Game Changers with Vasanthi Hariprakash | Her Quantum Journey at Dinaz Fitness

Hey guys, welcome back! Super excited to be doing this really awesome interview with somebody really special. And she's just not a special person, but when she joined DFC, she was already very accomplished, but she needed a lot of inner game that needs to be changed. And she is none other than Vasanti Hari Prakash. An award-winning journalist. First and foremost, deep gratitude to you, Vasanthi, for giving us this opportunity to talk to you and to interview you and let your story be heard so that you not only have inspired yourself, but you've also inspired other people. And once again, deep gratitude to you, Vasanthi. And where are you from?

Thank you, Dheenaz. And in Bangalore, which is where I'm joining you from, and this is my hometown. We usually say namaskara, and I would say the same thing added with lots and dollops of gratitude. I don't know how I must thank the day when your Hastahua Nuranee Chhara came up on my Instagram, and then I found myself clicking, and then the next part of the Dynaz Fitness community, and then next I know I'm in Puntia. So here I am. And as far as my journey as a journalist is concerned, it's been 2+ decades of having a 360-degree view of the media from within. So yes, if I had to share with those who are watching us that it's such a beautiful experience of having started off actually from the world of science and electronics. I'm essentially from the electronics side of studies and academics, but I'm so glad that I switched to the media side and got the privilege of being a story listener as much as a storyteller. And this through formats of newspaper print, .com, radio, Radio City in Akashwani, where I was, yes, a morning show RJ of a show called Good Morning Bangalore, of then television, and then BBC for the documentary section. And now as an entrepreneur, as a founder of Pickle Jar. Tell us more about Pickle Jar. Thank you for the opportunity. Pickle Jar is a new baby compared to all other things in my life, which is why I think as a new mother, you do struggle with— I want to give it the best of parenting. And I would say that being an entrepreneur, having been, let's say, in different, as I said, modes of journalism and media, is very satisfying, is very— at one level, it's— you can't believe that you are in a position to be a job creator, not just, let's say, being yourself in a wonderful career move.

How—

and so Pickle Jar actually started off by curating film festivals, Indian cinema greats such as Smita Patil, whom we showcased Then we moved on to election content where I was traveling the ground and also making sense of what I was seeing there. And what I see, I say. That's my very simple principle. Without masala, because Indians need to know India better. And so I have been doing states, towns, villages, and this far while Pickle Jar, we produce podcasts for brands, nonprofits, helping them tell their stories and acquire a deeper community. I have parallelly been on a passion project to write about what I see and 17 states of India this far on a solo journey. Wow, how inspiring is that? Wow. Thank you.

So what brought you— when did you join the Dinaz Fitness community?

It's been exactly a year, the month of June. Maybe because it's my birth month, I think the universe decided to say, Leilu, take this gift. And it's— at the time I came to you, Dinaz, I was in a state of a lot of I would say chaos in my mind. On one hand, they were, we were still as a business coming out of a COVID aftereffect. COVID had certainly left, but still, we all know that businesses went through a lot of shift in model. And since we had started sharpening our focus on podcast creation, there were a lot of things to be figured. And given that I was also looking for something in fitness which combined a mind-body connection, like I have been through many other forms of fitness. I have always, let's say, since 2013, I had signed up for a gym. I would really show up, and even when I was going through my many menopausal ups and downs, I never missed the gym. And so it was good. I wouldn't say it was bad at all. I have had some fabulous teachers there. But then when I came to your class or community, I would say that I could see that it's a very wholesome knitting together that you do. One is that every alternate day, you just land up with the class, right? And then before the class starts, they would all with this very endearing chatter. You would have Humay, who's a very young person, and she would be in, you know, kind of motivating her. So, no, darling, so what did you do? When did you join the class? And things like that. So I would very often just observe. It was also very heartening for me to see women from smaller towns, let's say tier 2 cities, and despite whatever they are going through in their daily lives, come to that class without missing. So I think that gives a lot of hand-holding to many people, saying that, okay, when we come here, we're all together. We're not— it's not an impersonal online class where, you know, many, many gyms also do that. So I think that was great for me. And then combined with what you do as Mastermind, so it's very essential for for many of us to be kept on that sort of discipline. Yes.

So soon after you became a member of the Dynast Fitness community, you chose to come to Quantum, which is our one-to-one program.

Yeah.

While we give everything in Silver and Gold as well, what, what made you come to Quantum and how has Quantum actually helped you?

