#EveryWomanIsALeader

Growing up, I was highly impressed by world leaders like John F Kennedy, Indira Gandhi , Vladimir Putin and Bill Clinton. 

The more I studied these leaders, the more I was fascinated by their persona. Exceptional communication skills, great thoughts, designer ward robes and fancy educational degrees.

During my Management courses in college I tried my best to understand what goes in the making of a leader. Day in and day out I used to analyse the qualities and traits of a leader and compare them vis-a-vis a Boss.

The more I read about it, the more intrigued I was. 

• Great Communication
• Commitment
• Positive Attitude
• Creativity
• Intuition
• Respectful
• Ability to Inspire

These were just some of the qualities that identify or make a great leader. So when the awesome people at ShetheeopleTV, approached me to do a post on women in leadership I was so tempted to write about Indra Nooyi and Indira Gandhi. But writing about a person who I have only seen in pictures or television would not do justice to this post and that's why I decided to write about a person who I have known personally for decades. In fact I have lived with her for almost 25 years. If you haven't guessed it already, I am speaking about my mom.

That's my Mom!

 Years of analyzing the character of a leader had made me realize long ago that my mom was a born leader, but what makes her a leader is something that I would like to share with my readers and hence this post. Mom's are a different specie altogether. They are born as ordinary individuals, but motherhood equips them with superhuman powers which are hard to explain.
 My mom is no different. She is an excellent communicator, very creative, respectful, hard working, has a killer intuitive sense  and is a motivator.
 But what sets her apart is that she has never forced anything on us even when we were kids. She gave her opinion when asked but always left the ultimate decision with us, after asking us to weigh the pros and cons of every situation and opportunity.

 

 

In spite of having a full time job and household responsibilities, all her efforts went into developing our; her two daughters', personalities. She encouraged us to read, travel alone and take our own decisions, once we were adults. She wanted us to experience the real world ourselves; rather then dwell and rely on her experiences. 

Each day when the family sat down for dinner, we were encouraged to share everything that we did on that particular day. Whether we read a book, watched a movie or simply went out with friends, each one of us would share the entire doings of the day with the family, without feeling  hesitant, because she always instilled in us a feeling that WE as a family are one and no one would ever be judgmental.

Little did I realize that this dinner time conversations and debates, slowly but surely, would polish our conversational and debating skills apart from making our family bonds stronger.

Whether it was my elocution competition, quarterly school and college exams or a killer presentation; the entire family came together to help me on it. And our victories, however small, were celebrated like the whole family's victory and called for a celebration.

I am sure many reading this post will have a deja vu moment as they identify the same qualities in a person they know personally. And I won't be surprised if the person is a woman.
 
 

Because #EveryWomanIsALeader and it is this exact realisation that needs to be celebrated. Because this very thought is empowering.

My mom made me realize that you don't really need big educational degrees, a fancy accent or a designer wardrobe to be a leader. All you need is a goal, conviction and belief in oneself. She taught me that a leader never gives orders, they inspire others to follow them and do better.

My mom told me that I am a born leader and nothing in this world can take that away from me.

 

  

What are your thoughts on Women in leadership?

You can participate in the blogging competition held by www.shethepeople.tv on the topic ‘Women in Leadership’ and the winning entries can win an all-paid expense trip to an exciting destination.
Click on this link to participate: http://shethepeople.tv/leadership-contest/

 P.S. I do not own images used in this post.

Myntra Goes #AppOnly

I belong to a generation that literally grew up on Fairy tales.
A charming prince sweeps a princess off her feet and they live happily ever after.
Though happily ever after has much deeper connotations, my fav part of these fairy tales apart from the princesses gorgeous dresses (what do u expect from a fashion blogger?) was the element of magic involved.
Whether it was Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White or Jasmine. All these beautiful ladies apart from enviable style had magic at their disposal, which made their lives so much more exciting and fun.
I wish I belonged to an era where Magic was possible, and was not just a dream.
But I guess, there are some things that we have, which these fairy tale characters would have really loved to have in their lives.

For instance: Mobile Apps. Browzing information and shopping on the go...Mobile apps have made lives so much more simpler. Fast, user friendly and personalised. Just like Magic.
Mobile apps are definitely the future of online shopping portals and recognising this, the online fashion giant Myntra went #AppOnly from the 15th of May 2015. This is a huge step on the part of Myntra and I view it as a major trend setting move that will change the way you shop online.

Being the day dreamer that I am, I thought how different our fairy tales would be, if they had the Myntra's Mobile App at their disposal.

Scroll down for some fun interactions.

Life with Myntra's Mobile App is so much fun. Don't you agree? 

So-Saree Readers Speak - Sonali

Today the person who features on So-Saree's Readers speak section is my best friend Sonali. You have read about her here. She is the most regular reader and biggest encourager of So-Saree, and so I wanted her to feature on my blog for the longest time. So here, you go. Be ready for an excessive dose of hyperboles and exaggerations, because come on...she's my best friend.

I love Sarees but not as much as reading So-Saree! I am not an avid reader but I love reading So-Saree as it keeps me connected to my long distance friend Aditi. I have known Aditi for 8 years now and have always admired her writing and conversational skills. Her impulsive nature and witty jokes crack me up. I call her the epitome of beauty and brains, and to top it up is a great sense of humor. Okay..sounds like I’ve been bribed to say this but I do mean it.

I knew, if Aditi ever decided to write she would do wonders with her writing. It’s no surprise to see her fan following on the blog. So-Saree clearly reflects her personality; interesting, vivacious and addictive. I like the fact that the blog does not only talk about sarees but many other interesting topics.  My favourites are the recipes and the Indianfestivals/rituals. I must admit that I hardly knew the reasons behind these rituals and traditions, so I make sure I read these carefully. I love reading the travel posts and the bloggers posts. I admire all her blogger friends for the talent and skills they have which is also reflected in their blogs. My all-time favorite So-Saree post is the first one about Aditi’s ‘Aai and the Wedding anniversary post ‘Opposites Attract’. I love the way she uploads so many pictures to keep the posts interesting.
Did you know, the first ever saree that I bought was for Aditi's wedding in December 2010. Earlier I had always worn my mom's sarees.

To sum it all, I am stunned by the dedication Aditi shows towards the blog.
You are unstoppable Aditi! I wish So-Saree good luck and may it keep educating (people like me) and entertaining others for many years to come.

 

A Fun Thing To Do

I am not a fun person, I am sure people who have met me will vouch for that.

And my sense of humour sucks big time.

So there are hardly any things that I do that are funny or unpredictable.

But a few months ago I did something totally unexpected.

28th of February was my birthday, and a few days before my birthday I changed my birth date on FB to 28th March.

The purpose, I wanted to check how many people remember my birthday without the FB reminder.

The end result, pouring birthday wishes from all corners of the world from the most unexpected people.

I was so pleasantly surprised.

This happens to be my idea of fun.

Seriously..I have no life. ;)

Moving on to the outfit, I have paired my denim dress with my favourite jootis and India Circus Bag.

 

What do you think of this outfit?
And what is your idea of Fun?