A Letter from Malavika

Growing up outside of India, I often felt like I was in between worlds. Born in Dubai, I didn’t fully belong there, but every visit to India reminded me that I didn’t quite belong there either. My childhood references were different, my way of seeing the world wasn’t the same as my cousins’, and no matter how much I wanted to fit into either place, I never fully did.

But there were things that felt like home in both places—scents, food, and the little sensory details that connect us to something deeper than language or culture. The scent of cardamom in chai, the heady sweetness of jasmine in my mother’s hair, the warmth of sandalwood lingering in a room—all of these made me feel rooted, even when I felt out of place.

With Uma is special to me because it carries those familiar scents and memories forward. It’s something I share with my mom, who has told me stories of her childhood and the smells that shaped her world. And it’s something I get to build with my sisters, blending our own experiences into something new.

For those of us who have lived between places, between cultures, scent has the power to bring us home. That’s what With Uma is for me. I hope it can be that for you too.

With love,
Malavika