We are back with another mom who is a creative mom in the true sense. She is a multitalented and multifaceted mom who works in many creative fields. Introducing Anupama Dalmia who is an author, award-winning blogger, choreographer, and a coach.

Multifaceted mom

She holds a degree in MBA (Systems and Finance) and B.E. (Computer Science). After having a lucrative career in IT for 6.5 years, she resigned to pursue her passion in the creative field. Her work has been published in various coveted magazines and platforms like Women’s Era, Women’s Web, Momspresso, eFiction India, Youth ki Awaaz, Readomania, SheThePeople TV, etc. She was featured by ICICI Bank as a part of their “Fund Your Own Worth” campaign in which inspiring stories of women from every field were shared on their home page.

Let’s get to know more about this multifaceted mom –

What’s your background?

I have a Computer Engineering degree from Pune University after which I completed my MBA in Systems and Finance from Ahmedabad. I landed a job during our campus placements with Infosys which was always my dream company. So, I had a wonderful stint there for 6.5 years before resigning to pursue my creative interests.

What was the main reason for quitting your professional career and do you ever regret your decision?

The main reason for quitting my professional career was a feeling of emptiness. I was having a great career in Infosys, however, I realised working at corporate wasn’t my true calling. I spoke to my husband who was extremely supportive and decided to pull the plug. Apart from pursuing my creative interests, I also wanted to dedicate time to social service. I never regret any of my decisions in life because whatever be the outcome, they are all defining moments in our lives to help us learn, grow and evolve. In fact, I feel leaving my corporate career to follow the path am on currently is one of the best decisions of my life.

As the founder of anupamadalmia.com, you are a successful blogger. Tell us more about how the idea came up? What were the key factors for starting it?

Actually, it was my husband’s idea. On my first mother’s day, I penned a poem for my daughter and posted it on Facebook. It received a wonderful response. My husband felt that I have a way with words and I should explore this field. However, I felt otherwise but he persisted and created the website anupamadalmia.com for me to post my articles, musings, stories and poems. Finally, I gave in and that’s how it all started.

You are also a founder of a dance school and are a professional choreographer. Tell our readers about your journey as a dancer and a choreographer.

Dancing has been a passion right since I was a toddler. It’s me, my identity.  When I resigned, my main focus was to pursue a career as a choreographer. Writing happened much later. I started small by conducting classes for kids. Gradually, I thought I must have my own dance label and launched “Rhythms & Beats” with a tagline “We make your soul dance”. I took it a step at a time and today conduct dance workshops, public events and cater to individual or event choreography requests.

Your debut novel Aarohi is a popular book and is in Top 3 in Goodreads list. Tell us more about how the idea of writing this books came up.

Amazon had conducted a contest in collaboration with Hindu as a part of which we were to publish a novella using Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). “Aarohi” is a novella of 5k words which was for this contest and all the love from readers is just overwhelming.

You don so many hats as a multifaceted mom. It’s inspiring. What is your favourite work out of everything you do and why?

I always say that some people are wired to do many things. I love all the work that I do and each means a lot to me which is why I am involved in multiple lines of work in spite of hectic schedules. But, if I ever imagine different facets of myself standing in a room, I think Anupama, the dancer, will be standing there right at the centre, confident and raring to go.

What is your inspiration or where do you get inspiration for all the work you do?

Life itself is an inspiration. There is so much to learn from everyone around and there is inspiration everywhere. It’s on us to look for inspiration. I have been blessed with amazing family and friends who always keep me motivated. My parents, my husband and my 4-year-old daughter are my strength. In fact, my daughter is my muse as a lot of ideas for what I write come from her, directly or indirectly.

Anupama with her family

What is your writing routine and how much time do you take to write a book?

Honestly, because I am into multiple lines of work, I do not have a fixed routine. But, I try and be regular. I mostly write when my daughter is in school or when she is sleeping. The time taken varies a lot depending upon the kind of story I am trying to tell the readers and my state of mind at that point. Sometimes, just 100 words might take an entire day and sometimes, like it was in the case of “Aarohi”, it could be 5000 words in a day. Writing a book is definitely not a straightforward process because it does not just end at writing.

Can you tell us a little bit about your cookery portal and how did this idea of starting it came up?

My mother has always been passionate about cooking and her culinary skills were talked about in our circle of family and friends. She had fostered a dream to open her own restaurant but like many women of her generation, her dream remained unfulfilled. After growing up, it hit me that my mother did not get a chance to do anything for her own self and I thought of doing something about it.

When I resigned, I decided to help her pursue her passion.  I started a cookery page for her on Facebook called “Tingle Your Taste Buds”. Gradually, we created a website where we could share her recipes and tips for a wider audience. Today, this is an award-winning portal with a dedicated subscriber base and we are working on our first cookery book.

Most important tip for other bloggers or for other mom entrepreneurs.

The only tip I will give everyone out there is – “Be honest with your work. It will reflect on the outcome.” Also, patience is key – work on yourself and your skills/craft first before worrying about other things like traffic and earnings.

What is your vision? Share any future plans you have.

I am a person who does not plan much and just focuses on the next step. I hope to keep doing better work and continue to be able to touch lives. 2019 will definitely see me taking a step forward in each of my ventures. Currently, I am busy with the launch of “Beyond the Box” which is my new venture for all the mentoring/coaching work that I do. I have been taking creative writing classes/workshops for over 1.5 years now and wanted to streamline the work I was doing in this space. All I can say is that there are miles to go before I sleep 🙂

You can follow Anupama on her Website and these page links:

http://anupamadalmia.com

https://www.facebook.com/anupamadalmia1982/      

http://tingleyourtastebuds.in

https://www.facebook.com/usha.dalmia1954/

https://www.facebook.com/rhythmsnbeats/

Thanks, Anupama for taking out time to answer these questions. We wish you all the best for your future endeavours.

Read about previously featured creative moms here- Monika, Shiva, Soma, Ritika,  Sudha, Rina, Shipra, Anuja, Preethi, Surbhi, Debjani , Megha  Sushma Shilpi and Anupriya to get inspired.

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