Dr. Komal Joshi–drawing the best out of the students and teachers

Dr. Komal Joshi is an educationist who is serving last 20 years as a PGT, HOD, Asst Prof, Sr Asst Prof, Academic Council Member, Proctor, Mentor, Strategic Planner and a K12 CBSE Principal. He talks about his professional journey.

When where why and how did you begin your professional life?  

I have never prepared a roadmap for life. All of this happened suddenly when I was completing my graduation as well as studying computer programming in 1995, when computer was in its early stages in India, my elder brother told me that a school needs qualified teacher for their children and you have that ability please go and face the interview, I went and got selected. The school was 40 km from my house. After working there for two years, I then went on to higher education from where I completed my postgraduation and then returned to join a prestigious residential school in the country as a HOD-Computer Science and worked there for three years. Then I started my MPhil and joined an engineering college as an Assistant Professor. Here, I worked tirelessly for 6 years because having to travel 150 km from home every day to live up to the expectations of the institution, take care of family requirements and complete my progress along with my studies. There I have completed my MTECH, MPHIL and published more than 20 national and international research papers in various forums.  

After that, in view of my talent, one of school’s management gave me the proposal to look after their school as a Principal. Along with this recently, I also completed my Strategic Management course from IIM Kashipur, reputed management college of the country.

After that, I ran several schools and worked intensively on children’s learning as well as their all round development, Intellectual Ability, Leadership Potential, Apptitude Skills, Students Categorization, Synaptic Memorization Skills and Coded Comprehensive Register. Due to these tasks, I am honored with the Best Education Icon Award in Mumbai, Best Principal Award, Kolkata by the grandson of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Atal Avantika Award, Ghaziabad, Radhakrishnan Outstanding Award by Mr. Anil Swarup, former Education Secretary, Government of India, Poddar Foundation, City Montessori Lucknow, Aurobindo Society And National Teacher Award by the Union Cabinet Minister, Government of India, Ramdas Athawale and several other awards in a row. I still got a long way to go…

What is the secret for your success and what does success mean to you?

Your inner energy is the key to your success. Body texture is useless if you are not mentally strong. So gathering your positive energy under adverse circumstances and then getting up again is the basic mantra of life. Successes are just a number that it only shows that there is too much to be done, and to tell people the true value of education.

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the course of your life.

In order to explain my working in extreme pressure, priorities and commitments, I want to share one true case study when I joined my last school, the situation there was fragile because 5 Principals had left in last 6 months. After 10 months of joining, my daughter was diagnosed with blood cancer and admitted in Sir Gangaram hospital, Delhi even then I had to look after all the activities at my work place. I did all the work for the school which has never happened there and given the best results in the history of the school because before taking over the board results were very poor and I promised my authority that school will produce great result and finally it was done. All the responsibilities of the school, the heartfelt treatment of the daughter, my IIM studies and the family environment are efficiently manage by internal energy, it taught me well then the circumstances of that time.

Describe yourself as a person.

I am very religious and cooperative and a person who always stands by my team. I never follow the culture of the boss, while I am always ready with the qualities of leadership that when and how much your team needs you. Supporting everyone in their grief and living with them in happiness is the principle of living my life. My routine is very systematic and rests on the needles of the clock because I am a very punctual person of the time. 

What are the challange you faced and how did you overcome them?

Challenges like a working professional where you are pressured to meet system requirements, balance your family life and maintain your progress. At the same time and in today’s business environment, giving right and meaningful and ethical education to the next generation is a big challenge. For this, it is necessary to reconcile everyone, to put your policies in front of everyone and to discuss them and find a permanent and logical solution are the qualities of a qualified employee. That I successfully edited.

About the awards and acclodaes received by you….

1.    National Awardee of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Memorial National Teacher & Media Network Award-2020 by Union Minister of State Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI Hon. Ramdas Athawale, organized by Akhil Bhartiya Swatantra Patrkar Avom Lekhak Sangh, ND.

2.    Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Teacher’s Welfare Award-2020 by Union Minister of State Ministry of Labour and Employment, GoI Hon. Santosh Gangwar & Sh Anil Swarup, IAS, Former Secretary Education, MHRD-GoI organized by Shikshak Kalyan Foundation and ALTTC-BSNL.

3.    “Certificate of Appreciation-2020” as a well being volunteer by Prakriti Poddar (Managing Trustee, Poddar Foundation).

4.    “Certificate and Letter  of Appreciation-2020” as an educator during COVID-19 by Edufeed Foundation.

5.    “Teacher Innovation Award-2019 & 2020” by Mayank Agarwal (COO ZIIEI) Sri Aurobindo Society, ZIIEI and HDFC Bank.

6.    “Padma E-Award-2019” by Mr. Arvind Gupta (CEO My Gov)

7.    “Atal Avantika Samman-2019” by Dr Anand Agarwa (National Director Avantika)

8.    “Principal of the Year-2018”, Kolkata, by Dr K. S. Ratnakar. (Grandson of Dr S 

      Radhakrisnan, Former President of India), organized by IUEF.

9.    “Education Icon Award-2018”, Mumbai, December 1, 2018 by Thirty One Ventures

10.  “Blub World’s 4th Gem 2021 Round-Table” on “Restarting Education- Innovation Strategies for the new Session” by Veena Bhavnesh Gaur, Chairperson Blub World. 

11.  “Global Education & Training Institute and CMS-Lucknow 14th Round-Table” on Scaling up for Dramatic Impact by Dr Sunita Gandhi, Founder GETI-India

(B)  Certifications:

1.    Executive Development Program in Strategic Management by IIM-Kashipur-2019.

2.    COVID-19: Operational Planning Guidelines and COVID-19 Partners Platform to Support

Country Preparedness and Response by WHO-2020.

3.    Security Awareness by M2MIT on dated April 22, 2020

4.    Productivity Tips: Finding your productive mindset by LinkedIn Learning and CPE on dated April 2020.

5.    Risk Taking by LinkedIn Learning and CPE, August, 2020.

6.    Working with Difficult People by LinkedIn Learning and CPE, August 2020.

7.    Career Guru by Dheya Career Mentors India Pvt. Ltd., August 2020.

How do you balance work and family?

I try to fulfill the minimum requirements of everyone and for that I spare some part of my time for all those who need it. We are a social animal where everyone’s desires are related to you. You cannot walk on this principle of “Aham Brahmasmi(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)”.

What are your future plans?

I am very open to whatever opportunities the future may hold. I pride myself in being flexible and adaptable. I think the best way of planning for the future is to make the most of the present. While preserving human values, Learning the nuances of leadership skills and proving yourself to be the most different in this competitive age to make your institution stand out from the banks and succeed.

