The name Mousai represents the trinity of the greek goddesses of art,poetry and dance. An artist at heart and also by profession, it was her passion for music, people and a deep desire to serve a greater purpose in her life that led Pragnya Wakhlu to start Mousai in 2009.
“When I was working in the field of technology in the USA for a Fashion brand, I felt that the reason for my being on earth was to serve a greater purpose than coding for a rich fashion retailer. I had to follow my passion and I had to create a job that suited my passions. Thats how I started Mousai!”
say Pragnya.
[box type=”shadow” align=”aligncenter” ]The idea of Mousai is to help people realize their true potential using the power of music & movement. Mousai conducts workshops where they use music & movement as a learning methodology to help people lead more inspired & positive lives. The company is based on the philosophy of creating harmony between the body and the mind. [/box]
People usually have self-limiting beliefs ,emotional blocks & rigid minds that prevent them from leading a wholesome & happy life. Music and movement have the power to release, transform & inspire people. Mousai tries to create a strong connection of the body with the mind and makes sure that a relaxed and flexible body helps one to flex the mind thus making you think more positively.
Pragnya created various Mousai workshops by working with Aastha Raina,a dance therapist, to crystallize the idea and run pilots of their programs on different groups of people.
“My experience as a musician & Aastha’s psychology & dance therapy background were our core strengths in the creation of these programs. We were also mentored by Pragati Leadership in Pune in our initial year.”
says Pragnya. The company today works with various NGO’s and Corporates to help them create better lives for their employees. Mousai also works with homemakers and kids to help them realize their true potential. Mousai is a 4 people team today and works with customers in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi- NCR region.
Like most other companies working in newer areas , Mousai also found it difficult explain their concept in the industry in their initial days.
“Getting the first few orders was the hardest..Also a lot of companies are worried about how what we were doing was going to help their profits. You have to explain to them that investing in an employee’s happiness will lead to a happy workplace which in turn will lead to increased productivity and thereby increased profits.The biggest lesson learnt was when you are venturing into a new,innovative field which is relatively unheard of, document your work religiously & get testimonials so that you have enough research and well documented data to validate what you are doing.“
says Pragnya. The company is now working on creating a series of workshops ranging from Sound healing to Emotional & Creative expressions. Mousai is also trying to build community by doing a bimonthly community music & dance event around the city where people come together to learn songs and dances from around the world. Going forward the company plans to work with hospitals and their patients to boost their happiness and immunity. Mousai has plans to make their services available in atleast 3 other cities very soon. The company plans to expand internationally and is also looking for organizations to strategically collaborate with for working in the United States.
Pragnya works with the philosophy of being the best at what you do ! An engineer who was awarded the Best Outgoing Student award in the year of her graduation, Pragnya always wanted to do something to serve people in India.After returning to India from the States, Pragnya completed her Management in Entrepreneurship from IIM Bangalore to equip herself with some skills on how to run an organization before starting Mousai.
Meeting a number of successful Women Entrepreneurs of different ages, Pragnya believes that age or gender doesn’t pose any barrier to starting your own company.Single women, married women, moms , mom’s changing their careers – Women today have done it all.
“The biggest challenge for a woman entrepreneur is time management..particularly if she is married and there’s the house & the kids & the marriage to look after. There’s always that dual responsibility that a woman has to embrace..and sometimes it creates moral conflicts in your mind about whether you’re giving enough time to all the aspects of your life. You have to be very judicious about how you’re spending your day to make the most of it.”
she says. So what advice does Pragnya have for all the other women out there who are trying to startup on their own?
“Chase your dream with passion ,perseverance and patience. Whenever you find yourself giving up or when things get hard, remember the reason you’re doing what you’re doing & the joy it gives you . That is what will drive you to continue on your path.Also, the first few years you’ll be reinvesting a lot of what you earn back into the company.Make sure you have enough savings to tide you over initially when you begin your venture!”
