Mumbai: Recently acclaimed as an ‘International Best Selling Author’ for her first book ‘Verses n Sonnets – Freshly Brewed’, Nupur Gadkari has always led with her heart in every aspect of her life. This can be traced back from her earliest childhood where despite her insistence in enrolling into every extra-curricular activity going, she somehow found a way to excel across the board; sports, the arts and of course her academics.
Nupur leads with the heart and her brain simply follows! That’s how her former colleagues and senior executives remember her to this day, from IMG, through Castrol, Mattel and most recently Star Sports (Walt Disney). It’s about giving it all, ‘leaving it all out on the field’, we had to use a sporting phrase as she’s a crazy cricket fan who has worked with the legends of world cricket, planning and executing the marketing of some of the most iconic sporting tournaments in the world including the renowned ICC World Cups, the IPL and T20 Tournaments.
But there’s more to her than her stellar marketing career. She’s continued to keep her passion for art alive throughout her journey. It’s been her way of relaxing, of healing, of expressing her feelings and most importantly, of growing.
At age 14, she was faced with bringing up her much younger siblings; juggling between college assignments and chores at home, whilst nurturing the little ones to make sure they didn’t miss out. A hobby soon became a form of expression to keep her mind off the everyday chaos.
“I’ve learnt in life, unless you’re out of your comfort zone, you can’t grow. Sometimes, it takes external factors that push us to our very limit. I’ve had moments where I’ve felt I’ve given it all and needed to recharge and that’s when I’ve turned to those creative outlets to channelise what I was feeling. Whether it was pencil shading, 3D art, Oil on canvas or writing poetry. They seemed to help me calm down and find my peace,” she says.
A brilliant multi-tasker, and someone who’s motto is ‘challenge accepted’, despite the obstacles facing her, she grew through the ranks in the corporate world while she continued to write and express herself. “Anybody who is passionate about trying to create a successful career but also mindful to make time for things they love, will get where I’m coming from,” says Nupur.
She is also thankful to have found some amazing mentors through her journey as a marketing professional. “I have a great rapport with them to this day and we still stay in touch and joke about the all the crazy projects we’ve been able to deliver,” she shares.
Over the years, her reflections became a collection of short verses and poems and three years ago, Nupur decided to launch her social media handle Verses & Sonnets which currently has over 20,000 followers on Facebook and 3,000 + on Instagram. When she started posting her work, she was taken aback and often brought to tears with messages from readers. “I was absolutely overwhelmed with the response. Thousands resonated with the words and how it was what they were going through, how V&S became something they loved waking up to.” This encouraged her to believe that people could ‘lean on’ the writing as a companion, a friend and find their peace.
Her first book ‘Verses & Sonnets – Freshly Brewed’ launched recently has become a beacon of hope to many.
Nupur is still very much a marketeer and will soon be at Warwick Business School, UK to pursue her third Masters. “Life isn’t about limitation and labels and my mentors have always encouraged me to think big. With their support I’ve been able to come this far. What lies ahead, perhaps only time will tell but I’m challenging myself yet again to pursue my MBA, which I hope will help me take my career to the next level. I’m absolutely thrilled by the response on the book and will always keep in touch with my creative side. Seeing what difference it can make, keeps me going,” she says.
(Nupur Gadkari moved on from Star Sports where she was head – Customer Strategy and Marketing in June, 2021. She has recently launched her first book ‘Verses & Sonnets – Freshly Brewed’)
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