Council Member Spotlight: Meenakshi M Singh

This post features the journey of award-winning writer and author Meenakshi M Singh, who is also the founder of SheTheShakti Women, a supportive community for like-minded women.

The creation of miracles is possible if one believes in the power of their dreams. My transformation from an IT professional in a 9-6 job to an acclaimed author is nothing short of a miracle. Today, I stand as an author, women’s empowerment coach, activist, founder of communities, theatre actor, social influencer, mathematics teacher, and mother.

Let me take you back to the year 2012, when I was employed as a deputy manager in a prestigious multinational corporation, serving as an IT professional. It was during this time that I was blessed with twin daughters, Mihikaa and Maansi. Though I could have continued with my career, I made a conscious decision to take a break and dedicate my time to my little darlings. My heart’s desire was to be with them 24/7 and provide them with the utmost care and comfort within the walls of our home.

Motherhood had a profound impact on me, transforming me into a better person - one who was more compassionate and content. During this time, I listened to my heart and found my true calling in expression. I embarked on a journey as a writer and created a blog. I began writing poetry on various themes, including the hypocrisy of society and the positive impact of motherhood on me. In 2012, I completed a creative writing course from Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication. I also started performing and reciting my work at Open Mics, contests and other events, gaining recognition in the process. Though I had enjoyed my ten-year stint in the corporate world, I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would.

The applause from the audience when I performed on stage and recited my poetry boosted my morale and uplifted my spirits. Writing empowered me, and I began writing more frequently. I wrote a story about the pain I had been hiding in my heart after my younger brother’s untimely death at the tender age of 17. My story won a prize, but more importantly, it gave me a much-needed catharsis.

Books

Writing became my personal healer, enabling me to understand my pain better. Then, at a book event one evening, there was a surprise announcement that my poetry had been chosen on merit to be published as a book by the gracious publisher Authorspress, in alliance with the literary agency Butterfly & the Bee by Sumit Sehgal. I was on cloud nine. My first book, Soulful Symphony, was released in 2013 at a literary fiesta.

And then there was no stopping. My second book, Aawaz, published by Authorspress had three book launches by stalwarts such as the late Som Thakur, Laxmi Shankar Bajpai, and Sudarshan K Cherry. My third book, I AM ENOUGH, speaks to my experience of being a techie turned homemaker juggling household chores, hobby classes, and tiffin boxes while rising to fame and receiving recognition from eminent individuals. And this is all thanks to my pen, which has become my redemption.

The best moment of my journey was when I was invited to speak at my children’s school as a chief guest. All the innocent children waved to me with pride, a moment that corporate life could never have given me.

To give back to society, I pledged to have a mission to empower fellow women through their creative expressions and dissent. In order to do this, I launched SheTheShakti Inc., a woman empowerment centre, on 1 Jan 2017. It came up with ShetheShakti, an anthology of 124 poets, a grand poetic celebration of feminism, a collective voice towards empowering women’s voices in society. It expressed a chorus of change, of celebration, of hope. Its goal is to empower women’s voices and help to raise their identity in all aspects.

Later, I founded ShetheShakti Women, a community of women supporting women to realise their dreams, and Writers of India, a Facebook community for writers and authors.

I conducted creative writing workshops such as ‘FIND YOUR VOICE’ for adults and young writers, which brought me lot of fulfilment.

Bylines

My work has been published in more than 50 national and international anthologies and journals, such as Timeless Voices, Inklinks, Blueprint Review, In Our Own Words, Lovelets, Melange, Shodh Disha, Social Potpourri – An Anthology, Purple Hues, Just For You, My Love, Resonating Strings, The Collaborative Omnibus, Under The Banyan Tree, Rhythm Divine by WE, Mytho-Manthan, Kislay, International Women’s Day anthology by Different Truths, Dilliwali, Equiverse, Gems of Poesy, and Muffled Moans.

