Sajithra K Wins The Mrs. India Earth Stylish Diva 2021 Title In The World Finals

Sajithra works as an IT Product Delivery Manager in an international FMCG Company. She has published two books, ‘The Innovation Imperative’ a book on Innovation co-authored with Ranga Shetty for Mid-level Technical Professionals and ‘Trees from dirty seeds’, an anthology of her poems.  Sajithra has a Master's degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering. She is certified on SAFe Agile, DevOps, and ITIL. Her papers on Social media are referenced by Authors worldwide in papers, PhD thesis, and books.

You have different identities in multiple platforms – Author, Performer, Start-up founder, Odissi dancer, Pageant winner, Political critic, an IT Delivery manager. What drives you?

I am purpose driven. My values surpass my survival instincts.

Freedom. Generosity. Equality. Innovation. Authenticity.

Breaking sacrosanct ideals is important to uphold these values.

If you were to look at my work, it has  always been about Innovation. Change excites me. I have 16 years of experience leading IT Innovation from the perspective of People, Process, and Product. My book is a roadmap on identifying a predictable structure to innovating at work. The practice that I believe in is Agile – that is about collaboration across different worlds, adding voice where there was none, and keeping your teams flat. This gives power to the ones closest to the data, not on top of it. It’s servant leadership. I loathe peacocking at work. When people only use the tools and do not understand that the heart of it is equality and intrinsic motivation, the practice becomes shallow. One would end up force fitting it to the traditional practices and retain hierarchy. Nothing smothers Innovation like hierarchies can. There’s a lot of unlearning to happen. Else, it will be tokenism and it compromises the outcomes.  

At home, it’s about not adhering to gender norms. My children have a surname that’s an amalgamation of our first names. I don’t believe that the woman is the natural caretaker of  home. I don’t believe in the format of the man’s home being the primary one. It’s inane and sounds like a property exchange between men. My art reflects these values as well. I am working on a movie that is all about breaking the sacrosanct ideals of gender with the core theme on the rights of subalterns. 

Socially, my focus is on reducing suffering. I grew up in a Panchayat town and since my world has expanded, it’s an obligation to do my part. When I first started working, I set aside 10% to support people who are less fortunate. It’s breaching 15% now. Over the years, I have seen marriages organised, medical bills paid, education funded with it. That’s the only reason I need work. I had my own start up but then I went back to work because I needed a constant stream of income. I should have enough so that I could give enough. I am working on building better passive income streams so that I am not constrained by this. Else, it has to be a NGO. Perhaps, that's something for 2023. 

My political philosophy is about resisting oppression in all forms. I believe that we all are political. When people say that they are neutral, that comes from a place of privilege. That's invariably standing with the oppressor. There's no neutral stand in a world rife with injustice. I have the courage to be open about my political stand. 

Words are important to me. I try to not  engage in even white lies. It's not really about innocence though. Maybe  I am like those witches you see on TV. I can hide the truth but I will not use words that are untrue. I will take the short term costs and suffer for it because I value my words more.  Perhaps, I should explore that practice of becoming an Aes Sedai haha. Jokes apart, I enjoy writing because I believe in the power of words. It's ideas that change the world. Words can give life. Words can kill too.

I don’t believe in an anthropomorphic god ideal and I am not a sycophant who believes in brown nosing to get ahead. So, the only thing within my control is doing good with the belief that the universe will balance itself. Periyar said that he is against oppression in all forms. Everything I think, speak, and do resonates with that. I believe all this comes from a place of love. 

Who is your mentor?

I don’t have a circle of people who I am constantly in touch with for mentorship. There are people I inform of my choices and take advice occasionally. Iam fortunate to have a strong network of people who are shaping the world – Industrialists, People from the Government, Writers, Artists – not taking names. It’s very sporadic though. Periyar famously said that people should not follow something he says if that goes against reason. He didn’t want followers. The ideology is to follow the thoughts of a person that make sense to you and encourage you to think more, not to be a follower of the person. I am an introvert. I only connect if I feel the need to, but I am always available to friends if I am needed. I resist all forms of control and I don’t expect anyone to defer to me either. People who know me understand that.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a book for Manushyaputhiran’s Uyirmai publications, a movie with a dream team, and I am partnering to invest in a bicycle company that professes green living. These are all connected to the purpose in life I most identify with – being a catalyst of change and it resonates with my values. I look forward to seeing the fruition of this. I don’t want to limit myself to one platform. I want to be a catalyst and hence I should be agnostic of formats to make a difference.