Tirusha Dave !

Whenever I do formal introduction of myself, it normally comes off as "too professional," because that's the way I have to be in the field which I work in -- fashion & journalism. But there's no need for formality here, so shall we cut the chase?

I'm Tirusha. Tirusha Dave to be more exact :-) I was born & raised in the US, but have always stayed true to the roots which my parents provided to me. It is cliche to say, but I am a mix of East & West; I love to wear my stilettos, and jeans, but I'll always mix it up with my Desi bangles or duppata as a scarf. I can listed to my Katy Perry, but also sit down & play antakshari with my family-friends.

For those who are reading this, and know me on a personal level, today is a very important day for me; and for those who don't, well, you might learn a thing or two about me, as you read this post. What am I? Allow me to tell you: I'm a daughter. A sister. A friend. A professional. A writer; a unique individual.

I'm also a survivor. I'm someone who fights for what's important in life.

A little over six years ago, I had an idea, a crazy idea to do something different in life. I was already off the bridge of having changed my major from Pharmacy to English, and confused about what it was I wanted to do in life. I had this strong, growing passion for the field of writing. Not sure if it was something I "inherited," as I come from a well known Gujarati literature-based family, or I just had a damn good knack at writing. But it was something I loved -- and that's putting it quite lightly. During my final years of being an English major I was bored with my internships...never having the creativity or freedom to write HOW I wanted to or even WHAT I wanted to write about. My professor, Dr. Clipper, challenged me and said, "If you're so bored with all the magazines you're writing for, then make one of your own."

** Deer caught in headlights was the expression I had **

And the first thing which spat out of my mouth was, "I don't know HTML." I went home that same day and Googled, how do you start an online magazine. Sure enough, there were hundreds & thousands of website and blogs, with tips, tricks, and so much more. It was overwhelming, to say the least. But I was determined to do it. And then, one day, Bravura Magazine was born. It was a blank website, with just a header, in some lame JPEG image I created on my own laptop.

Blank...


I needed content; but how? I started to pull all the previous articles I had written for other magazines & online publications, placing them on the website. I started to write my own thoughts into more full articles, researching different topics, and getting more in-depth with my writing. It was turning out really well. I knew friends who were interested in different fields -- art, music, health, and so on -- so I asked them to contribute different articles to the website, turning it into a more user-friendly website -- there was nearly something for everyone.

Over time, Bravura Magazine grew & developed, not into some mega-empire, but into something which I never thought possible. Something which I thought was once a dream. I was attending movie premieres, for not only Hollywood, but Bollywood movies as well, and have had the chance to interview & mingle with celebrities and even political figures throughout the years. And then... FASHION entered my world. It was a world which was semi-foreign to myself. Growing up, and when in college as well, I always had a distinctive taste in style and personal looks for myself, whether it was how I did my hair, my make-up, or even dressed. But the first time I new I wanted to REALLY do something in fashion was when I was writing for several different US-based South Asian bridal publications; it was a time which allowed me to meet & interview different designers. So for me, it first began with combining writing & fashion - two things which I loved so much. And the rest was history.

Click here to read the next part of her journey  that reveals about her life changing experience !

Click here to visit BRAVURA !

Share on Google Plus

About Ananya