About Me — Shruthi Sundaram
Overthinker by birth, Feminist, Love any form of creativity…
It took two hours of staring into the laptop and reading all the fantastic author’s About Me Stories even to get started with this one. When I got to know about this publication, I was so excited! Oh, I get to share something about me with the world!
After getting accepted as a writer and opening a draft in my Medium Editor? Crickets…
Anyway… So who am I?
I am a 23-year-old (about to be 24) woman living with her husband in Bangalore, India. My family (mother, father, and younger sister) live 200 meters away from my house — too far, I know! Currently working as an SAP developer, I finished my Computer Science engineering degree 2 years ago.
I was born and brought up in South India, and till after marriage never visited above Maharashtra(a state which somewhat in the middle of the country). I also speak Tamil at home — one of the major South Indian languages.
I was the first in my friends’ circle to get married, which has led me to become a part-time relationship coach to all of them, which has opened up the possibility of another career path for me in the future:)
Somehow, I believe that my life started only after marriage. I do not mean in a sexist way (I am a feminist, by the way), but in a way that I had never got a chance to stay away from home before. Looking back, I feel, getting out of my house gave me a chance to become a better decision-maker and become much more responsible. Oh yeah, and travel whenever and wherever I want to, of course!
From a family that used to take one vacation per year, I consciously changed my perspective to take at least 4 to 5 holidays per year. I love the outdoors and am a water baby. You can leave me in a swimming pool or beach for hours, and I wouldn’t mind.
My life after COVID
I wanted to specifically write this section because it feels like I was reborn during the lockdown. Too philosophical? Probably.
Till then, I feel I was going along the wave, never pausing or reflecting for a moment to figure out what I want, what are my core values, what my purpose is, what I am good at…you get the gist.
COVID gave me a chance to think about all of those. And more. I will not deny that I have faced more downs than ups in the past year, but the experience feels like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. And I still don’t know whether I have come out of mine, but I am somewhere there.
This period also introduced me to Medium. And through this platform, countless other connections which I would have never dreamed of. I will accept that I still don’t earn much through this platform, but writing has given me a direction.
As an overthinker by birth, writing has made a lot of things clear in my head. I have re-found my passion after leaving it in 9th grade. My last proper writing before Medium was in 9th grade where I had started to write a book. After reading it months later, I cringed so hard because it was the exact copy of Harry Potter, with names and places changed. I never opened the notebook ever again.
I always knew I was good with words, but getting appreciation from people who are not your friends or family made all the difference. Call it an adrenaline rush when you see the stats going up or someone highlighting your work or commenting on your article. Everything was worth the effort I put into my words.
My journey with Feminism
I wanted to add this section because it was an integral part of my transformation as a writer and person.
I have always been a feminist, but I was also a man-hater before. I always thought that women HAD to compromise in relationships, and for a long time believed that I would never marry anyone (see the irony??!). This thought process was what made me write most of my articles about Feminism.
But along the way, I think I have made my definition for it. I have also found my core values with which I will consciously make every decision in life. You can find more about it here.
My obsession with quotes
I am a huge fan of quotes of any type, and I always try to find meaning (from my perspective) in them. I also have a massive obsession with “ The Top quotes of XXX person” type of articles. My top 3 favorites are:
a) Miles to go before I sleep — Robert Frost
It is my most favorite quote of all time, and I plan to get it tattooed someday. I remember my teacher reading out his poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, in 8th grade, and this line has stuck ever since then. It has inspired me to keep going on, no matter what happens. I know that I have a lot of things to achieve and have to keep working towards them.
b) This too shall pass — Persian adage
This quote was told to me by my mother sometime during my teens (I do not remember now) when I was facing a difficult time. Even though I got irritated by it that time, this became my mantra for everything. Nothing is constant in life, and even if you are facing your lows right now, know that This too shall pass. Don’t ever lose that hope for a better future because that is what will push you to move forward.
c) Do the job you are given better than anyone else — Indra Nooyi
I came across this quote quite recently, some months back, and it changed my life. And not in a way you think. I realized that I have only X amount of energy that I can use the entire day, and I can only put my complete effort into Y amount of tasks. So if I have to my total effort and perform best, two things should happen: A) I should know how to prioritize, and B) I should do something that I primarily love to do. I have consciously started choosing and implementing both of these wherever I can.
Some Facts about me
- I am a trained Indian Classical singer who learned singing for ten years. I left the training in 10th grade, but I still do practice from time to time.
- I am currently learning Spanish through Duolingo and have completed 47 days as of yesterday!
- I love love love reading books — especially science fiction, fantasy, and Indian mythology. I was a huge Harry Potter fan for a decade. Still am. But I don’t beat up another person when they same something wrong about it now.
- It has always been my dream to become a digital nomad for at least a year. And I have made a promise with myself to achieve it before 30.
- I want to make a full-time career out of writing some years down the line, but I am still figuring out my writing voice and learning new things every day.
- I have recently become obsessed with photography. So much that, my husband has started getting pissed off because I have to stop the vehicle if I see something beautiful:)
7. I aim to become a part-time social worker someday. I genuinely believe in the cycle of giving and taking. We humans have taken so much from mother earth; it is high time we give back.
8. You will know that I like you a lot if I try to video-call you instead of texting you. I hate texting; it hurts my delicate fingers:)
9. Oh yeah, last but not least, be ready to hear a lot of swearing if you are in my close circle.
You can reach out to me on:
Gmail- shruthisundaram2503@gmail.com
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/sruthi.sundram/