So it was in one of those classes which I was trying to juggle some writing work. I'm also a columnist, Vinay. So I remember this day when I was trying to find some words and I had your thing on the background, like I muted the video trying to write, but half my ears were on what you were trying to say. And I caught the word quantum. And I had no clue. I was like, okay, must be some program. And then I don't exactly remember what, but I was like, okay, I think I could do this. And there was a form at the end of the thing, which probably you said, or Kigal said, please fill that up. And so I just left it anyway. I'm not going to do this because frankly, I need all the monies that I can to grow my business. I'm not going to be able to spare anything for for a program. So I just left it at that. And sure enough, after 3 days, Hiral called up. And so she said, Vasanti, so you had applied for this? I said, I did. But frankly, I can't afford it. So I don't think I'm going to do this. So then I remember telling Hiral that there are 2 things which I want to do. One is that we were in a sort of a financial situation, which I can't claim I'm totally out of that. But I think it's part, it comes with the territory of being a founder CEO and also home front. So there are all these things. And I was very wanting to write a book on the India experience. Again, I had come back from some travel into India, and I'm just thinking, Good God, there's just so much that people don't know and are relying on some absolutely baseless, toxic, hate-filling WhatsApp forwards. I will tell you what's really on the thing. India is not as terrible as people imagine it to be. We are not going to— the thing, there is a lot of goodness in terms of, you know, wherever we actually go. And so this was there, and I'm thinking I need to discipline myself to be able to write that whatever I have in mind. And so when Heeral asked me, I said, I want to write a book, I want to stabilize my situation. So then she said that, yes, you know, Dinaz is going to have a one-on-one session with you. So I, at which point also, I was still iffy. And I remember that Heeral, in all her, I would say, innocence or very good intentioned way, She said, Vasanti, just put out to the universe that you want to be part of this Quantum program, and it will happen. Now, truth be told, Dinas, I didn't know Quantum from Adams. And I mean, it's just that I'm a brand new member in your community itself. I had seen you on your Instagram, and later on I was wondering how I did not know about you this far, given you've done such wonderful work with Saina, with Pullela Gopichand, who I subsequently met and discussed you as part of my own conversation with him. So I was like, okay, how can this be that our paths have not crossed? And when she said that, I actually tend to do as I'm told. So I did that. I said, okay, I know that I'm led, you know, there's a saying in Sanskrit, which my grandmother, who's my role model, Padmini Rangarajan, who we lost when she was 100 years old, which is just 3 years back. Yeah, the most precious piece of my heart. So we always used to say that whatever happens is for good. Of course, at this point of time I might feel a lot of despair, but ultimately keep the faith that Ishwara hai yath karoti, shobhanam eva karoti. That what God is doing is for your good, good things come out of it. So I said that I'm sure there is a reason that this showed up on my timeline. And she is saying, pray for it to happen. So I don't know what is to happen. So I just said, okay, may it happen. And I think, I think in a way, the next 2 to 3 days when you and I had the conversation, it was very hope-giving, given the kind of state of mind I was in. So, and very soon I was in the Quantum Hyderabad retreat. So things happened in rapid mode. Yes. And that retreat, by the way, was lovely. I have always, whether in television or on my radio show, felt very energized when I meet people, especially when it's, like I said, who are not— who are very You know, in terms of their powerful intentions, like I met so many people, right, whose lives have been transformed, and they had come with such full faith. There was nothing pseudo in that crowd. There was just nothing which was fakery. Now that's the kind of crowd that I totally connect to. So I think it was good in a way that these three things happened.

I recall that during the quantum period, You also had a lot of your money was stuck there in with your, with somebody. And you were not able to, you were stuck in a smaller home.

Yeah. And it was stuck with a person for whom I was having a lot of empathy that she was not able to repay. So that sort of made the situation very tricky. Because she's a senior citizen and I feel her pain. She was at the same time, she owed us a lot of money. And she, for a long time, she kept saying that she intends to return and, you know, being, I think, good middle-class people, we don't want to push people more than their limit. But the good thing is that this, we are In June now, so somewhere 4 months back, like, I think in February, January, February, she finally was freed up. I mean, many things, of course, but to cut the story short, the money came back to us. So thank you.

Yeah. So how did quantum help you? Because I recall I worked a lot on the mind and a lot of visualization. We did a lot of things for that. How did it help you?

I think when a quick note was that when you go take us to visualization, I have heard the word first time when I was interviewing Anil Kumble, the cricketer. And I remember being very intrigued by it. Because when I was just asking him, okay, how are you able to do whatever your 10-wicket haul record I believe in visualization. Like, I actually, the previous night, I say that, okay, I'm going to be bowling to this batsman, this, this, this, this, and then to the last ball. And it's almost like before the match is played the next day in the stadium, it's played in my mind. And this, when I, I mean, of course, I left it as a great concept, but I never really applied it to myself. I was only puzzled by it. So I like the fact that you use these powerful tools. And I think to apply to my own life was a new beginning. I can still say, Vinay, I'm not too good at visualization. Okay. Yeah, you know, I really struggle. But it's just that I, like an obedient student, I say that, okay, Vinay has told me to do this, like the thing of Casablanca, right? The story that he did. So you just follow the guide. So I was like, she said, visualize this happening, visualize this, that you are moving into a bigger, nicer house, or in this case, she returning the money to us. And you also told me that, let's say, if it's Pitrujaar is a business, that I should also imagine the clients and the good happening to them and to be able to serve them better. And, you know, Picklejar is having that sort of goodwill. So I would say that as far as the money release, I was so— it was wonderful, it was absolutely wonderful that, okay, I'm kind of probably learning and I'm on the right path.

