Alum Ventures: Subodh Gyan – Pooja Chopra, PGP 2003
An awakened soul will find its true purpose sooner or later and it couldn’t have been truer for Pooja Chopra. Leading the monotonous routine like most, her heart yearned to find a holistic vision to lead life by. She found her answers through spirituality which led her to initiate Subodh Gyan, a platform that reforms education by bringing back traditional attitudes and beliefs that form the core value system in the society.
Pooja’s vision for the company is to touch every possible human life with a spark of knowledge and spread true happiness by making value-rich humans who have reverence for all kinds of life forms and our environment, healthy minds with compassion and tolerance, healthy attitude with forgiveness, self-discipline and humility.
Subodh Gyan ticks all the right boxes on the path it’s set on, and we wish that it illuminates many many young minds. In an exclusive interview with Ms. Pooja.
Don’t fear the light within. May it ignite the Sacred Flame in your soul.”
Paulo Coelho
Please tell us something about yourself.
I am an Engineer by orientation, MBA by degree, Mother by choice, Strategy & Marketing professional and currently an Educationist, Inner- Science Consultant, Well-being Coach and Therapist. I am passionate about causes in Holistic Education, Environment/Water conservation, Sustainability and Technology/Automation. During my Corporate stint for 15 years, I worked with 4 leaders in their line of business – Airtel, HT Media, IBM and Honeywell and developed functional expertise in Product Management and Business Strategy.
Can you please tell us about your venture Subodh Gyan?
I believe there exists a significant gap between Holistic learning and the skill-based education we get through educational institutes. Subodh Gyan’s mission is to bridge the gap in education and imbibe core values to build 21st century competencies in children.
I believe parenting is a skill that needs to be learnt. The parenting workshops are designed for double-income nuclear families where time and space (mind space) are both in deficit.
I believe life should be lived with strategic planning and execution just like any other business. Due to the lack of a solid foundation, when we grow up, we don’t have a vision for our life. Due to different beliefs systems, we are afflicted with dis-eases at physical, mental and emotional levels. Subodh Gyan helps individuals to take charge of their lives, get clarity about their goals in their personal & professional journeys.
The programs and workshops are based on the combination of eastern philosophy and western psychology concepts.
The workshops are experiential in nature using a variety of tools – art, reflection-based conversations, quizzes, group discussions, stories, mythology, games and activities to create a safe space for frank conversations that allow people to drop their emotional baggage. This leads to healing and it brings joy.
What prompted you to be in this space?
For a long time, while juggling through the usual professional and personal routine, I felt like I For a long time while juggling through usual professional and personal routine, I felt like I am running like a headless chicken with no clear vision or purpose. Life was monotonous and driven by material pleasures. That’s when I took a break and got myself immersed in Scriptures and Spirituality. Also, coming from an engineering mindset, I started to question everything including the working of the mind. I got into healing modalities and witnessed a whole new dimension to my life. I started working on this initiative that I call Subodh Gyan to disseminate the very basic understanding of how to live life. For children, I designed The HERO Program to unleash the true potential in our kids.
Is there any special meaning of ‘Subodh Gyan’?
Subodh literally means perspicuous which means clearly expressed and easily understood. Scriptures are meant to be the product manual for us with troubleshooting guide included, however, not easily comprehensible to a majority of us. With simple frameworks and tools, Subodh Gyan intends to enable holistic learning.
What kind of services are offered at Subodh Gyan? Can everyone have access to these services?
The programs and workshops are designed for every stage of life. The primary and flagship The programs and workshops are designed for every stage of life. The primary and the flagship program for kids is called ‘The HERO Program’. The program intends to build 21st century competencies along with core values and behaviours to prepare them lead happy contented lives. The framework is built on 4 pillars – Self-management, Emotional Intelligence, Inter-personal effectiveness and Intellectual orientation. The others programs are parenting workshops, and self-exploration journeys for everyone. We also provide counselling and therapy sessions on one on one basis.
What has been the most fulfilling experience of your entrepreneurial journey?
There have been many Aha moments. It gives me immense happiness when,
- When someone’s long standing issue is resolved.
- When kids enthusiastically look forward to the classes.
- When parents give us feedback about the positive change in their child.
- When kids share their personal experiences openly because they feel safe in the peer group.
- Last but not the least, my own personal balance in unprecedented situations.
Any life lessons you would like to share, – from a successful corporate job to having your own venture.
a) Have a vision and purpose for self in profession, passion and mission for every milestone stage in your life
b) Emotional intelligence starts with understanding one’s own mind first.
c) Every connection needs to be deep even if the interaction is for a brief period.
d) Understanding about self helps steer life both personally and professionally.
What hobbies or interests do you follow in your free time.
Meditation, Yoga and Books (primarily sacred texts and Vedic scriptures) are my soul companions.
Any memories or instances that you would like to share from your days at the institute?
Running across the campus, Prof. Ramesh Kumar’s classes, fun & lively conversations with delicious snacks in the mess during evening tea time and of course L square parties are some very fond memories, that will be forever etched in my heart.
