Correct attitude and a dedicated action plan can help you convert the Impossible to Possible says Swarika Pawar,Corp Comm Officer, Ambuja Cement,

She is dedicated, hardworking, fun loving and a super mom. She is working as a Corporate Communications Officer at Ambuja Cement. Let’s Talk Life with Swarika Bilwalkar Pawar, where she talks about her corporate experience and her love for singing and Marathi poetry 

• Kindly tell us something about yourself ?

 As A child, I started learning classical music; I learnt it for good 13 years and could complete 5 levels of Hindustani Shashtriya  Sangeet. Being into performing arts from the initial days of life made me meet different people at different point of times and that encouraged me to do more n more. I even participated in few workshops for dramatics. at school and college level won many prizes for acting. to name a few, 'Best Actresses - Mono Acting - ABVP', 'Best Actresses - 'Mrugajal' & Advait', etc.

   

• What are you currently doing professionally?

 I am working with Ambuja Cements Ltd., in Corporate Communications, handling corporate branding, designing, visualization & internal communications.

•  What made you choose this career?

 My interest in exploring new things in life, ability to visualize things, urge for aesthetics lead me choose a career related to media, but being family oriented person, I chose corporate.

• What is an exact role of a Corporate Communication officer?

 Corporate Communications looks after the information, details , data that goes to the media/  stakeholders/ employees etc, in the form of newsletters, blogs, websites, social media, intranet, advertisements(corporate), Financial results, press releases, brochures, handouts, booklets, etc.

• Apart from your job, what do you do in your past time?

 Apart from work I enjoy singing, marathi poetry, and love to do  masti with my Lil master.

• People usually get confused between a Corp Comm professional and a PR professional, what is the exact difference?

 PR professional is a person who works for PR agencies, which handles PR accounts of many corporates, Corp Comm person is a point of contact for him to get the content of the company and publish into the  media.

• Can people from any Bachelors degree opt to become a Corp Comm Manager?

 I would not say any bachelor degree can be sufficient, but a person who has good command over any of the mode of communications, knowledge of media, and industry can do a great career in Corp Comm

• Advantages of choosing your career?

o   I get to use my talent

o   No monotony

o   New Challenges

             

• Challenges that you faced during your journey? How did you overcome this?

I have not done any specific course in designing or commercial arts, for a visualizer there are the pre- requisites but over the period of time, I proved my abilities and got the job of my choice.

• How many years does it take for one to be a professional Corporate Communications Manager?

 Its a very open ended question, a successful Corp Comm manager can be as young as 5/6 years of the   industry experience. It depends how good are you in making your contacts, knowledge of industry and the  culture of your organization.

• What was your 'Nothing is Impossible moment'?

 I do believe in the attitude that if you have a correct attitude and a dedicated action plan towards something, you can easily convert the impossible to it being possible.

•     Lastly what advice would you give to the aspiring  Corp Comm Managers who want to make their mark in the field?

 Focus on your interest areas, find out your expertise, and do a dedicated effort to the detailing of the job given to you. This will make you more responsible which is very important for a Corp Comm professional.

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Believe in yourself and go ahead, says event manager, Chirag Chaddha

He is fun loving, enthusiastic, generous. After having known him for almost 5 years now, he still has not changed other than the fact that he has now started commuting by train. : P.  Born and brought up in a loving Punjabi household in South Mumbai, one thing I would love to mention is his mothers Punjabi food and Cold coffee. Having a successful family business (The Indian Art  Studio)  he choose to create his individual mark by starting his own event company  and working as a design consultant to business tycoon Mr.Niranjan Hiranandani. Let’s Talk Life with Chirag Chaddha, where he talks about his journey, his love for football and events.

• Kindly tell us something about yourself?

I completed my junior college from Jai Hind, and did my graduation in Bachelors of Mass Media from K.C College specializing in advertising. I was always actively involved in college events.  I love football and Arsenal is my religion. 

• What are you currently doing professionally?

I'm a design consultant to Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani, and self employed as an event manager. 

• What made you choose this career?

My passion for designing and management.

• At a young age you started off with your own company? Talk about that?

There is no age to start a new company. I started the company when I was in SYBMM as I love managing events. I have successfully executed a lot of corporate events and started a rock concert under the name of MetRock. 

• Apart from events what do you do in your past time?

I have my own website called www.chiragchaddha.com and I play football.

• According to you what are the basic quality an event manager should posses?

