I grew up in a small community village in Darjeeling, where we were strewn together with the rest in an unbreakable bond – with similar values, language, likes and dislikes and almost similar surnames – and yet we were all different. I remember in 1986, my father was in a hurry to get us a television set. We would be the first one in our village, but that wasn’t his motivation, of course. The World Cup football was afoot and he wanted to make sure our village gets to watch it at our place.

The TV arrived on time and I remember a whole bunch of people trying to understand how to fix the antennae, and tilting it in all directions to figure out the clarity on TV, ‘till the ants disappear’, we would say. For a while, we were catching a Chinese channel and after a few days, we got the right one – Bangladesh. After school, I would sit in front of the set to watch a cartoon show and in no time there’d be heads popping, filling the window and a whole bunch of kids used to watch the show with me. 

The World Cup matches were always very late in the night and that was when the sense of community would get really strong. People would gather in our house, bringing in what we now call ‘potluck’. For us kids, besides Maradona, the food was the main attraction. We knew all the great cooks in the village and we would vie for the attention of our favourite ones. I learnt later that the adults would share jokes, problems, achievements and everything seemed somehow, alright. 

Staying in a community has its benefits, you have a sense of belongingness, you never feel alone, you become more inclusive and there is always something great cooking in someone else’s kitchen. My mother was always busy doing community service as a doctor, therefore for me staying in the neighbour’s house, eating there and helping out was a part of growing up. 

Still, I get a strong sense of being when I am part of a community. And there is so much to choose from, these days. I am currently a part of a community of women, women leaders, communications professionals, communication leaders and my hometown communities – online and in-person.

Here are some of the advantages of being a part of a community:

Awareness: There are many ways to know what’s new, what’s passe, but in a community, you get to know from the experiences of real people which makes it worthwhile. Getting a pulse of the hour from experts and connecting with them is important for yourself as well as for the community at large.

Learning: It comes naturally. Growing up in a community taught me so many life-skills, I’ve seen some of my friends who didn’t grow up in one actually go to classes to learn what I know. In professional communities too there is so much of learning that comes from sharing at different levels.

Sharing best practices and issues: While we learn what’s new, we also learn issues and the awareness and knowing your role in it, empowers you truly. 

You become more inclusive: The best part is that you become more inclusive. In my village we had different kinds of people – with mental health issues, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, parents who were separated, single mothers bearing love-children, orphans, autistic, gender-diverse, alcoholics, drug-addicts and there was still more to discover, I am sure – strewn in an unbreakable bond – of values, language and similar surnames  – I grew up with an inclusive mindset. It’s the same with professional communities, you discover people with diverse skillsets, mindsets and much more. 

Remember, should you decide to be a part of a community, you play a big part too in moving your community forward and toward the right direction. Actually we are all part of one by default, one of humanity. 

The post The Great Thing about Communities appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Just going to town was a bi-weekly chore for most of us living in our community. We had no motorable roads and the town was two hours walk uphill! It was literally an uphill task. In short, we couldn’t stock-up! So, what helped? Rationing! Everything. We were lucky that way, we were used to rationing essentials like even water, staying in Darjeeling meant, water was a scarce commodity. 

We realised that stocking up also meant, besides trouble at the storehouse with unwanted marsupials of course, that there would be shortages for people who really need them the most. What did we do? 

Without intending we looked at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs– starts with our Indian way of saying Roti, Kapda aur Makan – the physiological needs and moving towards zero waste.

We started by serving less: This doesn’t mean we didn’t eat adequately, this meant we rationed our food while cooking as well as eating and did the same with other essentials. Small things go a long way, one less spoon of oil, half an onion instead of one and serving less so that there is absolutely no wastage of food. Similarly with washing clothes, using up fewer vessels and other commodities. 

Educated the less informed: Some of the educated lot, like my mother, held meetings to explain how to ration, prevent illness and shared simple medical solutions to overcome common illnesses. In present-day Bangalore, I educate Uber drivers I travel with over the last two weeks on using sanitisers and the importance of washing hands etc. 

