She is a
Bollywood
actor who has also done TV, but
Shilpa Shetty Kundra believes that health and fitness is now her calling. The actor, who was in Delhi to take part in the Women Economic Forum, tells us, "I never really decided what I wanted to do with my life. Everything happened naturally – from being a model, then acting; and then after so many years of working, I got married, had a baby and became an entrepreneur. And now, I am treading the path of fitness and health, wanting to educate people through my YouTube channel and my website." She added, "I want people to be able to access the right information when it comes to health. I don't know if being part of the industry was the reason why I was born because I really feel that this is my calling now – being a part of the health industry and educating people."
Body shaming is rampant on social mediaThe actor feels that in the age of social media, when body shaming is so rampant, her job becomes all the more important. Shilpa says, "Today, everything has become so digital-centric that while exposure is an advantage, it has also become a double-edged sword and comes with its own disadvantage. If you talk about body shaming, you will notice that it's all happening online. Nobody is going to come up to you in person and say, 'hey, lose some weight'. The ones who are trolling you, talking about your weight on the social media platform." She adds, "Young girls are feeling far more insecure and I hope that I can educate and bring to focus the fact that people should become more health conscious than size conscious."
There's no single sphere of life which women haven't conquered While family remains her priority, Shilpa believes that women can and should multi-task, if that's what they want. "If you have the ability and if you can multi-task, you must. But I believe it's important to actually prioritise family, because that's the way I do it. But these are luxuries I can afford and I know it's easy for me to say such things. There are a lot of women who are just trying to make ends meet. Sometimes, the husband doesn't have a job. So you have to make compromises in life," Shilpa says.
But the advantage with women, feels Shilpa, lies in the fact that that they are multi-faceted. "I believe that women are multi-faceted; they are very, very talented. There isn't a single sphere in life that women have not conquered and make a name for themselves. So while the dichotomy remains and there is a clear disparity between what men do and what women do, it's a welcome change to see how egalitarian this world is becoming. There are very capable women out there who are doing great job. I have no doubt that if women put their heart, mind and soul in achieving something, they will be able to do it."
I am a part-time working woman and a full-time mother While she enjoys her work, Shilpa says that she takes up assignments keeping her family the priority. She says, "I like doing TV and reality shows as they don't take up too much of my time. I am a full-time mother and a part-time working woman. I don't know how other people have dealt with motherhood, but I am, I was and I always will be a hands-on mother. I don't know whether it makes any difference if you change your child's nappies yourself, but I did it. I think, every mother knows what she needs to do for her child. It's instinctive. No one has the right to judge her."