 In this field a person should have a calm mind and knowledge to understand human behaviour as then you can serve the best.  Little experience in the field is always an add on

• Can people from any Bachelors degree opt this career? 

        Yes. Anybody who has the passion in them for events can opt this career.

• Advantages of choosing your career?

       It's fun. It's for people who love to work round the clock and have fun at the same   time. 

• Challenges that you faced during your journey? How did you overcome them? 

        Major challenge that I faced was that of being a fresher in this field. Building trust in     the market was difficult. We did overcome that by good branding and setting few events as examples.

• How many years does it take for one to be a professional event manager in this field?

       There is no limit to that. 

• What was your 'Nothing is Impossible moment'?

      It was that moment when I started with my own rock concert in my initial years. It was really motivating.

• Lastly what advice would you give to the aspiring event managers and planners who want to make their mark in the field?

      I would tell them just believe in yourself and go ahead. Also initial years internship is a must. 

Photography is not just about ‘Depth of Field’ but also ‘Depth of Feeling’, says photographer Parag Gopale

He is talented, vibrant , friendly. I have known him for years now ever since college and he is still the same positive, hardworking and always has a wonderful smile on his face. I have always seen his dancing skills, but never knew he has the art of capturing moments. He has been successful in capturing candid moments for weddings, and many more events.  Let’s talk life with photographer Parag Gopale where he talks about his life and love for Photography. 

• Kindly tell us something about yourself?

I was blessed to have had a memorable up bringing ; lucky to get grandparent’s love from my paternal as well as maternal side. My Nanaji was an artist (painting and sketching).  He used to take me for walks on streets of Mumbai from our Lower Parel home and explain me where the mills were ( some mills were still functioning then in 1993-94 ). I guess it was that time when my Nanaji passed his perspective and sight to me. He did not teach me photography but he definitely taught me to SEE.

I studied in Our Lady of Remedy High School, completed my graduation in computer science from KC College and went on to pursue my MBA in Advertising and Communication from Symbiosis, Pune. Photography was always a parallel during this journey; assisting photographers, shooting my own assignments, personal work etc. It was during my first year graduation that I shot LFW ( Lakme Fashion week) 2007; my first big assignment. That was a turning point. Got real good exposure via LFW and since then I have shot LFW for 4 years.

• What are you currently doing professionally?

I had a short corporate stint as a brand communication consultant. But my photography was taking a backseat because of my job, which I wasn’t happy about. So I quit it one fine day and jumped into full time photography. As they say ‘You cannot learn swimming by staying at the shore’. I am currently a wedding photographer & film maker. My production house caters to all the visual services needed to capture moments at a wedding. I love to capture these moments of fun and emotions to savour them for my couples. That’s what my brand promise is ‘Plucking Moments with un-compromising veracity’

• What made you choose this career?

Photography was always a passion. A medium to express myself. I have always loved to observe something beyond obvious, which a normal eye would tend to miss. Be it a lovely celebration of union of two hearts and lives(engagement and wedding), first steps of a baby( candid baby photography), to-be mothers thoughts about her new world ahead(maternity moments), the joy of flaunting your Veromoda dress(Candid fashion photography), to capturing busy as well as sometimes calm life on the streets(Street Shots) 

• What is photography for you?

For me the essence of photography was in this one word ‘Moments’. It’s about creating something that will bring smile to a common man’s face every time they see that photograph; something that will take their stress away after a hectic day. Add freshness and happiness. It’s these little teaspoons of happiness that make life worthwhile when you look back. So photography is not just about ‘Depth of Field’ but also ‘Depth of Feeling’.

• Talk about candid wedding photography as a career? 

I remember doing my first couple shoot in 2010. Candid wedding photography/ couple shoot concept was setting in, in India at the point of time. And I got amazing response for my work and it got publicized on social media, I started getting calls and I grabbed that chance to pursue my passion as profession. Trust me, it’s not an easy decision to quit a well-paying corporate job and pursue wedding photography as a profession. Initially, I had a tough time in convincing my family but as I started getting calls from pan-India for shoots they got convinced that I am doing something that’s credible and adds value. There have been moments of frustration as there are in any business, but pursuing a creative profession in India is a real big challenge. It’s a seasonal space to be in. So you are shooting 4-5 months a year (depending on the shoots you get) and rest are off season. So commercially SUSTAINING it consistently is something that drives one crazy. It takes immense patience and more than that self- belief and perseverance.  But yes, let me tell you that EVEN when you are doing this, you still sleep peacefully because you know you are doing something you WANT & LOVE and not what you are REQUIRED to. It’s a different joy when you see your couple in tears when they see their moments captured.

