Most of us spend more time comparing the features of a new phone than reading the ingredients in the products we use on our bodies every day.
The soap we bathe with. The cleaning products we use around our families. We choose them in seconds, trusting familiarity, advertising, or convenience. Rarely do we stop to ask what they contain, where they come from, or what impact they have on our health and our planet.
Those overlooked questions became the foundation of HARM less, a book by author Arti Mishra that invites readers to reconnect with nature—not through dramatic lifestyle changes, but through simple, thoughtful decisions made every day.
A Childhood That Shaped a Different Perspective
Born to a soldier father and an artist mother, Arti grew up surrounded by two influences that shaped her worldview: discipline and creativity. Her childhood in rural Madhya Pradesh brought her even closer to nature, where food was seasonal, resources were valued, and living simply wasn’t a trend—it was simply life.
Those early experiences stayed with her. As the world became faster, more convenient, and increasingly dependent on packaged solutions, she found herself asking a question that refused to go away.
While making our life easier, did we unknowingly started harming our bodies and our planet and eventually got trapped in this lifestyle?
A Question That Stayed for a Decade
The idea behind HARM less did not emerge overnight.
For nearly ten years, Arti observed a quiet shift in everyday life. Supermarket shelves grew longer, labels became harder to understand, and convenience slowly replaced curiosity. People compared prices, and online reviews, yet rarely paused to ask what was actually inside the products they used every single day.
Rather than searching for perfect answers, she began asking better questions.
What are we doing that’s harming our bodies and the planet?
Can we choose to HARM less?
Those questions eventually became the heart of the book.
“We cannot be harmless, but we definitely can HARM less.”
The book doesn’t ask readers to reject modern living or strive for perfection. Instead, it encourages small, conscious choices—reading an ingredient label, choosing products more thoughtfully, reducing unnecessary waste, or simply becoming more aware of the decisions that quietly shape our lives. The book also gives natural alternates to synthetic products we use in our daily lives.
Awareness Over Fear
At its heart, HARM less is not a book about fear.
It is a book about awareness.
From personal care products to everyday habits that have become second nature, Arti encourages readers to become curious again. Not every choice needs to change overnight, but every informed choice is a step in a better direction.
For her, mindful living isn’t about abandoning convenience. It’s about making convenience more conscious.
Learning From Nature
Arti finds joy in tending to her home garden, travelling through forests, watching birds, and capturing moments through photography. These experiences continue to shape her understanding of how deeply connected people are with the natural world.
She also spends time volunteering for causes related to health, hygiene, education, and the environment. On weekends, she teaches special children and speaks at colleges, hoping to encourage young people to think critically about the choices they make and the impact those choices create.
These experiences have strengthened her belief that meaningful change begins with awareness.
Books That Continue to Inspire
When life becomes demanding, Arti often returns to one source of inspiration: the audiobook version of Wings of Fire. Listening to this book while gardening helps her regain focus and reminds her that lasting change begins with patience and persistence.
She also draws inspiration from writers such as Mel Robbins, Jim Collins, Brené Brown, Seth Godin, James Clear, and Carol Dweck, whose ideas around habits, leadership, growth, and purpose have influenced her own thinking and approach towards living with intention.
That same philosophy runs through every page of HARM less.
It isn’t a call to become perfect.
It is an invitation to pause before the next everyday choice and ask a simple question:
Can I do a little less harm today than I did yesterday?
For Arti, that single question has guided a decade of reflection, a book, and a way of life. Perhaps it can guide the rest of us, too.
While HARM less is an effort to slow down, to reconsider the products we use, and the habits we’ve grown accustomed to, through the lens of care and respect, it is part of a broader writing mission.
Her other work, The Silent Cage, highlights the strength and resilience of rural Indian women, while another book, Leafy Adventure, celebrates the joy and value of building a closer relationship with plants.
Though each book explores a different subject, they all encourage readers to think with greater care, question long-held habits, and appreciate the quiet power of small actions.
Recognized among the Top 50 Most Influential Authors of 2025 by Delhi Wire, Arti Mishra continues to write with the hope that meaningful change begins with informed choices. Through HARM less, she invites readers to pause before they consume, think before they choose, and remember that even the smallest decision can leave a lasting impact.
To learn more about Arti, visit her official website.
