Hi, I’m Michelle Arulraj, the founder of NovaTash.com. My journey began at the age of 10 when I visited India and was deeply touched by the beauty and resilience of the artisans in underprivileged communities. These incredibly talented individuals poured their heart and soul into their work, yet struggled to make ends meet. Their strength and creativity moved me, and I felt a deep calling to do something to help.

Inspired by this experience, I created NovaTash.com to bring their beautiful, handcrafted treasures to the world. My mission was simple: to provide a platform that would help these artisans gain recognition and support, while offering a way for people to directly impact their lives through each purchase. From the very beginning, half of the profits from NovaTash were donated to St. Jude’s Hospital in honor of my grandfather, whose passing had a profound impact on me. His strength in fighting illness inspired me to give back to those in need, especially to support families battling illnesses.

However, as I grew older and continued traveling, I saw an even greater need in the communities I visited—girls and women facing barriers to education and empowerment. I decided to evolve NovaTash’s mission to focus on helping these underprivileged women. Today, through my ‘Empower Her’ initiative, I collaborate with Lilly Singh to support education for girls in India. For every donation made to this cause, I personally match it with earnings from NovaTash and babysitting jobs, ensuring that we can make a greater impact together.

NovaTash is now more than just a business—it’s a platform for change. Every purchase not only supports artisans and their families but also helps provide education and empowerment to girls who deserve a brighter future. Thank you for being a part of this journey, and for helping me continue the work I started in my grandfather’s memory, now focused on uplifting the lives of underprivileged women and girls.