Dear Reader,

I'm writing this from India — it's Diwali, the festival of lights.
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I came out to see my father, whose health has declined recently.
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The air smells like sweets and fireworks, and I’m surrounded by family.
It feels like Christmas, but warmer (hot, actually), louder, and more chaotic than I remember from childhood.

Partly because I’ve adjusted to the quiet of suburban American life.

Yesterday, my brother invited me to lunch with one of his team members — a young man he hired nine years ago when he was just 18. He also encouraged him to go back and finish his college education.

That same young man went out of his way to retrieve my wallet, which I’d forgotten at a friend’s house the night before.

There’s more we than me.

I sometimes miss that in the US.
Independence is beautiful — but so is this quiet web of interdependence.
​People woven into each other’s lives.

Both are true.
Both have shaped the way I see the world.

I think about this often when I work with brands.
We talk about “values” like they’re words on a website.
But values aren’t what you say.
They’re what you do — especially when no one’s watching.

They’re showing up.
They’re the wallet you go back for.
The college degree you help someone finish.
The ways you blur the lines because connection matters more than categories.

The best brands — like the best people — don’t just talk about connection.
​They live it.

But last night, sitting here with fairy lights flickering and my heart a little fuller, I'm thinking — maybe that's what Diwali really is.

Not just tradition.
It's choosing to show up.

Remembering that light spreads when you share it.

Happy Diwali! 🪔🪔
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Alpana

P.S. If your brand feels a bit disconnected from who you are now, let’s change that. I can help you realign and show up with impact. Hit reply to chat with me.
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​P.P.S. Snapped a few iPhone pics from breakfast at a tiny Irani café my brother loves — Café de la Paix. Scroll to the end to catch the video.