How to rise after a fall and create impact by recording it | Jija M Harisingh | TEDxSJCC

Quick Overview

The speaker shares her personal journey of overcoming professional and personal crises, specifically detailing how initial failures and societal prejudice against women in the Indian Police Service (IPS) were transformed into a rise by focusing on her core values and finding purpose in art and social work, culminating in the founding of an art village for tribal women.

Key Points: The speaker decided to join the Indian Police Service (IPS) despite facing prejudice and her family's protests, viewing it as a necessary step to make a difference. Her initial experience in the IPS was marked by a 'fall' where her engagement collapsed and her superior, the CID officer, was biased against women in the police force. The speaker refused to conform to societal expectations, choosing to pursue her passion for art by taking a year's leave to paint and eventually holding exhibitions in places like Australia and Washington. The speaker's art served as a form of healing, allowing her to process sorrow, bitterness, and anxiety, which was reflected in her work. She established the first unique Art Village, 'Drishyam,' in Karnataka on Kanakapura Road, near Bangalore, to teach life skills through art to tribal women and children. The speaker emphasizes that a 'fall' is not failure but 'redirection,' as evidenced by her transition from a difficult police career to impactful art and social empowerment work. She mentions that her initial salary as an IPS officer was 25,000 rupees, which she gave to the Kagal widows, contrasting this with the richness she found in her later endeavors.

Context: This TEDx talk features Jija M Harisingh, an IPS officer, sharing her transformative story titled 'Falling Into Your Rise.' The narrative centers on confronting systemic prejudice and personal crises, particularly during her time in the police service in the 1970s, and how she ultimately chose to pivot her career towards art and social empowerment, dedicating herself to nurturing creativity and skills among tribal communities.