Helped the needy: While some of us could still manage to buy more, the community also helped the needy with food, clothes and sometimes shelter. Since we had doctors in our house, we helped with distributing medications and free aids we received from other countries. Right now, at home offering support to security guards and maids in terms of educations and providing sanitisers and masks, could be something we can easily do. 

Grew kitchen gardens: Most of us had garden patches back then and we grew lots of sustainable vegetables, which are perishable in nature and tough to stock up anyway. Also, special plants like Aloe Vera, we lovingly call it ‘Ghue Kumari’ (comparing it to Ghee) – so useful for cuts and burns and so many other ailments. Nowadays people do terrace farming or balcony gardening – this also helps in growing your own food. Add to that for those of us working from home or on self-isolation, gardening can be great therapy.

It was about making optimal use of things we already had and not just about stocking up. 

A lot of people in India stay in small spaces and it’s important during periods of isolation to also think about open, airy spaces at home. We are lucky that in India we can buy almost everything online, especially in the cities. 

In times like these, things boil down to one word – essentials. Besides working on ways to save-up and use optimally, it’s also a great time to check up on what we really need versus what we want. In a time of excesses, where we talk about clutter – due to consumerism, buying power and digital communications, it’s a great time to declutter and find your space, physical and mental too.

Stay Safe!

The post 1986, Lockdown in Darjeeling – Down the Memory Lane appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Later on, when it happened, the situation was different. I had just had a baby. Mommy-hood is not something you can just quit. To all those who know, the first three months go in a frenzy of – what just happened?! Forget about your health and fitness, your eating habits and sleeping patterns, in fact just forget about YOU. Because you have a whole new being to take care of. Brought in happiness, sure, but, took over your life. It’s beautiful and it’s quite crazy, to be honest.

Then one day, you realise, you want to find yourself in the rigmarole. In that, fitness comes to mind eventually. For me, it was 11 months after, of being a new mother.

The one thing I liked about ‘The Alchemist’ was the quote – And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it –  I wanted to get fit so that I could do my walks without panting, get back in shape and while on a break go for a trek to Paro-Taksang, in Bhutan. Don’t mistake this to be about slimming down to fit the new norm of ‘fit mommy’ which were doing the rounds then. This was about getting myself back and being fit. That’s it. That was the goal – To be fit, walk without panting and climb to Paro-Taksang in six months – clear as crystal, attractive and SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound).

I wanted to get it first-time-right and I did. Here’s how to stay committed to your nutrition and physical fitness goals:

• Create a holistic plan that supports your goal

Just like any other plan, look at the availability of resources, activities and even budgets. To achieve this goal you need time, the right kind of food which is easily available, an exercise that suits you and motivation.  And the right information. Having a plan is the first step towards success and is highly motivating. It also helps in making the routine un-intrusive for those you live with.

1. Educate yourself first: With all the fads and fancies and everyone giving you advice, become that educated woman/man by educating yourself further. I did a course from Coursera on Diet and Nutrition. To swallow the guilt, I did one on Child-Nutrition too! 
2. Find your time: Everyone has different support systems at home, in mine, I could only find time to do this if I woke up an hour before the progeny which could be really early or late. I chose the really early, the morning air beckoned me. 
3. Change your diet: Scan around your area for accessible, walkable places to find your new groceries. As I said if you want something badly…I found a place which sold blueberries for my heavy-duty smoothie breakfast, rich in nutrition and tasty as hell. I created a 10-day, calorie-efficient food plan with all the things I could eat and cook so that I had the right amount of variety, nutritious enough not to make me look gaunt and tasty enough for me to want them more. This becomes a life-long habit. To eat tasty, nutritious, amazing food, every single day – seven years for me now. 
4. Exercise daily: Choose something that fits your timing and isn’t cumbersome to prepare for. I chose yoga and walking because of accessibility and least probability of injuries or me dropping off. It was a sustainable choice – you can do it anywhere, anytime. Make it un-intrusive, baby sleeps, pick up the dumbells.