• Apart from Photography, what do you do in your past time?

Wedding Photography involves lot of travel. The maximum time is consumed by edits. So it’s the edit table where I spend most of my time. Apart from that, meeting new couples for upcoming wedding season, building and updating your work-folio every wedding season, social media promotions etc. But all this is always coupled with amazing music in the background. I love listening to all kinds of music starting for Simon & Garfunkel to Ghazals by Jagjit Singh Sahab. Thumris by Begum Akhtar to Rahul Sharma’s santoor. It all depends on mood. Apart from that I love walking on the lanes of my city Mumbai- my biggest muse. I am a foodie so I love watching travel food shows and trying out recipes. ( They turn out disastrous sometimes :P ).  I like playing Badminton and squash in my free time.

• Advantages of choosing your career?

My favourite question. :D. The biggest advantage ‘You are your own BOSS.’ You don’t have a reporting manager. If I feel like going for a holiday or spend time with family, I don’t need to draft a mail. I have the liberty to choose my shoots. You don’t get stressed as you know that you are working for yourself. My dad told me that a good way to measure your love for work is ‘to see how eagerly you look forward to work on a Monday’. If I am shooting over a weekend and told at the last moment that I am supposed to shoot on Monday too, I’ll do it happily. J

• How do you plan your shoots once you get your client?

It’s important to understand the expectations of the couple you are shooting for. Once we are on the same plane then I can direct them and break that barrier between the camera and the subject. I like to choose a concept which is close to the couple and syncs with their story. 

• Do you have a team or you are only captain of the ship, from conceptualization to execution?

I have a team. We are a lean team of 8-9 professionals each bringing in their expertise and value add to the table. It comprises of Candid Photographers, Cinematographers, Editors, Soundman and Designers. It takes time to build a good team but once you have it then things become smooth.

• Challenges that you faced during your journey? How did you overcome them?

Firstly it’s a challenge to make yourself believe that you can succeed. A great deal of detailed thought and planning is needed for the same. And once it’s done, executing the plan is the toughest bit. You understand and realise the difficulties that might shoot up suddenly and you have to be prepared to tackle it. Finding a trustworthy team and vendors is the most important thing because if your team or vendor messes up, it’s your image and brand name at stake. So you have to be very stringent on the standards you want to set for your team and yourself. I was lucky to have supportive parents and friends who I have trouble at wee hours. I remember calling up my friend at 3am and pestering him for a wedding trailer that we were working on. I am glad that all people around me have kept in mind the Bigger Picture and criticized constructively.

• How many years does it take for one to be a professional in this field?

There’s no thumb rule honestly, it’s all about how much you are ready to push yourself to reach a mark and then better that consistently. Your couples are your real advertisers. If they love your work for them, they will recommend you to their friends and folks. This is not an Aquaguard that you can go and sell door to door. If the couples like your work and style of shooting, they will connect with you. So it all depends on whether your work convinces the couple that they want you to capture their Big Day and savour it for a lifetime.

• What was your 'Nothing is Impossible moment'?

Well, the one on the top of my mind is during a destination wedding ( which was a Candid Photography Shoot) I was suddenly asked by the couple to shoot a Candid Wedding Film  as well. It seemed nearly impossible to arrange for a cinematographer, production and required equipment in half an hour. So I did the Candid Photography and Cinematography at a 600 people wedding all by myself with a Single Camera; a Canon 5D Mark 3 . The result can be seen on my Facebook page or Vimeo channel. When the trailer for the film was ready I was almost in tears as I was a little paranoid about how the result would be. But when the couple and the family saw it, I noticed those moist eyes and trust me there was no bigger satisfaction. The appreciation that I received from them was very encouraging. That has to be my ‘Nothing is Impossible’ moment

• Lastly what advice would you give to the aspiring photographers who want to make their mark in the field?

Observe and respect emotions. Be sensitive to life around you. I guess that’s where it all starts from. Develop your own style. It’s necessary to have inspirations. Follow the work of other photographers but do not copy them. Understand why they pressed the shutter at that precise moment. Remember that a camera only translates what a human eye sees. The technicalities can be learnt in a month, developed by years of practice, but its SEEING and OBSERVING that matters the most. Develop that unique sight and you will develop a unique style

To know more about Parag Gopale's work

www.facebook.com/ParagGopalePhotography

www.vimeo.com/paraggopale