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1. Tell us more about your role & responsibilities at your college.
Like any other college society, Kalakriti- The Fine Arts Society - Hansraj College, also had students coming from various backgrounds having a multitude of ideas and opinions to share with the group. Clubbing those ideas and formulating the best out of the bunch was one of the key responsibilities of my role as the President.
Handling the group dynamics and involving all the members to contribute to the task at hand while maintaining a strong bond with everyone was very important. Apart from that, getting sponsorships for various events, handling promotions for the upcoming exhibitions, the delegation of responsibilities and also focusing on my personal growth as an artist and exploring different forms of art and encouraging others to do so as well we're all a part and parcel of my position in the society.
2. How did you rise up to your position and how can a student aspiring the same, approach it?
While students were struggling to decide on a single society out of a plethora of options, I was juggling three societies as a fresher. One of the hardest decisions for me at a point where everyone was doing incredible work which was considered great for their profiles and CVs was to leave Enactus and Eco Soc (the Economics Society) to concentrate on doing what I loved the most - Art.
Giving time to the society, working extra hours during the exhibitions, constantly searching for inspirations and coming up with ideas and giving my heart and soul to the society was what helped me rise to the position of Joint Secretary during my second year and finally representing the society as its President and that's the advice which I always have and would give to my juniors.
3. What have been some of your biggest challenges and learnings from what you do?
My journey in society surely had a lot of challenges and learnings along its way. One of the greatest learnings was that not every idea will turn out to be as one thought it would. There will be times when you have to club various ideas to make the art piece look at par with your expectations. Not having a stern attitude and making different mindsets work together is the right way to go during those times. Another challenge that I faced was getting people to work at the same pace as everyone else's to make the best out of the time that the members spare for the society while balancing their studies and personal life alongside it.
Lastly, maintaining a good rapport with my peers as well as my juniors at a level where it becomes easy for everyone to communicate their problems with me and the group was also a challenge that I had to face time and again.
4. What did you do in your current role that makes you feel really proud of yourself?
One tagline that my seniors, as well as my juniors, have always used for me is that I was a "one-woman army" which is something that makes me very happy and proud. While it was difficult to turn some ideas into reality, I was someone that could be relied on to gather various ideas, club them and put something together to make it as close to the original idea as possible within the specified budget.
5. What's your message to encourage students to do internships and attend conferences?
I would surely recommend all the students to take up several internships and grab every opportunity that comes their way. College life in its entirety gives you an ample amount of opportunities to learn and grow from. It gives you the right kind of exposure that you need to face the real world that you will be entering in a couple of years.
Another piece of advice that I feel helped me a lot is to have an open mind to explore different options and fields. This will not only help you develop a varied skill-set but will also help you to decide what interests you so that you can make a whole career out of it. It will give you certainty as to where you want your life to take you and enjoy it to its fullest.
Interviewed by- Jyotisha Singhal
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