Find support ‘systems’: I found one in an app – My Fitness Pal – which is great because it’s always there for you. Everything you eat, drink or do, goes into it and a community to share the progress with. I also picked up a juicer, learnt to make better cappuccinos with cinnamon and threw all food considered junk or high in empty calories. Of course, bought the buy-in from all at home.

More motivation: Stick the routine, goal statement and pictures on walls, mirrors and phone wallpapers. Keep motivational quotes on the insides of your wardrobe, my favourite was, of course, Ann Richards’ “I don’t want my tombstone to read ‘she kept a really clean house’” because the house was then full of my sticky notes but still remains my favourite quote.  I used Pinterest extensively with topics only on health and nutrition to keep myself abreast of the latest.

Finally, don’t plan too much! Just do it: Since I had to get up real early, I had my walking outfit laid out at night. I would get up with an alarm and without a thought dress up, drink some water and go. Your mind is a powerful tool, don’t allow it to talk you out of it. Just do it before it does.

All the points mentioned above are steps towards creating a motivating mindset and environment for yourself. You’ll see the changes within weeks and that keeps you even more motivated. 

I went for the trek just for months into my plan and walked uphill, without a breaking a sweat or into a pant, to Paro-Taksang, one of the most sublime places I have ever seen, in the truest sense of the word.

The post How to Stick to Your Fitness Goals appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

• Your Profile

Write your name in sentence case: In written communications, you use ‘caps’ for a full word only if you want to scream at someone, highlight a key point in the middle of a sentence or you accidentally hit the ‘caps lock’ button. None of this is possible when you are writing your name. Once, in a tweet, a very senior journalist wrote, ‘I don’t even want to know a person who writes his/ her own name in caps.’ My guess is, he sensed a megalomaniac!

Use an actual photo: Preferably a professional photo, if not then something that shows a professional side of you, but has to be you and there has to be one. Sometimes I get requests from people who do not have a photo at all or some, where they have used instead of a character from a movie or a cartoon. Why is a picture important? Because it is not a face-to-face meet up and to trust a person, we need to see the person! That is simply the least we can do in terms of online courtesy.

Title/ Headline: This is the space where you tell people who you are or what you do. Also, this is the part that instantly connects you to people therefore, ensure that you write a line that’s exactly you. For examples: I once received a request from, ‘Assistant Manager at X company’ and one that said, ‘Engineer at Stay at Home’. The first one only says where you work but an internal designation alone is not a profile nor does it describe what you do. The second one has chosen a default option, perhaps retired from work and now we cannot figure out whether ‘Stay at home’ is a company or state of mind! 

• Your Bio:

Check, re-check, repeat: Online, the only window of opportunity to know you is through your bio, write it well.

• Use the 3 C’s of communications and keep it Crisp, Clear and Concise
• Use the ‘inverted pyramid’: Keep the ‘stuff’ on top, ‘fluff’ at the bottom
• Spell check, it’s automatic
• Be consistent. The summary of your bio and your experience should complement one another.

Networking on professional social media platforms

When sending a request: 

We can get carried away by numbers in social media. Numbers are the beauty of it, it helps us measure reach with data. However, when we are looking to make a real connect, we have to look at quality over quantity, unless of course, you are a thought leader or an influencer. Recently I sent a request to a very senior professional, living on the other side of the world, with a note that reasoned why I was sending the request. As she accepted the request, she was highly appreciative of ‘intentional networking’ and shared resources on the topic of mutual interest. I must say that connection benefited me like no other on social media. It’s one example of a great connect possible only online. Of course most of the times we connect with people we know or meet at various events. However, should you wish to reach out to someone you don’t know, make that effort to take some time out to write a special note.

When conversing on DM (direct message):

The good thing about social media is to be able to connect via DM when you don’t know the person, personally or offline. However, sometimes the DM is treated much like a chat on messengers! I have received one-liners, even just one word, in several lines! You can use it to make a special request – a job offer, connect on a mutual topic or comment on a post personally.

Social media is a great leveller and can be used to influence and impact lives, by just about anyone. And that’s wonderful.

