07/19/2026
Before Himmat Media became a consultancy studio, it was an exhibition and storytelling engine. 🌞
Himmat was a community storytelling project that sought to create meaningful partnerships between South Asian nonprofits and the community at large. It was an effort to preserve the stories of previous generations while creating space for the next generation of visionaries, creatives and storytellers to build on those foundations.
Looking back through the archives, and the first pitch deck I built for Himmat in 2019 (ironically, it was called Qissa Originative 😭. Qissa, meaning “story,” was in the name all along), I realised the Himmat ecosystem was already beginning to take shape. Seven years later, that same thinking has evolved into Seed Codes, our storytelling platform, which has since helped co-build three more projects, all exploring identity, preserving stories and creating space for new perspectives.
At the time, I thought I was building an exhibition. Looking back, I realise I was building a way of thinking that has quietly carried through every project since, whether in branding, partnerships, fundraising or community strategy. 🌻
Pictured here is participant Jennifer Reddy reading another participant’s story. In a Daily Hive article about the exhibition, she said:
“Sometimes our identities can be so deconstructed for us, but it’s beautiful that this event is about our whole selves, as stories being told by South Asian women for South Asian women.” 🏺
Seven years later, I still think that’s what Himmat is trying to do. 🤍
— Jagreet Dhadli
Founder & Director, HIMMAT MEDIA
B.A. Criminology & Forensic Studies
Associate Certificate, MarCom
LLB (JD Pathway)