Anything else that you want to tell the readers.

You should do any work, but it should take care of its principles and human sensibilities. Because everyone’s hopes are related to you, no matter what they are. You have to see this because if you are the leader of a team then it is your responsibility to follow them or else you will lose their trust, then all your abilities are useless.

Ravishankar Kumar–Founder of IDYM

Ravishankar Kumar is a Mechanical Engineer. He is the  Founder of IDYM Foundation. He has over 10 years of working experience with various industries both in India and abroad. He has done many National and international projects in the field of Space Technology, Hydroponics, Robotics, Automobile,Solar energy and has received many international and national awards in recognition for his work, He has received the Bharat Gaurav Award for helping Armed Forces families.  With the vision of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, he started IDYM with idea of igniting dreams of young minds foundation. IDYM hasconducted space Exploration Program in all 28/28 State of India + 4 Union Territory as well as in 29 Countries. During this mission IDYM has given 26000+ Students free of cost Training on Satellite and Rocket Technology.

Tell us more about the IDYM FOUNDATION…

IDYM Foundation conducts Workshops on Satellites, deliver Lectures on Space Functions, with the support of Hub of Professionals, IITians and Educators. Empowers the young minds to unmask and uncover the latent potentials. Enhances the power of imagination and prepares the students to be ready to serve the country for achieving the goal of Self Reliant India. Inculcates the positive attitude and resilience, Ignites the dreams of young minds for a happy and fulfilling life. Igniting Dreams Of Young Minds Foundation is a platform to promote space and satellite education for every young mind; for the entire student community from any School and College around the WORLD. Igniting Dreams Of Young Minds Foundation is currently connecting the space experts with the young minds, and it is on a progressive path to reach out to Pan India as early as possible with the future aim to build the Space School in India.

What makes IDYM special and unique?

Our special feature is our Unique Team. With the everchanging world successful team for a mission needs to be the best, but we are not just the best, we are unique, with our expertise. We are the passionate Science evolvers, IITians, IT experts & Change Makers.

Unique Syllabus

Igniting Dreams Of Young Minds In Space Education Across The WORLD, has the syllabus that no one is pursuing. Our constant endeavours are to make every child achieve the peak in satellite study.

Global Certification

We have a team of experts to provide trainings and conduct workshops for satellite study and many other genres related to Science & Technology, like drone technology and rocket science. Our certification contains high value on Global platform.

Our Core Team

Passionate IDYM Foundation Team, 
with distinguished speakers from various IITs, esteemed scientists from ISRO and other like minded intellectuals,
educated & empower schools & colleges about the fascinating & scientific world of space & satellites 
by conducting training sessions & workshops.

Book Donation Project by Vision Education Society

Vision Education Society donated story books to the Lokmanya Village Library at Khandepar, Ponda on World Book Day. The project was organized by Dwinnie Fernandes, Project Coordinator of VES on the occasion of the 24th year of the library. Through this project, VES wanted to allow the opportunity to let those texts have new life. Whether they end up in the hands of a young teen looking for an exciting new story to read, or they become part of a collection on someone else’s shelf, donating the books expands their purpose and influence in a fascinating ways. Mily Fernandes, Vice-President of VES thanked Mr. John Pereira , Ex sarpanch of Village Panchayat of Curti Khandepar and General Secretary of South Goa District Congress Committee and Chairman of Library for providing donation guidelines. She mentioned that by donating books you give other people the opportunity to discover for themselves that one book that could change their life. Passing on your books to someone else is the simplest way to spread the spirit of reading. Also present were Bella lobo e Fernandes Librarian, Lokmanya village library and Library attendant Caitan Andrade and many book lovers.

Janaritta Armooti—her art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to inspire and motivate

Janaritta Armooti is a visual artist from Jordan. She was born in 1994. She is the President of Worldwide International Art Acts Jordan Chapter. She obtained Bachelor’s Degree from Petra university and a diploma from the institute of fine arts- ministry of culture. She taught art at Petra university, institutes and runs her own business. She won in many competitions and got awards as well, her art has been exhibited in Jordan, Lebanon, Austria, Algeria, France, Spain, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Korea, India, Mexico and USA… She was selected to be a jury member in local and international competitions. She opened her Solo exhibition”From Black to White” in Jordan and she has a book with the same title deals with the relationship of colors and art to other fields such as psychology, positive energy, physiology and languages.

Janaritta Armooti the Jordanian visual artist opened her solo exhibition which is titled “From Black to White”. in Amman on Thursday, attended only by officials and media persons due to the coronavirus pandemic so people from around the world could see her artwork online. The exhibition was opened under the patronage of the minister of culture Mr Ali alayed in the presence of the guest of honour his excellency the representative Mr Saleh Armooti at la vie which was organised by razan Armooti. Armooti’s exhibition involves several topics: “art and its relationship with the positive energy and with therapeutic, psychological as well as the physical therapy. Also, the relation between art and languages.”

Tell us something about yourself….

I started to paint since childhood but then I taked it seriously so I studied it at the institute of fine arts and I started to practice more, read more and join in many local and international exhibitions for cultural exchange and when I started to join in competitions and win, that encouraged me to do well and more, moreover my family and friends were always encouraged me as well. then I went to the university and After I held art exhibitions at the university, the art officer at the deanship was impressed with my work and asked me to start working with them in teaching art to students so I started a new level to be art teacher and I taught art in many institutes,and I became a jury member in local and international competitions, so It is a nice feeling when you start giving what you know to others to help them more and after graduation I started my own work in art and opened my Solo exhibition”From Black to White” in addition to my new book that has the same name and talks about the relationship of colors and art to other fields such as psychology, positive energy, physiology and languages.

What is the secret of your success?

I think the secret to success is to feel positive and to feel love for everything for example love your family , love people , love yourself and even your colors and your work. Be grateful for everything even if it is small as the little one brings its big dimension. Success has many big meanings but it means to me you can reach to success. when you start to achieve the goals , started to be satisfied with yourself and to started reach the stage of giving, not taking…etc

Any incident that left a lasting impression on your mind….

I think the last pandemic has had a deep impact on me it has taught me many lessons it taught me to live the moment without thinking of the past or the future because everything will go over in any moment so don’t postpone anything for tomorrow and appreciate every small things that make us happy, it taught me to love everything and everyone because we don’t know when we will lose them and everyone has an obstacle in his life we should help them to be positive. This situation has shown us that we are all the same regardless of our religion, culture and whether we are poor or rich. in addition to many other lessons.

