Common Extraordinaire : Sheetal Bhanushali

                                                  “ No shame in being a dropout”

Dropping out from a professional course is often considered a matter of shame in our society.  A chance gone begging future starts looking bleak. The one who has dropped out is given a tag of a failure. All this is more significant when the professional course in “Engineering”.  Engineering promises money and a secured future in most cases, agreed, but not in all. There are a few individuals who even after dropping out of engineering have made a decent life for themselves. They are now living a life of their dreams and are happy in what they are doing. It is all about knowing where your interests lie, exploring your talents and believing in yourself. There are many such examples. And a certain Sheetal Bhanushali is one of them. A freelancer, she does everything from being a speech and drama teacher to script writing. In the following interview she discusses everything from freelancing to her take on NGOs to significance of dance in her life.

Q1. “A medieval mercenary.” Is what Google threw one of the definitions of freelancing. What is your take on freelancing? Are you a mercenary as well?

SB: Freelancing, according to me, is something that gives you the power to do things at your own pace. The way you want things. You get to pick and choose your battles.

Q2. How did you get into freelancing? What all do you do as a freelancer?

SB: I have never liked the idea of 9 to 5 jobs. The offices and corporate world make me feel trapped. And I always knew I wouldn’t be at peace if I followed what others around me were doing. This is why I chose to be a freelancer. Currently, I am a freelance speech and drama teacher, script writer and translator. I used to be a freelance dance teacher as well.

Q3. What is the most exciting aspect of being a teacher?

SB: There are a lot of aspects about being a teacher that give you immense joy. The first and most important being children. I have always liked the company of children and I believe children like my company as well. That is why I get a good response from them. The energy that they pass on to you is beyond words. I am never gloomy when I’m around a child. That is the most beautiful part.

Being a teacher is also a great responsibility. In some way or the other, you get to shape lives which are going to shape the future of a huge nation. I am not saying that I impact each and every child that I teach, but even if one or two out of a 100 that I teach go and create an impact, that is more than enough for me. It is a successful day for me if at least one child gets to learn something new or something different because of me in a class.

Being a teacher

Q4. Kids are an integral part of your work. How does it feel like working with kids? Do you yourself become a kid at times?

SB: Of course, people have told me that I should “adult up” a little. I, honestly, don’t give a damn! Yes, kids kind of pass on that energy to you. It is warm and happy and joyful. So, you tend to become an easy going person, in general, when you have been around kids for a long time. All my work revolves around children, be it scripts or teaching. So yes, you do become a child, and I am that way most of the times.

Grow -up! Absolutely not! 

Q5.You are passionate about dance. How many types of dance forms do you know? Which is your favorite?

SB: I have learnt quite a few dance forms. Modern contemporary is an all-time favorite. Indian classical dances, especially Bharatanatyam, is equally special. Other than these, I have learnt classical ballet martial arts dance forms like Kalripayattu, a little bit of belly dancing, jazz, hip hop. Dancing gives me freedom of expression. I can say I find my happy place when I am dancing.

Q6. Things that dance teaches us.

SB: Dance can actually completely change you as a person. You learn to be disciplined when you are dancing because classical dance forms require rigorous practice and following the set rules. Then, again, there are dance forms which give you the freedom of movement. That’s when you learn to express yourself through your body. Music gets incorporated. Life kind of gets a rhythm because you start to think about things and look at them more creatively. You learn to trust yourself and others when you do repertoires that involve partner work. So yeah... creativity, rhythm, discipline, trust…is what you learn. Also, you learn to create things on your own and plan them well. Planning is one big lesson that dance has taught me.

Dance is her way of leading life

Q7. “Engineering Dropout”. You wear this as a badge of honor. How did this happen?

SB: Engineering happened, I would say, just because I got 147 marks in math out of 150 in my board exams. “Good marks in Maths! Tumhe toh engineer banna chahiye”. So it was, basically, the “follow the herd” mentality that led me to try engineering.

In the first month itself I realized it was not for me. Often, I would reach the college gate, wait and look up, and think about going back home. There was nothing dynamic that was happening in my mind when I went to that place. Anyway, I continued. I failed the exams. I thought never mind, I’ll try. But trying comes when you are passionate about something. And I was not. So I never tried and never cleared my exams. I decided then that I needed to quit this and do something more satisfying. I have no shame in being a dropout. It was just a learning experience so I can write a book on what not to do (in engineering). *winks*

No shame in being a dropout

Q8. After dropping out from Engineering, you studied Psychology. Why? How did it help in your career?

