Interview by Shreya

Mala, also known as Malini, grew up in South India and Bombay before moving to Punjab and later settling in Delhi. She had a strong passion for teaching from a young age and pursued a career in education after completing her post-graduation. Mala fondly recalls her childhood memories, especially being an identical twin, which often led to funny situations. She has been living in Delhi for over 10 years and loves the campus at IIT, frequently visiting and making friends with the shopkeepers. Mala's daily routine involves learning something new, creating something, and helping others whenever possible. She values the freedom and independence her parents instilled in her during her childhood, and she continues to engage in social work and connect with friends and people. Mala finds fulfillment in teaching and feels grateful for the opportunities she has been given. I remember when I was in class 2 Like if somebody needs help, I'll be the first one to rush out I realized I enjoyed teaching, it just came natural to me I think it just in my blood to teach A general introduction about yourself I'm Mala, officially Malini I was born in South, grew up in Bombay After marriage, Punjab Now, last 15 years, I'm in Delhi So I had a great exposure Briefly, I did my schooling in Tanjore I was very exposed to Tamil culture Which I'm very very proud of I have two children, a son and a daughter So about your professional life, how did you choose your career? By default, I was born a teacher It just in my blood to teach I realized I enjoyed teaching, it just came natural to me So soon after I completed my post-graduation I was already offered a lecturer job from 5 colleges So I didn't think of any career Though I did attend interviews, fortunately I didn't get so And teaching has been in my blood I think You were really interested in teaching since childhood How did you get that spark? Even when I was in very very young class Say class 5 I would have a group of children, I'd go early And last school, fortunately I was very good in every subject Especially Maths There were a lot of children who could not complete their Maths homework So every day, when we went early The group of students would be there ready To take help, do their Maths homework So about your daily life, how does your day start and how does it end? Every day I wake up Today I'm going to learn something new And I'm going to create something Something every day I want to create Whether it's a small paperwork or a drawing Or find out something, you know Produce something out of nothing With this hope I manage to do Always keep a very regular routine Especially about my meal time, very regular Otherwise I like to read a little And then every day I'm searching for a project So what are some fun memories you have of childhood life? Childhood memories were absolutely full of fun Every day was filled with fun I was one of the twins, we looked similar, identical twins That is one fun part, people would not get confused They had difficulty recognizing each other I remember when I was in class 2 One of us came first rank, the other one was second rank I got the first rank, but my twin sister was called to receive the first rank prize Teachers would bet, you know No, no, no, this is Kala Then the other teacher would say No, no, no, I know she is Bala So I heard so many people having fun at our cost Even colleges, we would I think we were very, very popular only because we were twins Throughout the college My younger sister also actually would feel a little bad Oh, everybody knows me as Kala Mala's sister We were teachers, pets You mentioned living here for more than 10 years How often do you go to the IIT campus and how do you like it? The campus is full of trees, especially in Delhi So good to see a campus full of trees I am not lying, I really fell in love the first time I entered I loved the peacocks, which for me from Bombay or Chandigarh I would have never got to see it A very, very good friend there So I would find an excuse literally every other day to visit IIT campus And I would make a lot of friends with all the shopkeepers So if they don't see me for some time I would say no, I was not there No, if you come here, then you will be well Come over, come over So I really used to feel very, very good So what about your daily routine as a child and how has it changed? They exposed us to literally many, many facets Whether it is visiting, keeping connection with relatives, friends Travelling in a limited budget And the basic thing in our childhood was our parents gave us A lot of freedom to think, express our opinions openly I think that was something very, very rare Great role models, they actually allowed us to express our opinions openly Taught us to be independent from a very early age Gave us that courage and confidence Said go out, explore the world I mean most of the days, no go on Connecting with friends and people on phone But in between I try to see if I can just learn something new Teaching or I have always from childhood loved to reach out to people A lot, a lot of social work So even within the building complex if somebody needs help I will be the first one to rush out I have always loved, loved it It was very, very fulfilling Always felt grateful that God has bestowed upon this grace on me I always felt good Thank you so much for the interview Enjoyed it Thank you so much