Everything is in the Mind - Pratima Krishnan Speaks...

PEOPLE POWER

I studied at several schools across India but, it was at Lovedale in Ooty that I was exposed to drama, music and theatre which has held me in good stead. It taught me that it's not good enough to just be academically brilliant, but you need other skills too. I kept different careers options open when in school.

ART ATTACK

After school, I opted took up Arts at MES College in Bangalore. Simultaneously, I also picked up French at Alliance Francaise. In my second year of degree (BA Sociology),I was bitten by the management bug.We had to study industrial sociology and I was very interested in people management, corporate hierarchy, industrial growth, etc. I tried to get into Indian Institutes of Management, after my degree, but didn’t get lucky. Where will an Arts graduate go? The conventional option was to take up teaching or do an MA. I didn’t want either.

BOMBAY DREAMS

Since I couldn’t go abroad for higher studies, I went to Mumbai to do MBA at NMIMS. Coming from Bangalore, Bombay was my big, bad city. It was an eyeopener for me—professionally as well as personally. I picked up the basics of HR during the course and got an understanding of what a career in this field would entail. Along with HR, I was also interested in marketing and finance. Though MBAs did not walk out with salaries in crores back then, I did get a decent job offer on campus. I ditched the offer and decided to join my dad’s consultancy firm. I liked the variety of things I got to do. Even my longing to work in the development sector was fulfilled here. After working with my dad, I couldn’t think of working for anybody else.

BOOKED FOR LIFE

One night my husband, a voracious reader, got this book, ‘How to Mind Map’. But of sheer curiosity I read the book and was impressed with the idea of mind m a p p i n g. Mind mapping (or co n ce p t m a p p i n g ) i nvo l ve s writing down a central idea and thinking up new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre. By focussing on key ideas written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you understand and remember new information.
I started using this to remember simple things, and to my surprise it started to work. Once my daughter even challenged me to draw a map for one of her assignments.I then got a software—Mind Manager—for myself and started using it for numerous things — client meeting, novels, my daughter’s maths problems, birthdays...I visited Vidya Niketan where my daughter studies to share my ideas on mind-mapping. Some of the te a c h e r s were impressed with the concept and wanted to teach all students.

READ MY MIND

My mother, who is 65 years old now, came up to me and said she wanted to learn mind-mapping, but didn’t know where to go. That’s actually true because there’s no formal school where you can learn mapping. Of course there are Buzan Centres of Excellence all over UK and the US, but how many of us can take off to a foreign country, just to learn mind-mapping? That’s when I came up with this idea of a book, which will teach kids on how to mindmap. It’s a quick guide to mind-mapping— in 12 classes of two hours each you can become proficient in mind-mapping.

HELP YOURSELF

Since there are no formal schools that teach mindmapping, the best way to start off is buy a self-help book and start practising. There are enough and more material available on the internet. Now skill-based schools have come up everywhere which teach you not just mind-mapping, but also life skills, speed math, speed reading, etc. I have stated going to various schools to share how to mind-map with teachers and students.
And mind you, it’s not just about remembering history dates, I have even prepared a map for Shashi Tharoor’s book! There’s one thing I want people to keep in mind: options are unlimited, keep trying!

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