The Woman as a Full Circle
The woman is a full circle—within her lies the power to create, nurture, and transform. This timeless truth pulses at the heart of the Blume Foundation https://www.instagram.com/blumefoundation
, and it finds its living reflection in the graceful, rhythmic circles of Garba, a dance of devotion to Goddess Shakti, the supreme power.
Just as Garba embodies prayer, unity, and celebration through its circular form, Blume embodies the collective force of women rising together—breaking cycles of violence, silence, and oppression.
Designer: Anjali Phougat https://www.instagram.com/anjali_phougat6
Circles in Storytelling
Circles weave themselves into every chapter of my work. My book series, Brown Girl in the Rim, draws its very name from the rim of the circle—a place where pain, power, and possibility converge. The first volume, Seashore Silhouette, continues this journey, illuminating the struggles women face against domestic violence, rape, and gendercide, while celebrating resilience and rebirth.
Stories, like circles, return us to ourselves. They remind us that even in the deepest wounds lies the promise of renewal.
A Name Rooted in Wholeness
Even my name carries the circle’s essence. Vaishali, born from the name of the world’s first republic, speaks to an ancient circle of community and collective voice. Dev signifies the divine, often imagined as a circle—limitless and unbroken, like a mandala or the rising sun. Together, Vaishali Dev reflects an abundant circle of the sacred, where humanity and spirituality meet in wholeness.
Symbols of Identity and Strength
The Blume logo itself holds a circle—a dot, a bindi—quietly honoring South Asian identity and tradition. More than mere ornament, this dot symbolizes individuality, mindfulness, and protection. It is a reminder to stand tall, rooted in awareness and purpose.
Even in my attire, crafted by Anjali Phougat, the symbolism continues. I wear white—a color of purity, peace, and new beginnings—paired with a dupatta adorned with rings. Each ring is a circle, capturing wholeness, continuity, and the unbroken strength of women. Together, they echo the circles of Garba, the rim of my book, the bindi of identity, and the wheel of Gandhi’s charkha
Garba: A Living Heritage
Garba, honored by UNESCO as the cultural heritage of Gujarat, carries this circular energy forward through dance and devotion. Gujarat is also the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, who revered women as embodiments of service and sacrifice. His charkha, another circle, became a unifying emblem of patience, hope, and freedom—spinning thread by thread toward liberation.
Where Circles Converge
Circles unite us. They remind us of beginnings, of endings that become new beginnings, of cycles and continuity. From the rim of Garba to the rim of my book’s journey, from the bindi on the forehead to the rings on a dupatta, from the wheel of Gandhi’s charkha to the meaning hidden in my name—the same truth emerges: women are power, women are prayer, women are possibility.
Carrying the Mission Forward
Designed by Designer Dream collection Anjali Phougat
This is where my passion meets compassion—the circle of storytelling, activism, and community empowerment. Through the Blume Foundation, through Seashore Silhouette, and through every act of resilience, I carry forward this mission: to honor women as full circles and to help end the cycles of violence that seek to diminish them.