Geeta’s story
Today, Geeta writes and performs for TV and radio, on the web and in print. She writes directly for businesses and works with a network of graphic artists, web developers and other wordsmiths to provide clients with a total package that’s custom designed for their needs. Her years in the media have given her a visceral understanding of the word “deadline”. Want to know how she got here? Read on!
Geeta Nadkarni was born in Mumbai, India. Like most middle and upper class Indians, she spoke English as a first language with Hindi following as a close second. Geeta is the oldest of three daughters, born to a journalist father and oncologist mother. Though not particularly religious, the Nadkarni sisters were raised to believe that the Queen’s English was sacred.
So, imagine her father’s horror when, at the age of 10, Geeta brought home a report card saying she had passed essay writing by the skin of her teeth. Unable to fathom how anyone carrying his genetic material could possibly balk at essay writing, Geeta’s father forced his two older daughters to write 3 essays a week all through their summer vacation.
Or they couldn’t go down to play.
To his credit, he made it interesting: he patiently coached them on scrapbooking, the art of the personal essay, writing mini book reviews of cherished bedtime stories, short fiction and more. Before the end of that summer, a strange alchemy occurred. Geeta decided she LIKED writing essays. Even more than drawing and hopscotch. Even more than chocolate! When the next exam results came back, Geeta was at the top of her class in the long-form writing department. And she stayed there until she graduated university.
Of course, in teaching her how to overcome her terror of the blank page, Shirish Nadkarni created a monster. Gone were any hopes that young Geeta would enroll in medical school or get a law degree! Instead, at age 12, she began publishing short stories, poems and essays in youth magazines and newspapers. For money. Her first paycheque was for the princely sum of 110 Dh (UAE Dirhams) from Dubai’s “Young Times”. With the conversion rate at the time, the amount more than trebled in value. A decent chunk of change for a 12-year-old. So every time her mother yelled at her about the state of her room, Geeta smugly counted down the days to financial independence.
That… uh… took a few years. But it also took Geeta places. Her ability to sculpt words allowed her to become the first intern to have an ad published at FCB Ulka, Mumbai. It was a car ad touting the safety features of the Tata Indica. Her headline, “We consult dummies for intelligence on safety” ran under a photo of crash test dummies in action.
Next, she moved to Singapore to work for Asia Pacific Broadcasting, an industry publication for television and radio broadcasters. Romance with a French Canadian led her to Montreal, where she fell in love at first sight with the city. Her love of Quebec culture blossomed even as her relationship with her (now ex) paramour soured. She stayed on, eventually landing a job in television and meeting Patrice Blain, whom she eventually married.
Pat and Geeta share their lives with two cats (Molly and Elvis) and their German shepherd/collie mix, Lucie. They live in an apartment with way too many books, an assortment of homemade pet toys, and yes, a fridge full of curry!
