Growing up.

March 17th, 1998.

My father and uncle opened the doors to one of the first Punjabi jewellery stores in Abbotsford, a small town in British Columbia. It was a huge moment for our family. Before immigrating to Canada, we lived in a small pind (village) in India, so opening a store here felt like something much bigger, it was the beginning of a new chapter.

Most of my childhood memories are tied to that store.

I remember playing video games in the back room, running around the strip mall we were located in, and using the counters as desks for homework. For us, it wasn’t just a store, it was where we grew up.

As I got older, I would sometimes catch myself staring at the jewellery in the counters and along the walls. At the time though, the concept of jewellery being art was foreign.

To me, it was just… the family business.

Being the oldest boy in the family, my dad naturally focused on teaching me the business side of things. Because of that, I never really understood the artistry behind jewellery. I saw operations, logistics, and responsibility, not design.

That perspective didn’t really change until much later, when I started working in corporate jewellery stores and realized the real art was exactly where I started. But that’s a story for another time.

When I look back now, I realize that those early days in the store shaped me more than I understood at the time. Watching my family build something from the ground up showed me what hard work looked like, what community meant, and how something as small as a jewellery store could become part of people’s biggest life moments.

Years later, those memories would start to take on a different meaning. I began to see jewellery differently, not just as a product sitting in a display case, but as something that carries culture, identity, and personal stories.

And that realization is a big part of what eventually led me to build my NEJA, a brand focused on designing engagement rings inspired by Indian heritage, while fitting into the modern love stories being written today.

In many ways, it all traces back to that little store in Abbotsford, and to a kid who didn’t realize he was being surrounded by inspiration the entire time.