Hello! We are Sohini & Chirag from Los Angeles, California. We are so grateful that you’ve taken the time to read a little about us. The journey you are on and the decision you are making isn’t easy, but it’s one of bravery and courage. We come with humbleness as we bear witness to your story and truth–something we will continue to honor when raising your child. We believe in creating a world that is patient, kind, open, and forgiving. Even though it doesn’t always feel that way, we believe that fighting for such a world is important and it starts with us being open and vulnerable and honest with you. So this is us. We hope you continue to learn about us and maybe, in some small way, you find some comfort and see your dreams and hopes reflected.

We’ve always considered adoption as a way to grow our family. Having family and close friends who are adoptees and/ or have adopted has expanded our definition of family. Also, as children of immigrants, whose own biological family ties were cut when they moved, we understood and appreciated the larger village of friends they made as family.

We met at an art festival in Los Angeles, where Chirag was performing his music and Sohini was curating the dance section. We became friends but didn’t start dating till a few years later. We lived across the country from each other but would have long conversations about everything—books, shows, what we were doing with our friends and family. Chirag moved across the country from New York to Los Angeles and years later we got married, then moved to New York and then moved again back to Los Angeles! We have traveled all around and on weekends we take long hikes with our dogs and entertain friends and family. What brought us together is also what keeps us together: Our love for all things creative and bringing people together through art, music, food, conversation and love. We are also silly together—we make corny jokes, make up songs and keep everyone entertained.

I am the youngest in my family and usually that means being taken care of, but in my family it means I take care of them. It’s the role I play ‌in life whether it’s with my friends or at work. That doesn’t mean I don’t need my recharge days as well! All things in art and creativity get me excited and keep me going. When I was a kid I would put together videos and audio clips and edit them into something new for no reason at all but then I’d share with the class.

Which is why I think I do what I do for work—I’m a Senior Vice President of creative marketing which just means creating trailers and posters for movies and tv shows. I’ve worked for a few companies on movies that have won the academy awards and I’ve also worked on series like Game of Thrones. What I love most about my job is not just the creativity but it keeps me curious. This is what makes me the most excited about being a parent, the creativity and curiosity. Showing the world through your experience and seeing the world through theirs.

Sohini is the embodiment of the phrase “full of life”. She has an extraordinary ability to make people laugh, feel heard, and be seen. She has a selflessness that extends to loved ones and strangers. Whether carving time from her busy schedule to tend to her family, a friend in distress, or mentoring youth, her ability to manage the pressures of a high-profile job and lead a life of meaning is remarkable. Sohini is an outlier–she is as much a ‘doer’ as she is an artist, and sees projects through in a practical and artistic way–whether it’s a home project or producing independent films (which she does besides her “job” as Senior Vice President of Marketing).

Sohini loves yoga, concerts, and art shows and is always looking for ways to engage with the wider world–whether it’s learning about those with marginalized identities and experiences or financially supporting causes, she commits to her own learning and growth and has a beautiful way of weaving learnings into her life.

Immigrating to America at twelve years old, I felt lost and confused. I didn’t have anyone to look up to, so I’d spend hours listening to music and writing, which helped shape me and gave me the safe space and non-judgment that I needed. To this day, music and writing help me when I’m feeling down. Luckily, I found jobs that allowed me to help younger people do the same.

For the last twenty years I’ve worked with kids—from helping them adjust to college, to working with young people who are locked up in juvenile detention.

When I’m not working, I recharge by being in nature or traveling, working on short stories, or watching basketball. What excites me most about being a parent is giving a young child all the things that I wished I had more of when I was young–nurturing their talents, whatever that may be, helping them find their way emotionally, but most importantly, I want them to feel protected and know that even if I don’t have all the answers I will always sit with them and work through all the hard things that will come up.

