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"Everyone is aware of the need to do something for the society, but our fast paced life entangles us all in a web to hanker after our daily needs.
The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you someone else"
A tête-à-tête with Mrs. Jaya Chandrasekhar
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| By Ms. Neha Simpy |
Mrs. Jaya Chandrasekhar looks back fondly at her journey of one and a half years as a learning and rewarding experience. Married to the Cabinet Secretary, Mr. K.M. Chandrasekhar, she will complete her two years as President IASOWA (IAS Officers Wives Association) in the month of  June. She is also the Chairman of Sanskriti School. Born in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, Mrs. Chandrasekhar has studied in different parts of India as her father was in the navy. Over the years, she has extracted the goodness of all these states which now truly reflects in her vibrant personality.
Snugly seated on a sofa, clad in casuals, she seemed to be of a convivial nature. She started the conversation saying, "Everyone is aware of the need to do something for the society, but our fast paced life entangles us all in a web to hanker after our daily needs." Mrs. Jaya holds tremendous respect for her predecessors who have followed the path of serving people through social welfare schemes. She further adds that IASOWA under her president ship is aimed at focusing on further expansion of its sphere. She sadly adds that people out of sheer misconception associates IASOWA with frivolous kitty parties and identifies it as a glamour-based association. This judgmental view is extremely upsetting, more so because this organization has to its credit a lot of beneficial work for the good of others.
Mrs. Jaya has a soft corner for the underprivileged children and would strive to see that they receive the best. She honestly feels that they should have an access to a better quality education and this is exactly what her organization works for under the name of "Prerna". These deprived children should not only get a chance to excel academically but should also enjoy co-curricular activities like dance and sports. "We also provide them with nourishing meals as we have a kitchen. I want to make a difference in the lives of these children, because, these children do not enjoy the benefits others do. I want to bring out their hidden talents and stretch it to the limit."
She believes that every child is unique and each one is gifted with some special quality. She wishes them all the strength to retain that special God gifted quality, as she feels the hardest challenge is to be 'yourself' in a world where everyone is trying to make you somebody else.
 She also finds a lot of hidden beauty and dignity in the lives of rural women, which she feels is absent in their urban counterparts. She salutes their unerring attitude towards life that always enables them to bounce back even after extreme suffering and hardships.
She believes these women have huge reserves of talent, waiting to be explored. She earnestly wants these women to be self-dependent and create their own identity. She despairs that her efforts are like a drop in the ocean as there is so much of disparity between the 'haves and the have not'. She wants to bridge this gap. It hurts her to see the extravagance, wasteful expenditure and flamboyant marriages when there are millions of people struggling to make their ends meet.
IASOWA, she says, has its cadre representatives from all the states in Delhi. It is spread throughout India and the members keep in touch through their website. As the President of IASOWA, she believes in a lot of things; chief among them is her faith in the basic goodness of humanity. She thinks that the difference in the various strata of the society is superficial; deep down every human being has got a lot of goodness. A definite miracle, she feels, is possible if people join hands in an effort to bridge the gap. While elaborating on her own efforts in an attempt to bring happiness in other people's lives, she quips, "It is really unbelievable how one's efforts can generate so much of happiness and smile. At the end of the day, you too have the very same smile on your face.. it adds a sense of sweet joy to your life too. You get recharged when there is so much of love and affection coming your way from someone who is not related to you."
 IASOWA does a lot of fund-raising programmes and organizes carnivals, as Mrs. Jaya is firm about not accepting any grant from the government, "initially we received a lot of support, for example, HCL had provided us with some computers; but later on it was our responsibility to run the programme."
She credits the successful operation of IASOWA to her predecessors who had been managing the organization since 1968. She accepts the fact that on a daily basis it becomes extremely challenging but as the President of the organization she also considers it exciting.
Her stance as the President of the organization keeps her completely involved in all the activities that take place here. She has inculcated a distinct leadership style of her own by extracting the best out of every person and every situation in her life. Amidst this busy schedule of hers, she says, she never feels stressed out because she really enjoys her work. She has an immense support from her wonderful team, and they share a great equation, she adds. Mrs. Jaya also takes the credit of breaking the ice in the office environment and has successfully made the atmosphere very informal. A walk or just sitting with her feet up on the chair, she says, relieves her of all physical exertion. Even a few moments of quietness is enough to rejuvenate her. She enjoys listening to music, as a stress buster and simply loves spending time with her pet dog.
Walking down the memory lane, she gets nostalgic as she remembers how very shy she used to be as a child. Marriage, she says, has transformed her a lot. She also attributes the change partially to her profession as a teacher Her choice of profession enabled her to meet different people and deal with different personalities. As a result she got to learn a lot and this boosted her confidence immensely. She has stayed abroad for six years when her husband was the Indian Ambassador for WTO in Geneva. She was teaching English in an American language institute, at the Wall Street, which had been a very pleasant experience for her. It was during this period that she had realized teaching is an intriguing and difficult task. "You have to get along and reach out to people and tailor your method to suit different personalities in a group, which is really fascinating. I was really fortunate to get the opportunity to deal with so many people" she beams. |
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