Reader’s Corner: With Sangitha Krishnamurthi

In this Reader’s Corner interview, meet Sangitha Krishnamurthi – an interesting Indian woman, who shares a little about her life with us!

Hi Sangitha! Tell us a little about yourself.

A woman in India, who has a lot of roles like us all and who (also like us all) is more than just the sum of these roles. I grew up in a small town in Tamil Nadu, studied/worked in big cities in the US before settling into another big city in India. I love to read and write.

Do you have any life goals for yourself or anything that you think your life must include? 

Yeah, who doesn’t? Constant self development, getting better in the several ways that I need to, traveling a lot, being a better parent and contributing solidly to the society I live in – on some days, this means saying it as I see it, good-bad-and-ugly!

When I die, I would like to be missed by many. Vain but I would obviously prefer to call it something else!

How far along would you say you are in achieving these? What would you love to have/achieve that you don’t yet have? 

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Work in progress always! I would like to think I am better off than I was a few years ago. I know a couple of life turns have definitely made me a better person – sharing my life with another, parenthood both biological and adoptive (this would most certainly include human and doggie motherhood) and my stint in the social sector, seeing reality for so many around us and trying to be part of the solution versus the problem.

I think maybe 50%? Hard to say when 100% is way off, unseen in the horizon!

Is your life today as you imagined it would be 5 years ago? If no, how is it different? Where do you want to be 5 years from now?

It is very, very different from what I imagined 5 years ago. I have wrestled with some personal demons, faced positive growth and dealt with the shifting boundaries of stay-at-home-still-working-for-pay-sometimes person. I have made choices I didn’t know I would be happy with: I am in the midst of a complete career shift from a finance professional to a special educator. That satisfaction from working concretely with children, thinking about ‘work’ all the time because I want to, being motivated internally to do something I really like doing – I didn’t know this world would be mine 5 years ago. Even though this search for something more was on then.

5 years from now, my kids will be teenagers. And I hope they’ll still talk to me and want to spend time with me. I would like to be young in mind and heart and more anchored in knowledge in my new field of work. I hope I see smiles when I enter a school and shed lots of tears when the kids graduate to become bigger and better. I want to work in early intervention for kids diagnosed with Autism and fight this enemy with all I have. Please God!

Do you believe that being a woman has made a difference to your choices and your life? 

Absolutely. It is my strength in every way. It has guided all my choices in some way, shape or form. Being a woman has given me the gumption to stand up to what I knew I couldn’t sustain and plod away at what I needed to keep at. Proud to be a woman every day!

Tell us one thing that you like about Women’s Web and one thing you think we could do better!

I like that you bring up very relevant issues in the modern woman’s life. I like that you don’t pull your punches, having few(?) taboo topics. I like that you get different voices to speak on the same issue. This shows people the various options out there, so that they can make up their own minds. I love that you talk of strong women – my children need these role models, as do I when I look up to those who have blasted paths before us.

I would like to see more in-depth stuff from you along all these lines. And I would like to see you retain your finger on my pulse!

Thanks Sangitha!

*Photo credit: Sangitha Krishnamurthi.

Previous Reader’s Corner Interviews:

Shail Mohan

The Blue Bride

Jo Chopra

Prathama Raghavan

Chandrima Pal

Rinzu Rajan

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