She carved a niche for herself by combining her passion for writing, history and art
Anjali Raghbeer
Hyderabad: Writing was Anjali Raghbeer’s first love. “I had applied for journalism after completing my graduation, but was turned down by every school because I was a commerce graduate. An MBA followed and then life introduced me to online writing courses. That’s how I started,” she shares.
Today, she has written several series of children’s books and introduced young India to the country’s artistic heritage. She is now working on a script for a feature film and is spear-heading the Shift series: A conference with specially curated panel discussions on relevant socio-cultural topics.
Although Anjali published her first book in 2007, her real breakthrough came with the Looking At Art series, for which she continues to be best known for. Probe her a little about choosing the Indian artistic tradition in particular for her works and you discover one of her greatest passions: art and history.
“Oh, I’m a big art and history buff! I’ve always had an avid interest in both disciplines and would have loved to study them formally. But I couldn’t, so everything I know about them is based on informal self-study,” she reveals.
Although the Shift conferences have been keeping her on her toes for the last year or so, but she has ensured that she manages to make time for her husband and two daughters at home.
“I work from 10 am to 4 pm and I’ve structured that to suit my family perfectly. My elder daughter is studying design in New York, but my younger one is still here and I make sure that I’m home by the time she is.”
Have her children been a part of the work she does as well? “They don’t have a choice! They are a part of what I do all the time,” she laughs, “They used to involve themselves in all my workshops and my younger one is still very much a part of the conferences and even all the books I write.”
While her daughters have been actively engaged with her work, she has found in her husband a fellow art aficionado. “Yes, he loves art too and loves collecting art, in fact. We have managed to get together a wonderful collection at home,” she shares.
Ask her if she manages to take some time off work every now and then, and she points out that another deeply cherished love is travel. “I make it a point to take one long summer vacation and if possible two smaller ones every year. Paris is my all-time favourite travel destination, primarily because it ties up with my love for history too! Every street and every corner , has a story to tell and I find that truly fascinating,” she says enthusiastically and adds that within India, spiritual retreats appeal to her the most.
At the moment, however, work is keeping her busy and time is extremely hard to come by. She says, “I have literally no time to move beyond writing the first three chapters of my film script. Thankfully, I’ve managed to sustain my habit of reading at least.”
( Source : dc )
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