Describe yourself as a person…

I don’t like to talk about myself and my achievements I like to let people see, but I can tell you some of my characteristics, I love simplicity in everything, love positivity, honesty, humility, purity and love the adventures. I hate routine, negative people, vanity and stupidity and thus make me feel upset and nervous.

What lessons has life taught you?

In everything there is a positive and a negative side so for sure I faced many difficulties for example it was difficult to manage time as I was learning at the university and at the same time I was teaching there after finishing my lectures But it was beautiful experience and deserve the efforts. and I had faced many obstacles but always I try to take the lesson or the positive side of every circumstance. and I would like to tell you that the best life lesson is learned during hard times so enjoy your life and appreciate what you have. Just think about the fact that there are people in the world with less. Be happy and positive for everything around you and you will become better.

What about your awards?

I got many awards such as digital creativity award / vienna, won the international contest in Ukraine with kochut and tebletouchki; won in local contest with Orfali gallery and forest forcethe most beautiful painting of 2017 / Jordan; creativity and freedom contests; won in the youth creativity conest / SIGI & WUSK Canada… and others

What are your future plans?

My future plans are to continue making new artworks and to do my best to be better than me now and also to present the best for audience

Rakesh Verma—an innovative, creative and proactive educator

Rakesh Verma’s story will take you on an insightful journey detailing key moments of a fulfilled life. The famous quote of Henry Miler that “every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him” stands true with the life story of Mr. Rakesh Verma, who experienced considerable hardships, only to win over them and carve a niche for himself in the field of education. He is presently working in Birla Public School, Doha (Qatar)”

Tell us about yourself…..your journey and how you have evolved as an educator over the years?

My love for meeting new people and undertaking public relation activities, enables me to strive for more in life, be it educating children or spreading knowledge among the human-folks. I continue to prove myself as a skilled and knowledgeable professional capable of managing various responsibilities in areas of educational activities, Parent-relationship building exercises, general discipline, etc. My popularity among the students empowers me with enormous courage to dispel the fear of failure in the young generation. I have prepared the students and managed quiz programmes for school students ; Organized picnics and excursions during vacations ; Conducted Workshops, Counseling, Road/kiosk shows; Promotions of various activities of School, etc.

I believe that I have blessings of God that He has empowered me with immense TREASURE that a great teacher must have.

For example, I am a CHANGE AGENT and I strive to be :-

1) Creative: Part of this process includes celebrating difference in students and differentiating instruction to meet the needs of students. I know how important it is to allow students to explore their own creative potential.

2) Collaborative: Not only does the collaborative lead to a shared common vision, but it is through collaboration that I gain new insights and perspectives.

3) Courageous: Innovative educators are at their heart, courageous. So I do not view mistakes as failures, but as opportunities to grow and try again.

4) Curious: Curiosity is a feature that innovative teachers possess. I try to be naturally inquisitive and love to explore new ideas.

5) Connected: Teachers who are considered innovative are connected to the world around them. These connections make me digital, community-oriented, and/or oriented toward professional development. I am also deeply connected to the needs of my students.

6) Compassionate: Compassion is an essential trait that innovative educators must possess. In order to become fully engaged and motivated about learning, students must feel that I care for them.

7) Committed: Above all else, the innovative educator is committed to life-long-learning. I realize that this form of commitment is necessary to be truly innovative and provide my students with the best educational experience possible.

…… LEARNING NEVER ENDS

I would like to highlight my INNOVATIONs that I implement in the teaching-learning process towards becoming a creative teacher with a multidisciplinary approach, thereby effectively reaching out to the student community.

Every subject is equal importance for the development of the child. Each topic is directly or indirectly related to every subject. So it is very important to integrate every subject, and have multidisciplinary approach in teaching. And I inculcate various ways of teaching – learning methodology in my class to achieve this.

With the fast life of the parents, it has become very important responsibility of the teachers to look into the field of Life-Skill. Students look upon us as ‘second parents’ and expect us to empower them with qualities like decision- making, problem solving. So, I include some of these in every class :-

 Using positive praise-phrases

 Advising them to use ‘Instant Stress-Busters’ like slow breathing, positive self-talk, etc

 Ask them to maintain ‘Gratitude-Journal’

 Giving them a ‘silent-treatment’ when they show their bad behavior.

What is the secret of your success?

Be consistently candid and honest. Make it a point to speak what’s on your mind without fear of judgment. By speaking the truth and being honest, you can support your words with actions that will help you pursue your success. Simply thinking for yourself can make you unforgettable.

What does success mean to you?

Success to me is doing what you love and being authentic whilst you do it. We all require meaning in our life and I believe you are successful when you have found that purpose and commit your life to it.” … “The definition of success to me means doing something that makes you happy, and something that you enjoy.

What are the changes we need in education?

We identify three big changes that education should make post COVID: curriculum that is developmental, personalized, and evolving; pedagogy that is student-centered, inquiry-based, authentic, and purposeful; and delivery of instruction that capitalizes on the strengths of both synchronous and asynchronous learning.

Boney Coelho–A self-made man in every sense of the word

Extremely polite, always anxious to render courtesy, no one carries great success more gracefully than Boney Coelho. His graciousness has won many a friend, the admiration of many more, and has smoothed many a rugged spot in life. His strong character, commonsense, and high ideals, have made him respected by all, while his munificence and kindness have won for him the love of many. He is ambitious to leave an impression on the world by good deeds well done, and this ambition is gratified to the utmost. Boney Coelho’s story contains all the elements that make one successful. His story is intended to show that character, energy, and an indomitable ambition will succeed in the world, and that there is no reason for despair. His career is a source of inspiration to all poor boys who have their own way to make in the world, for he has won his present honors by his own unaided efforts. He is modest about his work. He seeks no fame for his professional achievements. Yet, there is no story more significant, none more full of encouragement and inspiration for youth. In relating it, as he told it, I have removed my own interrogations, so far as possible, from the interview. 

HE ALWAYS SUPPORTED HIMSELF.

Born in a family whose father was a hard-and-fast cop & loving homemaker mother who also did odd jobs to raise family of six brothers and two sisters. I am the youngest among the siblings! 

My parents worked hard day in and day out to try and give us the best and they struggled a lot to make ends meet and through these struggles the best they could do was LOVE US IMMENSELY. We were all happy & joyful all the time. There was a beautiful sense of belonging and togetherness among us and this is true till this day. We are a truly close knit family. 

