Pallavi Singh : the divergent tutor
Pallavi Singh, an inspirational young woman who teaches Hindi to expats in Mumbai. She has taught over 600 foreigners in 6 years and is also retained my more than 5 consulates as a Hindi tutor. She has also been a speaker at TEDX and is the youngest person to ever be interviewed in the Rajya Sabha Television show Guftgoo. Her list of students is star-studded and includes Jaqueline Fernandez, William Dalrymple, singer Natalie Di Luccio and model Lucinda Nicholas.
Via, Young Makers, I’m privileged to have interviewed her.
If you don’t play, you don’t win.
Me: Why did you decide to become a Hindi tutor?
Pallavi Singh: I come from a socioeconomic class that isn’t really privileged enough, so I mainly started tutoring for the stability and money.
Me: What motivates you?
PS: I have an opportunity to be who I am and interact with people from different places, teaching them about our culture, learning about theirs. All this really motivates me to do what I do.
Me: What experience really changed you?
PS: I studied psychology for three years. When I was a student myself, I had an international opportunity and was denied my visa thrice. This really made me realise that being a citizen of a country like India really closes some doors.
Image by the story junction
We need to be more compassionate
Me: What sort of an impact do you want to create?
PS: I want to show a side of India that people may not be exposed to. I want to share our culture and learn about other cultures. I want some 17 – 18-year-old kid to read this article and be inspired and take the leap.
Me: What are your plans for the next five years?
PS: Plans don’t always translate. I never thought that when I moved to Mumbai, in 2011, that I would stay or become a Hindi tutor. So to answer your question, I don’t really have a plan.
Me: what is one quote you live by?
PS: “If you don’t play, you don’t win.”
Me: What are the pros and cons of your job?
PS:
PROS: global exposure, opportunities, events and being surrounded by people who care
CONS: most people don’t understand the effort that goes in
Me: What is one change you wish to see in the world?
PS: We need to be more compassionate. Living in the kind of the world we live in, more instrumental connections are made through social media but we need more of kindness in the world
Pallavi Singh. TEDX