SB: I have always been interested in this subject (Psychology) but never took it very seriously, thinking again, about the subject’s scope in India. But when I decided to drop out of college, I thought why not! This could be a chance to learn something that has always intrigued me. That’s how I enrolled myself for this course. I chose it because I love it.

It is children that I deal with. And all of them come from families with varied backgrounds. Psychology helps me to understand their behavior and needs, and design my sessions accordingly.

Also, it is an unfortunate thing to see that schools and parents these days hardly focus on the emotional development of the child. I believe emotional intelligence and values like empathy need to be developed in each and every child because that is what shapes their character and can make them better citizens of the world.

Student of Psychology-Looks affirms the facts 

Q9.For a year you volunteered for an NGO “The Candle Project”. Could you summarize your experience?

SB: The Candle Project has been a very special part of my life and I have cherished every visit. Summarizing entire experience would be very difficult because there are a lot of things that I have learnt, there are things that I have shared with other volunteers and children, and there are things that they have taught me as well.

Q10. Could you be specific about what the children and volunteers have taught you?

SB:  Children majorly teach you patience and understanding. And sometimes, when the kids start sharing their problems and life stories, you get attached to them. When that happens at a personal level, you kind of help them open up and understand themselves better. And in that process, you get to learn new things about yourself and also to value what you have. So, it was a give and take relation that I had with the children at TCP.

With the volunteers, they come from various walks of life. Entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors, bankers. You have them all. It’s interesting to see how different professionals think and behave when they come together for the same cause. It would not be possible for one person to do all this on his or her own. Be it curriculum or how to get the classes working or organizing trips for the children, those minds come out with unimaginable solutions every time. It was one dynamic room full of ideas where we’d have our discussions post class.

Volunteering : A life changing experience 

Q11. How important are NGOs in developing our societies and our nation at large? Or have they become a money minting business?

SB: I think NGOs, if they do their jobs well, can bring massive change to the place. Of course we do have NGOs those who are just trying to mint money or doing their CSR work. But you cannot put each NGO into that frame. There are people who are really striving hard to bring in that difference and you can’t take them lightly. Finding the genuine ones and working with them and for them is something we need to do as a nation to bring about the desired change.

Q12. Reading is also something you do religiously. What role does a book play in your life? What kind of books you read?

SB:  I was not an avid reader when I was a kid, reading happened to me as years passed by and that is when I realized that reading gives you a different space to be someone else or experience someone else’s life through your imagination. Each book will be read differently by different people. So, reading gives you an opportunity to explore without limits. That is exactly how I developed my passion for reading.

Kind of books I prefer to read these days are biographies and memoirs but there is no specific genre that I prefer. I like to keep my plate too full when it comes to books.

Q13. How do you define “Creativity”?

SB:  Creativity cannot be defined as such. Google is going to give you definition of course. But it means different to different people. For me, it is trying to do something that is never done before, coming up with new ideas, trying to do things differently.

Q14. Is creativity an innate thing or can it be groomed in kids as well. What does your experience with kids tell you?

SB: At an early age, children are still learning from their environment. They are like soft clay, waiting to get molded. Yes, creativity can be groomed into children. There are creative geniuses who don’t need all that grooming. It comes to them naturally. But I have also seen children, who are very shy, blossom beautifully. And in a year or two they start giving out speeches, earning medals and awards. With time, they tend to become more creative and confident of their work. So, grooming can change a child. It does help.

Yes she is creative

Q15. How do you define “Passion”?

SB: My definition of Passion would be something that drives you to do things irrespective of how tired you are, how drained you are, or how lost you feel. You would still want to keep going at it anyway.

Q16. An advice that you would give to your younger self?

SB: I have an anxious mind. So, I would ask my younger self to relax a little. Everything is going to be alright and things are not as complex as you think of them to be. Most importantly, make your decisions wisely and seek help if you need it. Believe in yourself. “Slow and steady wins the race” holds true in my case.

Q17. A message that you want to send out to the world.    

SB: Have faith in your dreams and work hard towards achieving them. You will eventually get there. Hard work has the power to achieve things that even genius cannot.

 

Dreaming hard and believing!