"Going back 7 years to when I first started powerlifting at 18 – I was definitely the odd one out. Here I was an Indian woman picking up heavy weights. No one on social media I could look up to, no one in my gym who looked like me, and parents who had never even heard of powerlifting. It was a struggle to figure out how I fit into my community and the fitness world. South Asian communities tell us, especially women, not to have big muscles."

"What began as just excessive crying, transitioned into social isolation and binge eating. I was eating over four times the amount of calories I normally would eat and ultimately reached a state of apathy, where I really just had a disregard for my general well-being."

"I had mental health issues and my college didn't help me in any way. As a result, my drinking and smoking habits got really bad. During this time, I smoked 30-50 cigarettes a day. I again somehow managed to complete my degree and in my final year is when I got hooked into the world of fitness."

My fitness journey while growing a family, and why I feel it’s important for Tamil women especially, to prioritise their health and fitness.