Dance towards a positive attitude

By JF on Monday, November 8, 2010 - 17:53

A musician, composer, software proffessional, trainer. Pragnya Wakhlu wears several hats.  Her passion for music took a new direction when she founded MOUSAI, a Pune-based organisation dedicated to re-energising and liberating people through the use of music and movement. Pragnya shares the story with JF.

MOUSAI conducts learning programmes in the areas of creative thinking, positive attitudes, emotional expression and others .These programmes are conducted for the  education, corporate and NGO sectors. It also conducts programmes that are open to all. MOUSAI’s methodology involves the use of music and dance in learning. High participant involvement, singing and dancing together, powerful short films and slides provide a fun and interactive learning environment. Music and dance have the ability to connect to the heart and mind at a deeper and more emotional level, thereby moving a person and creating powerful learning experiences, says Pragnya.

The company has been covered as a case study in the book “Inspiring Women to start Innovative Enterprises” by Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Pragnya has completed her Management in Entrepreneurship from IIM-B, prior to which she worked for three years at Infosys Technologies. She has released two singles under the Underscore Record music label.

What was the inspiration behind this venture?

I always wanted to be in a job where I could see a direct impact of the work I was doing on people. After leaving my job as a software engineer with Infosys, my father encouraged me to explore using music and movement as a program medium for helping individuals be more liberated and positive. Together with Aastha Raina ,a dance therapist and psychologist,  we did a research project with Pragati Leadership Institute on how we could achieve this. We found music and movement touching people’s hearts at a deeper level than words can. The experiment worked well after which I decided to set up a company solely devoted to training using the medium of music and movement. I registered MOUSAI as a proprietary firm and set up a bank account for the company.

What was the biggest hurdle when you started off?

The concept of integrating arts with learning has newly been introduced in India and is catching up slowly. Since this is a new concept, the biggest hurdle was getting customers to spend money on an idea that is fairly alien to them and convincing them of the effectiveness of same. Most people want to try things for free before investing money on a full-fledged program for the company.

Where do you MOUSAI and yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years I see MOUSAI having a strong global presence and an establishment of a training institute for  MOUSAI trainers. I also see me writing a book called “The MOUSAI Way” where we write about our experiences and methodology.

Who or what has been your biggest support?

My parents have whole heartedly supported every career decision I have made. Being entrepreneurs themselves, they have always guided me and helped me find solutions to anything that has come my way. My fiance also supported me when things were tough and always encouraged me to follow my heart.

What will be you biggest challenge going forward?

I think the biggest challenge will be scalability of the existing company as the job needs very specialised people for training. I am still confused on how to implement a franchise model and ensure optimum training quality at the same time.

What do you tell yourself when the going gets tough?

Well, the going has gotten tough a lot of times for sure! When that happens, I remember the smiles on the faces of the people I’ve trained and how the work we’re doing has helped them .I think of how happy I feel doing the work that I do and the freedom that starting a company has given me.  Never fails to cheer me up!

What would be your one piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?  

I think probably the biggest thing I’ve learnt as an entrepreneur is sticking to the belief that your dream is going to work for you. Even though things may not seem all hunky dory at first , things do turn in your favour if you stick around long enough. Don’t lose hope if things are not working your way in the beginning. They will eventually. Look for rays of sunshine and hope in everything that you do and always see the positive side of things. Mistakes are learning opportunities. If you think there’s something you “Can’t” do, learn! That is what all of us have to learn to do as entrepreneurs. An insightful quote I read the other day said “Can’t is just a fear you haven’t faced yet”. Makes a lot of sense if you think about it.
 

For more, visit www.mousaiindia.com