Biography

Born Charu Ahuja, in Sudan, as the second of four children, I grew up traveling the world as a child of the universe. The opportunity to travel through lands far and wide has given me a perspective of the world as a global village. This has been an immersive experience in which I have been a part of many cultures. Each culture has been unique and yet similar in some way.

After starting my life in the Sudanese desert, I moved to the tropical island of Papua New Guinea. I began my education in the international schooling system. Such a schooling system gives students an opportunity to display a little bit of their culture and experience a little bit of someone else's. The most memorable event was the annual celebration of United Nations Day. This is a day where everyone adorns their traditional costume to school and shares food from their country of origin. This education clearly went far beyond academics.

Following the tropics of PNG I moved to the island nation of Singapore. This is truly the melting pot for the East and West. It is one of the few places where one can experience different places of worship on the same street and see people respecting one another's values. If anyone has ever lived in Singapore, they'll agree that it will always feel like home. I could go back 15 years from now and still identify with the culture.

My next adventure took me to Australia. The landscape of this country is breathtaking. Nature has molded the rocks and reefs into such magnificent structures. One feels like they've walked into to the canvas of a brilliant artist. The terrain is by no means an easy one to survive in, but there is beauty to it. People there are laid back and extremely friendly. In a short train or bus trip you can get to know someone's life as if it were your own! You'll never feel lonely in a place where strangers can become friends.

Today I am in Ohio, USA experiencing the winter snow. I feel like my life has turned a complete circle from where it started - from a desert of sand I've come to a desert of snow. The only difference is the presence of water. Seeing the cycle of seasons from the eyes of an adult is an entirely different experience. Seeing the changes from spring to winter is a new experience for me. I catch each snowflake and stare at it in amazement until it melts. Water falling in the form of crystals is a miracle even to someone with a heavy dose of science education!

After describing all these amazing lands, there is one land that I haven't mentioned yet - my motherland, India. Although I am a child of the universe, I am proud of my heritage. When everyone in school was sharing a piece their culture on United Nations Day, I shared mine. Although I have never lived in India, the culture is a part of my family. My family and I have seen the world together. We've immersed ourselves in every culture and maintained our own. We love to watch Indian movies, eat Indian food, sing Indian songs, and perform Indian dances. We can be in any corner of the world and it will feel like home as long as we have each other.