Nivedita Paul

In the next few lines, I am going to talk about my work and experiences. Perhaps it is humanly impossible to abstain from ‘I’, My and ‘Me’; due to a lack of better expression, I am going to use the same. But, I don’t think I have done anything, just a medium, like a flute, sitar or the tabla—nothing without the musician.I have always been a rebel and failed to embrace convention, be it in relationships or at work. I always yearned to experience things in their true form, without the layers!I believe that there is a divine intention behind everything, and I live to see it unfolding everyday.I share a paternal bond with England; he has taught me to be strong, maintaining two part-time jobs with university coursework, exams, teenage crises, etc. In no time, I was a Coventry University Business and Marketing Graduate. A corporate job would have been an obvious choice, but it did not happen! I did try working in a few companies but nothing could please my heart. I continued to follow the obvious for 2 more years and pursued an M.Com. (Marketing) in St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. During my stay in Kolkata, three good things happened- I was introduced to Adwaita Vedanta, Consumer Behaviour and I reconnected with dance. I have always kept myself busy (worked in an interior design startup as a marketing consultant and went to a village every Sunday to teach soft skills). My experiences have confirmed time and again, that nothing goes to waste!Joining the Teach for India Fellowship in Mumbai was an eye-opening experience for me. I was assured that unconditional love exists. I have initiated a couple of projects related to student and parent empowerment. After two years of life-changing experience, I joined an IB school (The Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad) as a primary teacher. No matter where I have worked or studied, the head of the institute has always believed in my intentions. This is a blessing!Although I had opportunities to initiate many projects, I was not satisfied. This time, the call was more intense. I knew I had to do something in the areas of spirituality, psychology, and dance.For many months, I struggled to connect the dots. Until one day, I thought of becoming a teacher trainer. I needed a designation, so I called myself a Well-Being and Empowerment Coach. I am responsible for designing the primary year curriculum, training teachers, and running several student leadership programs related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.As an Indian classical dance practitioner and facilitator for 25 children, many aspects of the way the mind learns have started to be revealed, including the interconnectedness of several aspects like balance, breathing, rhythm, speed, strength, and pause. The 3 pillars of my recent work are- spirituality, positive psychology, and creativity. To manifest the oneness, I have joined hands with a group of young engineers and formed a company called- Pen Pencil Paper and more (P3M.AI). We are a team of engineers and educators passionate about connecting the three dots- Education, Universal values, and technology and helping schools empower and ignite the minds of teachers, students, and parents. Most organisations are breeding grounds for primitive mindsets like- competition with others, jealousy, anxiety, and selfishness. The time has come for a paradigm shift; schools should adopt value-based progress reports rather than academic reports alone. We are committed to building a process that enables organisations of different sectors to create a culture of love, empathy, compassion, service, forbearance, and embrace ‘ONENESS’. Currently, I am divided among 3 states. I have rented an apartment close to my dance guru in Bangalore after spending 5 months in Kerala serving at Ramakrishna Mission, Calicut as a founding Principal of a Pre-Primary School for underprivileged children. Sometimes I need to travel to Hyderabad for Offline Teacher Training and Classroom audits. My only aim in life is to find ‘Moksha’ through performing Karma Yoga.