The post Hygiene on Professional Social Media appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

I learned that doing different things makes for a different story. This year as the year passes by to beckon the new one, here are some lessons from 2019 that are worth taking forward to 2020.

Integrate work-life

Recently I noticed that as part of my to-dos list, with all the meetings I wanted to call or attend to, I saw ‘Pay Milkman’ and ‘throw all the bills from your bag’ as two topics under ‘urgent, not important’. Work takes up 60-70% of life, therefore there is no saying let’s leave work at the doorstep before entering the house or vice versa. It has helped me immensely to integrate the two, which are seen as two sides of the same coin – that never see each other. Work is not just something that pays the bill, its occupation to a lot of us. Which is why people ask, ‘what do you do for a living?’ This, of course, is a simple example, but I am with it and on it. If it makes things easier, why not?

Bring your whole self to work

Imagine wearing a mask for eight hours. I have seen a few movies on environmental or medical crisis where people, to avoid contaminated air are seen wearing oxygenated jumpsuits or masks. It’s terrible to see let alone having to face it. Yet, we wear a persona to perform in a work environment. What if we bring our whole self to work, without being unprofessional or hurtful of course. Whole self, with all our vulnerabilities, humour, love and sometimes craziness. I’ve done this my whole work-life and while I do receive the occasional flak, most of the time it’s a win-win. I’ve met colleagues who are either waiting to go home or dreading to come to work. Just not me. It’s a seamless world and it’s more peaceful. Give it a try. 

Take up the challenge to be your best self

If there is one thing I always found challenging, it was public speaking. I just didn’t enjoy it and I didn’t see the need for me to be doing it. I let opportunities go by until I had one which, for the life of me, I couldn’t refuse. I was asked to speak about Communications to young people from my community back home. It was just something I had to do. I had a sense of strong calling, like social responsibility, of giving back. It was tough, but it was my topic and I had all the expertise and knowledge. So I prepared as hypochondriacs prepare for winter, I practised as my life depended on it. And it was a great experience. To be your most effective self, to be your best self, sometimes you have to take that step outside your comfort zone. Showing up, speaking up and preparation opens up new opportunities. You’ll surprise yourself!

Self-care 

This year I learned that 15 minutes of alone time with a face mask and a book is not self-care. There are physical, social, emotional, spiritual, financial and work-related issues, a book and a face mask might not quite make the cut. Once anxiety caught hold of me, naturally, curiosity led me to meet a lot of counsellors and psychologists. I enjoyed some of the sessions so much, one of the counsellors told me that we are not repeating any sessions. I did all of five, a lot of introspection and liberated myself from a lot of self-limiting thoughts and behaviours, including seeing these experts. Self-care helps you become your best possible self without having to burn out. 

Put your appearance on the agenda 

Sylvia Ann Hewitt who wrote ‘Executive Presence’ and was surprised to find out that besides gravitas and communications, appearance ranked third when it came to presenting yourself as a leader. It’s not about being the most well-dressed but about adding value to the conversation through your appearance –  think about a party or a wedding you are attending. You add value by being appropriately dressed. It’s about respecting the topic at hand. The well-groomed, polished look and good manners never go out of style and open many doors. 

Having said this, ‘stop biting nails’ was always on my ‘New Year Resolutions’ list, which is also putting appearance on the agenda while refusing to give in to anxiety! 

Happy New Year 2020 everyone!

The post Now Trending: #NewYearsResolutions appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

When Jabeena accepted my cab request on the app, I looked twice, even thrice to see if it is indeed a woman who was going to drive me. I have been driven by women before, in various cities – cabs for women mostly, driven by women. This was my first in an app-based car-sharing. As liberated as we want to be, in India and even all over the world, we have sections of the society still conservative and have biases of women doing jobs known to be ‘for men only’. It is inspiring to meet everyday people silently become trailblazers for their family and communities, facing myriad challenges, yet moving ahead and shilling the light on the path ahead; while chipping at the proverbial ‘glass ceiling’ one profession at a time.

