Mumbai's Mahilas: Meera Isaacs
Brigid Connell (BC): Can you tell me a little bit about what you do for a living and how you got into it?
Meera Isaacs (MI): Well, I come from a line of teachers, but I didn't really want to be a teacher. I really wanted to be a journalist because my father was a journalist. I think there was a certain heroic buildup about him, for the simple reason that he died very tragically in an air accident while on an assignment, when I was not yet 5. My mother was very insistent that I do my MA; she wasn't happy about journalism. In those days you really didn't argue much with your parents, so I read English Literature. After I had my first child, I did my B.Ed. And here I am!
BC: How did you end up at Cathedral?
MI: I stayed with my mother for a full year when I had my first baby as my husband was away on an assignment in Russia. She needed help in the school there, and I found I really liked teaching. After I taught in a girls' school in Delhi, I applied to Cathedral; they needed a substitute teacher, just for a month. So I started as a teacher in History and English. Along the way Psychology was added as well. And then I guess I was just kicked up the ladder as Housemistress, Vice Principal and finally I became the Principal of this school.
BC: What does your work look like on a daily basis?
MI: Once you become principal, there's so much administrative work to be done, that I really feel that I have lost the tremendous rapport that I used to have with the children when I taught them. But, on the other hand, there have been very positive changes in the school. We've just started the IB [International Baccalaureate] now and we are moving towards establishing the International Wing of the School. I oversee all of the schools, but I have a good set of Vice Principals and Headmistresses who look after each section, and a staff who work hard to give the kind of education that we envisage for our children, and an excellent Board of Governors. Frankly, I think I'm extremely fortunate.
BC: Who or what do you think has been your greatest influence, both personally and professionally?
MI: I think my greatest influence really would be my mother. Because - while I didn't see eye-to-eye with her on many occasions - as I've grown, I've realized that there was so much good sense to what she said and the way she brought us up. I'm grateful to her for insisting on a professional degree, and giving us an idea of our own identity. She was a very strong woman; she gave us a very deep-rooted sense of values. More than anything else, she made us resilient, well-grounded people.
BC: What's your favourite thing about living here?
MI: When I was growing up here in Mumbai, I had a lovely time. It was a different age: we certainly didn't have the kind of traffic we have now, we lived in very gracious houses, we had enough place to play. Maybe I'm just overly-conscious of the past, but it was a beautiful time. To answer your question. My favourite thing is to be able to look out from my dining room window at a red ixora plant in full bloom and watch the tiny birds that visit it. I feel blessed to be surrounded by the greenery of my garden, the beauty of my home and the grace of our heritage School buildings.
BC: Have you had any personal experiences with gender stereotypes in your profession or your industry?
MI: To tell you the truth, no. I don't think I have ever felt that I haven't been given my due. I think every single woman in our country must have felt that she is looked upon or treated somewhat as a lesser being or as a sexual object. I can't say it's not happened to me, but I've never felt discriminated against. I became the first female Principal when this school was 146 years old. I have been more fortunate than most in this regard.
BC: What type of advice would you give to young women living in India right now about success?
MI: They have to be their own person. I'm not asking them all to be Joan of Arc; I am saying you need to be confident in yourself as a human being, and you've got to take responsibility for yourself. You've got to question! You've got to be able to put your point of view across. I'm glad that girls are raising their voices now in our country. Be educated, get a profession, just be independent. I feel that people have to be happy in whatever they're doing. And we need to allow people to be happy in the best way they know how.
BC: What was the most recent book you read?
MI: 'The Emergency' by Coomi Kapoor. There's another frivolous and fun book that I'm reading along with it by Anuja Chauhan, 'The House that B J Built'.
BC: What is something that you've worked on that you're particularly proud of?
MI: Well I work a lot on the school, ramping up everything on a regular basis trying to give the children the best that we can. For example, we send our children to the Harvard MUN [Model United Nations], Reach Cambridge, Singapore - all education-related. I think we need to be able to give our kids the ability to think and to work through things to become confident young people.
BC: So looking ahead, what are you aiming for?
MI: I'm looking to just hang up my boots, shoes, chappals, whatever. I need a little more time here just to get the IB off the ground. And once that is done, I think I need to relax and take life a little easy. What I really want to do is to start up a school, maybe not even a school, but to work with underprivileged girls.
BC: Why is that?
MI: Because frankly I think I've been dealing with very privileged children. I suppose I have made some contribution to education, but I've done it for children who already have everything anyway. We have so many kids who are very capable little people, who have the ability, who have everything going for them but the opportunity. So I want to do that. I think if I'm to give my life any real worth, I need to do this.
Mumbai's Mahilas is an interview series conducted by Brigid Connell, Programme Development Intern, Asia Society India Centre. The series explores the diversity and drive of Mumbai's women, both personally and professionally. All women, especially those who are leaders in their field and who create change in their communities, were encouraged to participate. Interviews cover women's backgrounds, professions, successes, interests, reflections, and advice for other women. Any views or opinions presented in this series are solely those of the individuals and do not represent those of the Asia Society India Centre.