So at the end of a whole year of quantum, what are the top 3 things that you would like to share with the viewers that you have learned which will help them?

First up is the Mankee Shakti along with the Thanki Shakti. I think that would be the topmost.

Number 1, mind programming.

Mind programming, which is strengthening your mind. I think that is not just something which I will take away, will keep in mind, will hope to work more on that, but it's also something which I have in my own little way passed on to my community. And let's say when I'm speaking to my sister or, you know, younger journalists, media women, and they are going through their absolute, you know, searing phases with probably their children or their career, etc. So I just say, and then I laugh, I tell them, this is what actually Binod was telling us in the class, and I've passed it on as if it's all very original. But I can say that if it's working, because it comes from a very solid background, and therefore, programming one's mind. And also, I would say to people who are watching us, the danger of slipping up. Because by which I mean that despite, let's say, you keeping us on a very systematic program, like you've set the schedule of, okay, Tuesday morning you have this, and still there are times, like, like in the last 2, 3, 4 weeks, When I was in Kashmir, I was traveling through Kashmir, and I couldn't focus much on my business at all. And then, you know, my team is so wonderfully committed. We are really young people. Somebody's working from Siliguri, someone from Odisha. And I just think that, you know, they have suffered from the absence of their founder, because I'm also— that part of what I'm doing is so important in us. It's like I was in the most, most, let's say, sensitive of situations on India's borders. And all that was happening at the same time, this, you know, something is not working. So I just again felt very, what's the right word, vulnerable, vulnerable, saying that, God, no, this is not happening. This is— so I remember texting you as well saying that, okay, you know, this is so not thing. How am I going to again people? Because we did again face a sort of a, in that whole roller coaster thing. I think it's And then when I come back, I'm like, no, I can't. I mean, I've been given the tools now, like I should work on myself. So you go through this. So when you ask me what you want to share with the viewers is that there will be times when despite having followed, we will go through that. And the important thing to know is that it's not that it's game over. It's so much all of us are a work in progress. Quickly, the two other takeaways for me is what I have, you know, what you do, which is harness community power, which is that when you form a Reboot group, you have someone now like Khushi Barucha, and or someone like Rajeshree, who are constantly trying to keep the other community members on track. Khushi puts out a daily prayer, just how wonderful is that? This day, this age, somebody does that. So I'm saying that I have incidentally given a TEDx talk on the 3 C's about 4-5 years back, you know, when somebody invited me, I said that I've always believed it. I come from a huge joint family in Chennai where my grandmother was the matriarch. Always people coming in there, you're never alone, people holding you and my, you know, my aunts have done that, this thing. So I said that in India, we are so privileged to be given this power of community, that never ever think it's just you alone. I mean, today, if I really think of something you mentioned as award-winning journalist, I— but not for a moment I forget that I've always been held up, including by my husband, who's always dreaming big for me, my son who's enabling. Even today, he was like, 'Amma, what do you need? I know you're going to be on the show, you know, with Dinas.' So I'm saying that we are powered by our community, and in turn, we owe it to that. So I think that's the big Second big takeaway from your class, from your community, which is I see that you people are always, whether it's in the 7 o'clock class or whether it's in the Mastermind, and then when you say that, okay, can you please say MPTY, it wasn't a term I knew at all. But when you say that, you get the feeling that, okay, you're not alone no matter what sort of difficult you're facing. I think the third and the biggest one is your own personal story. Your, the way you have, I mean, at any point of time, you could have just probably just said that that's it. And I, you know, I'm very privileged that in my line of work, I'm always meeting people who are so, who have the strength of personality, but even amongst that, your, let's say, personal journey of literally hitting rock bottom, both in terms of the accident that you had, as well as the the financial crisis from which you bounced back. And then to make sure that you're never a moment out of that gratitude. So, for me, so it's in no particular sequence. And I say third, it's, I always feel that these are the three things.

One last line for our viewers. One, one line, a one-liner that they will always remember from you. Especially about the quantum energy.

I would say it's one line, but it's two sentences, which always go together. I would say it's my personal life funda as well, and it very well ties with this thing to go with the flow and to make the maximum. So I would say go Go where life takes, take what life gives. Fantastic.

Thank you so much, Vasanthi. And it was really an honor and a privilege to have you as a Quantum member, an honor and a privilege to work with you in the last one whole year and continue to be a partner of the Dynas Fitness community because part of the Dynas, the community, and the journey has just begun. And once again, thank you.

Thank you, Dynas, because I would just add one line that I see so many women, particularly though there are a few men, and I can see that the number of men is increasing, but I would be very happy to help anybody who's in need of help in communication, into the ability to speak up in this situation, the ability to say no, the ability to negotiate within either their businesses or within their lives. Fantastic. So please count on me if at all you ever need any help. I am just a call away.

Definitely, we'll take up that offer. And thank you so much to each and every one of you. This was an amazing, amazing story. If you really like content like this, let me know in the chat box what next you want to hear from us. And like the, like the video, share it with your friends. Let's make India a better, healthier, and a happier place. On that positive note, Thank you once again, Vasanthi.

Thank you.