The multiculturalism of the world is an inspiration for Neha Soni

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

HR professional Neha Soni who works for a Tier 1 Strategy Consulting firm, has lived with a commitment to perform and contribute to cultural events since childhood.

An expert in Indian folk and Kathak forms of dance, she is a writer too; it didn’t stop with penning down thoughts, but also led her to writing lyrics for songs.

A public speaker, her corporate career has given her the opportunity to speak at professional forums – one of the most recent was when she held the mike during the Independence Day celebrations at the Consulate General of India in Dubai.

She has evolved into a written communications trainer and a podcaster and has appeared in many women’s conferences.

She turns the questions posed by Gulf Today into answers

What made you get involved with culture?

Having a Rajasthani background, my family and roots have been quite active with culture: the compulsion to give back to society has been with us for generations.

Thanks to my parents, I and my brother were raised in an environment where studies, cultural activities and philanthropy were equally important.

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The message was loud and clear — stay close to your roots, culture and society, as they do a lot in shaping you. Hence, you owe to give it back in every form and manner.

What attracts you to Indian folk and Kathak — the latter is a particularly exhausting dance form?

Rajasthani folk dance such as Ghoomar and Kalbeliya have been knitted into my upbringing right from childhood.

  A dance programme in full flow at Indian Independence Day celebrations at the Consulate General of India in Dubai.

I honed the stage for more than 15 years, performing various forms of Indian folk, and enjoyed every bit of it! The fondness for Kathak came while attending concerts or cultural evenings with parents and yes, Bollywood also played a major role (wink). While I missed some golden chances to learn this art form in my younger days, I became even more nervous to pick it up later. But all credit goes to my Guru in Dubai who helped me plunge into it. I am still an amateur striving to keep polishing myself.

As a writer, what are your subjects?

There are two forms I admire — shayari or poetry and professional subjects such as articles on corporate events and those on diversity and inclusion.

  Hailing the Indian flag through dance.

You are a songwriter too. Give us some lyrics you have penned.I prefer to remain anonymous here. But here are few lines I wrote in Hindi for the 76th Indian Independence Day celebrations:

Vividhta mein ekta darshata hai ye vatan

Unnati ka khaata hai ye vatan

Vibhinn sanskriti ko apnata hai ye vatan

Ullas poorvak 75 saal ki uplabhdiyan gata hai ye vatan!

(This land displays unity in diversity

It is the treasury of progress

It embraces many cultures

It sings of the joyful achievements of 75 years!)

As a speaker, besides the subject of HR, what topics do you speak on?

Diversity and inclusion; women empowerment; image consulting and communication.

  Neha Soni at the Indian Independence Day celebrations.

How do you fulfill your role as a communications trainer?

While I perform this role alongside my core job, it is one the most satisfying gigs I have performed.

In the corporate world, especially in the UAE, we have colleagues from different nationalities who have different styles of comprehending messages and express themselves in different tones.

It is becoming even more important to be crisp, sharp and professional, to be able to relay your message appropriately.

You have spoken at women’s conferences. What is your message for women on Emirates Women’s Day, falling August 28? 

The world today has understood that to be able to fulfill the agenda of prosperity and development, women and girls need to be at its core.

  Dancers keep time with the rhythms of Independence.

There are many initiatives funded by our honorable leaders to advance women empowerment and unleash their hidden potential. Women are excelling in every field — you name it, and they have proven that nothing is impossible.

With such power comes great responsibility. It’s time for each successful woman to stay connected to real world challenges faced by the women’s community at large and come up with ways to sustain their upliftment and growth by creating more awareness, enabling their capabilities and making them future ready.

You have also taken part in podcasts. How different is speaking from a stage and podcasting?

Podcast is a wonderful experience; however, it needs good preparation as it is real time and spontaneous and listeners need to relate to the speakers to stay hooked to just an audio track and would like to take away something meaningful from it. Voice modulation, tone and punch lines are really key to make it more interesting. Similar sort of preparation is needed on stage as well, but the in-person presence with gestures and facial expressions can add more magnetism to the content and tone.   

You held the audience spellbound with your masterly handling of the programme during Indian Independence Day celebrations at the Consulate General of India in Dubai. What goes into the making of a good host?

Many thanks for your kind words. While I need to be passionate about my topics, to prepare the content, it’s also good to aim to be humble and relatable to the audience.