We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Puja Shah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Puja, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?

During the research of my debut novel, For My Sister, I interviewed a number of nonprofits that inspired me and that I was connected to from the years of nonprofit experience. I saw their driving efforts to meet the needs of fulfilling girls rights in India and at a global level.

For My Sister is a novel that follows the journey of light and darkness with Amla and Asya: twin sisters trafficked into India’s notorious Sonagachi district, which is Asia’s largest red light district. Can the power of poetry, mindfulness, and sisterly love bring them back home and to each other?

What I learned is that while fiction, the story of Amla and Asya is all too real.

So often as artists, we express ourselves through the medium that we are called to. For me, this was writing. What started as a story, became a deeper calling. A cry for social change. A commitment to awareness.

I learned that writing for social change doesn’t mean I will change the world overnight, but it adds to the larger collective efforts toward social justice by helping those who have been second-class citizens of the world to feel validated and understood by giving a voice to those who may not be able to express themselves. I am not an expert on trafficking, however I was able to align with the causes that are doing the work on it. Like Gandhi believed, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

I see my book as a vehicle of compassion that can bring forth awareness which can lead to change. As a yoga and meditation instructor, this inner place of compassion is one that reminds me we are not all that different. The girls across the world that I write about, could love the same music as my best friend, and have dreams like my sister. In the end, it comes down to connecting to one another. More information on my novel and mission is available at www.formysisterbook.com.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I love to share my voice through written and spoken word, guided meditations, and teaching. I have led hundreds of guided meditations through the years, whether in yoga classes I taught locally or on retreats I conducted in India under Buddha’s Bodhi tree and in Mexico among ancient ruins. My guided meditation album, Deep Dive Meditations as psnamaste, is now on Spotify, Apple Music, and streaming platforms. Each time I teach, I learn more about myself and the practice which I find so humbling.

While I do what I love now, I wasn’t always a full time writer/author. I spent many years in public health, in a rewarding career however it was not my passion.

It was not easy to make a decision and shift careers after so many years, especially as a mother. But what got me to realize this and gain the courage to do it was meditation and yoga, the gifts of my culture. After a few yoga trainings when I moved to San Diego and many courses in meditation from all over, I gained the ability to quiet my mind and listen to my inner voice. I heard myself giving voice to causes that I believe in, that I know are important to shed light on. I believe this introspection and drive is what gains freedom.

My current biggest focus is my debut novel For My Sister, which was inspired by my time volunteering overseas.

While the twin sisters in my novel look alike, they are very different. Asya is known for her quiet grace and understanding, whereas Amla questions authority and breaks rules.

Their lives change overnight when a confluence of unfortunate events brings them to the dark streets of India’s largest red-light district. Their only security is each other . . . until they are separated. Though they each discover ways to cope through poetry, art, and romance, they long for the other half of themselves. Will their lives ever intertwine again?

Like the freedom one loses in human trafficking in my novel, it is also symbolically, the freedom lost from a life without passion or purpose. I believe that all of us have a passion for something, and to portray that girls who are taken from their normal lives have this beating inside them too, shows the reality of why it’s important to bring awareness to end trafficking for those who have dreams just like all of us. To come full circle, just like my own kids will have dreams, I want them to see me making efforts to fulfill mine as an author.

And like one of the main characters, Asya, poetry is my lifeline too. I love reciting my spoken word poems when I get the chance!

After almost losing both my parents, I’ve learned that life is too short to focus on something that doesn’t bring you joy or purpose. Listen to your heart’s wisdom and things will fall into place.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
You can’t come to San Diego and not try the tacos! I would start by going to Lola’s Tacos on F street downtown after the flight.

We’d cruise around Gaslamp for some city fun and grab a comedy show at Laugh Factory and stay at a fun hotel like The US Grant for the first night.

We would head to La Jolla the next day. La Jolla is the first place I moved when coming from NYC and it is how Cali won my New Yorker heart. We could get brunch at The Cottage, go to the cove and hang out with the seals.

Later for lunch we could stop at local fave Osteria Romantica for Italian food in La Jolla Shores and grab a surf lesson by Surf Diva, my friend Coco’s amazing surf shop (and get souvenirs).

Then, we could walk around the village that evening, splurge on farm to table food at George’s, but save room for dessert at family owned Bobboi Gelato before heading back to our fun La Jolla Airbnb to feel like a local.

The next day we would beach crawl up to Encinitas and head to The Self Realization Fellowship meditation garden to unwind and for the amazing view plus walk at Swami’s Beach for a beach walk. We would grab a healthy lunch at Good on Ya, especially their mushroom elixir root beer and get a yoga class at Asteya Yoga then get the best lunch deal meal at Himalayan food at Everest Himalayan on the 101. Soul Scape is perfect across the street for some fun shopping too.

In the evening we would have reservations at Juene et Jolie, a prix fixe Michelin star true culinary experience and stay in Carlsbad Village for a different vibe or we could check out the Omni Resort Spa if we feel like splurging on a massage or relaxation, plus a super fun water slide in the pool.

Next, we would head to the San Diego Safari Park for the African Safari Tram. We would unwind after with a visit to Orfila Winery near the park and go down to a North Park airbnb to spend the night.

When we head to North Park, we would catch the farmer’s market for daytime eats and walking around and make it out to Tribute Pizza for some amazing pizza pies. If there is a fun show at The Observatory we would head there at night.

Then we would head back and dream of visiting again!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My sister, Dr. Mili Shah, is a huge inspiration of describing the sister bond the characters in my novel share. She is a phenomenal acupuncturist and professor, who is committed to the best health of her patients, highest learning for her students and always in service to her community. More information on my amazing sister is at: www.milishahdacm.com.

Website: www.formysisterbook.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psnamaste/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pujashahauthor

Other: www.puja-shah.com

Image Credits
Micaela Malmi (for photos of Puja).

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