Hello Jabeena

Jabeena is a bit over 30, wearing a driver’s white jacket over her green kurta pajama. I saw her eyes first through the rearview mirror and like a cliché, full of determination in them. She is a mother of two, one child with a disability that keeps him immobile. Other, just two years old. She was a Muslim and wore a hijab. She was not very talkative but articulated her story well.

A rebel at heart

Jabeena had a car at home and to use it, she decided to learn how to drive. She realised that she could monetise it by being a professional and earn her own living to support her family. The first challenge came when a firm ‘no’ came from her parents, while her husband was all for it. So I had to ask her a couple of questions as her story kept me captivated. This is how the conversation went. 

Me: My guess is you convinced your family to let you become a professional driver in the end. How did you do it?

Jabeena: I refused to eat. Then they had to call for a family meeting to discuss. I told them about other women, earning for the family and being financially independent. We agreed on a few things like not driving at night, driving mostly women customers and that I should start eating. 

Me: So how many days, your hunger strike?

Jabeena: Oh! Just one night and one morning.

She said that with a laugh. 

Busting myths 

Women drivers:

There are still women-driver jokes floating around. Still. Jabeena was a great driver. In the crazy Bangalore traffic, she kept her cool, she took calls only when there was a traffic jam and swerved the car in the choc-o-bloc roads of Bangalore like a pro. She had been driving only for three months!

Women supporting other women:

At this day and age also, there are discussions and articles written on topics where women are described as their own worst enemies. So in all earnest, I told her I was thrilled to hear that her husband was a great support. She says, ‘Yes while that is true my biggest support has been my sister-in-law. She promised to look after my children while I go out and earn a livelihood. Without her, I wouldn’t be driving.’ 

We chatted along the way, two women, two different professions, two different worlds. I realised how similar our challenges were – Traveling in local transport to managing a full-fledged mommy life at home while balancing work and other filial duties, gender discrimination and trying to be nonchalant about it, hoping that things will change. (I was also trying to sound nonchalant while being completely fascinated). As we ended the drive I told her how inspired I was and grateful that I met her. I told her I write stories and showed her some samples. I asked her if I can write hers and permission to take a photo. She agreed. 

This brave, young woman gave me a different sort of power that day. Instead of going to my desk directly, like I normally do, I went to the café and sat down for some time. Grit, determination, a will to go on. On and on, against all odds. I have read stories like these before but when you meet someone, it’s hard to not be touched by it and it’s a complete waste not to sit quietly for a bit, contemplate and be grateful for what you have and what you can do. To do what you can in your own capacity to pave way for a different, more inclusive, free world.

Jabeena is a symbol of the positive effects of the ‘sharing economy’ and how it has changed many lives in an optimistic way. #Liberating #Inspiring

This article was originally published here.

The post Sharing Economy and Sharing Stories appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The painting was so thorough that if you kept one of the flowers side-by-side the art, you’d notice every single line, fold and hue were detailed, and it even had the exact same ‘old man’ look about them. It was oil on canvas. It was a masterpiece. The painting was completed with a sign at the bottom. A name in Nepali – P Kovid. When asked about the unusual name, my mother said that Kovid wasn’t exactly a surname but it meant ‘poet’. I didn’t quite understand it because the person seemed to me, a brilliant artist instead. 

During the pansy season I would notice every older man on the road while walking to and from school and with much amusement tell my friends that there were some who did indeed look like a pansy (the garden variety type, please). It was like a game. 

Our neighbour was an old man too, someone I never wanted to get too close to. He was a drunk and drunk people were known to brawl and beat their wives and children. He was rumoured to have two wives and many kids. Two of them, twins Ram-Shyam were our friends (I could never tell them apart so I called both of them Ram-Shyam). I always saw this man gardening intently or fixing some household stuff. He never looked up so I never really saw if he did resemble the flower.

Anyway, it was in my second standard, Nepali was my second language and we were introduced to poems. One poem especially fascinated me because it spoke about life in the jungle. About monkeys and avocados. Of a life free of worries. I liked this poem because the description matched the forest we lived in the clearing of.  And that it was signed by ‘P. Kovid’.