My other brothers left home at a very young age to support the family and the rest tried menial jobs back home. I was the only lucky person in the family who got support from my brothers and sisters to further my education. A student of Don Bosco, People’s High School and Dempo College, I have completed my studies with flying colors and many accolades in school and college. During my summer holidays my father helped me connect to my field of interest like motor mechanics, tailoring etc. I would spend my holidays going to these places and learning at a very young age and grasped a lot of experience in these fields without paying anything as they were my father’s friends. I stitched my first shirt all by myself at an age of 16. I remember I use to spend my afternoons sitting at RV tailors in Panjim and the tailors out there loved me to the core. I remember GIGI, a tailor from Kerala who taught me how to stitch. 

HIS AMBITION AND POWER AS AN ORGANIZER

While schooling and college, I felt it was time to give a helping hand to my parents to run the house and that’s the time I started dancing at Emerald Waters & Santa Monica Cruises with Alegria Folktroupe. I got my first break when I got an offer from a band playing at Riorico Restaurant at Mandovi, Panjim to be their main guitar player and lead singer. It was exciting playing with such talented musicians and I remember so vividly waking my mother at midnight and putting into her hands my first salary after I got my first pay from Mandovi and I continued to give her my salary every month and never for a moment felt I needed anything in life. 

I was absolutely unwearying and I never stopped trying new things in my life right from the beginning. I was always on the go. My first big money came from the British owner of Bureau De Change an exchange house in Calangute who gave me an order for his neon signboards for all his branches for which I managed these signboards with my sister whose husband ran a signboard business. I can never forget running to the small telephone PCO booth at Foodland, Miramar and designing the signboards myself in CorelDraw, a designing software I had just learnt for fun at the telephone booth whose owner allowed me to sit there and learn and also help him. 

There was no looking back and no time for laziness in my life. I juggled way too many things at the same time and I praise God I was damn good at what I did. My enthusiasm and go-getter attitude was recognized by the owner of Casino Motels Mr. Delphin who offered me a job, a tough one but nothing was tougher than me. A job selling PCO machines throughout Goa by motorbike with no smartphones and GPS system to travel finding customers in the most remote areas of Goa. Sometimes riding through heavy rain showers to close deals. I have sold the highest number of machines to customers than any other suppliers from the Panjim Telephone exchange records through a very smart and innovative way of selling. 

Selling signboards and PCO machines and at the same time performing on boat cruises and hotel shows every single day was not easy but my young blood never stopped pumping and my mind never stopped thinking ways of dealing with this HEAD-ON. We started our own Folktroupe called MAESTROS CREATIONS as my brothers and my sister was also a part of this troupe and did major shows and events in Goa for many years headed by my brother Marcelon and Herculano! 

THE TURNING POINT OF HIS LIFE

Working in Gulf was something of a prestige during those days and brothers and my sister by now had left Goa to pursue their career and I too had a glimmer to try the GULF LIFE and thanks to my sister Luizinha and her husband Elvis, I landed in Abu Dhabi in 1998 knowing nothing about what’s in store for me. It was a completely a different culture altogether and finding a job here was next to impossible as visas and work permits were banned for some Asian countries. 

I struggled to even get a job interview but as the saying goes ‘Fortune favors the brave, bold & strong’ I landed a salesman’s job at Sony music, a label by Al Faisaliah Group owned by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The salary was a small pay package but I was lucky to get this job through an interview by seven department heads of the company. I went through the toughest phase of my life standing in showrooms for more than 10-12 hours a day and an hour of walking home past midnight because I could not afford a taxi which was very cheap during those days but my salary would not permit me to pay that small taxi fare. I walked for an hour at midnight every day, picked up a coke can at a vending machine on the street and ate a roti to survive and save my salary for my family back home! I had a choice to live a good life with my salary over my family and I was not married but I choose my family over a luxurious life but I don’t regret that decision a bit. I cried a lot like a small child while I walked home at night and I certainly had a choice to leave this life here in a foreign land and go back to Goa to my parents and earn much more than what I was getting and live a good life but I thought otherwise. I just told myself one thing that God has put me on a training ground and He is making me stronger for a much bigger role in my life. The break came in after a few years when the music wing of this group had to shut down all the 15 branches and we were made redundant. It was Christmas day when I got this redundancy letter and I had no clue what’s going to happen next. But few weeks later, I received a call from the company I am still working currently and I was selected to take a job I never tried before and worked in a department where I had no clue what an LPO even meant and I remember calling my sister and asking her what it meant. But I didn’t give up. I was much smarter than giving up and I made it a point to LEARN & SERVIVE every moment of my life from there on. It’s been 18 years at my current employer and am blessed beyond measure in this company with a wonderful boss and friendly office colleagues. 

A HEAD BUILT FOR SUCCESS

By now, I knew the tricks of the trade in this country and that’s when my life became an adventurous journey. From selling signboards to PCO machines, from selling music to heading a department in an office, there was no stopping. My life was not just limited to a 9 to 6 job. I explored, tried and tested many others things in my life here in Dubai like organizing some of the biggest Goan events in UAE like Voice of Goa, Sao Joao, Carnival etc. to hosting these events in star hotels of UAE. Goan carnival was one of the biggest Goan event ever held in UAE organized & hosted by me along with Razzmatazz events and had a record crowd who attended this event. Bringing Goan community together away from Goa is something very close to my heart and I will continue to pursue this Goan journey in my heart and mind miles away from Goa. There is not a single moment in my life I have not considered going back to Goa but many circumstances and for all good reasons I have always made a decision to work in this country for much positive rationality. Dubai has been a blessing to me and my family and a second home to me though my whole family works and lives in UK and who misses me dearly. 

My life is definitely incomplete without the indwelling presence of God in my life & God has gifted & blessed me with a good many talents and put an intrinsic worth to my life. My day never start without the Word of God and this, I strongly believe is the most valuable key to be happy, joyful & successful.  

From a crafty hand in decorations to having a knack for tailoring. From hosting shows to organizing top events. From mentoring people to outstanding & impeccable leadership qualities. The confidence of dancing to having the art & skills of a singer & musician, from being a food connoisseur to being awarded the master chef title for my exceptional cooking skills & most importantly being a loving father, a caring husband, trust worthy friend and a compassionate human being….I can honestly, sincerely and proudly say that’s what BONEY COELHO is all about. My social responsibilities have always been greater than my personal beliefs and I guess this is the most important key to survive in this dog eat dog era. A lot can happen in one’s life with good intentions and bad luck but my firm belief to face anything that is thrown at me; I will always fight it head-on. I have never allowed a few of my insecurities to get the best of me. I have been asked a lot by my own family and many friends ‘HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR TIME’ and I can say with so much pride that from a very young age I have always respected my time and others’ as well and that has taught me a lot in life to be successful. Time is the most indispensible tool to succeed. When you have the will to do something, YOU WILL. I tell my mind every morning that everything IS POSSIBLE and LO & Behold everything becomes possible. Simple! Isn’t it? 

