I LEARNT NEVER TO GIVE UP ON MYSELF: SHOBANA
The Indian-origin Thai citizen battled ADEM and Thyroid cancer to emerge stronger
I learnt to change my mindset and determined to walk tall, though I was leaning for support at every step... I’ve rebuilt myself out of the conventional box of prescribed living and continue to walk with aid but my mind is stronger.
SHOBANA MAHANSARIA, An entrepreneur
What happens when a life-threatening autoimmune disease such as Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) hits one? In most cases, it would diminish one’s motivation to live. But not in the case of Shobana Mahansaria, who got right up and how.
“ADEM was an illness that came to change me. To rebuild me into who I am today,” says, the 48-yearold, adding, “To be able to build my body back from the basics to walking with a stick at the age of 35, to constantly having people to aid me to sit and stand was a mental struggle as much as physical. But I learnt quickly that the mind controls the body!”
Recalling her days of battling illness, the Indian-origin Thai citizen says, “I learnt that no matter how you feel inside, you have to dress up and show up for recovery. I learnt that consistency pays. I learnt resilience, and to be stubborn to my dream to walk again and live a normal life! I was religious with my rehabilitation routine, and pushed myself every day to achieve small goals.”
“A grateful heart is a strong heart. I learnt gratitude for family and friends who support you without asking for anything in return. I learnt to prescribe consciously to positivity and let it lead the way to recovery,” says Mahansaria, who faced the barrage of health challenges including Thyroid cancer. “I learnt to change my mindset and determined to walk tall even though I was leaning for support at every step. I learnt never to give up on myself. Today, I have rebuilt myself out of the conventional box of prescribed living and continue to walk with aid but my mind is stronger than ever,” she adds.
Having emerged victorious with her willpower, she made the motto of her life: Wellness cannot be taken for granted. Today, she works towards helping people achieve wellness, and also focusses on holistic well-being of children. Presently working on the Home Care Centre Project, with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, she has been engaging with children from lower socio-economic strata and diverse backgrounds, to facilitate for their socio-emotional-cognitive learning. “The aim is to provide future ready SEC skills beginning right in the early years, and progressing appropriately with different age groups. The National Education Policy is wonderful, as the government too recognises and understands that 21st-century skills are just as important as academics. I’m creating spaces for children, to interact and learn in a way that instills the essential 21st-century skills and not solely focuses on their academics. The objective is to emphasise their emotional well-being, mental health and basic life skills in a fun, learning environment. I also help them build skills like resilience, adaptability, innovation, creativity, and critical thinking, which develops their skill set,” says Mahansaria.
Through these endeavours, she aims to fill the “small gaps in the education system”. “Children with amazing intelligence are still being coached in the same rote system, and that got me thinking of plunging into this world and equip the future generation with 21st-century skills. And we cater to not just knowledge provision, but also information and techniques that are required to thrive in today’s fast-paced world,” she says.
After overcoming challenges in the past, she opened spas across India, “I wanted people here to experience authentic wellness services. I felt it was now my responsibility to pass on the baton of everything I had learnt and recognised,” she concludes.
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