Chirag, known to his friends and family as Chee, is a curious, creative soul. He loves creating music, lyrics, writing short stories, gardening, and fashion. He is curious and is always consuming information. You can find him lost in an article, a book, a podcast, or looking up names of birds and plants when we are hiking. You can find him just as engaged watching an episode of Jeopardy or looking up facts after watching a movie.

Chirag is social, but is an introvert. He derives energy and ideas from smaller groups of people and when he is your friend, he is your friend for life. He is loyal and trusting and a great listener to his close friends, with whom he can engage in conversation for hours about all things. He also has a way of connecting to people of all ages and backgrounds.

We live in Mar Vista, a neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles, about 3 miles from the beach. It’s a diverse community with families from all over the world and speaking many languages.

Almost always, our house is full of friends or family. Our favorite spot in the house is in the living room/kitchen area and the backyard, where we play music, hang, and barbecue.

Our neighbors and friends are from diverse backgrounds, and we all look out for each other and offer support.

While we live in a city, live on a quiet block, next to a park, a great ice cream shop, and a bunch of restaurants. We walk our dogs to the park every day and always imagine taking our child to play with the other kids in the children’s playground.

We feel lucky to live in Los Angeles and we think it would be so fun to raise a child around the water, mountains, art and culture.

We have two dogs. Their names are Monk and Yogi and they are always in the mix and wanting to hang with us!

Monk is a three-year-old golden doodle and Yogi is a mix who is one year old. They are so loving with everyone that comes into the house and want to say hi to everyone we pass by on walks and on hikes. They live for cuddles and treats! Our nieces can’t get enough of them and they can’t get enough of our nieces. They keep us company on road trips, restaurants, outdoor concerts and movies.

We are both very close to our large group of family and friends who celebrate, support, and share in all our life moments, from the big (Christmas and Thanksgiving) to the small (Sunday supper).

Sohini grew up in Los Angeles, where her parents and many childhood friends still live. Her sister and niece, who although live in New York, give us reasons to travel back and forth. Her cousin, who is like another sister, lives two blocks from us with her daughter, dogs and husband, which ‌is great because we get to see them often. Her girlfriends, who she’s grown up with, are an extension of our family.

Chirag’s sister lives in Los Angeles with her four daughters and it’s always a fun to spend time with them and watch them entertain our dogs who they treat like their cousins. His parents live in New Jersey but visit Los Angeles four times a year and always stay with us. They love taking long walks with us and the dogs and teaching us which vegetables and fruits to plant in our yard.

• Thanksgiving
• Diwali
• Christmas
• Juneteenth
• Holi
• Halloween

On weekends, we hike, cook and have Sunday suppers; on birthdays, we visit the ocean to give offerings to our ancestors. Every change of season, we burn incense or sage to ask for health, happiness, and good energy. With our future child, we’d also want to honor your traditions or beliefs and pass those along. Forming new traditions and celebrations is at the heart of what we believe in as a family.

We aspired to be parents when we realized how much love we had to give to those around us and it was greater than keeping it between just us two. Our philosophy in parenting is centered on honesty, trust, patience and making space for all brave conversations. We know that there will be many challenges as in all relationships, but our promise is to always face them with grace. We promise to affirm our child no matter what they are facing; we promise to share all the family dinners together. To laugh and cry; to create new traditions and honor old ones. To teach what we have learned about love and kindness and to be open to learn new things from our child.

We want to share a poem called ‘Wild Geese’ that continues to help us through difficult times and we hope it does the same for you.

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

While this is the end of our written introduction, we hope this is the beginning of a deeper connection between you and us. We have not always had an easy road in life and we have grown through tough times and learned to be honest with ourselves and each other. Our challenges have made us soften, not harden, and it has given us the strength to be empathetic to ourselves and those we meet on our journey. Your child and you are forever linked through space and time and that will never change, nor would we want it to. But, it would be an honor and gift for us to be a part of both your journeys.

We promise to hold your child close as they embark on their journey and set out to be a force for good in the world.