MY STORY & JOURNEY
being APARNA MISHRA to becoming who I AM today
Besides being a proud mother of two daughters & wife of a banker, I’m an artist & kathak guru, a wellness & lifestyle coach, a social activist running an NGO and an entrepreneur who juggles between different profiles, industries, individuals, mindsets, and, of course, a varied appearance and change of emotions that I feel within.
At the age of 9, living in a small town, a privileged life, and being a sensitive girl, the social surrounding and mindsets affected me deeply. I initiated introducing basic education to the lesser privileged children in my surrounding through Kathak in various formats. Education was not just unaffordable, but also a boring thing, but learning the AKSHAR through kathak they began their journey towards being SAAKSHAR.
Very soon, to support the growing crowd and requirements of fund to support them, at the age of 14 I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey as a kathak guru, by laying the groundwork for ‘KalaSaadhna – Art & Wellness Centre. Till date all the profits are donated to Shivaakriti Foundation, to support my vision of happy healthy & educated India.
My days are filled with unexpected events and instant transformations from being a sensitive woman to a ruthless boss at work. I’d be hustling all the time, whether it is teaching kathak at IITs with a physics and math twist, creating a buzz on stage as a keynote speaker or a performer, gracefully closing business deals or getting into deep layers of critical cases while consulting a client for their wellbeing. Besides this, paying close attention & love to my family & children has always been my top priority. To put it another way, my day would be not just constantly hectic but also filled with variations – where more than managing my time, I need to focus on managing my energies and stay in sync with myself.
How I dress up has always complemented my varied needs of being different. Every individual & their varied needs, calls for different range of suited looks, however, personally for me, my best & most comfortable look comes out in a Sari. It has never failed to provide me with the ability to be, feel, and look the way I want to.
As I remember, in my late teens in Delhi, dressed in my sari’s and low lying bun, trying to look and be a decade older than my actual age to match my looks with what I do – was a self-discovery, and I wouldn’t have pulled it off so well for more than two decades until today – without these beautiful drapes! Dressing up in the way you feel and perceive your self – has a lot more to do than just looking good – it’s an expression of your mental & emotional being! I’ve been fortunate, to drape beautiful souls into gracefully expressive reflection of their true selves.