Hello everyone! Welcome to The Peace Stories. After a long break, I am resuming my journey with my initiative. The last two years have been an eventful ride of experiences and emotions. Breaking and rebuilding my initiative gave me new purpose and perspective. However, the stories were waiting to be told and I am extremely sorry for keeping them awaited this long. I know, they will forgive their storyteller. I know, stories are kind.

So, without further ado, let’s welcome our guest – Alpana Deo. Apart from being a renowned and veteran blogger, a famous name in the Blogosphere, a passionate voice-over artist and podcaster, Alpana is a teacher. Today, we will talk about her journey so far, her experience of donning many hats and how she writes her story of life with rainbow and sunshine.

Let’s know her peace story.

1. Tell us something about you.

I am Alpana Deo. I live in Houston, TX-USA, with my husband and two kids. I am a teacher at an Elementary school. Along with this, I am a parenting and lifestyle blogger, voice-over artist, and podcast host. I have also published two books. One is children’s fiction – A Girl in The New Town and the second book is a collection of recipes – Culinary Tales- Indian Recipes for Every Home Chef. Both of them are available on Amazon. My writing journey started much earlier than I started blogging. As a kid, it was just a hobby, and it remained the same in college. But as they say, sometimes, a few events in our lives allow us to explore a new path.

When I came to the USA in 2006 after marriage, I was exploring new places. I was enjoying these new places and the experiences and weaving them into words.

But I got serious about it when I wrote my first article for the Austin South Asian Local Newsletter. Seeing my name printed as an author created something magical within me. My first-ever published article got appreciation, and I became a regular contributor there.

Blogging was nowhere in the picture. But to take one step forward, I wanted to have something under my name. A place where I will be free to share my ideas with the rest of the world. Making money out of it was never my first goal. Instead, I wanted to write meaningful content and gain experience. And that’s when my blog Mothers Gurukul was born. Today, I also go by Mothers Gurukul Mom in the blogging community. At Mothers Gurukul, you will find tips and tricks to make your parenting journey smooth and enjoyable. You will also find DIY ideas, some interesting fiction stories, and thoughts from my journal to explore in your free time.

If writing is my first love, then podcasting is my second love. Both are equally special to me. And they both go hand in hand. After my second pregnancy, I found it hard to spare time to read. That time podcasts came to my rescue. As a new mother, I used to listen to podcasts on several topics. It was a good source of information for me. From my experience, I decided to start my English Show named Mother’s Gurukul Podcast for other moms. I call it an extension to my website.

Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/show/77PGXVLfADDQMX3rrhKiH8?si=vT0JGbjVQ9OUnY7nDDD3mg&nd=1&dlsi=b4d21a9252cb4df6

Being from India, I am blessed to know three languages. I am a Maharashtrian, but I grew up in Kanpur, UP. Regional language has a different charm and warmth. So, I launched my Hindi Show “Baton Baton Mein” in 2021. The literal meaning of Baton Baton Mein is while talking. Here I talk about simple topics that are a part of our daily life, but we tend to overlook or ignore them while solving the big problems. I have also interviewed celebrities from different fields. A few of my guests were Lataa Sabberwal, Rekha Diwekar, Dr.Swati Lodha, Shashank Udapurkar etc.

Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Gl3I370EackfMNdk3b8lZ?si=y3-_CXbgRi2n6HfvAXJERA&nd=1&dlsi=c2ae1fd1f2714074

In my free time, I love to read, do lots of DIY, spend time with my kids, and entertain friends at my place. 

2. What is peace for you? What gives you peace? 

When I am able to train my mind to understand the reason behind the events that are happening in my life rather than judging them, I call it “peace”. Once I am able to do that, it makes me strong from within. It gives me confidence that I can handle any situation no matter how bad or challenging it is.

There are many things that give me peace. Writing holds the first place on the list. Listening to some soothing music is also peaceful, sometimes the sound of water gives me a calming effect. When I am in a mood to do something creative then painting gives me the opportunity to find peace while playing with colors. In short, the source keeps changing depending on what I want to do at that particular moment.

3. What is your opinion on healing with creativity? How does creativity help you find peace of mind? 

Albert Einstein has said “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” Isn’t this beautiful and so true?

