Your Identity Is Your Responsibility, Says This Etiquette Consultant

By Vayjayanti Pugalia, 44, Kolkata

I am Marwari by birth but a total Bengali at heart. My childhood was spent amidst the lush tea gardens of Assam, where my father was a tea planter. I worked with him in the family business for a while, but then decided to chart my own path.

That’s how my consultancies, Sonali’s Cubo and The Table Tailor, came about.

My mother was a perfectionist; that is probably why I was drawn to my present career as an image consultant and finesse trainer. It always upset me to see lack of etiquette and discipline amongst people. And so, my work revolved around giving lifestyle education to children, women and corporates.

My early life taught me that even if you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you have to work towards creating your own niche. Today, married for 20 years and mother of two wonderful teenagers, I retain a child-like curiosity to acquire and inspire, to grow and know, to learn and unlearn.

Where and what you are is just not your identity but your responsibility. It’s better to jump than live at the edge!

First published in the November 2017 issue of eShe magazine. Read it for free here. Or buy the print edition.