My articles, opinions and poetry get published regularly on popular forums, websites and ezines such as Women’s Web, ShethePeople, SUBURB, Gurgaon Moms, Spillwords, Destiny Poets, Story Mirror, Asian Literary Society, The Wordsmiths, Poets Artists Unplugged, The Woman Poetry Inc., Different Truths, Readomania etc.

More recently, a poem was published in the anthology Amity: Peace Poems. The book was released by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Forthcoming Book

After receiving much recognition for ShetheShakti, I had a dream of becoming a novelist and having my book in physical bookstores. Writing is a solitary journey and rejections do shake a person, but it’s the perseverance and belief in oneself that helps.

I had been writing a novel for the past few years, but because of the slowdown in publishing following the pandemic, I had to wait and hold the manuscript for submission. There were moments of self-doubt too. Shifting from poetry to prose was a leap of faith and at times I thought of giving up on prose. Thankfully, my literary agent, Suhail Mathur, founder of The BookBakers literary agency, liked the story and pitched it to publishers. In June 2022, the manuscript was accepted by two traditional publishers.

The book, titled Cupid@Corporate, will be released this year by Vishwakarma Publishers. This is a dream come true. Set in Delhi NCR, it is a contemporary and quirky love story involving the dynamics of middle-class families, the pursuit of identity, heartbreaks, unbridled romance in a corporate set-up, challenges faced by urban lovers and ultimately an invigorating story of redemption through true love. The protagonist, Suhaani, is a witty, young and beautiful girl who believes in love, but love has evaded her since birth. It’s a journey of a woman towards being enough.

Recognition

I have been conferred the 1000 Women of Asia Award 2021; Rex Karamveer Chakra Award instituted by iCongo and United Nations in 2017 and 2019; Gurugram Achievers Award; Women of Influence Award; 100 Women Faces of India award by COWE; Womennovator; Magicka Women’s Achiever award; Sashakt Nari Parishad’s Pride of Nation award; WOTFA’s Women of the Future award; Hindustan Gaurav award; Asian Literary Society’s Wordsmith award; and others. I have been nominated as a Women Achiever by ICICI Bank as well as Women’s Web.

I am grateful for these awards and accolades that recognised my mission to bring women’s voices to the fore, but the biggest award is the joy felt in the act of writing itself.

When I write, it feels like an exercise in which I am one with a higher power. It breathes life into my mundane existence, and I feel alive. If I write a powerful piece, such as a deep and crisp poem, I feel worthy.

The most significant reason for my writing is the sanity it brings me. When I read and write, I connect with others and discover more about myself. It is the answer to all my existential dilemmas.

I have always nurtured the spirit of creativity in myself and those around me. My daughters became authors at the age of ten, publishing their debut book titled Twinklinks.

My passion to break new ground keeps me young, smiling and learning. I learnt theatre at the age of 37, taking along my twin daughters who were seven at the time. Recently my daughter Maansi and I received the coveted Orange Flower Award from Women’s Web.

I transformed my passion for writing and reading into my profession, and my passion has given me an identity. I believe in perpetual learning and that all art forms are interconnected.

I believe that the ‘Wo’ in Woman stands not for ‘woes’ but for ‘Wonder’. Find your wonder and celebrate yourself. I am sure that, with each other’s support, we as creators and mothers can realise our Shakti within and create a balanced and harmonious society.

The freedom to express, read, and write is a power I will never trade with anyone. I will conclude with an excerpt from a poem of mine:

Write,

Like a gust of wind,

And then it pours on paper, Cathartic,

Write to detox that heart,

To be free within,

Write not for them, but yourself,

Write when you can’t breathe without it,

Write to not get choked,

Do not write if it doesn’t change you,

Or it is not able to bring a change,

To produce a smile, a tear or some thought,

Don’t write if it is just an animated lot.

Thank you for reading my story!

Meenakshi M Singh

My interview with Jaggery Lit