After being blocked by 3 prominent Facebook Groups for her frank and honest comments, SHALU VARADKAR decided to start a group of her own. Her vision: provide a forum for free expression where NO WOMAN IS INSULTED.

Shalu believes that each woman has a right to her own outlook and deserves an environment where views can be expressed freely.

Today, with almost half a lakh members in the MW Mommies World (For U & Me), Shalu is all smiles. This woman of steel is a full-time mommy and event & HR manager. Her role as Group Admin for MW is out of pure passion. She aims to continue bringing women together and helping them to rediscover themselves through networking and knowledge sharing. In an exclusive chat, she revealed secrets about her life and also shared her plans for MW Mommies. Read on and #StayInspired…

Her Twitter bio says:
Entrepreneur, Wife, Mother, Poet, Day Dreamer, Blogger and typical ARIAN !! Director- Solutions Consultant Events & HR Founder – Mommies World ( For U & Me ). 

A north-Indian married to a Maharashtrian! Tell us about your journey…
I hail from Jaipur, Rajasthan. My childhood days were spent in Jaipur and Delhi (My uncle’s home) with my cousins. I had a normal childhood where I played with kids, learned with them. Though there was a small age difference between us, I was the one they turned to in times of difficulty. I used to be called for my brother’s Parents-Teacher’s meet, I had a say in his upbringing. This gave me the confidence to guide my brother-sister and support them, especially when they needed me most. I used to be a tom-boy; fighting for others, standing up for what was right among other things. Probably these incidents shaped me into what I am today.

I have always stood up for what is right and I never take anything lying down.

Is there an incident that took place in your childhood/growing years that was a turning point in your life?
I was in Class IX and few morons were cheating during the exam. Since I was the monitor, and they were my friends, I didn’t want them to get into trouble. I tried stopping them. My teacher thought I was cheating. I picked up a fight, without mentioning what these guys were doing. I fought my lungs out, I was allowed to finish my paper and stand in the corner until the Vice-Principal allowed me to go home. I stood there without any complaint till 4.30 pm (School timings were till 1.30) and then the guard comes and says, “Madamjii ne kaha hai, app ja sakti hai, unhe nahi pata tha, aap ab tak school mein hai”. My ANGER was towards my teacher; she didn’t even try to find out, who the real culprit was. I was disappointed in my friends who didn’t bother to save me. Next day, I fell ill. My throat went for a toss because of the shouting and the stress gave me fever. The behaviour of my mentors and friends was killing me from within. The next day, our Vice Principal inquired about my health from there on, she knew that I would never take anything lying down.

 

Events and human resources, diverse professions. How did they converge into a career of your choice?
After 2 years of working in various sectors, I entered into a Human Resource consultant’s office to join him as PARTNER. I was pleasantly surprised by his offer and joined him happily. Later, I started my own venture – Solutions Consultant – Events & HR.
By 2001 January, I knew what I have to do in my professional life and from my journey began. Event Management and HR is my passion, I love doing what I do, which is why I am not a slave to the clock. I am more focused on events these days and have taken a break from recruitments for while.

Criticism, betrayal, blame games never shook me my entire life, till I lost my dad on May 29th, 2014.

Just like anyone else, there must have been ups and downs in your life, what were they? How did you overcome them?
Mayura, too many ups-downs made me very very strong. Criticism, betrayal, blame games never shook me my entire life, till I lost my dad on May 29th, 2014. My dad was everything to me, like any other daughter.

My only source of satisfaction is the fact that he came to meet my son and played with him. I have three randomly clicked pictures as a memory.

My dad taught me the basics of business and kept patience till I learnt. I loved spending on him. He always praised me for every achievement whether it was big or small. He had steadfast faith in my capabilities and believed in me. I always had pride, no matter how and where I fall, my dad will always be around to pick me up. It was very tough to overcome the trauma. He left within one month of my son’s birth. My dilemma was whether to enjoy motherhood or mourn the loss.

That TOUGH TIME, came with a lesson. I founded Mommies World For U & Me which is an online parenting forum, connected to several mommies worldwide. While I was nurturing my son, I was nurturing my other baby, Mommies World For U & Me, as well. 

 

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When times are bad, nobody comes to hold your hand. Nobody can understand, what you are going through except YOU. So why should one expect that anybody else will be there unless they feel the same, as you can.

Does the Shalu who dons multiple hats have several personalities?
Aah !! tricky question. I am no different in my personal life than professional life. To me, ethics and self-respect will always be on priority. No matter, who the person is. As a Wife, I support my husband. Rohan’s venture along with mine. I have a loving husband who always stood beside me, no matter what. I am blessed to be in a family, where my in-laws are very supportive, I have the freedom to manage to my work without any unnecessary questions or restrictions. As a daughter and sister, I feel complete when I am with my mum, sister and brother.

 

Mom’s house is something which keeps all negativity away from me, the pampering I get, the attention from sister and brother, keeps my vacations mindblowing.

As a friend, I am very choosy, you will not find me in many friend lists. I extend my relations to those who give me positive vibes, which is rare these days. And that’s why I have FRIENDS, but NO BEST FRIENDS

To me, ethics and self Respect will always be on priority.
No matter, who the person is.

What is your vision for MW Mommies?
I want every woman to get connected Mommies World, which is meant For U & Me. Like I need at times. The virtual support. There are mothers who are staying away from their parents, and need just a tiny push or support to move ahead…to believe in what they are doing is right !! I want the group to become a forum where a woman can be herself, a mother and an individual. With so many mothers as part of the group, it is a combined effort that each of them put in so that the levels of positivity remain high.

We chatted about all this and a lot more. Each anecdote added to my spiritual wisdom. Truly, they need to make more women like Shalu. I wish MW Mommies all the best in every endeavour. Kudos to all the Mommies in the group who keep the momentum going by contributing to a positive environment.

Reach out to Shalu:
Twitter: @shalurv
To join MW Mommies: Click here.

Do you have a message for Shalu? Do write in the comments section, I will ensure it reaches her. Do like and share the post if it touched your heart. 

– Mayura Amarkant

This is the 15th interview in the #StayInspired series. Here are the rest:

1. #StayInspired – 1: Dreams keep people alive
2. #StayInspired: Marriage is a warm & intimate cocoon
3. #StayInspired: Born today, 4 Inspiring people
4. #StayInspired: When I was 13, my grandma wanted to marry me off
5. #StayInspired: God rejected my death
6. #StayInspired: Meet the Dhoni of Indian Corp Comm & PR
7. #StayInspired: He is the original TaxiMan of India.
8. #StayInspired: The ‘Vamana’ of Alternative Medicine
9. #StayInspired: Making Indian education ‘student-friendly’: Meet the new-age Lord Macaulay

10. #StayInspired: Meet the travel industry’s ‘Y factor’ – YusuF Poonawala

11. #StayInspired: Crafting the Entertainment Industry – The Sonia Parasnis Way

12. #StayInspired: Ram Kamal Mukherjee – Beyond Bollywood and Biographies.

13. #StayInspired: Mumbai’s silent Sculptor: Shishir Joshi

14. #StayInspired: “Story-telling is my life breath” Karaan Guliani director, Sarvann