Sumathi Srinivas is a multi-faceted personality. Her brainchild, the reality show on TV, 'Mrs. Homemaker', which helped give housewives an identity, began small in Chennai. It has now spread its wings in the south, covering Hyderabad and Bengaluru too. Now in its 10th successful year, the initiative will be conducted in the United States, Dubai and Singapore. A motivational speaker, who urges women to be independent, Sumathi is the most sought after lady by women’s forums and women’s colleges. Her writing skills impelled her to start the first pan-Indian bilingual (Tamil and English) magazine, called Women Exclusive (WE).
She also helps educate underprivileged children through her 'Soulmates Foundation' and Project Vizhigal. She has roped in actor Sivakarthikeyan, as her goodwill ambassador for her social service activities. Her retail shopping experience, Chennaiyil Angadi Thiru-vizha, a unique offline concept, has been a big hit. Having been in the media for many years with the Mrs Homemaker reality show, the socialite is also entering the film sector with the South Short Film Festival, which is designed to encourage young talents. A chat with Sumathi Srinivas who heads the Twilite group.
“Like any other girl, after I finished college, I got married and was managing the house. Whenever I would go for a get-together, I noticed women saying that they were ‘just housewives’. I felt then that there were numerous pageants for so many segments of women, but the ‘housewife sector’ had been left out. That’s when this idea of starting the Mrs Homemaker contest sprung up,” Sumathi recalls.
“Although a housewife’s work is confined to the house and her audience consists of her family members, she still handles many tasks and makes it ‘home sweet home’ for everybody around her,” she says. “The day I announced the contest in a newspaper, the response was overwhelming and I got 600 entries from middle and upper middle class women. Most of them ticked the box, ‘it acts as a stress buster’ as a reason to enter the contest. Their innate talents are tapped and they develop the confidence to set up their own businesses. What started off in a small way in Chennai, has grown to cover all of south India. We now plan to hold the contest in Dubai, Singapore and the US as we are getting many requests from there,” says Sumathi.
The offline event has grown into a reality show on a television channel, and today, it has garnered a huge response. “It is not a mere cookery show. Each homemaker who takes part in it has to cross seven stages, including taking part in sporting activities, such as rock climbing, trekking, swimming etc to reach the finale. They are groomed with each and every episode,” she clarifies.
Recalling a touching incident, Sumathi says, “There was a lady who was nine months pregnant and keen to participate in the show. Her mother was apparently her gynaecologist. To all our surprise, she came up to the finals and we gave her a special title. The next day, she delivered a baby.”
Sumathi says that the bonding she shared with all the participants over the years urged her to come up with an interactive monthly, Women Exclusive (WE), which has Tamil and English sections within the same magazine. The WE Annual Awards branched out of the magazine, they are awards that are given to achievers from all walks of life, including the physically challenged and to special children.
Sumathi is a name to reckon with when it comes to making motivational speeches. Women’s forums and women’s colleges invite her to guide them for the future. “There’s stress and a vacuum in women belonging to the middle and upper classes. Through my advice and guidance, I make them analyse themselves and help them come out of their problems.”
Women’s issues apart, she was also disturbed by children deprived of education due to poverty. She started the Soulmates Foundation, and through its project Vizhigal, they adopt underprivileged children every year and educate them with their own resources. “This year alone we have taken 75 kids under this scheme,” Sumathi says. She is grateful that the cause will get visibility through the likes of actor Sivakarthikeyan who has agreed to be part of the programme in the capacity of a brand ambassador. Viji Chandrashekar and Neelima, have also been roped into the noble enterprise.
Sumathi’s forte is also corporate, documentary and promo films, and she had extended her reach to holding a Twilite Short Film Fest in the coming weeks. “We want to identify young talents from all four southern languages and through a short film fest, honour the winners, which will be an annual affair,” she says. Her Think Tank, an art school, and Elite Women’s Club, which were launched recently has already caught the attention of all.
