This is Manjula, a woman, specifically an Indian Woman who had been a girl once and particularly a shy, introvert and a solitary girl. Throughout my childhood, I was someone absolutely dependent on my parents and family uptil my college days or may be even after I started working. In this whole process, I actually lost all my controls and freedom to take up my own decisions and eventually had no say of my own which somehow started discomforting me very strongly. At that moment, I realized that I was just not living my life as per my terms.

But the irony was that no one and not even myself had an objection to it, for as being a girl- it’s okay to be dependent and not self reliant. From there onwards this process of self realization and transformation initiated and I started working on my major imperfections as a woman, but then somehow this was just not easy.

To go against the misperceptions of all and try to deviate from the so called expectations or the stereotypes of how can an introvert girl take a stand for herself, break through her inhibitions and rise up to face the world. But, yes, this is what I actually did 4 years ago when I started with my own initiative of a Life Skills Training Enterprise and eventually came out of that comfort zone or that arduous shelter of protection.

In the process, have been surely time and again questioned for how would I do it or may be was it actually possible for me to do it and that too not just because I was shy but most importantly for I am a female. So it was kind of unbelievable that how would a female actually step out and create her own identity in this man’s world! Also in a country like India where less than 25% of women contribute to workforce, a women to be an entrepreneur is all the more absurd.

Inspite of all the inhibitions and major stereotypical restrictions today I am not only a Life Skills Coach but also a Knowledge Entrepreneur. As it is being an Entrepreneur is a very daring job but then being a woman entrepreneur is surely an audaciously bold endeavor.  But then yes I’m doing it, I move around, I meet new men, I make them listen to me, I make them acknowledge my work and sometimes these men go beyond in appreciation but still may be there’s a long way to go…. because still many a times people come to my office searching for a ‘Sir’ to be the real decision maker.