Months ago, when Kusum met a guy who was working as a housekeeper at her event; super fluent in English and quite knowledgeable — she was taken by surprise when he told her that he was working part-time to feed his family. That was another lesson to Kusum.
Another lesson, yes. Kusum believes that every event she organizes teaches her a new lesson and gives her a new experience. “I get to meet so many people from different walks of life — each of them trying their best to be happy and live a good life. I learnt not to judge anyone, for which one may not know what that person holds inside,” says the 28 YO Lucknow girl who fought her insecurities and broke some unsaid societal rules to follow her dreams.
Kusum C Bala, a self-made event & wedding planner, mental health coach and social media expert shared her version of ‘Passion To Profession’ with me today and made me realize again that nothing comes easy — and the things you fight for comes with an incomparable satisfaction and happiness.
Kusum, a computer engineer by education and a social media associate by profession, is also a passionate event manager. Hailing from the beautiful city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Kusum recalls herself as a bright and super creative kid — the one who loved to get involved in events or mass activities.
This became the very obvious reason for her to switch her career into the media industry. “It was tough initially,” Kusum shares. “I had zero idea about the industry with zero guidance, and I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy!”
Being a person who follows her heart, Kusum took no time in becoming what she is today. From enrolling herself into a course to building up contacts, doing freelance, small tasks, etc. she did all to learn about the industry and finally landed on to what she calls her biggest breakthrough, Bollywood Music Project 2017 (BMP). There has been no looking back since then.
“I’m a dark-skinned girl — my complexion, and low self-confidence always made me insecure in this glamour-entertainment industry, but I never stopped learning. My encounter with each individual and my observations made me a better human being — with positive energy and high self-esteem,” Kusum continues. Today, she counsels several people, especially girls, for body positivity and career guidance.
Back in the 90s, event management was not in trends — definitely not one of the conventional career choices which left Kusum unaware of her potential. Later, she did a course in Event Management & Activation and started taking up every possible relevant work to gain experience. She made sure that she did not leave a single opportunity, no matter how small the work was. Simultaneously, she continued her full-time job to stay connected with the online marketing industry.
Fast forward six years, today she is a well-known name in the event management industry, a proud member of one of the biggest social media agencies and a confident woman who outshone the dakiyanoosi remarks of society.
“There are many entrepreneurs in India in millions. And I feel blessed that I could meet so many explorers — people who are aspiring to make a mark in their domain and people who already are brands! Each of them has taught me something. And it just blows my mind to see that there is no ending to the creativeness and awesomeness of our brain. All you need is a little trigger,” Kusum further continues.
“I do not hold any regrets! And I wish to educate people more and spread awareness about this industry as much as possible. A lot of people get trapped due to under or overexposure/ exploitation. All I wish is to be a better human being who could be more compassionate and helpful for them,” Kusum hopes for a better world, a happy world, despite all the minor and major destruction she witnessed in her life.
As I already mentioned — nothing comes easy. Kusum urges people to join this industry only if they are capable of working hard, and that includes all sorts of tasks. “You might even need to pick up chairs on some good days,” she laughs. The core thing is that one must not hesitate from learning something new and communication skills have to be great. “You will meet a lot of people from different walks of lives, and it really matters how you talk to them. Be it a driver or a major Bollywood singer; everyone must be respected equally,” she concludes with a note that one has to be the creator of his/ her own life and that demands responsibilities and exploration.
While some try to build a brand in the form of a venture/ startup, Kusum is making her name a brand. From complexion equality to body positivity, she proved that talent and will power matters more than anything.
You can reach out to Kusum to know more about the event management, brand reputation, and the online marketing industry via her Instagram or Facebook account. Click here to read more stories from our #PassionToProfession series.