The Balancing Act

Marriage brings with it many responsibilities. Particularly, when a career woman gets married, she has to get used to the hectic lifestyle. Once this delicate balance between home and career is achieved, she can only make a success out of her life.
Initially, when she sang people thought it was AlkaYagnik or Sadhana Sargam. But eventually, Tum bin bataye… from Rang De Basanti and Kabhi neem neem… from Yuva struck home and the name Madhushree Bhattacharya became famous.

Six hours is a kind of record. Choreographer Shabina Khan Ansari created history in Bollywood item song choreography, when she shot the famous song Chandigarh Ki Star… from Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap in a record 6 hours.

Not much need to be said about singer Kavitha Krishnamurthy other than the fact that she was awarded the Padmashri in 2006 for her work in Indian popular music. While Sufi singer Kavitha Seth is famous for her songs Gunja sa koi iktara… from Wake Up Sid (2009).
TV actress Mouli Ganguly shot to fame with her role as Shaina in Ekta Kapoor’s popular series Kaahin Kisi Roz on Star Plus between the years 2001 and 2004.

When you are single, you are a free bird and if you have a career at that time, you do not care about home. This is because in most cases, either there is a mother in the background to take care of it for you or some servants. But when you get married responsibilities increase and you have to juggle a home with your career.

According to Madhushree, training in house work is important. She says, “I was born and brought up in Kolkatta. My parents and servants took care of housework. Then I went to South Africa for a teaching job. I was given a bungalow to live in but no maid servant! The four years I was there I learnt everything from scratch. I would curse my parents for not teaching me house work. Initially, I would reach the class late. Eventually things fell into place. It was definitely a learning experience. In Mumbai, though there are servants, I try to do as much work at home as I can when I am free. I have an erratic schedule, since I can get a call for a song recording anytime, so it’s difficult to do much.”

Much depends on the familial understanding, too, as dance choreographer, Shabina Khan Ansari says, “My job requires me to go anywhere any time. It can be a daylong shoot or a night schedule. When not in the field I prefer being at home. I keep all my meetings close to my home so that I can be with my family as much as possible. It gets a little hectic at times but now I am used to it. My husband understands and supports my profession and that turns out to be a great help.”

Kavita Krishnamurthy also insists that family support goes a long way. According to her, “My career is not a 9-5 job. I am often very busy. But my children are grownup and can take care of themselves. My husband also supports me. For my kind of career you need a good family support system.”

Kavita Seth also insists on the importance of family support. She says, “When there is family support, it is convenient for us to pursue careers like mine. People say that I have achieved success very late. But I feel I have handled my duties very efficiently. Now my children can take care of themselves particularly when I have to go to shows. You have to compromise somewhere then there is balance. When there is balance, there is satisfaction.”
Mouli Ganguly however says that a woman has choices. She opines, “I started working as a teenager. So I could not take care of my mother. I was in a phase when my personal life suffered. After marriage I chose to work in Kolkatta so that I could be with my parents. I chose my life. I was not expected to do it. I like this phase of my life. You grow with every phase of your life. A woman can balance her life as she wants. (Laughs)”

This article was first published in Eve’s Times magazine and has been reproduced here with the permission of the editor, Swati Amar.