Blessed are those, who have this power.

When you are able to see the beauty in simple things, it’s a gift from God.

I feel fortunate to have this blessing. I experience its power almost every day. When I am working on my podcast or blogs or Voiceovers or anything creative for that matter, it is therapeutic. I find myself in a completely different world. My mind is quiet and focused. It gives me an extra limb to express myself. It will not be wrong if I call it meditative. Yes, that’s the power of creativity in my opinion. 

4.The Peace Stories would like to know from you about your experience with the little children in your school. 

This is such a lovely question.

Yes, I meet many kids each day. These little kids are so cute and compassionate. It’s fascinating to see how they change each year.

I strongly feel that kids have some magic wand to bring smiles to anyone they meet.

Their innocence, sweet and soft smile, curiosity, and their pure heart – all this makes my day. When I started working, these kids were strangers to me, but in a very short time, I felt a special bond with them. In my role, I am not restricted to one age group. I am working with four years old, sometimes with six years old, and sometimes with kids having special needs.

I feel fortunate when they wave at me or come and give me a tight hug or pass a warm smile.

Each day I meet them, I learn that we don’t need anything fancy to win anybody’s heart. When our heart is pure, and whatever we do is with good intentions, its vibrations make a big difference and contribute to bringing positive change.

5. If you are told to write a letter to your younger self, what would you love to tell her must? 

I remember writing a full-length blog post on this topic- Dear Younger Me, Are you still the same? But to answer this question, I used to be very emotional as a kid. And it was hard for me to express myself.

Today, if people meet me, they find it hard to believe that I used to be an introvert. So, if I had to write a letter to my younger self, I would ask her to learn to think for herself sometimes also. I will tell her that it is good to be empathetic towards others but not at the cost of forgetting your happiness. If she can change this one thing, it will make many things easy for her.

6. A message that you want to share with the world. 

For this, I would like to mention a beautiful poem by Louis C. Shimon that I read recently –“I know something good about you.” The title is enough to tell us how we should treat others.

Taking this poem as an example, we all have plus and minuses. If we can focus on the good things in people or any circumstances and learn from the unpleasant things or experiences, then that will make this earth a better place for all of us. I didn’t say ignore the unpleasant because that is not practically easy. Let’s be realistic here.

My simple rule is if people cannot change their way of thinking or acting, how about I change my way of dealing with them and bother less about them? I think we all can do this for our sake.

7. Is there any beautiful thing that you have discovered along the walk of life and you would like to share with us? 

“Life teaches us small lessons almost every day. It is up to us how we absorb that message. I have been blessed to date and have had many such moments. But one thing that fascinates me all the time is the power of our inner strength. Change is uncomfortable for all of us, but humans have this inner strength that we have yet to discover. Once we find that, there is no looking back. No one is going to introduce us to this power. We have to feel it and make the best use of it.”

– Alpana Deo

8. What are you grateful for in life? Or, name the person or the people you are grateful for in life. We will add your gratitude notes to our Big Gratitude Jar, where we collect all the beautiful things for which we are grateful in life.

What a fantastic way to wrap up this interview!!

I am fortunate to experience many beautiful things to be grateful for in my life. One of the most memorable moments in my motherhood journey. My kids – Shreya and Om, are my sunshine. They give me several reasons daily to thank God who blessed me with these precious gems.  Shreya’s arrival gave me a chance to experience how beautiful motherhood is, Om gave me another chance to re-live those moments again.

Along with this, I am always thankful to my dear husband for being so supportive and giving me “my time” to adjust to a new country and follow my passion.

My parents for giving me strong values and a clear vision, my sister for being my best buddy, and my in-laws for always encouraging and supporting my decisions and choices.

And last but not least, my friends for being there for me.

Thank you so very much for having me. I thoroughly enjoyed this session. We talked about many such areas and topics which often need to be clarified.

(Thank You, Alpana, for your contribution to The Peace Stories Initiative. We wish you more power to your future endeavors. May you be guided by peace and purpose. Gratitude.)

(As received the response from Alpana Deo and edited by Swarnali Nath.)