At Brilliant Read Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week we invited Dr Shalini Verma for an interview with us. She is a Seasoned Entrepreneur, Educator, Leader, Change Enabler, Mentor, and Professor. She is the Co-Founder of Books33 India and Founder & Director of SamvaadShaalaa. Let’s read more about her incredible journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Dr Shalini:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please.
Namaskaar, I am Prof. (Dr) Shalini Verma, a ‘LIFOHOLIC’ who DRINKS ‘LIFE’ Sip-by-Sip. At 52, I am in my journey of attaining STHITAPRAJNA. ‘Sthitaprajna’ is a Sanskrit term that means “contented,” “calm” and “firm in judgment and wisdom.” In Sloka 55 of the Bhagavad Gita, Sthitaprajna’, refers to a person of steady wisdom who “renounces completely all the desires of the mind, when he is fully satisfied with his mind fixed in Atman.”
I hail from the LAND OF SATYAGRAHA (Satyagrah is a Sanskrit word which means “insistence on truth”).
I am WHAT my motherland has made me – a SATYAGRAHI. To those who do not know, the Champaran Satyagraha is one of the vital events in the history of India’s freedom struggle against 200 years of British rule. It was the first Civil Disobedience movement in India, launched by Mahatma Gandhi to protest the injustice meted out to tenant farmers in the Champaran district of Bihar.
From being stripped off from the right to education to becoming an Academician and Author of 73 published books including multiple bestselling titles, the second innings of my life, is very exciting and engaging at my startups – Books33 & SamvaadShaalaa.”
Books33 is a trustworthy writing retreat for both – the booklovers and writing enthusiasts. It is a HOME of the AUTHORS, By the AUTHORS & For the AUTHORS.
We provide a unique platform to all AUTHORS – from aspirants to award winners, from debutantes to celebutantes, from academicians to novelists, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, bloggers, and bloggers.
SamvaadShaalaa, on the other hand, a communication platform for all those who want to transform from ‘shy-communicator’ to ‘ace communicator’ – from novice to niche.
At SamvaadShaalaa, we provide learning programs on different forms of communication – spoken, written, visual and performing arts – strengthening creativity, ingenuity and design thinking to sustain in the time of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I am among the fortunate few, who has been blessed with an ample amount of ADVERSITY, which I see as an opportunity that has boosted my EQ (emotional quotient), CQ (creativity quotient) and above all AQ (adversity quotient), a cocktail of which makes entrepreneurship very appealing that rewards one’s SELF EXPLORATION, SELF-EDUCATION and SELF-REALIZATION to a degree which no corporate career can provide – financially or emotionally.
Hence, after spending good 25 years in the industry and academia, I have now settled down as an entrepreneur.
‘Books33 India ’is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving with the help of your startup.
The uniqueness of Books33 lies in the 3 Ps that our deliverables: Publish, Promote, and Position. We provide end-to-end services in publishing, promotion, and positioning under just ONE roof.
As an aspiring author, one comes to us with just an IDEA of writing a book or a screenplay. The seasoned ‘Mentor Author Team’ at our Training verticals – SamvaadShaalaa, advises on the viability and potential market on the book, handhold in writing its first draft and our Editorial team along with the creative department makes our client’s FIRST book publishable. We not only PUBLISH a BOOK but also PROMOTE those books at different offline & online platforms and POSITION our AUTHORS as the authority on his/her domain as a THOUGHT LEADER.”
Coming to your second question – what kind of problem we are solving with the help of our startup, I would say we are first, adding ‘meaningful’ longevity to their “life expectancy”, and secondly, providing creative wellness for mental and physical agility.
You would ask, how?
Well, according to the World Bank sources (2018), the life expectancy of people in India was 69.42 years in comparison to 78.54 years and 81.26 years in the US & UK respectively.
In 2019, the life expectancy was 69.50 years, a 0.33% increase from 2018; in 2020, it was 69.73 years, a 0.33% increase from 2019, and in 2021 in 69.96 years, a 0.33% increase from 2020 (in spite of Covid pandemic!).