That day, I hopped, skipped and ran home. I wanted to tell my mother about the coincidence. What she told me was a revelation, the artist and the poet were the same person and the poem was actually about our forest. With that, she quickly settled the work she was doing, picked me up and took me to the neighbours. She put me down and called out, ‘Prakash’, the drunk old man came out, ‘my daughter here is your greatest fan’. Apprehensive and standing slightly behind her, with only my head out, he walked towards me, got on his knees to meet me face to face. Then he held my shoulders, smiled and said, ‘Thank You’. The drunk, odd man turned out to be my favourite poet and artist rolled into one. 

That night after the meeting, my mother explained that not every man who drinks beat up their wives, some of them are geniuses who write poetry and paint things of beauty that remain an entrenched in our memory, just like our unconscious biases. 

Has it ever happened to you that you meet someone and automatically and unintentionally form an opinion and they surprise you by being someone totally unexpected? Do you know that we have biases which we don’t know about simply because they are unconscious?

Wikipedia says: Unconscious (or implicit) biases are learned stereotypes that are automatic, unintentional, deeply engrained, universal, and able to influence behaviour. 

These biases are so strong that they need intensive trainings to get rid of. Many factors, our environment, the society, our friends and all influence all of us. I am no expert at this but I have found it important to recognise these unconscious biases we have which could be holding us back from meeting some amazing people and having an open mind. Not recognising, on the other hand, can leave us being less inclusive, discriminatory, not allowing us to live our full potential. Hate crimes, for example, are an extreme example of living with an unconscious bias, not always, but mostly.

Sometimes it takes a lesson in life to eliminate biases. I was lucky that way. I remember the next time I was passing by the neighbours, I was certain to see an old drunken man tending to his garden. Instead, I saw Shri Prakash Kovid, artist extraordinaire, intently looking for a subject for his next masterpiece. 

*In memory of Shri Prakash Kovid, artist, poet – unsung.

The post Not Every Masterpiece Hangs in the Louvre: A Tribute appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

I grew up in a small community area in Darjeeling where there were and still are, no motorable roads. There were no taps in our houses because there was no water. You could only ‘play with water’ when it rained. I still remember the day I played in the rain for three hours, it was the best day of my life, ever.

The electricity of the place or the lack of it was so infamous, we had a poem written on it called ‘Darjeeling ko Bijuli Batti’ – Darjeeling’s Electricity – a comedy of errors of what happens when lights are out and you have long nights.

In the days of rebellious agitation the town was facing, we had something called 40-day strikes (bandh) when we couldn’t go to school or move around. Talking about school my brothers and I used to walk with our little feet, two hours uphill to reach because our mother was particular about which school we should be attending. She said she was preparing us to get out of there.

What was ‘out of there’ was difficult to fathom because we had no TV or internet to find out. What we had was something more. My mother, a doctor doing community service, as it turned out, was an avid reader. Amongst her stethoscope, common medications and syringes, she had piles of books lying around. It was in the reading we saw the life we could live and the people we could become.

Oh, and we could only read in the few hours before nightfall because of the electricity issues. That was ‘the life’, I have heard people pay to live like this for a few days, just for a getaway!

Just like we judiciously used up every drop of scarce water, my mom always made us read every word there was in a book. I was six, had a hardcover Ladybird ‘Puss in Boots’ in my hands, borrowed from school, I was already in my second chapter and she asked me,

‘So, where did you start?’
‘Chapter one’, I said.
‘But did you read the spine? The year of first publishing? The preface?’

Always the tough cookie, that Dr Pradhan.

Ever since I read everything in sight. The bible while in a convent to pieces of oily newspapers where they used to wrap samosas in while growing up. Cover to cover of instructions booklets in a flight to notice boards behind hotel room doors while travelling. Sweetshop boards in Kolkata to back of the trucks in Delhi. Guidelines in the tube stations of London to the names of plants in the Swiss Alps. Hundreds of books and thousands of articles and among other things, spines of all the books of a favourite author lined up on the shelves of book stores.