Coming back late from home, getting into the kitchen and cooking & baking up some delectable Goan dishes for the family, spending some time with them and giving some time for my music is but possible only as far your mind can go and it’s as simple as that. I must confess that I have an undying love & passion for cooking for which I don’t have any professional training in cooking & for music which I perfected by ear and it only gets better by the day. A flair for public speaking gifted me an opportunity to be a speaker at one of the biggest global medical group of Hospitals in UAE namely Aster Hospital and was indeed a proud moment to be a part of ‘WE ARE LISTENING’ conference with the heads of their departments.

Many challenges did pierce through my life when I started life here in UAE, but every time I faced one, I knew I cannot dwell on self-pity, I had to get up and fight and most importantly believe every fight is a WIN. There is no room for losing and it just worked every time. Bury your face in your pillow and cry out as loud as possible but within your pillow but make sure when you lift your head up again, you lift it up triumphant. 

I still have many more things to learn and achieve in my life and I have lots of time left in me to achieve it and I truly believe that. I don’t get old, I get younger every day and this belief breaks all the barriers of being a failure. The more people understand this, the more successful they will be in life. 

The first step to success is to throw out your LAZY BOY. The second one is to unsubscribe to PITY PARTY. Dangle your feet in the water and attract the sharks. IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING & I live by this principle. Don’t make ‘SEEKING SUCCESS’ a priority in life, make ‘SEEKING GOD’ a priority in your life and success will attract to you.  

Joginder Singh Mann—Man of vision, ambition, drive and talent

“Let’s pray before our meal” is the maiden attempt of Mr. Joginder Singh Mann, to describe the excitement and the spirit of competitiveness among the students in boarding schools and also between boarding schools. As an author and also as a student of one of the most revered institution of the nation, Mr. Mann chose this wonderfully exciting and fiercely competitive subject, to tear away the cobwebs of perception which many amongst us weave in our minds. Mr. Joginder Singh Mann began the spring of his life in one of the most fertile educational acres of the country, a leading boarding school in India. As one of the most illustrious students of this hallowed institution, Mr. Mann showed exemplary leadership qualities and led the school in various capacities beginning as a School Prefect. Apart from being an accomplished rider, he is also a brown belt in karate (2 Dan). Besides these he was also the school Band Leader, Parade Commander of BPS NCC and a member of the school swimming team. As a champion swimmer, he brought pride to his teammates and established BPS as a formidable foe to peer institutions in the pool. He passed out of this institution and enrolled himself in the English (Hons) class of Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. While pursuing his academics diligently, he also contested in the college elections and in this case too his leadership and popularity brought him the post of General Secretary of the college students union. While pursuing his Honours, he also pursued his love with the pool by participating in the inter college swimming competitions. And off the pool, he was the Captain of the Kirori Mal college football team.

Passing out with flying colours, Mr. Mann left Delhi in choice of a career and landed up in one of the finest seats of hospitality – The Taj Group of Hotels in Mumbai. Quickly learning the nuances of our legendary Indian hospitality, he served at various managerial levels to the utmost satisfaction of his superiors and guests alike. It is this stint and experience at The Taj, which he carried to the institution he founded and is today the largest co-ed residential school in Delhi – The Mann School.

Today, as the Chairman of The Mann School Mr. Mann employs his time between his students, his hobbies and his family. Being an outdoors person, he is a keen trekker and a mountaineer (He completed his mountaineering course from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi.) he usually embarks on arduous treks to the mountains along with his friends. Not only does he trek, but he also organizes such treks as the President of VINOBA (Vidya Niketan Old Boys Association).

As a loving husband and a beloved father, Mr. Mann spends his time with his family consisting of his wife – Sarita and their two children – Gaurav and Ashrika. And in quiet evenings, when his family sits besides him, he sits at the piano trying to compose a song to dedicate to his music teacher in BPS, Pilani.

Tell us something about yourself.

I am B.A.(Hons) English from Delhi University.  I did my High School from a leading boarding school in India.  I have been in Sr. Management (Food & Beverage & Front Office) at the TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS. Currently I am the Chairman of The Mann School, and the Director of Flag House Hospitality & Resorts Pvt. Ltd. Flag House, Holambi Khurd, Delhi-110082, India and also the Director of Flag House Resort VPO Junga, Distt Shimla, HP, India. I am also the Honorary Member of Indian Public Schools’ Conference (IPSC) Trust. I held Various posts / extra curricular activities in school. I was the School Captain, Band Leader, Member – School Horse Riding, Hockey, Athletics & Gymnastic teams. I was the School Swimming Champion and Member – Royal Life Saving Club. I am Distt. Swimming Champion and Member – Rajasthan State Swimming team. 

I love adventure sports. I was Parade Commander N.C.C. – Passed Certificate A Pt. I & II.
Mountaineering Course from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering,Uttarkashi,UA. Black Belt in Karate and Ci-devant President – Old Boys Association of Birla Public School, Pilani, Rajasthan

My leadership qualities were very evident in my involvement in the  Various posts / extra curricular activities in college. I was the General Secretary of College Student Union. I Participated in Inter-College Swimming Competitions. I was the Captain– College Football Team, Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. 

And now I am the Author of the Book :- “Lets Pray Before our Meals” – Life in Boarding Schools. 

I am a keen Mountaineer. I love to play the Piano.

Could you please tell us more about the MANN School?

The Mann School is a premium boarding school (Boys & Girls) in Delhi with national & international students community. The school was established in 1989, with the objective of bringing world-class education to its students making them into a bright, intelligent and physically sound gentlemen & ladies.

The School is member Indian Public Schools’ Conference (IPSC) estd.1939, a body of quality boarding schools in India & National Progressive Schools Conference (NPSC). Affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) it is certified ISO-9001:2015 and ISO-14001:2015 school.

MS is also an authorized centre for University of Cambridge, ESOL Examinations, an awardee of the International Schools Award(ISA) by the British Council, Member IAYP and AFS Intercultural Programs. Member of Pracheen Kala Kendra, Trinity College London (Music), Indian Didactics Association (IDA) & Equestrian Federation of India (EFI).

MS is also awarded Ranked #1 in All-India ‘Environment-friendly’ school by EW. 