So, what does this trend tell us?
It tells us a STORY… A STORY of steady progression.
Our life expectancy, which was just 25.4 in the year 1800, and over the course of the next 220 years, gradually increased to almost 70. Between 1800 and 1920, life expectancy in India remained in the mid to low the 20s, with the largest declines coming in the 1870s and 1910s (this was because of the Great Famine of 1876-1878, and the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919, both of which were responsible for the deaths of up to six and seventeen million Indians respectively).
Besides, we were also simultaneously battling with other endemic diseases such as smallpox. From 1920 onwards, India’s life expectancy has consistently increased, but it is still below the global average.
Here, our aspirations towards adding ‘meaningful longevity’ lead us to the second segment of our problem solving – providing creative wellness for mental and physical agility. There are numerous scientific and psychological studies that illustrate the health benefits of engaging in the act of creating.
These studies show that engaging in the arts reduces symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety, and correlates to physical improvements in the body. It seems to be true: mental well-being and healing go hand-in-hand. People have been using the arts as a way to express, communicate, and heal for thousands of years.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
In fact, the COVID-19 crisis gave a boost to our business. Because the complete lockdown made people reflect on the wellness quotient of their life – trying to question the real meaning of their personal and professional success that revolves broadly around the following NINE parameters.
1. Physical – People assumed that they were physically fit, Covid pandemic proved them WRONG.
2. Emotional – People felt that they were emotionally strong, Covid claimed the life of their near and dear ones.
3. Financial – People felt that they were financially stable, Covid hurled furlough on them.
4. Occupational – People thought that their occupational scope will keep widening its horizon, Covid made many occupations obsolete.
5. Environmental – People miscalculated the environmental hazards, Covid broke all the misconceptions.
6. Intellectual – People thought that their intellect was unparalleled, Covid showed them their ‘Aukaat’.
7. Social – People chest-thumped their high (and low!) social status, Covid taught them ‘social distancing’.
8. Spiritual – People kept spiritual wellness safe for their post-retirement engagement, Covid said NOW is the time as you never know…whether tomorrow will come!
9. Creative – People believed creative wellness is the last thing to pursue in their priority list, well, Covid challenged their belief.
How do you manage yourself and keep on going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Well, with a ‘LIFOHOLIC’ who drinks LIFE sip-by-sip and a proponent of ‘Sthitaprajna’ at the helm of Books33 & SamvaadShaalaa, both prosperity and adversity are worth dealing with dignity without getting perturbed by the market situations. We are driven by the strong ethos engrained in the DNA of our organization.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
There is an opportunity in every adversity that needs to be identified well in time to tap the prosperity it brings along.
Please share with us – what has worked well for you so far?
See, external things do not ‘work for’ OR ‘against’ us. It’s us, who have to turn things into our favour…that needs 2 things:
(1) Sthitaprajna’
(2) 4 Ps – Pain, Passion, Patience, Perseverance
In your opinion, what is more necessary: An idea or a good team for a successful startup?
To answer your question, I would say – Even the biblical Noah could not overcome the Deluge alone. One just cannot go ahead with some random idea going on in his head without like-minded people working towards translating that idea into actionable deliverables.
To be successful, one needs to team up with co-founders who share the same vision and ethos. Once that is in place, hiring the right people with the right mindset for the right position may streamline the process further.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
Lead by Example …. Action Speaks Louder than Words.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
Three lessons learnt are the 3 Cs:
(1) Data is deceptive…Go by your Conviction, it will never fail you.
(2) Marry your Commitment for Lifetime…Erase the possibility of any ‘divorce’
(3) Keep your Chin Up (even in the rough phase)…Your head can’t hold the CROWN with a drooping chin.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
The source of my motivation and positivity lies in my 4 Ps – Pain, Passion, Patience, Perseverance.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
Don’t wait for any mythological Jamwant to come and tell you about your ‘forgotten power’, just leap over your ‘Mahasaagar’ – your mental block and burn the proverbial ‘Lanka’ – your inhibitions … eternal glory is waiting for you.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
