Zenia Wadhwani
Storyteller
Every sari has a story.
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Avani is having so much fun playing with her mother's saris, so much fun, it's turned into a big mess! When her mom comes in, Avani expects a scolding, but instead, sits down and tells her about the memories associated with each sari. Where it came from, what it was worn for, and, in the case of one very special sari, the memories that were passed down from her parents and grandparents.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Illustrator
Avani Dwivedi
Avani Dwivedi is an author and illustrator living in Jersey City, NJ. She graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with B.F.A. in Illustration.
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Avani grew up in Mumbai, India and later moved to the United States to pursue her passion of becoming an artist. Even when away from home, she held on to her most precious gems - memories of her sweet childhood, the lived experience of being a South-Asian woman and her love for creating whimsical art. She aims to pain stories and illustrations through which she can share a more diverse perspective of the world.
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Her dubut author/illustrated picture book is My Bollywood Dream, published by Walker Books in UK and Candlewick Press in the US.
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More about Avani can be found here.
Many Thanks
To my muse, Avani (my daughter).
To my mom, Sonia Wadhwani, and my mother-in-law, Sheila Sharma, for sharing their journey through Partition and their treasure trove of saris and stories, but mostly for their love.
To my partner in everything, Alok.
To my creative soundboards, Sapna Butany-Goyal and Gurbir Jolly.
To Gayna Theophilus for her encouragement, guidance and grace.
To Samantha Swenson for making my dream come true.