When children enter into a formal schooling system at grade one, the in-between challenges they face and what they receive at the end of schooling reveal a lot about our education system. See, I am not here to change anything radically, but I feel children learn from teachers they like—the ones who can bring a smile to their faces and connect with them on a real, human, personal level. And so, as I embarked on my journey to become a teacher, this eventually became a bigger goal for me.
Author: readtoempower
Manvi is passionate about narrative storytelling and uses it as a medium to know ‘the why’ behind every human. She has worked at the intersection of corporate research, academics, and media in a career spanning nine years. Currently, she works with the New Delhi Institute of Management as an Assistant Professor. She serves as an Omniscient Perspective writer for Saris to Suits ®, Lead Content Writer at OPSVISE, and a regular contributor to eShe ®. Before this, she has worked with PLAN International (India Chapter), tech consulting firm Protiviti, management consulting firm Kearney, Women to Watch Media ®, and Foundation of Organizational Research & Education (FORE School) in various capacities.
“The recurrent episodes of humiliation shattered my self-esteem. To release myself of this misery, I attempted suicide several times” – Jayashree Yadav
The story of Jayashree Yadav, a primary school teacher at Swami Sivananda Memorial Institute of Art and Craft, is an insightful reflection on how psychological abuse damages a person’s idea of self. How it causes one to doubt their abilities? How quickly mental and emotional abuse converts into physical violence when one refuses to sit on the sidelines and starts confronting others? Her story speaks for all those women who have been abused by their partner in some way and those who have dared to break that pattern and walk out of a toxic relationship. Her story is both – heartbreaking and brave.
Stop. Breathe. Reset. | SSMI Re-aligns Strategy, Adopts Digital Self-Reliance for More Impact
Series: The unconventional Women of SSMI After hand-wringing for a few years, SSMI is now taking significant steps toward digital transformation by including digital training, and media literacy programs in their employee development plan. While partially, this could be an after-effect of the recent encounter with COVID-19, the cascading effect of which led to an…
Bravehearts of SSMI: Two Women Tell Harrowing Accounts of Domestic Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence
Series: The unconventional Women of SSMI | Written by Manvi Pant Gender-based violence is one of the most notable human rights violations globally, prevalent across all socioeconomic strata. However, in India, violence against women and girls is more prominently seen in marginal communities. Despite having policies and interventions in place, we have, time and again,…
“We need a more humane approach to solve social problems” – Vijayluxmi Bhardwaj
Series: The unconventional Women of SSMI The social care system in India is very poorly understood. Most of us fail to recognize elements of it that are mentally and emotionally exhausting. Being a social worker means being at the forefront of overwhelmingly large problems that our society is plagued with – unemployment, poverty, access to…
“If you have worked so hard for yourself and come this far, why sit at home?”- Eram Jaffrey
Series: The unconventional Women of SSMI “Head straight, chin up! I tell myself every single day as I walk out of my house. It’s been ages, and I haven’t looked back because I foresee a bright future for myself and my family. The year was 2012. I was studying in 12th. One evening, Abbu came…
Serial entrepreneur Giresh Kulkarni on bridging the gap between temples and devotees in uncertain times
India, home to many Gods, has a robust devotional tenacity. Regardless of faith and religious affiliation, almost everyone has grown up watching their parents, grandparents offering prayers during festivals, celebrations, and other special occasions. These belief systems pass on from generation to generation. And so, sometimes, the values we imbibe from our parents or ancestors…
“At SSMI, each role demands ‘a different me’ to show up!” – Gurdeep Kaur
Series: The unconventional Women of SSMI Delhi-based Gurdeep Kaur has worked across an array of disciplines at Swami Sivananda Memorial Institute. From acting as an intermediary between teachers, parents, and school management to coordinating projects for the Gender Resource Center (GRC) and more, she has never shied away from looking beyond the horizon, taking risks,…
Sunita Bhasin on Closing the Gender Gap and Helping Marginalized Women Move Forward
Series: The unconventional Women of SSMI “Nervousness among men in the house when a woman steps out is one of the most common phenomena, I have noticed in all these years,” says the Director of Swami Sivananda Memorial Institute, Sunita Bhasin. For her finding means and ways to fight everyday challenges of the social sector and…
Designer Ginni Wadhwa on Breaking Monotony and Playing with Asymmetrical Hemlines!
“Why do people get dressed in a certain way? What refrains them from experimenting with their style? How can I show them a different version of themselves and create an experience of a lifetime for them?” That’s the kind of question Ginni Wadhwa asks herself every time she sits down with a measurement tape around her…
Real Life Heroes - by Manvi 