduced to diverse heritage practices including
traditional food, local crafts, festivals, villages from a young age.
The Phoolish Girl is my aspiration
to share my learnings about
India and it’s cultural heritage :)
thephoolishgirl@gmail.com