The benefits of reading are innumerable, mental stimulation, knowledge, improved thinking and comprehending skills, self-improvement and better writing skills among others. I have understood over the years that reading has helped me adapt well when I travel, network better and especially helped me in my career as a Corporate Communications professional where conversations, story-telling, networking and great writing skills are key to success.

If you have seen the movie ‘The Reader’, Kate Winslet’s character confesses to a crime she didn’t commit because she doesn’t want anyone to know she cannot read or write. Far-fetched as it sounds, I have actually met people like her. It is a great movie. I consider being able to read, the greatest gift as well. Which is why on most weekends you will find me curled up in a comfortable chair (I have a book nook) with a hot cuppa, reading.

In a profession where writing is an important skill? Read more!

This article was originally posted here.

Writes: Ira Pradhan, Ira is a Corporate Communications Leader with experience in Healthcare, Consumer Electronics, IT, Retail and the Automotive industry. She hails from the small and beautiful state of Sikkim and considers herself a complete Mountain Girl. In a career spanning over a decade as a communications expert, she has championed and led programs on several sustainable business practices, diversity and inclusion programs. She loves to read literature and books on management and development in technology and economics. She mentors young women students & entrepreneurs in her home state, Sikkim.

The post Read the Spine appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

When this news broke, of my dad going to ‘America’, some sort of pandemonium broke loose in our village. After school, I would come back home to a crowd outside our house. People were keen to know if my dad was in. It was quite confusing and chaotic especially for us, children. My mom summoned my dad with some urgency from Gangtok, a day before making that trip to the US. 

That night we had visitors entering our long snake-like house from one end, chatting with our father and out from the other end. Sleepy as I was, burring in the cold, I got up to the excitement anyway. I saw a flurry of visitors, mostly my relatives and other villagers come in, one family after another to visit him.

So what did they want with my dad? 

As my dad carried me up and put me on his lap, the haze started to clear – Curious, enthusiastic people were asking my dad about his achievements. The fact that someone they grew up with became a doctor and the head of doctors and now he was also going overseas, all the way to Americas was stuff that make up ‘Breaking News’, these days. My father, a big fan of Baron Munchausen*, was telling his story with aplomb, enthusiasm and with great care to make it fun and inspirational. 

There was, at the end of each story, what seemed like a ‘Q&A’ as people asked him tips on studying better, on schools and colleges, on making and saving money, on dressing well and surely work-life balance (based on other people’s account because I was too young to understand everything). 

They got him gifts to take during his travel – some got him dalle (a variety of chilli found in the hills), while some others got him beaten rice, avocados from the forest we lived next to, even Horlicks and whatever they could get their hands on. Everyone wanted to be there in our house that day just to hear him speak about what got him there. Everybody wanted to be a part of his story. He patiently answered to all the queries and graciously accepted their gifts, even though his suitcases were all packed and he had to be up before sunrise to travel to the airport four hours away from there.  

For us, or at least for me, it took years to understand what was actually happening. I have different versions of this story from different people but all have a common thread. It was only until later, I understood that my dad’s achievement meant the world to his community. I don’t think my dad himself recognised the magnitude of the effect of his achievements, until that night. He seems to have unconsciously inspired the whole village.

We often hear that a life lived for others is a life well-lived. That’s a tough one especially since not all of us proactively can afford to or are inclined to work for our communities, for whatever reasons. However, the beauty is that you could be inspiring someone simply by doing the best you can, being the best at whatever it is that you are doing and of course passing on the things you know well. You could be a ‘Atticus’** fighting silently and alone for what is right or a ‘Maya Angelou’ who used her adversity to read and learn to become one of the most inspirational figures of our times. While we constantly think of those who inspire us, we must not forget our own power to inspire. 

Inspiration can come from anyone, and it could be you. So watch out, you could be inspiring someone. Don’t let them down!

*Baron Munchausen is a fictional character in a book by Rudolf Erich Raspe. It’s a wonderful exaggerated tale of his adventures, which now and again I pick up to read.

