At the emergency medical department of a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, patients often wonder why youngsters gaze at the doctor in awe, talk to her excitedly and get their selfies clicked. The pretty medical officer, Shruthi Vijayan, admits that the excitement of ‘those cute moments’ of being recognised as a VJ, is contagious. “It’s very gratifying to hear young girls coming to me saying that I inspire them,” says the girl, who, apart from hosting three TV shows, runs a bridal boutique, works as a bridal makeup artist and a model, occasionally performs Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi and is an artist with a few published book covers to her credit.
Call her a multi-tasker, Shruthi would say it comes from the genes. “Women are born multi-takers. We just have to accept it. Everyone asks me how I do it all. It’s not that I am working 24x7. I have proper plans for every week. I am doctor for only 48 hours a week. TV anchoring comes only twice or three times a month. Modelling, bridal makeup and dancing are also not regular. The art part is what I dedicate very less time to,” she says. However, she gives the whole credit to her biggest support system – her family. Her dad, retired PWD official Vijayan, mother, businesswoman Prema, her retired teacher grandmother Agnes and her sister Smriti, an MBBS student, are all very supportive of this workaholic woman.
A doctor on modeling assignments has a lot of negative stereotypical notions attached to it and Shruthi is glad that she could break it. “I have never known restrictions as a girl. My family raised me as a woman who is aware of her strength. In fact, it was my daddy who initiated me to feminism; he is the one who pushed me to do things confidently. Living in a house full of financially independent women too helped me. Even my 80-year-old grandmother has a steady source of income at this age. Now that I have 5-6 independent sources of income, I have financial freedom and I am comfortable in my space,” she says.
Style quotient is something that came to her life very late. Till joining a Mangaluru college for MBBS, Shruthi was what she calls a naadan kutti and a nerd. “Mangaluru changed me and I became confident. I want other women to experience that confidence, which is why I ventured into bridal makeup and hold monthly grooming workshops for women, on how to do their hair, makeup and improve their dressing sense,” she says. An avid reader, Shruthi is inspired by anything written by women ‘who have broken the glass ceiling’. Interestingly, she confesses to not dreaming of herself as an actor. “I am not a movie buff at all and I’m notorious for not recognising celebrities,” she laughs, recalling how she once failed to recognise director Shaji Kailas. Shruthi says, “I can do anything but acting. My dream is to get into the influential category by the time I am 40. I don’t want to just exist and die. I want to be remembered as someone who, like everyone, had 24 hours a day, but did things 10 times better.”
