In Conversation With Ms. Piloo Vidyarthi

Famous parenting brings to you Ms Piloo Vidyarthi who believes in creating happiness for oneself and the family by addressing our own needs as individuals along with the family needs.

We interviewed a celebrity actor-musician Ms. Piloo Vidyarthi who is a celebrity wife too. Piloo is a versatile theatre personality who acts, sings and empowers people with unmatched passion and dedication.

A believer in self improvement and creative freedom, she introspects and raises herself each day along with raising her son.

Let us hear it from Piloo Vidyarthi through a telephonic chat during her busy shooting day.

Please connect the dots of your childhood that made you the person you are.

I come from a family of polarised parents – an artist and a corporate professional. My mother was an actor and my father, a graduate from Presidency College, Kolkata was a corporate professional.

I spent my early years in Kolkata. I grew up in an environment reverberating with musical notes as my maternal grandmother was a classical singer.

That is how I was named “Piloo” based on the famous raag of Hindustani Classical Music called Piloo. As my father passed out from the first batch of IIM, Kolkata, there was a silent urge to excel in academics while I was drawn to singing, dancing and performing due to involvement of my maternal family side in performing arts.

Piloo Vidyarthi says she would wake up listening to voice of Begum Akhtar wafting through our house, which is a cherished memory.

Ms Piloo Vidyarthi how has your formal education shaped your life?

Though I am not invalidating my formal education, I believe in experiential learning more.

I graduated in Economics (Hons.) from Kolkata, but was never sure about which career to pursue.

Since my father was rebellious by nature, he lived his life in his own way and gave me complete freedom to decide my career path.

I dabbled into theatre and singing very early and finally came to Mumbai in 1999.

How has your journey as an Entertainment Professional been?

I started my professional journey as a RJ with Times Music. Ms Piloo Vidyarthi says I stopped working after my son Arth was born. It was a conscious decision as I wanted to spend my time, completely involved with Arth’s growing up years.

In hindsight, I feel that I was not very happy as a child when my mother went to work and I was alone at home. Though I never said it, I unconsciously felt that I will make a better mom if I stay with my child full time.

I stayed home for three and a half years, I was not particularly happy. At that time, Landmark Forum came into our Life and helped me in opening up.

After attending their courses, I faced my fears and realised that balancing my work and family responsibilities will make me a happier individual.

I involved myself into theatre, self-curated music workshops and acting. Presently, you are watching me on a Star Plus TV Show “Suhani Si Ek Ladki” as “Pratima Birla”.

“Technology can enable women to find their true voice. Technology, if used for self-growth, can offer avenues to women which were unavailable earlier”.

Your comments please Piloo Vidyarthi.

I am not a Technology freak. Technology has not impacted the quality of my life much. Many of my fellow Landmark Instructors use a data driven approach during their training sessions but I don’t use it much.

My work is more personal, based on human touch and interactions. Yet, Piloo Vidyarthi believes that technology has lessened the gap between performer and audience in many ways.

I can do online sessions with my music gurus and can offer music workshops online. It has also helped many women to come out of their home boundaries by meeting and interacting with new people online.

How has your motherhood contributed to you as an individual and as a woman who loves her work?

Share your dilemmas and dreams.

My motherhood and Landmark curriculum helped me to discover barriers in my thinking. Though I had a happy childhood, my parents had difference of opinion all the time. It had a negative impact on me as it skewed my sense of having a cohesive family.

I had my share of unhappy experiences between 1999 and 2003 as a young wife and a mother. With the help of Landmark curriculum I grew up as a Parent.

It has made me introspect, inquire about my own thoughts and behaviour pattern and correct them with acceptance. Piloo Vidyarthi says that as she and Ashish follow Landmark Principles, we have used them in raising our son Arth.

We never had baby talks with him. We both have treated him like an adult. As a result, he is very much grounded, takes life easy and doesn’t get disappointed soon.

We provide him an environment to have free conversation where disagreement is welcome. We happily agree to disagree.

Every parents says, “Bachche hamari sunte nahi hai, par woh hamari kyon sunein?”. Why do we want obedient children who cannot think on their own? Why don’t we appreciate our children when they show independence?

We need to give them freedom to explore on their own while showing them to be responsible of their actions through our own deeds.

Please share your other interests which keep you involved in community service and self-development.

I lead a part of landmark curriculum, as a Program Leader of Self Expression and Leadership Program , where we do projects.

These impactful projects are borne out of passion. I lead these projects with a few people who empower others with the help of their work.

Piloo Viodyarthi works with Bangla Kids in Mumbai to keep them connected with their culture. We run a small initiative “Chhuteer Paathshala” for these children to learn how to speak and write in Bengali.

Many fellow mothers have joined together who are artists and professionals. We rehearse like a choir wearing proper attire and pass messages of empowerment through music. It is a collaborative process without any personal glorification.

Talk about three people who have had the most profound influence on you.

My father-in-law Mr. Govind Vidyarthi, by virtue of being who he was, inspired me a lot. He was an archivist for dying form of arts and was associated with Sangeet Natak Academy, Delhi. He always smiled with his eyes. Though I met him very late in his life, his ideology and thoughts have inspired me since then.

Theatre personality, Nadira Babbar has inspired me a lot.

Mr. Gopal Rao, operations head of India Landmark Forum has inspired me a great deal. He led leadership program for Ashish and I in 2003.

Your philosophy of life in a sentence.

It is alright – These were the first words from my Father-in-Law’s mouth whenever we shared anything with him – good, bad or ugly. It is such an empowering statement. I live by it.

What would you like to convey to those moms who have dreams and ideas but they feel bogged down by family and social responsibilities.

You are the creator and destroyer. There is nothing outside us. Choose your destiny.