The First Times

Part-3 of "Embracing Equity".  We wouldn't have imagined it without our awesome Garima Dutt, President CSR, YES BANK and CEO, YES Foundation. A purpose-driven thought-leader, she has been an integral part of D&I journeys in all the corporates she has been with, weaving sustainability & diversity in Boardroom discussions! We here at The First Times had a great experience listening to the tactical solutions  for putting rigours across Equity. Support the show

Part-2 of "Embracing Equity".  We wouldn't have imagined it without our gutsy Deepa Menon, Founder Head of PVR NEST, the CSR arm of PVR INOX Ltd. In this episode she shares her incredible journey of two decades; how D&I is at the center of her career run; how Garima Grah and Pink Houses came to be and how she found resilience within & among women whom she initially ventured to empower. Strengths we find in places we never imagine we would! Support the show

Meeting with Daivata Patil, G100 Country Director of Media and Arts  Wing for Strategy and Research was pure luck. But knowing her intellectually-rich background and her as a person is pure inspiration. Continuing the journey initiated by Swapna Abraham in curtain raiser episode on 8 March 2023, Daivata and I explored the entire Equity Ecosystem - how is it different from equality, what are its drivers and how far are we from achieving it! Loved her simple examples using agriculture. Who would have thought such complex concept can be explained easily through a grassroot activity. Cheers to the episode 1 of a 3-part special series on "Embracing Equity"! Support the show

Have you heard, "When fate meets you, embrace it with good intent"? It's exactly the same reason why and how I met with Swapna Abraham, G100 Country Chair of Media and Arts  Wing, on 30th Dec 2022 during Women Economic Forum annual event. That 5 min of impromptu chat led us to this point, creating a very special series on "Embracing Equity", dedicated to International Women Day 2023. Why I called it fate and embracing it? Because of the timing. Its just right before the Season 2 begins, which is more the reason for us to cherish the wise words from her as well as others who will follow in the 3-part series. Hear her while she and I dispel some myths about equity! Support the show

There is a saying,"At any given point in time, you have the power to say that the story is not going to end like this."  And, at the exact moment you say it out loud is the moment you begin ascending towards a happier path in life. Such is the story of Durva Leena Arun that she revealed while talking to me. We had a grand time chatting about how abuse is emotional and mental first, and then physical in a relationship. If we give up emotionally, thats when we start losing ourselves. It is sensitive and intimate but ever so inspiring to simply walk out.Support the show

As  poet Hermann Hesse once famously said, " The world is not imperfect, nor on a slow path towards perfection...No, it is perfect in every moment. " Gopika Kapoor embodied it through and through. She made it a mission to create her own perfect world every moment she got, when Veer, one of her incredible twins was diagnosed with Autism. While others would battle with accepting and adjusting to such situation, she not only raised him into a fine human, but has been helping other families with Autistic kids to live a better life. As writer and community activist, Beyond the Blue (and 4 other books under her belt), is simply the reflection of her work as well as experience that stretches over a decade now.Support the show

It's extremely nerve-wrecking to even think about changing career midway, let alone doing it twice in a row. In middle of society's outlook towards how career progression should be and her own personal turmoil, Kritika Kulshrestha proved that one doesn't only need courage but also a very clear thought-process while attempting the change of gears. It's one thing to loose people, its another to loose the soul which is closest to you. Experiencing it at a tender age of 17years, and standing tall to keep striving & thriving is the story of the bubbly Kritika Kulshrestha - A globe trotter, ex-journalist and now global marcom manager.Support the show

Following the hilarious conversation in episode 4, we continued our intuitive discussion in episode 5 as well. You will hear both of us - Me and Yamini, again chuckling, but also trying to intellectualize life. Is there space for biases in it? Is it serving either side of gender or humanity at large? How convenient it is for others to design or direct how one must be and equally difficult to practice what they preach? How an idealistic behavior is subjected by one fraction of society onto another portion? And before it starts sounding like the hard-pounding feminist talk, it's more on general scale - about human mind & resultant behaviour.Let's hear some more from the sparkling Yamini Sharma - A happy talent recruiter today, about how she helped men in her house be more empowering and inclusive, beyond the age old societal conditioning, and how being resilient in personal space helped her in midst of Covid recovery.Support the show

Societal and Cultural biases dictate women to naturally let family take precedence over their careers. And no, it's not an exaggeration but hard truth. The fact that openly classifying this act into a bias against women, makes it sound so unholy that most of us like to discard it ASAP.It's one thing to choose homemaking in a desired city, it's another to be pushed to do it. But how going through that push-n-pull, moving continents and leaving her dream career, did not stop her from making forward moves and taking the driving wheel in her hand, is the story of the sparkling Yamini Sharma - A happy talent recruiter today.  (My cheeks still hurt from giggling, every time I remember what she went through before and after her pregnancy )Support the show

Fat shaming and high school bullying based on appearances is so common that the first thing a sufferer want to do is take revenge. It's one thing to give back to those people, it's another game altogether when you decide to take a high road and let your life choices become what people crave for. This is the attitude with which the vibrant Karishma Govil a.k.a Soulkari pushed the envelop and changed narrative around her. Hear her total "coming-of-age" exclusive story before she became the #InstagramInfluencer Soulkari. Afterall, empires are not made in a day.Support the show

It's not new - " If you're a woman who speaks her mind, uses head over her shoulder to stand up for what's right (or wrong), you're a REBEL by society's standards. But does it matter? Afterall, only your life is the center point of the impact your choices create. This is the thinking with which Madhurima Mazumdar has always marched toward biases around her. It was a riot broaching the topic of resilience with her.Support the show

There is an old saying,"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going". The new one is," When the going gets tough, the tough gets going with a swag." That's exactly what Radhika Warikoo did when she encountered the hard hitting conventions that came her way. We had so much laughter talking about those silly norms and how you push it back with self-confidence. Support the show

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