How to overcome challenges in life | Debashree Biswas | TEDxSSCBS | Summary and Q&A

Summary

In this video, Dri Biswas, an actor and luxury lifestyle content creator, shares her journey from a humble background to achieving her dreams. She talks about the hardships she faced, her determination to succeed, and the courage it takes to follow one's heart. Dri emphasizes the importance of hard work, challenges, and perseverance in building the life you aspire to have.

Questions & Answers

Q: Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to pursue your dreams?

Dri Biswas comes from a slightly humble background, financially not well off. However, her love for performing on stage, especially in dance and drama, and her passion for fashion inspired her to work hard and pursue her dreams.

Q: What were the challenges you faced in your early days, and how did you overcome them?

Dri faced discrimination in school based on her inability to speak English fluently and her non-privileged background. Determined to change her circumstances, she studied hard and learned English. She also saved money to attend an English medium college to pursue her studies.

Q: What sparked your interest in the aviation industry, and how did you overcome the lack of opportunities in your hometown?

Dri's love for traveling led her to develop an interest in the aviation industry, specifically becoming an air hostess. However, opportunities were limited in her hometown, so she decided to move to Mumbai. With limited funds, she joined an aviation and hospitality diploma course and worked at a call center to support herself.

Q: Did you face any setbacks or challenges during this phase?

Yes, Dri faced a setback when she fell into a scam of a call center that did not pay her salary. As a result, she had to live in the back seat of a colleague's car on the streets of Mumbai for almost a week. However, this challenging phase made her stronger and more determined.

Q: How did you transition from working at a call center to pursuing a career in acting?

While working in the call center, someone handed Dri a leaflet suggesting she try modeling and acting because of her photogenic appearance. Though she initially dismissed the idea, she eventually gave it a try. Professionally clicked pictures led her to land a lead role in the TV show "Chandramukhi" on DD1.

Q: Were there any challenges in pursuing a career in acting initially?

Dri faced numerous auditions and rejections before finally landing the primary role of Mana in "Suhana Safar." She enrolled herself in an acting school to further improve her skills while continuing to give auditions. It took hundreds of auditions and a demotivating phase before achieving success.

Q: What was it like to become a celebrity and be recognized for your work?

Dri experienced great success and recognition as a TV actress. She became a star and received awards and nominations for her role. Being known by her character name and having people take pictures with her was a surreal experience.

Q: Why did you decide to quit your TV show and pursue a career as a content creator?

After being part of the TV show for about two years, Dri felt bored and stagnant. She wanted to have creative liberty and explore different opportunities. She made the courageous decision to leave the show and pursue her dreams of traveling and living life on her own terms.

Q: How did you transition into becoming a content creator and what challenges did you face?

Dri had already been sharing her life on Instagram, and PR agencies and brands started to notice her. She received products to experiment with and create content about, initially through barter deals. Eventually, she started getting paid opportunities and worked with numerous Indian and international brands.

Q: What are some of the achievements you are proud of in your career?

Dri is proud of her journey and the hard work she has put in. She has worked with luxury brands, stayed at iconic properties, and gained over 700k followers on Instagram. These achievements are not just materialistic benefits, but they represent her growth and success.

Takeaways

Dri's story highlights the importance of having the courage to follow your heart and work relentlessly towards your dreams. She emphasizes that it doesn't matter how slow your journey is or how your dreams may change along the way. What matters is that you grow, rise, and shine. Hard work, challenges, and perseverance are the building blocks for creating your own path and achieving the life you aspire to have.