Anupama Dalmia
Award Winning Blogger. Author of ‘Aarohi’. Creative Writing Mentor & Instructor. Founder @ Rhythms & Beats. Co-Founder @ Tingle Your Taste Buds.
And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears. – Mark Anthony.
An award-winning blogger, a passionate dancer and now a mentor unlocking the next gen’s creative potential, Anupama Dalmia is a supremely versatile artist, the lady with the Midas touch, shining through the multiple interests she immerses herself in!
Let’s say about 26 years ago. That’s when I met ‘Anu Di’. A senior and my elder sister’s friend, I played alongside her as a toddler in Visakhapatnam until we left a year later. Little did I know our paths would cross again, in a literary world at that, my past proving to be a very real inspiration in my present! Here’s me in a tete-a-tete with Anupama Dalmia, a giant of the creative world!
Stepping off the Corporate Wagon – and into the Creative Carousel.
From 6 years in the IT industry, to a life of dancing, blogging and authoring books – could there be a better example of turning one’s life around to follow one’s passions! “Strangely, the day I decided that the corporate world wasn’t my calling, was the very day I received immense appreciation for a technical presentation half-way around the world!”, Anupama recollects. “We were in Melbourne through Infosys, and I was presenting on SAP HANA, the in-thing back then in the BI space.” The talk went extremely well and drew attention and praises from the highest quarters. But deep down, reaching this pinnacle made her realize that she wanted to climb a very different mountain in life! A year-long break from work later, Anupama had resigned for good and moved on with discovering her true self.
The Beginnings.
Intent on exploring the world of dance and fueling her passion for the art, Anupama joined the Summer Workshop at the Shiamak Davar Institute. “I realized I didn’t know enough about the field, so I began with receiving professional training in Hip Hop and Western Dance Forms.” She loved her time there and it spurred her. “I began following reality shows and YouTube videos. I had to up my game to step into the professional arena”. But, a busy bee forever, this was not all Anupama was working on at the time. She had also begun to build “Tingle Your Taste Buds”, to give her mother, Usha Dalmia, a platform that could showcase her love for cooking. Today, an award-winning site, Tingle Your Taste Buds has been featured in multiple forums for the success of this mother-daughter duo and is looking to publishing its first cookery book “Desserts to De-Stress” soon. During this time, Anupama also became heavily involved with the NGO Prajwala, working under the tutelage of its founder Sunitha Krishnan on rehabilitating many abused lives. The experience, and Sunitha, left a profound impact on Anupama, and she has since written much on the issue of abuse, even drawing from it in her debut novella ‘Aarohi’.
From ‘Talentzone’ to ‘Rhythms & Beats’.
‘Talentzone’ was the kick start to Anupama’s professional creative ventures. Having founded it in Sweden with friend and then-neighbour Reena, Talentzone art and crafts workshops received a good response, way beyond their expectations, planting the seed in Anupama’s heart and mind. In 2017, Anupama finally started her own dance label Rhythms & Beats where she conducts workshops and choreographs for events such as sangeets and corporate gatherings. With slow and steady steps, Rhythms & Beats has garnered much following. Be it the “I can Fly” dance workshop with the message of girl child education, the “Bollywood Then and Now” workshop for senior kids or even the “Ganesh Utsav Dance Marathon”, Anupama indeed has everyone grooving to her beats! She has recently been nominated by Women’s Web for ‘Inspiring Woman Entrepreneur 2018’ in the reputed Orange Flower Awards.
Blogging, Accolades and the making of an Author!
Unlike dance, Anupama’s foray into the world of blogging and writing, wasn’t a conscious decision. “My husband created my blog and encouraged me to write. Things went really fast from there. One of my first blogs became the top parenting article on Momspresso. Awards happened, and soon good writing opportunities fell into my lap. I knew then that I had to make the most of it.” A four-time winner of Women’s Web’s Orange Flower Awards for bloggers in three consecutive years (2016-2018), today, Anupama’s debut novella Aarohi on Amazon has been widely & critically appreciated.
Another big milestone achieved recently was the publication of her piece in the anthology on abuse & gender violence – ‘Muffled Moans Unleashed’.
Having dabbled in freelancing, content writing, editing, sponsored articles and commissioned pieces for Women’s Web and Momspresso, Anupama has now carved a nice for herself in the world of writing as an established name. Known for her bold yet sensitive pieces on parenting, womanhood, feminism, LGBTQ rights and gender abuse, and her unique style in creative writing, Anupama is often found sharing her thoughts on many literary panels. In 2018, she moderated a panel of Women’s Web’s ‘Breaking Barriers’ and recently featured on a panel of bloggers in the New Age Lit Fest in Hyderabad.
Motherhood and Mentorship.
As a leading blogger on parenting as well as women’s issues, Renee, Anupama’s daughter, is clearly a significant influence on her writing. “Motherhood was a glorious eye opener. Now you are setting an example for someone. She is looking at me and learning. I didn’t want her to tolerate. I want to leave a better world for the kids. As writers we must talk about issues and motherhood gives you the strength to do that.”
Today, Anupama is not only a beloved mother, but also a hugely popular mentor, nurturing many children to explore their creative side. What began with a hesitant 3-day trial workshop for kids in her society has ended up being a huge boost to Anupama’s own creative drive. She inculcates the habit of reading in the kids, urges them to write, discusses relevant social issues with them and often ends up learning from them in turn! An upcoming speaker in ‘Oak Inspireon Expert Talk on Story Writing Skills’, Anupama continues to inspire the kids and the rest of us time and again with her accomplishments. No wonder, she has been featured on highly reputed forums such as Storieo and Women of Courage.
Expert Advice before the final Wrap Up!
Tell us the secret, I say! With one finger in every possible pie and each of them lip-smackingly delicious, how does she manage it all, not to mention the cherry on top – motherhood! “Some of us are just not wired to do one or two things!”, she laughs. “There are times when it is mentally taxing, when you feel you are losing connect with yourself. Motherhood and writing together can be very consuming. But a few things always work – watch movies, listen to music, talk to friends and dance regularly!” – that’s all it takes for Anupama Dalmia to bounce back! But what about newbies and budding bloggers, does she have tips to share? “It’s really important for you to understand what you want to blog about, to be clear on what you want to share with people. Keep your eyes open on social media and tap the appropriate platforms for writing opportunities. Most importantly, write in your own style, don’t try to plagiarize the style of established bloggers/writers no matter how alluring that may be. And finally, be open to criticism.” As we part, I ask her if her greatest motivation to keep moving ahead is the awareness of the impact that her work, especially her writing, has on people’s lives. “Womanhood gives you inherent strength to deal with everything you come across. I don’t know how much of a difference I make, but I do know I have been able to touch a few lives in a positive way. Readers do reach out to tell me that..and It makes it all worth it!”
Anupama Dalmia has been featured in the ‘I Inspire’ series of this blog. To know more about her and her work, please visit the pages in the links above.
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The ‘I Inspire’ series on Sharanya’s blog www.la-dolce-vita.co.in intends to bring to the fore stories of common women around us who inspire with their life, work and thoughts. The series seeks to encourage women to stand by each other and quell the wide spread misconception that women are women’s enemies.
Disclaimer: Views or opinions represented in the linked blogs/websites of people featured under the ‘I Inspire’ series are personal and belong solely to the owner of the blog/website. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Sharanya’s www.la-dolce-vita.co.in.
All image copyrights are held by either Anupama Dalmia / Sharanya’s www.la-dolce.vita.co.in