Be the change: Seema Vikas Gadiya

Someone truly said, “Some women fear the fire some women simply become it”. Which one you resemble or which one would you like to become? Recently, my ears have received cribbing messages from women belonging to different strata of the society. Some were complaining about their daily monotonous life, their hectic job, their not so good marital life, becoming suffocated in doing the household chores and maintaining children. At the end, they will say, “I want to change my life, want to be free, independent and want to fulfill my dreams”. But, my question is- Are you doing something to make it happen? And the majority will go dumbstruck as they just think what they want but never started implementing on anything.

In conversation with Seema Vikas Gadiya, founder of Popsicles, I got to understand that it is very important to make women understand how important they are and their lives. “To be happy and contended, one has to be at peace and should be in love with one’s own self. But now a days, many cases are seen where most of the successful people lack confidence and have a low self-image,” Seema quoted.

Born and brought up in a Jain Marwadi Joint family in Kolar Gold Fields, Seema had an early marriage and was blessed with two kids very soon. Like most other women, her life became robotic and monotonous and as a result, she found herself irritated, frustrated, worthless and finally stopped valuing herself. Even in her community, she was witnessing home makers spending most their time running behind their husbands and kids with little or no time left for themselves. Seema used to cry, crib and complain every possible minute until she decided to be the change, to become the fire!

Coming from a well-educated family, her genes were qualified and rich in higher values which helped her to build a platform for people, which is now known as – Popsicles India. In the year 2006, she kick-started a workshop with four kids, faced numerous challenges from the society, however, she never turned back. To upgrade her skills she enrolled herself for a 6-months course of “Empowering Personality Trainer”. She tried to attend and participate in almost all the workshops of renowned speakers.

The word Popsicles having its French derivation meaning colorful, youthful, enthusiastic and full of life and now “Popsicles” as a company aims at spreading the same meaning among all fellow human beings.

The venture is bootstrapped and is slowly pitching in the personality development markets of Bangalore. They have also conducted workshops in Chennai, Salem and K.G.F. Popsicles partnered with one of the grooming company for corporate training.

After listening to this short story, most of the women must have a question in their mind- How does Seema manage to be a house wife and a public speaker? For them, this is the answer: “Balancing can just not be easy without family support. My husband, parents, in-laws and extended family have always been there in every step of mine. My amazingly two independent kids being my biggest support and their greatest strength and happiness is to see a smile on my face and hence I am happy,”Seema vocalized.

Mr. Sanjay Bantia proved to be her biggest support system, her mentor and guide. He helped in empowering and make her believe in a possible future which can be obtained.

Popsicles welcome couples, women, teenagers and children as their core audience to enhance their personality and improve the relationships. Various schools, ladies clubs, religious communities have also been a part of the program. Some of the workshops conducted so far:

• A talk at Palace grounds, Bangalore for 2500 people of Porwal Community in February 2015 on Women Empowerment.
• A workshop for JITO women in April 2015 on the essence and power of Mother-in-law-Daughter relationship.
• An exclusive workshop in Hindi open for all women, Bangalore in October 2015 on “The Power of W” i.e., the essence and power of being a woman.
• A workshop for college students of all esteemed colleges on “The Power of Balance” conducted in the month of December 2015.
• A workshop for the elite RCCP club, Chennai for married couples on the title “O Love Dobara”. Conducted in February 2016 spreading a message for a happy married life.
• Regular counseling for all the age groups.
• An upcoming workshop in Chennai on 18th September 2016.

Popsicles is a result of every day’s hard work, firm determination, belief, and perseverance. The challenge to convince people to change their lives was a big task. However, the workshops started becoming the live testimonials of their work. As someone quoted, “A woman who walks in purpose doesn’t have to chase people or opportunities. Her light causes people and opportunities to pursue her”.

Seema is now not only a lady of the house but also created a healthy and peaceful life for herself. She is living her dream. Her venture has transformed her from within and changed her not only for herself but the society around. “The appreciation and adulation motivates me to work harder and do better”,Seema communicated. “I would only say that come, experience and decide for yourselves because by some amazing interactive talk if you would bring magic into your lives and make it more happy and meaningful, I believe it’s worth it, she signs off.