**Atticus I am referring to is a fictional character in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mocking Bird and not the well known Canadian poet.

This article was originally posted here.

Writes: Ira Pradhan, Ira is a Corporate Communications Leader with experience in Healthcare, Consumer Electronics, IT, Retail and the Automotive industry. She hails from the small and beautiful state of Sikkim and considers herself a complete Mountain Girl. In a career spanning over a decade as a communications expert, she has championed and led programs on several sustainable business practices, diversity and inclusion programs. She loves to read literature and books on management and development in technology and economics. She mentors young women students & entrepreneurs in her home state, Sikkim.

The post Watch out, You could be Inspiring Someone! appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Later, in the campus interview, out of the 30 students in my class, I was the only one who ‘got placed’ in a Corporate MNC as a Corporate Communications executive. My first job opened a vista I thought I didn’t want to get in to and wasn’t really prepared for. I had to keep pushing myself and say, ‘Ira, go on.’ I only began to like my job when I got the responsibility of managing the in-house newsletter. I used to collate stories, articles, anecdotes from my colleagues to fill up the magazine, which is why, two months in the job, all 2500 colleagues knew me. 

Overtime I grew to love my job, it allowed me to write, be creative, meet intellectuals and do amazing communication campaigns. It was when I started to take up events, engagements and management that I had to be more familiar with networking, being ‘out there’ and even understand budgets. This is when I started to get highly uncomfortable. It went against my classical introverted nature to get accustomed to all the accolades & popularity of sorts and for my literature-loving mind to like accountancy.

Help came to me from an unexpected source, straight from Hollywood. One day, I picked up a fashion magazine in a coffee shop (CCD – thank you #VGSiddhartha) and sat down to read. Indeed, a lot can happen over coffee.

In a glamorous spread was a Hollywood actress I didn’t know of and I am quite the movie buff. She had appeared out of nowhere and had become an overnight sensation. She was in various pictures all glammed up standing next to well-known designers and actors in post-awards parties, hobnobbing with the who’s who of the society, walking down Parisian runways, espousing charitable causes and one where she had won an Oscar for her performance in her debut. Later, I went home and watched a movie. This actress did not have a pop-culture, glamorous role in the movie. She was not a typical teenybopper or America’s sweetheart. She was a very talented actress who stole the show with her subtle expressions and she portrayed the required ‘strength of character’ the role demanded, with aplomb. She used to be a theatre artist and this movie made her a Hollywood star. 

The actress, I am sure, set out to only ‘act’, but with that came all the glam, arc-lights, the modeling, the charity as well as the paparazzi. We’ve seen in the past also, how well they manage these frills and fancies, many times determine their success. From being uni-dimensional they become multi-faceted, stay on longer and become more successful. 

Sometimes the jobs we love comes with frills and fancies. And sometimes, with networking and accountancy. Life is, pretty much, like that.

When disrupters set out with their ideas to the world, the success of their ideas also depends on their embracing the new learnings such as making marketing pitch to the venture capitalist, talking to media, socialising their ideas and all – which sometimes are not their prime skill or in their ‘comfort zone’. In the process oftentimes, they also discover a new skill.

Not everybody gets a second chance like Robert Downy Jr, to do what they love. Accept some of the discomforts, get the better of some, get better at others, learn the ropes and get ‘out there’. I found it important that to keep your dream job you also have to embrace the things that ‘comes with the job’. 

Just our luck because ‘be comfortable at being uncomfortable’ has just started to trend.

This article was originally posted here.

Writes: Ira Pradhan, Ira is a Corporate Communications Leader with experience in Healthcare, Consumer Electronics, IT, Retail and the Automotive industry. She hails from the small and beautiful state of Sikkim and considers herself a complete Mountain Girl. In a career spanning over a decade as a communications expert, she has championed and led programs on several sustainable business practices, diversity and inclusion programs. She loves to read literature and books on management and development in technology and economics. She mentors young women students & entrepreneurs in her home state, Sikkim.

The post A Lesson from Hollywood appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.