From a sprawling estate of 20 acres pollution free green campus to spacious E-classrooms to specialized labs for different subjects of science, computer science, linguistic & languages, ATL (Atal Tinkering Lab), modernistic Library, Wi-Fi Campus, up-to-the-minute School ERP system, in-house developed Science Park and comfortable air conditioned hostels for both boys and girls, MS has it all. Open Air Theatre, mini auditorium, one of the largest playgrounds for outdoor games & sports like athletics, swimming, football, basketball, tennis, cricket, etc. The school has state-of-the-art floodlit synthetic tennis and basketball courts and skating rink. For all round physical fitness there is an obstacle course and a gymnasium. The school takes pride in having one of the finest & biggest horse riding facilities amongst schools in India.

The School also offers its students a range of extra-curricular activities to choose from adventure sports to music, billiards, gymnastics to yoga, clubs & hobbies of celestial club, eco club, culinary arts, robotics & gaming, photography, classical dances, arts & crafts, personality development programmes, Teachers Welfare & Development, tours & treks, etc., students are given ample opportunities to indulge their creative energies. The school maintains one of the finest orchestra and musical bands for boys & girls. To develop character, comradeship, discipline, secular outlook, spirit of adventure and the ideals of selfless service amongst the students the school has N.C.C (Armoured & Air Wing) Jr. Div. Boys & Girls.

MS has state-of-the-art dining facility catering to Indian, Oriental & Continental cuisines. Provides RO drinking water and maintains a 14 bedded Infirmary with Doctor and nursing staff 24×7. Full time counsellors & Special Educator is available on campus for the students and parents.
The School has round the clock security & is under CCTV camera surveillance.

Visit school’s website http://www.themannschool.com & https://linktr.ee/themannschool for Social Media links.

My school is the proud recipient of many awards.

“Standalone School of the Year” award by the Indian Education Awards 2016. 

“Sports & Cultural achievements” by Confederation of Education Excellence. “Green School of the year” award by ScooNews Magazine. “The Elite School” in North India award by Education Today. 

Best Infrastructure Award by Global Guru. 

Ranked # 9 in All India School Rankings by Education World in association with C-Fore & Ranked # 5 amongst top co-ed residential schools, North India by Times of India. Featured in “17 Great Legacy Schools of India” Coffee Table Book by Education World.

The school is also a recipient of various awards by renowned agencies & institutions including ‘The Best Infrastructure Award’, ‘Award for Excellence in Extra Curricular & Sports Education Program’ and many more.

Tell us something about your book…

The book is myth shattering description of life, behind the high walls of boarding schools from a person who was a resident in one of the famous boarding schools of the country. The seeds of inspirations behind this book were the numerous incidents and occasions, pranks and prayers in the ever fertile soil of Birla Public School, Pilani. The book also revolves around stories across various boarding schools across the country.

It is a book that everybody, be they parents, students, teachers, principals, or the public at large can read not merely for entertainment, but also edification and instruction on what makes a rounded school education. From the importance of not wasting food to the responsibility of parents in the bringing up of children, from the importance of hostel life (which begins only after school hours) to the temporary phenomenon of homesickness, it covers almost every aspect of being children and sensitively deals with them. The riveting incidents, and the humour are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. By weaving in the accounts from other famous schools as well, this book succeeds in capturing a broader stage. From interesting tidbits like how the prefect system evolved, to the fine distinction between harmless schoolboy pranks, it covers a wide area which is simultaneously easygoing, humorous and deeply empathetic.

“While there’s something undeniable about the saying -‘Life’s not a destination but a journey’, I feel it is somewhat incomplete. For along the way, we find crucial halting places and oasis that both define the quality of the journey as well as its future direction and movement. Let’s pray before our meal, describes those unforgettable and invaluable years, years that changed me, moulded me, and undoubtedly shaped me into the person I am today. The best part of this journey was that along the way, there was not just immense learning, but also immense enthusiasm, joy and fun, and the forging of lifelong bonds and friendships.This book attempts to capture the flavour of those halcyon years.”

When where why and how did you begin your professional life. Tell us all about your journey…

I was 20 and last year of college graduation when my professional career started with Taj Group of Hotels in 1980, where I joined Taj as a management trainee and got posted in Food & Beverages deptt., 1^st as the Manager of THE 19 HUNDREDS (A unique and exclusive club for the corporate houses and the who’s who of Mumbai). Got posted to Delhi in the Front Office deptt. as Lobby Manager (Duty Manager) in Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Rd. Delhi and The Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi. In 1989 started the Boarding school in Delhi in one of the biggest campus of 20 acres. 

What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?

The secret of my success is my Boarding School background where one gets an overall development, grooming and confidence. The exposure, and refinement came from the Taj. The success means to pass on your knowledge, talent to others. To do justice to your profession. To see your efforts bearing fruits.

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the course of your life?

1^st striking thing was when I refused to take help in my selection for the Taj and wanted to get selected on my merits.

2^nd was when I saw the development of the school going children, where except going to attend classes there were no activities and sports for their development. The schools were not emphasizing on personality and physical development.

Being in Boarding school I was a school captain, national player in swimming and horse riding, Band Major, NCC, Mountaineering, etc. In spite of all this scored very good percentage in board exams. This was beating the myth that, activities and sports waste time.

Describe yourself as a person.

Expect perfection, finnese in work, and if lacking, am little short tempered..!! but then requite by counselling and affectionately compensating. 

What are the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

Challenges in establishing our works by govt deptts. But if you are honest, genuine and doing justice to your profession, you overcome them. Learning and upgrading is a process, which should keep happening or else one is left behind.

About the awards and accolades received by you….

Awards, accolades and rankings (Attchd) received by our school is a teamwork.Me becoming a Hon. Member of the INDIAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ CONFERENCE TRUST (IPSC) www.ipsc.co.in

Similarly at my resort in Shimla (www.flaghouse.co.in) we maintan our rank from no.1 to 3 by Tripadvisor. ‘Travelers Choice’ award and ‘Certificate of Excellence’ Award since 2014.

Wrote a Book, a first ever on Life in a boarding school. ‘Lets Pray Before our Meal – Life in a Boarding School’ www.lifeinboarding.com

Available now on Amazon as well.

How do you balance work and family?

“It is not the hours you put in your work that counts, it is the work you put in the hours”. With this one can balance between work and family. In boarding school we learnt to balance time – we played hard, studied hard. Enough time to play, do activities, sleep and study. 

What are your future plans?

To work for the Indian Public Schools’ Conference (IPSC) for betterment of school education and travelling. A founder can carry an institution only so far, and then others have to step in, even the Alumni. That’s how an institution becomes one.

Anything else that you want to tell the readers…

I believe…….

“My dedication to this sacred duty

is total and whole-hearted,

In the responsibility bestowed on me,

I would never allow me to falter.

