Getting off the Hamster Wheel - GAYATRI BHARDWAJ

INTERVIEW

Getting off the Hamster Wheel

GAYATRIBHARDWAJ

Interview By Armin S.

FEMINA MISS INDIA 2018, FEMINA MISS INDIA UNITED CONTI- NENTS 2018, SOME MUSIC VIDEOS, AND HER ACTING DEBUT

IN THE MUCH TALKED ABOUT, DHINDORA SERIES. A DENTIST BY PROFESSION, GAYATRI PLAYS A DOCTOR IN THE SERIES AND HAS GARNERED MUCH APPRECIATION FOR HER ACTING CHOPS.

28 Photo CREDIT:@shreyansdungarwal

INTERVIEW

“I feel like I am one hundred times more grateful for everything now”

YOUR INSTAGRAM BIO IS - FUELED BY CAFFEINE, SARCASM, FASHION AND TRAVEL. LET’S DECONSTRUCT THAT AND TALK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE YOU’RE BASICALLY SPEAK- ING TO MY SOUL.

That basically defines me as a person. I love caffeine – before working out, or before an interview – I like being caffeinated! I am a sarcastic person, and I love sarcastic people. I feel like life is not meant to be taken seriously. And I love fashion, love following fashion trends. It just makes you experience different sides of your personality. Travel – my dad is a pilot so I have traveled around the globe around. I had my passport made when I was just a couple of months old…so that’s me in a nutshell.

ACTING AND THE PERFORMING ARTS IS SOMETHING SO MANY OF US ENGAGE IN THROUGH CHILDHOOD AND IT SEEMS TO BE A HOBBY, AND IS SEEN AS A HOBBY BY THE OLDER GENERATION. WHEN DOES THAT BECOME SOMETHING MORE THAN A HOBBY FOR YOU?

It was always considered a hobby in my household too. I come from a family that is academically oriented. My mom is a psychologist. My nani, my maternal grandmother, is the first woman in our family who did her PhD. She had already had babies but she was still driven to fulfil that dream so I look up to her. My grandfather also has a PhD. My massi, my maternal aunt, was also a PhD. I know I was smart, but my passion was in the performing arts. I have been performing on stage ever since I can remember. I remember walking the ramp when I was 7 for a something called the Superkid. I remember just walking and blowing kisses to the judges! I am also a trained classical singer and a Bharatnatyam dancer, so I also did that growing up…but when I was around 18, I told my dad I wanted to participate in Femina Miss India. I’d read a newspaper article with the winners holding their crowns. That was my first time that I wanted to do something like that – it got imprinted – that was 2011. I worked through that. My dad initially said, women in our family don’t do this, but slowly he realized that times were changing. I was the only girl child in a family full of boys. And he just said, to pursue my education too. So I did pursue dentistry, that too with a passion. In my final year, I saw Manushi Chhilar winning Ms. World because I had gotten lost into my world in college. Thank goodness, I was able to secure a Top 5 position internationally…and the rest is history.

SO WHAT WAS THE TRANSITION PERIOD?

I enjoyed the photoshoot, the ads – I had never experienced that joy. So I knew it in my bones.

CHASING YOUR DREAM IS ONE THING BUT ESPECIALLY PRE-PANDEMIC, MOST OF US WERE ON A HAMSTER WHEEL. WERE YOU LIKE THAT TOO – AND DID THAT CHANGE WITH THE LOCKDOWNS AND THE CURRENT WORLD SITUATION?

I was definitely on the hamster wheel, and it was not a sustainable lifestyle. I was not sleeping; I was partying, working. My friends, family, and work were ahead of me. When you stop looking after yourself, your body will only do so much to support you. I’m a social butterfly, which is why this work is for me. When COVID hit, there were rumours of a lockdown. And I immediately thought, that would not be my reality. I packed my bag for one week and went to Delhi because my parents were worried about the cases rising. I landed on the 23rd and the lockdown was announced on the 24th. I was in disbelief – for the next week, I was like that. I was forced to get off the hamster wheel and I had to take a break. I realized that so many of my toxic patterns changed. I didn’t take care of myself or my body. Taking care of myself took priority again. That period of that first lockdown was when I felt I was a different person than the person I am now. I feel like I am one hundred times more grateful for everything now – my family, everyone. That’s how Dhindora happened, when I was finally putting myself first – it happened after the first lockdown.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP SANE NOW?

I adopted a dog last year. He is the centre of my world. He was actually abandoned. We found out about his situation through social media. I’m a huge animal and dog love – when I saw the post, I reached out to the NGO, and I got him. He is my biggest stress buster. He’s my companion. He is a big part of recreation. Otherwise, I watch a lot of films on the digital platforms. I also keep myself really busy, Armin. I have dance or martial arts’ classes. I don’t have one thing to do. I don’t get bored like that. I have that variation in my life.

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