Usha Raghunathan – Never, Ever Quit




Kamla Bhatt Show show

Summary: (http://kamlashow.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/Usha-56-150x150.png)Usha Raghunathan's motto is never, ever quit. Be a survivor is her advice for those who want to do do something in their life, especially women. Usha  should know what it is like to survive and make your dreams come true in a tough and conservative environment in South India. Brought up in a liberal family in Madras, now known as Chennai she married into a conservative, traditional family. Her mother-in-law did not believe that women should go out and work, and neither should they continue their studies once they get married. Interestingly her conservative future mother-in-law had agreed and let Usha to complete her pilot training and obtain her license. Usha was pregnant with her first child when she trained and got her license. Life in a conservative family meant that Usha had to learn to negotiate and find ways to keep herself occupied. She started a ladies club and then in a serendipitous fashion started writing for a Tamil magazine. Of course, she wrote under a pseudonym - Shashikala.  She wrote mostly about women and how they survived tough situations and came out winning. She then forayed into TV and eventually into the world of textiles and fashion. At the age of 60 she opened a sari boutique in Madras and continues to manage it. She is in her mid-70's and still continues to travel around India on business. So, is it any wonder then that her motto in life is never, ever quit. Be a surivor. And that distilled advice comes from a woman who has navigated choppy waters and did not know the words "give up."  Related Links: Usha Raghunathan on How She Learnt to Fly (http://kamlashow.com/podcast/2013/03/07/usha-raghunathan-how-she-learnt-to-fly-a-tiger-moth/) - audio Usha Raghunathan - The First Female Pilot from South India (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOHRjoEIUNQ)- video