Nirupa Shankar seems to have it all. The 35-year-old director at Brigade Hospitality, Bengaluru, however, is always concerned about women who are less fortunate. Shankar believes it is important for every woman to stand on her own feet. ''Even if you are a stay-at-home mom, there are ways you can be financially independent. One can take classes or tuitions or bake or blog or freelance. Make some money that is your own. It gives you a lot of freedom to take decisions that are in your best interests,'' says the Bengaluru-based entrepreneur with the Midas touch.
In an exclusive interaction with THE WEEK, Shankar speaks about how a woman can make her life more meaningful and enjoyable. Excerpts:
Why is it so hard for women to find a proper work-life balance?
Lot of men don't have the pressure to come back and be there for their kids— to bathe them, feed them and put them to bed. Women do have that. So women have to multi-task more and manage their time efficiently.
Why do you encourage women to work?
My mom used to tell me: ''I don't care what you do in your life. Just make sure you work so you can be financially independent.''
I tell this to all stay-at-home moms I come across. Just make some money that is your own.
I have seen it with a lot of women in my own family. Women who haven't been able to earn or work have had to deal with a lot of difficulties.
Do today's women get enough 'me time'?
They don't. It is important for every woman to have some 'me time'. If you like dancing, go dancing. If you like singing, join a band and sing. That's your 'me time'.
For me, my 'me time' is when I exercise. I don't get to sit and drink my tea in the morning. That quiet time I get in the car while commuting to work. So I can either make calls or close my eyes and meditate. Often I choose to meditate. Imagine somebody is yelling at you. If you are not in a good frame of mind, you are going to yell back. But if you speak very calmly when somebody yells at you, they'll feel like a fool. My goal is to do that.
How do you deal with challenges?
Well, there are challenges you can control and those you can't. If you can control it, you know what can be done to resolve it. If there is a problem between people, you know what to do to resolve it. If the market is bad, you have to do whatever you can to mitigate the effect of that issue.
If something is not within your control, like people getting sick, you take it in a stride. That's what I do when things get too overwhelming.
I think the human mind imagines the worst possible scenario in most situations. You have to train your mind not to do that.