Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Rohini Vij

Momsters (M): Who is Rohini Vij?

Rohini Viraj and Mukul

Rohini (R): I am currently based in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. I was blessed with my son Viraaj in October 2011 and we moved to Kanpur, my husband's home town, in 2012. Viraaj is 2 years old now and indeed a bundle of joy! He loves reading and 'David' of the No David series by David Shannon is his role model. He is also is a huge fan of The Cat in The Hat by Dr Seuss and The Charlie and Lola series by Lauren Child.  He is my very first audience for all my storytelling sessions and his level of interest in the story in question gives me cues on how I can make the it more exciting and likeable for my other audience. His unsolicited kisses keep me going. I am immensely proud of him. He has transformed me from a mom who used to sob inconsolably  during his vaccinations to a proud mom who can't stop bragging about how he didn't even squirm (forget crying) for his 2nd year milestone shots. 

M: Before you became a mom... (Before you became a mom, what were you involved in?)

R: Before I became a mom I was working as a DM Corporate Communication & CSR at Jindal SAW, New Delhi. Prior to that I was part of Scholastic India as an AM Marketing (events,  publicity, PR). I started my career at Perfect Relations in 2006.
As a hobby I actively participated in theatre and radio. I have lent my voice to various corporate, documentary and animation films.

If I go really back, I was born and brought up in the hills of Shimla. The second born of four children, I have had a fabulous childhood in a full house. My mother runs a preparatory school in Shimla and my father is a retired Chief Engineer PWD, govt. of HP. I did my schooling from CJM, Chelsea, & Auckland House School, Shimla and college from St. Bede's College. While at school and college, I was always involved in theatre, public speaking and creative writing. I moved to New Delhi to pursue my Post Graduation in Content Creation and Media Management from The School of Convergence at IMI. That is where Mukul and I met and married after three years. 

M: Can you tell us more about your business? What is it about?

During a storytelling event conducted by Inknuts

R: I take care of the Foundation Course in Dramatics, Storytelling & Personality Development. 

Workshop takeaways:

• This workshop brings together a collection of ideas, texts, and activities which will help children acquire proficiency in language, confidence and a sense of ease with themselves by getting involved in interesting stories.
• This workshop is designed to not merely tap the hidden potential of participants but expose them to other opportunities of personality development. Through several exercises participants will learn to develop their communication and public speaking skills. 
• This workshop helps participants enhance their levels of confidence.
• Combining dramatics and storytelling, this unique workshop aims to give children with a dramatic flair some time on stage, but the activities are structured incrementally so that even children who are terribly shy will ultimately find they have the skills to shine.

The workshop will function under the aegis of Inknuts Multimedia Solutions Pvt. Ltd. that provides professional graphic design services and in a short span of time it has earned itself the status of a boutique advertising agency. With a team of professional designers, film-makers and marketers, Inknuts provides researched concepts, competitive evaluation, and industry trends creating not just designs but custom solutions uniquely tailored for each client.
We specialize in creating book covers, book trailers, book designs, corporate identity, corporate films, web and mobile apps and  websites.
Inknuts isn’t just a design house but a creative hub that believes in promoting culture, design, aesthetics and values that help society at large. It holds occasional training sessions, workshops and casual interactions from varied fields, in order to encourage creativity and out of the box thinking. We’ve also launched a publishing wing called ‘Aksamala.’

M: How long have you been in business?

R: The workshop was launched very recently and is currently registering for its foundation course. On an individual level I have been conducting storytelling sessions in schools since July 2012. I have also designed school curriculum via storytelling and am working towards getting it included in the next session. I am also a certified member of The International Storytelling Network (RIC).

The workshop will function under the aegis of Inknuts Multimedia Solutions Pvt. Ltd. that was established in 2010. We launched our publishing wing in 2013 with our debut novel 'A Lot Unlike Love' by first time author Thinley Tharchen. The book belongs to the genre of philosophy Fiction and has received much critical acclaim. 

