Apra Bhandari shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Apra, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. When have you felt most loved—and did you believe you deserved it?
I consider myself lucky to be felt most loved everyday because no matter how the day is going for those around me, I know the love they have for me never goes away. I used to read this book to my daughter when she was a baby..”I love you all the time”. Basically it talks about how even when I am mad at you, I love you all the time, even when I say “no,” I love you all the time, even when I leave the room, I love you all the time. I am blessed to have many people around me at home and at work that I know feel that way about it. More importantly though, I truly believe in living a life full of gratitude so I always feel love inside of me despite of what is around me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Apra Bhandari. I am mom of two, a wife, an only child, a friend, a business owner, a passionate dancer, and a seeker of knowledge. I love to learn. I own a Bollywood and Indian dance studio that is in its 13th year and my staff and I make it our mission to bring joy to our Adaa Families and help them learn to dance, express themselves, and feel like they are part of a community. My business is special because of the people that I work with and those that work for me. Every employee in my business is an incredibly talented and kind human being. Our dance families are the pillars of our business. It’s their trust and confidence in us that drives us to make the studio better and better every day. As a mom of two kids, I see my business through that lens and I feel like that really helps me guide my business decisions to a great extent.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Mistrust and miscommunication breaks the bond between people, sadly. Open communication, compassion, and humility restores it.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
It taught me how strong I am and that the power lies in me. I have a choice– I can choose to be a failure or I can choose to succeed. I can choose to be sad or I can choose to be happy. I dictate my emotions, my decisions and, eventually, my life. It has been a game changer for me. The moment I started to choose not giving up, not feeling sorry for myself, not feeling weak or defeated, the direction of my life changed. It takes time to realize this, but once you do, there is no going back. Suffering also taught me what I valued most in life– joy and gratitude. Joy for what I have to look forward to and gratitude for what I am blessed with every day.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes!! It’s too complicated to have multiple versions. I am not sure how I would keep track.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
This is a very interesting question because I feel most people have a hard time praising others. We are very quick to point out someone’s fault but it doesn’t come natural to many people to appreciate others. So for me the praise is not needed. Yes, it’s valued and appreciated, but it’s not my reason to do what I do. I run my business because I love what I do. I truly enjoy getting up every morning and working on making our dance families experience better and more meaningful. I give everything the best of my ability because I want to and because I feel that is my purpose. If I waited to be praised for my work before I gave it my all, it wouldn’t be fair to those who trust me and my business to provide them the service I promised them. My intentions, my passion, my love is not transactional.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adaadanceacademy.com
- Instagram: @adaadance
- Linkedin: Apra Bhandari page: Adaa Indian and Bollywood Dance Academy
- Facebook: Adaa Dance
- Yelp: Adaa Indian and Bollywood Dance Academy
- Youtube: Adaa Bollywood Dance Academy
Image Credits
Iman Bibi
Denise Leitner
