On the occasion of Women’s Day, Medianews4u reached out to some successful women leaders from the world of advertising, broadcast, digital, brands and the universe; to understand how they overcame stereotypes at workplace.
Author: Nirupama Subramanian
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Interview with Startup Talky on Women Entrepreneurship
The history of International Women’s Day dates back to 1908, when some 15,000 women marched on New York City in the name of better working hours, fairer pay, and the right to vote. Three years later in 1911, the first official IWD was celebrated throughout Europe as more than a million women walked challenging stereotypes for their right and equality.
Read the Article here
https://startuptalky.com/nirupama-subramanian-cofounder-glow-and-my-daughter-is-precious
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Leadership Lessons from Snorkelling
When I was 13 years old, my swimming instructor, possible exasperated at my lack of effort, pushed me into the deep end of the pool. I still remember the feeling of choking, the thought that I was going to drown, the sheer panic and helplessness. I hated that coach and completely stopped the swimming lessons.
It took me 30 years to get back into a swimming pool. I am still a nervous swimmer with little confidence and less stamina than a six year old child in water. I have a fear of the deep and only venture into pools where I can stand and touch the bottom with my feet. When I walk on a beach, I make sure the waves never reach above my ankles.
So, there was no way I was going to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. Ever!
I had always been fascinated by the life that lived in the sea. Watching Finding Nemo a few years ago, made me curious about the creatures of the reef. But, I was more like Marlin, Nemo’s fearful father, scared to venture beyond the safe limits of my swimming pool, content to dream about doing it someday, one day..
Last week, I found myself on a Catamaran in Australia, heading towards the Outer Reef. There it was, the great Pacific ocean, shining under the tropical sun like a brilliant blue portal to another world.
The reasons to avoid going into the sea were plenty.
– I could always see the corals through the window of the submersible vessel or Observatory- dry, safe and secure.
-I had never been snorkeling. I would not be able to do it. I could barely swim.
-I would make an utter fool of myself in the water.
– It was too tedious to change into the lycra suit, wear flippers and masks and then change back, shower etc etc
-Besides, I would look fat in the lycra suit.
– I had allergies and wouldn’t be able to breathe properly.
– I could get attacked by a shark.
– I could get stung by a jellyfish.
But when I reached the platform on the pontoon at the edge of the great reef, I realized that I would probably never get this opportunity again. I am a leadership facilitator who helps people overcome fears, a coach who motivates others to come out of their comfort zones. Here I was, taking the easy way out, playing small, frozen in the grip of some inexplicable terror.
“I am going in,” I said to a crew member on the boat and strode purposefully towards the bin that held the flippers.
The life- guard showed me how to fix the snorkeling mask and assured me that plenty of people who didn’t know how to swim had been able to snorkel. I put on a life jacket over the body suit and agreed to stay within the roped off enclosure.
It took me a few minutes to get off the diving platform. I dithered by the edge wondering if people were watching me. Actually, no one cared.
At first, I sat and just put my head into the water, getting used to breathing with my mouth. Then I slowly swam into the water, still holding on to the rope.
I could breathe! I was not drowning!
I put my head down into the water and almost gasped at what I saw. A magical turquoise world lay beneath the water. The large cabbage coral and boulder coral were castles in a fairy tale kingdom. Yellow fish darted in and out like little sparks of pixie light. Anemone and seaweeds danced gracefully to ocean music. A shoal of black and white zebra fish swam briskly, a guard of honor before a regal parrot fish with a fine pink and green pattern. My fear ebbed away and I was lost in the beauty of that wondrous underworld forest. I let go of the rope and floated on the surface of the water, without taking my eyes off the ocean floor. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. Seeing the corals in a film was one thing but experiencing it with your own eyes, feeling the water around you and being a part of the ocean was completely another.
I reluctantly came out of the ocean since it was time for lunch. After half an hour, I was ready to go in again. I swam off the diving platform without holding on to the rope. I swam quite blissfully for the next few minutes, this time noticing more, allowing the beauty to seep in deeper without the underlying current of anxiety.
