Lifestyle

Stringing Emotions & Experiences Together with a Click – Varender Singh, a Photographer with a Unique Perspective

Published

5 years ago

August 27, 2020

How a child views the world is entirely different from how a teenager observes the world. Similarly, the way a teenager looks at things differs from how an adult views them. It is all about perspectives. Every individual develops a unique understanding and view of the world with time. Each person looks at the things that surround them differently, and it is close to impossible for a person to share their perspective with others.

Sometimes, the difference in perspectives leads to arguments that turn into fights and divide the world into different sects. One such example is that of the number 9, where a person at one end perceives the digit as nine while the person who is sitting across, perceives it as 6. Making a person see another individual’s perspective is a challenge, and not everyone possesses that power to make others understand.

Musicians, painters, sculptors, especially photographers, have the power to make people across the globe see the world from their perspectives. It is an ability that brings peace of mind and solace in the lives of people. A person that is excelling in this area is Varender Singh, who is capturing the world with his lens, locking his personal perspectives, and showing it to the world.

A Delhi-Born Punjabi with a Passion for Photography

Some people dream about landing on the perfect job; some wish to start their own businesses. There are others who want to acquire financial success; then, there are some who wish to speak to the world in their own language. These people are the ones who want the world to understand their perspectives. Varender had always been one of them as he grew up with a passion for capturing the world through his view, and photography was something he absolutely loved.

While he worked in a variety of different professions throughout his life, he did not give up on his passion. He worked as a clerk, a football repairer, and a machine operator, but nothing stopped him from pursuing his dream. Throughout his life, he built a portfolio and decided to share it with the world. He started working on his digital presence by working on his social media profiles for Facebook and Instagram. Varender took an alias, Channi Miglani, to establish a social presence to share his work with the world.

For Channi Miglani, photography is about expressing feelings and not a profession. He does not want to call photography his profession as it devalues his passion. All his portraits are a reflection of his personal life experiences. All the portraits in his portfolio revolve around his inner thoughts, his view of the world, and his understanding of nature, life, and emotions. It takes several hours for him to capture the perfect moment to make his audience understand his perspective of life and this world.

When asked about his love and admiration for photography, he stated, “Photography is just a profession for many, but for me, it is a way of expressing my feelings. I use my experiences and understanding of life to create my portraits. Clicking pictures and then editing them to reflect my inner thoughts about nature, life, an event, or a character is my general objective for my audience.”

In addition to his photography skills, the 48-year-old Channi Miglani possesses expert picture editing skills. These added skills further shape his craft, making the pictures he captures, impactful. He worked on his tech-skills and self-learned one of the world’s most effective and powerful photo editing app, Adobe Photoshop. He further expressed his interest in photo editing, “Through my photos, I depict my favorite characters in such a way that my editing skills stand out. I respect this art and am very fond of photo editing.”

The photos that he posts on his social media are related to the past and present affairs of the world. Like all other photographers across the globe, his work has received a mixed response. On one hand, some people have fallen in deep admiration for this work; while on the other hand, he has been called stupid, insane, bizarre, and crazy. However, he does not let any of these get to his head, and he keeps his focus on his work and ways he can improve it.

About Channi Miglani – A Passionate Photographer

Channi Miglani’s birth name is Varender Singh, and he was born on November 8, 1972, in the house of Sardar Harpal Singh Maglani and Sardarni Jaswant Kaur. The Delhi-born passionate photographer went to Khalsa College, Delhi University, after completing his high school graduation from Govt. Co. Ed. Senior Secondary School, Mansrover Garden, and New Delhi.

Along with his love for photography, the young boy was fond of sports, specifically cricket and badminton. He captained his high school cricket team and even tried for the Ranji Trophy Entry In Cricket League back in 1990.

After graduating from college, he was unable to get a job, and his father, who was working as a religion teacher in a Sikh Temple in the United States, asked him to relocate. He started working as a repairer for football at the Circle System Group. His parents pressurized him to change his job after which he found landed at a job at the United States Post Office as a clerk.

After working for a year as a clerk, he switched his job when he received an offer from Cigna Healthcare Insurance Company for the position of the machine operator. He is working at the company to date as a Senior Associate.

Varender, professionally known as Channi Miglani, is a passionate photographer who is gaining popularity on social media due to his work. The fact that he works as a Senior Associate at Cigna Healthcare Insurance Company shows that this man does not take photography as a profession or a means to earn a living. Photography is his way to express his feelings and share his perspective of life with the world. Varender is a blessed artist, who has the potential to make the people see the world from his perspective, something that not many people have the capability to do!

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

2 hours ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.