M: How did you come up with this idea?

R: This workshop was rolled out as part of our initiative to promote a reading culture in Kanpur (something that is severely lacking here!). The workshop aims to focus specifically on personality development through storytelling and dramatics. It is deigned to help children understand the art of storytelling and apply it in their daily lives. 

Inknuts is completely Mukul's baby. Prior to starting Inknuts, he was associated with the film industry and given an odd working culture where he was on shoot for 6-7 months at a stretch and back home for the rest of the year, he needed something to keep himself busy during the lean period of the year. He was always inclined towards designing and started designing for friends in the publishing industry. Soon it became his prime profession and he branched out from just designed to website development, corporate films, book trailers and much more. I joined Inknuts in 2012 after our son turned 6 months old and we moved to Kanpur.

M: What inspired you to start a venture of your own?

R: Mukul and I always made a great team. Even while in college we were together on all group projects and presentations and invariably aced most of them. After graduating, I was on my own for a few years trying to find my calling and so was Mukul. It is only after I became a mom I realised if I joined forces with Mukul we both could bring about the positive cultural change, he always wanted to, in his hometown. It is a long road ahead but at least we have made a start. 

I didn't want our son Viraaj to miss out on the fabulous  reading exposure children in the metropolitan cities get. I had to do something myself. Given my inclination towards theatre, storytelling, writing and more, began my adventure with storytelling in schools. We are trying to take this to a new level by way of this workshop. 

M: Were there any obstacles that you faced when you decided to pursue becoming a mompreneur? What are these?

R: It is hard to break stereotypical scenarios, especially ones existent in my target group. It saddens me to see parents and academicians only buying syllabus and motivational books for their children. I don't have any reservations towards these books but reading fiction, storybooks, fairy tales, and books without didacticism are equally or more important for stimulating the imagination of a child. I believe imagination is more important than knowledge yet too often this essential part of education is ignored at home and school. And will take time to penetrate into the rigid mindset of some of the parents and educators. 

Another problem I have faced is the insistence for having visual mediums to support a story. Yes visual mediums are great but children need to have an ample opportunity to exercise their imaginations so they can begin to see that the pictures in their minds are real too. It's difficult to shake a movie image once it has been seen. 

On a personal level I am blessed with an extremely supportive family that has only encouraged me to follow my dreams. My husband is equally passionate about my dreams and helps me in every possible way and my son is an angel. He knows when 'mamma' has to go to work and is fabulously supporting in his own way. 

M: What do you love best about your job?

Storytelling at a local school

R: That I am doing what I am passionate about.

M: According to you, what are key traits a mompreneur should have when starting their own business?

R: Well I don't know about traits but a mom should sure know how to juggle. Between all my work and more, I always make time to swing by home for my son's afternoon nap and story time (he doesn't sleep otherwise). Being in a small town I have the luxury of short distances. I am constantly juggling between home, office, schools, emails, phone calls, meetings (for some of which Viraaj was hanging like a joey on a baby carrier), diapers (including changing them while on a business call) and stories!

M: Is entrepreneurship for every mom?

R: There are various factors attached to being a mompreneur - the first one being a strong and sound support system which I believe is the foundation for becoming an entrepreneur - mom or not! Also one has to be fearless and let go. I realised one thing after becoming a mom, kid are not clingy - we are! The moment we let go all falls in place. So yes if one can battle all these bottle necks then why not?

M: Is the professional personal? Do you find that you sometimes need to create boundaries between home life and work life?

R: When I am back home I try to keep work at bay (except for when it overlaps naturally - by way of stories in my case). But sometimes as a mom I just can't draw the line and have to sacrifice something - work or home. It is a constant struggle, no wonder the end result is so much the sweeter! 

Contact Information:

Email address –  rohini@inknuts.in 

Mobile Number –  9793283333
Facebook Page – fb.inknuts.com