For this episode of SHLTMM, my guest joins me via Zoom from Germany. Naveen Sridhar, has a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and he's an award winning author. He left home at 19, emigrated to Germany from India and now speaks eight languages. As I mentioned, Naveen is also an author, however he didn't start writing until after his retirement. It was his mother Jayalakshmi Srinivasan, that laid down all the elements for him starting at a young age and now he understands her and the lessons she taught him. Jayalakshmi translate to Victoria/Victorious.
I truly enjoyed my conversation with Naveen.Even with all of his accomplishments, he's very humble and unassuming. When speaking about his mother, he fondly recalls stories of how his mother ran their household. Don't forget, at this time in India, women did not work. Their role was to make sure the home was well kept with generations of family members all living under one roof.
Naveen's father was a Senior Officer in the Royal Service and it was an arranged marriage that brought the couple together. Jayalakshmi was an exceptionally talented writer of short stories and novels. Her first priority was at home taking care of the family. She never sat around. She carried a clip board around with her and wrote down her most cherished thoughts. On a daily basis, she kept all the financial records/household accounts of how much money was spent each day. She stayed up late every night to write in two different India languages. Naveen learned from his maternal grandmother that his mother, the first of eight children dropped out of school after sixth grade because she wanted to get married and settled down. Culturally that was accepted and the norm for the most part.
My guest, the youngest of four children, had two sisters and one brother. As he says now, "I'm the last man standing." He grew up among elders including his aunt and uncle and his cousin all together in one household.
Naveen shares three very touching stories about his mother including how and when she started her writing, her professional connections and her public recognition as a highly revered author. Again, in India, this is unheard of and she did this without fanfare or calling attention to herself.
Naveen's mom, didn't have much of a sense of humor according to her son. She was very practical and a no nonsense kind of woman yet happy with her life.
To find out more about my guest you can use the link below. This event is scheduled for August 28, 2022.
https://thewashingtonmail.com/win-free-books/
Books Naveen has written:
“Courageous and resilient women in history: Women are under-represented in history. A closer look and even fantasy in fiction may help," say Sradhir.
My guest has written several books about women who have overcome difficulties, oppression and more. Mr. Sridhar continues " women ,famous or not, who show their grit by way of resilience, adamance and courage, these women are quiet and not talked about, their stories untold. Instead of HIS-tory maybe it should be HER-story."
Naveen Sridhar's website: https://www.naveensridhar.com/
Languages Naveen Speaks: English, German, Hindi, French, Kannada, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu