MADHU SHUKLA, PLAYSPACE

Meet Madhu Shukla, Founder of Playspace. I can’t think of a better way to introduce Madhu than to use the quote that flashes on the homepage of the Playspace website. It is by Richard Lingard and it says “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”.  At Playspace, Madhu promises that you will discover more about yourself and the people you engage with. She believes that “when we play, we are taken back into a childlike state which is less judgemental, more curious and open to possibilities within and outside”.  Madhu comes with over 10 years of experience and set up Playspace to reach out to the world through theatre and play based learning experiences. Her objective is to create spaces for people to connect with their own spontaneity and feel an increased sense of “choice, power and freedom.” Sounds absolutely empowering to me! Madhu also performs improvisation with her ensemble Improv Comedy in Bangalore. When quizzed about what drives her she said she asks herself every day, “how am I serving the world?” and when I went on to ask her about her achievements, she, with all humility, said “I am still a work in progress but to be able to follow my calling and use my talent to serve the world is my achievement”.

 I was sure that convincing her clients about the benefits of creative arts must have been difficult and Madhu agreed, she said “HR folks were not sure that it would suit the senior members of the organization” and at first Madhu would go on an overdrive to justify her work, but over time she realized that these were typical anxieties associated with stepping into the unknown or trying something new. She now does not feel obligated to convince her clients, but patiently and respectfully addresses their concerns about experimenting with theatre and play based learning methodologies. If at times the going gets tough, she writes in her journal, spends time with family and friends and reminds herself that “this too shall pass”.

I asked Madhu what she thinks of women in the current times. Her thoughts were deep and meaningful and she said, “There are too many rules over generations, we have internalised how one ought to be as a woman in this world – that can put one off ‘the path they are to walk on’. The world and the earth is fraught with wars, distrust, disrespect and all kinds of violence. In these times women need to be women’s biggest supporters and cheerleaders. When women come together in trustful, non-judgemental and empathetic circles – we can celebrate our brilliance and find courage and the means to truly step into our power.”