And with dignity and perseverance,

my pursuit will remain perfection.

I will go to make the farthest possible effort, 

to live up to the demands of my role in children’s life.

Nothing is more valuable to me.

I can’t guarantee i will always be right,

yet, i need to be right more often than wrong.” 

Cultivating a sense of wonder in learners

During my initial years of teaching, I very much enjoyed taking the learners of my grade 3 class on environmental education adventures outdoors. I would rush ahead so I could see their faces as they approached the magnificent view of the place we were visiting outdoors.  I watched their lit-up faces and cries of ‘wow’ and the pure joy and amazement at the view.  They were captivated by all that the natural world had to offer and I learnt from these experience that captivation leads to the desire for deeper understanding. Learners approach the world with a wide-eyed sense of wonder, constructing meaning from every new experience. Maintaining that sense of wonder can be challenging. Therefore, it is the primary responsibility of every educator to create space in our classrooms and our day for this wonder. We need to let them know that their questions are not only valued as important but have a place in our classrooms and school. Enhancing a learner’s sense of wonder does not require a lot of effort but doing less of what doesn’t matter and more of what does. Quick, simple activities can make a big difference. 

What can we do to cultivate a sense of wonder?

We need to encourage all learners to ask questions and seek answers and to know that life is not always about having the right answers. Every learner in the class should be provided with opportunities for questioning. It is beneficial for the educator to talk about the connections between things to the learners. We all know that conversations with learnersburst with questions. By building instruction around learners’ questions, we can create buy-in and excitement around learning. Let learners get a chance to test their ideas and provide evidence for why they did or did not work. It’s important to not only allow learners a chance to ask their questions, but also give them a chance to find answers. Allowing learners a chance to ask questions, form theories, and test their ideas helps to build independent and engaged problem solvers. We can embrace curiosity by giving learners choices when designing their assignments and problem-solving approaches. But the most effective strategy of all may be modeling your own curiosity about the world. By thinking aloud about your wonderings, you can motivate learners to investigate the unknown and encourage lifelong learning.

Learners seem instinctively attuned to the wonders of nature. Learners learn best by interacting with things that are meaningful to them. When we are encouraged to pursue the things we love, we develop an investment and appreciation for our learning. As educators, part of our job is encouraging learners to follow their passion and another part is helping learners find their passion. The most effective educators help develop learners who go curiously into the world around them, finding joy in places they would have never imagined.The challenge is to create a learner-centered learning environment in which to design and implement meaningful, project-based, reality-based opportunities for learners. As a result, they would develop intellectual skills and acquire content knowledge while seeing real meaning in what they do. 

Children’s books are very powerful in developing a great source of wonder by stimulating creativity and imagination. Good books allow learners to suspend disbelief, explore new worlds, and meet amazing characters. Chosing beautifully illustrated non-fiction books helps learners to discover the wonders of science, history, and nature. When you dive into high-quality children’s fiction, it arouses imagination and encourages deeper thinking, sparking your learner’s intellectual curiosity.

We all mostly use the KWL chart for mapping students’ thinking by documenting what students already know about a topic being studied, what they wonder, and later, what they have learned. This could be replaced by the OWL chart, which focusses on observe, wonder and learn. We can help students feel free enough to make guesses that they know aren’t quite right. Through these guesses, students show how they are developing their own understanding. 

If a learner is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of an educator who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in. During the first years of school, learners have an abundance of wonder, or curiosity about anything and everything. I think most educators would agree that a sense of wonder is extremely valuable, if not essential, because it motivates the desire to know more. Joy and wonder isn’t a luxury for learners, but a necessity. Small moments of joy and a feeling of wonder can give learners meaning in a sometimes chaotic world, building a sense of “rightness” and resilience from which they can draw in the years to come.

Rukhsar Sayyed– nothing is impossible for a determined woman like her

Rukhsar Sayyed is an Educator by profession, a writer, keen observer, Podcaster and a researcher by passion. She works as a language teacher in Abu Dhabi Indian School. She also owns a website named as ‘Rux literary world’ where she expresses her thoughts on women empowerment, gender equality, women’s education and several other social issues. Presently she is working towards her dream project i.e her upcoming debut novel ‘A journey from Death to Re-birth’. She has also Co-authored a book with other well-known educators, Blessings of life in 2020. Rukhsar is also the founder of Time2Shine which is her online talkshow and podcast. She has also worked as an IELTS/OET instructor in many esteemed organizations in the UAE. Besides excelling as a Language Educator, Writer and a Talk show host, Rukhsar gives her best in hosting a popular TV show as well. She hosts a well-known talkshow ‘Apni Pehchan’ on AB News Channel which airs every Saturday and Sunday. Rukhsar firmly believes that ‘the most important journey of our lives doesn’t necessarily involve climbing the highest peak or trekking around the world. The biggest adventure one can ever take is to live the life of our dreams.

Why are podcasts so popular now?

Podcasts allow for multitasking. The main reason why podcasts are so popular is that they allow their audience to save time. At Edison Research, they explored the podcast listening locations and found out that most often people listen to audio blogs at home, in a car, while walking around or working out. What this means is that those who listen to podcasts are doing at least two tasks at the same time, exercising and listening, for example. The finding also showed that the most spread activities, while listening to podcasts, are doing housework, driving, cooking or baking. Listening to a podcast is an easy way to catch up on the latest news and events. Podcast are entertaining. In addition to learning new things and finding out the news, people also choose podcasts when they want to entertain themselves. Music, food, sports, thriller, and hobbies are among the most popular podcast categories. Besides, podcasts are also entertaining because of the diversity of formats they have. There are interviews, conversations, late-night shows, fiction and non-fiction storytelling, as well as video and live podcasts. 

What is the secret of your success? 

Persistence almost always leads to success. No matter what area your goals have to do with, but if you persevere, you will succeed. In fact, your persistence has helped you learn to walk, to talk and to write. And you have succeeded in this.
You may be active, but it doesn’t mean that you move forward. If you don’t move forward, you will not achieve success. Remember when you learned to ride a bike. Most of us made many attempts to obtain the skills of riding a bicycle, but we showed perseverance, which led us to success, and we learned to do it. The key way to develop perseverance is to take small steps which result in small achievements. Small achievements lead to a big success. Think about creating a puzzle: you add piece by piece and finally get the final image.
Persistence usually means learning something new in order to achieve the main goal. Always invest in your knowledge as it will assist you in moving forward and exploring new areas to succeed in. The path to success can’t exist without failures. The most important thing is to learn from these failures and to continue moving forward. Do not give up. Take the necessary lesson, and move on toward success.
The key to success in any field is to continue making efforts to achieve your goal even if you haven’t managed to do it on the first attempt.

What is your advice to the readers? 

Follow your passion, unleash your ultimate life and stick to it!Life brings with it so many opportunities, so many directions and so many interesting people. But which opportunity, direction or person do you choose? How do you know? When is the right time to do the right thing, to make that decision to choose passion over your current situation which may be very comfortable and provide you with the means to survive financially? What do we choose, how do we choose it and when do we know?
I believe that we all inherently know the answers. That from the time we are a small child we are aware of the real us, we are aware of what we like, what we dislike and exactly what we want to do and where we want to do it. But somewhere along the line we lost our sense of self. We were told “you can’t”, “what would others think”, “you would be moving away from your family ”, “your too short”, “where are you going to get the money”, “there are no jobs doing that” and on and on. We are all on some level or another aware of the excuses and roadblocks that are put before us not only by families , relatives, teachers and peers but by ourselves. I’m going to tell you something. Something that you have always been aware of, something that will unleash your inner soul or life’s calling. You my friend are the only one standing in front of you. You are the only one in the way from where you are to where you want to be. I encourage you all to find your passion , bring in back into your life no matter what. Make a list of the wonderful things in life that your love to do, that you enjoy, that give you butterflies and unleash that child like feeling of utter bliss and find a way to get paid to do it. When you find your passion maintain focus, write it down, repeat it to yourself several times a day and only take on tasks or jobs that are in alignment with your purpose. A lot of times in life people are easily drawn away from passion by the flash of money. But remember money is energy and when you follow your true passion the inherent and final reward will include money but it will also include passion, love, joy and total bliss. Remember the life you are looking for is not outside yourself. It comes from within; you were born with it and have spent your life searching for it outside yourself when it was really always there to begin with.

Durga Singh wants to Capture and Share Stories – The Journey of Pregnancy to Parenthood

Stories – They become part of us as soon as we are born. There is a story and a reason behind every living or nonliving thing on earth. Human mind is hardwired to binge on stories and chronicles. The daily news, intriguing books, entertaining TV shows, thought-provoking debates, compulsive blogs, funny videos… and even those pleasant bedtime lullabies that we sing to our kids are all spun around the science of storytelling.

But why do stories mean so much to humans? 

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – Philip Pullman

Growing up in a middle-class family, I already knew I had lesser resources than others and I tried to make the most of it. Even as a child, I was fond of stories. School library was one-stop-shop for all my cognitive needs. Book fairs always made me jittery. With so many stories and books shelved around me, and not enough money to buy them, I always felt disgruntled.

But over the years, things changed. I enjoyed sharing stories more than reading them. From school poetry contests to National level debate competitions to college exhibitions to being a Corporate Marketer, I have enjoyed every phase of the story telling.

Passion Drives Excellence 

When I finished my Engineering in IT, I was all pumped and set to start my career. Very soon I realized, I didn’t have enough passion to code 12 hours a day. But failure was not going to be part of my story. Within six months, I was working in a company with a mentor who not only guided me, but also encouraged me to pursue digital marketing. I also decided to increase my career horizon by applying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration. Long story short, I kept learning, adding more to my knowledge base, and started reinventing myself.       

Marketing is no witchcraft guys! It’s all about story-telling – We snoop to stories and buy products that are important to us, that solves our problems and makes our lives better.

Digital Marketing came very naturally to me. Nothing is more exciting to me than the art of storytelling and creating an exciting narrative for a brand, to communicate effortlessly with their audience. Logical reasoning in human brains activates as soon as you make a compelling statement (story) about your brand, which promises to solve a problem. Consumers will try to rationalize the statement by analyzing it and jump start the decision-making process in their brains – even without realizing it.

Motherhood Turned the Tables

In 2013, I become pregnant and everything changed. My corporate life became a work from home affair. I was still working 9-10 hours a day. I was diagnosed with low lying placenta previa and was put on bed rest. Miscarriage was a possibility. Suddenly I felt, the story of my life was not in my hands. I tried burying myself in work, but it didn’t help. Hormonal me was going crazy with uncertainty. I couldn’t come to terms with the likelihood of the little life with in me, which had come after years of prayers could die and leave me before even seeing this beautiful world. How could my body, let me down?  I had so many emotions and inhibition and nowhere to go other than “GOOGLE” my condition, which was probably not a good idea.

In between my search for more information and progressing high-risk pregnancy, I finally found an online community of experienced moms who were answering every questions/ queries of new and expecting mothers. I got the idea of writing letters to my unborn child from one of these moms. I started penning my pregnancy journal in the form of letters addressed to my child and weekly journal of how I felt. My condition corrected itself by the end of 6 months and then I almost stopped blogging. 

Fast forward…. After having 2 kids in 2019, I decided to publish the blog and share it with my friends and family. The very same year my husband got promoted and we shifted to United States. Then came 2020. Not even in our wildest dream did we ever think that the whole world would come to a halt due to the pandemic.

Pregnancy to Parenthood – My Blog is a COVID Baby 

In 2020, I started Pregnancy to Parenthood with my dearest friend Maryann Rodrigues. Maryann just like me has the passion for creative writing and had herself made a pregnancy journal while she was expecting her first child. Just like me she had a high-risk pregnancy (due to gestational diabetes). With so much in common, we decided to collaborate our journals and create an informative small blog for struggling, new and expecting parents. 

On Mother’s Day 2020, May 10, we finally launched www.pregnancy-parenthood.com and invited our family, friends, and acquaintances to share their pregnancy and parenting experiences, stories, poems, anecdotes, etc. This was supposed to be a small project intended to help everyone cope during these stressful times. What started as a fun experiment became more like a stress therapy initiative and has been appreciated by many. Many moms, dads, health professionals, child experts and educators have joined us since. 

Pregnancy to Parenthood is a community-driven parenting platform curated for parents, guardians, and extended family members providing support at every stage of pregnancy and child development. At Pregnancy to Parenthood, we strongly believe that a powerful parenting community can help each other accomplish parenting goals. We are trying to create an online community of mom and dad bloggers, around the world who are ready to share their experiences with other parents. Our mission is to empower parents, especially moms and bring out their voices. We are devoted to learning and researching new areas of childcare and development from each other and from industry experts, educators, and health professionals. 

I have been trying to leverage my extensive digital marketing and technology experience in not only building up and promoting this blog but also supporting and mentoring mompreneurs, mom bloggers, writers and more to bring their voices through.

I am Durga Singh. I am the proud founder of Pregnancy to Parenthood and this is my story!