I never imagined I would become a woman home baker entrepreneur in India. I had always seen my future in medicine — clinics, community work, and serving people through healthcare. But life has a way of gently redirecting us. For me, that redirection came through motherhood, creativity, and a quiet desire to add value to someone’s life.
This is my journey, not of leaving one identity behind, but of growing into another.
From Dentistry to Pauses I Didn’t Expect
I’m Dr. Ridhima Grover, a dentist by education, a Navy wife, a self-taught artist, a mother to a three-year-old, and today, a home baker.
Becoming a doctor was a childhood dream, one I was fortunate to fulfil. Before marriage, I practised dentistry and later worked as a medical officer with an NGO, a role that felt deeply aligned with who I was. After marriage, continuity became difficult. I returned to clinical practice briefly, but that too didn’t last.
What followed were pauses I hadn’t planned, and questions I didn’t have answers to yet.
When Art and Motherhood Reshaped Me
Finding Stillness in Creativity
Painting had always been my quiet space. It felt meditative, grounding. On my husband’s encouragement, I began exhibiting my artwork online and at events, and the response was heartening.
Then in 2021, pregnancy brought another shift. Painting paused. Life slowed. And in that stillness, one thought kept returning:
What do I do next, and how do I add value to someone’s life?
I didn’t have a plan. Just that one intention.
How Motherhood Gave Birth to SATTVA
A Kitchen, a Baby, and a New Beginning
When I started introducing snacks to my baby, I struggled to find clean, healthy options I could trust. I wanted something nutritious, but also something he would enjoy eating.
So I began experimenting in my kitchen, trying healthier, tastier alternatives using wholesome ingredients. There were many failures before I got it right. The final test was my son, and when he approved, I knew I was onto something.
Encouraged by my husband, I shared samples with friends. A few reviews in a motherhood group led to small orders. Slowly, those orders grew.
That’s how SATTVA was born, first as an idea in November 2022, and then as a full-fledged home-baking venture in June 2023.
For the first time, I felt I had found my calling, something that allowed me to care for my child, work from my kitchen, and serve others at the same time.
I often think about where my love for creating comes from.
Growing up, I watched my mother bake with care and paint with quiet joy. Those moments stayed with me, even when I didn’t realise it. Today, when I create, whether in my kitchen or through my work, I know I’m drawing from what I first learned by watching her. In many ways, she continues to be my inspiration.
Building a Home Baking Brand with Intention
What I Create at SATTVA
At SATTVA, I focus on healthy homemade snacks for kids and families — including cookies, crackers, laddoos, granola, panjiri, and more.
Every recipe is built around nutrition-packed ingredients. As needs evolved, so did my offerings:
- gluten-free options
- vegan alternatives
- diabetic-friendly snacks
I also customise orders based on dietary preferences, because I’ve learned that no two bodies, or families, are the same.
Lessons from my Journey
Over the last year and a half, this journey has given me moments I know I’ll carry with me for a long time.
There were mothers who told me that during their child’s illness, these snacks were the only things their babies could eat. A simple request for cookies without even jaggery led me to create diabetic-friendly jeera cookies, something that later became loved by many.
One message I’ll never forget came from a mother whose child was recovering from a serious illness. She shared how her daughter enjoyed date-sweetened cookies, which then inspired me to start making options suitable for babies as young as eight months.
Pregnant women, travelling families, and people trying to cut down on sugar found comfort in these healthier choices. And every time someone tells me they love not just the snacks, but the packaging and the handwritten note I add to each box, it reminds me why I started.
This has never been just about baking. It has always been about care.
With over 300 orders delivered and 150+ families served, SATTVA has grown through trust, not promotion.
Looking Ahead, Without Losing the Heart
Today, I balance my home, my toddler, and this growing home-baking business. I dream of expanding SATTVA manyfold, while staying rooted in what started it all.
My hope is simple: to make guilt-free, healthy snacking accessible, without losing warmth, care, or intention.
I’ve learned that sometimes, purpose doesn’t arrive with clarity. It arrives quietly, while you’re caring for someone else.
Why I Share My Story
Because so many women pause their careers, not because they lack ambition, but because life asks them to adapt. And sometimes, in that adaptation, something even more meaningful is born.
That’s the space I grew into.
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One Response
Beta, my name is Aarti and I am your bhua, Parveen Bhaskar’s very old friend from Virginia. She sent me this link last night and I just read it. I am way older than you but reading your story somewhat brought my own memories alive and so fresh in my mind/heart. Believe me, at this age too, I still feel like I am looking for a different purpose in life, still not settled even at this age. Want to always do something different which would help others. However, I feel very encouraged by reading stories like yours and ‘am a firm believer of the fact that age should not be the main reason why one can’t do what they wish to in life. One has to be emotionally strong and yes, full emotional/moral/every kind of support from your other half plays a very important role in where you are today. I am sure your bhua is very proud of you and I am too really, though I have never met you, heard about you from your aunt. Would simply love to meet you next time I am in India, hopefully soon.
Keep the great work going.
Aarti!!