As we headed back to land, I felt as though I had been through a transformational experience. This was almost like going on a Hero’s journey- the call to adventure, the initial fear and reluctance, meeting the mentor in the form of a helpful life- guard and then overcoming my own inner demons to embrace the new experience. I came back not with just a visual treat but treasures that would serve me in life and work.
What had I learnt about overcoming fear and doing what scared me most?
Fear is usually all in the mind due to some long- ago experience or irrational beliefs.
There are always 10 sensible reasons to not do it and just 1 big one to go ahead.
It is okay to feel scared but that is not an excuse.
It is okay to ask for support and admit what you don’t know. People will usually help.
There is a difference between courage and recklessness- so take precautions and prepare before plunging in.
But you need to let go of the rope, the crutch, the shallows and strike out on your own.
There is a whole new beautiful world waiting for you at the edge of your comfort zone. This is the world where the magic happens, where dreams come true.
I now feel more confident, more powerful not just about snorkeling but about handling other challenges, about tackling things that scare me. The memory of having conquered one fear will always act as a positive motivator, nudging me to explore my edges.
Maybe, scuba diving next time? -
A child is born
Winner of a Highly Commended Prize in The 2006-2007
Commonwealth Short Story CompetitionIt was a hot dull night in May. The air was heavy as a blanket and moonless sky loomed like a cobra’s hood over the small mud hut. A man crouched outside the hut, his hands clasped around bony knees, forming an ungainly question mark. He was waiting. Inside the hut, his wife heaved in pain as the midwife’s fingers probed and prodded her swollen belly. His mother watched impassively, fingers clicking over prayer beads. Soon, the midwife scooped out a tiny whimpering infant.
“Girl”, she mumbled.
The man outside the hut cursed loudly. The mother-in-law hit her forehead with her open palm and sighed. The young woman sank back on the hard mud floor and tried not to feel anything. If the news had been otherwise, the midwife might have stayed back to coax a new sari from the mother-in-law or wheedle a few rupees from the man. Instead, she quickly finished her work and slunk away into the night like a criminal.
The mother–in-law finally spoke.
“You know what has to be done.”The woman who had just become a mother knew what had to be done. She knew the women in the village did it in many ways. Some used the poisonous red berries or the sickening sap of the oleander tree, others rolled a sari into a tight smothering ball and some made offerings to the river Goddess. She wished her own mother had done it years ago. Then, she would not have seen her parents, already burdened with debt, sell their buffaloes and pawn their belongings to pay for her dowry and marriage, that too, to an impoverished farmer whose own few acres were already mortgaged to the moneylender. Girls, she had been told since childhood, brought only tears and unhappiness to others and into their own wretched lives. She knew that a son who carried on the family name conferred immortality to his parents.
The mother-in-law made as if to take the infant but the woman said, “I will do it”. She wrapped the baby in an old rag and willed some strength into her aching limbs. It was a long way to the river. She walked through the inky blackness, stumbling across the stones, till she heard the steady hum of the waters. The river seemed placid, with no hint of the secrets and small bodies that lay within it.
The bundle in her arms moved and though she had sworn not to see its face, the woman found herself staring into a pair of huge dark eyes. The infant let out a hungry cry and the woman quickly clasped it to her breast, more to dull the loud noise it made in the quiet night. She gasped at the touch of the small mouth against her skin and sat down abruptly on the river bank among the reeds that bordered the waters. After a few minutes, she put the child down. Her fingers worked swiftly, tearing the reeds and plaiting them into strong strands. The reeds were young and wet, so she used three in the place of one and twisted them to form a basket, just the right size for a new born baby. She sent up a prayer to the Gods as she placed her daughter in the basket and pushed it into the gentle currents. She watched till the basket was out of sight. When the first fingers of sun stroked the earth, river and trees to light, the woman stood up and began the long walk back.
