PEAKLIFE

Aarti Gupta Surendranath defies descriptions and smashes stereotypes.

From being a successful model and actor, to a producer of commercials advertisements and international films, to setting up an exclusive clothing company that specialized in wedding trousseau, to passionately working for animal welfare, and working strongly on the Shatoosh awareness Campaign to save the near extinction of the Tibetan Antelope, to creating niche, exclusive and meaningful events, to actively being a part of the Indian Merchants Chamber of Commerce & Industry on various committees for Awareness issues and Art & Culture – Aarti Gupta Surendranath has done it all, and lots more.
With a witty flair, we begin the conversation asking about her biggest strength. She reverts – “My family looking on to me wondering ‘what next is she going to do”. The bar is raised now and they’re my biggest strength and wellness!”
Talking about the subject of gender equality and the changing times, she reminisces, “Being blessed to have been born in an Army family with parents who never raised my sister and me with gender inequality. Since I was a child I awakened to the fact that there were much larger issues.” She adds further, “I also know the dynamism that women are engrained with is far superior. This was an issue fought for and quite well established since the 1970’s/80’s onwards. Things have come a long way since, and all women have to know that.”
Aarti’s multifaceted personality has been an inspiration for many, but her inspiration lies in a different place. She explains, “I’m most inspired by animals. The more I look around at stray dogs, and how they suffer and struggle yet hold up their heads and survive; birds flying all over, unable to get enough just drinking water in the concrete jungles along with facing all the predators. Their journey, survival, grit, courage, spirit is all an inspiration that what make me sit up in awe of the realization that if they all survive against mountains of challenges; dodging their natural predators; along with even the ruling species on earth, then ‘us’- mankind, blessed with the power of logic have assumed the position as the caretakers of the universe the ruling species – we don’t have the right to complain about anything.” Well said.
(As told to Anuradha Kaul)