Madhumita Bhaskar is Co-Founder and CEO of ShrotaHouse, which introduces children to Indian classical music. She has been trained in Hindustani classical music since middle school, and her earlier career spanned software engineering and a return to India in 2018 before she founded ShrotaHouse, recognised by NSRCEL IIM Bangalore, Microsoft for Startups, and Startup India.

On Choices That Looked Risky From the Outside

Q1. Most careers have a decision that looked wrong from the outside and turned out to be exactly right. What was yours, and what did it teach you that no formal experience could have?

There were two instances where I made radical career choices. One was when I quit my job as a software engineer in India and moved to the US to be with my husband. The second was when I quit my job in the US to embrace maternity and later moved back to India for good in 2018 - Me with a baby and no concrete backup or future plan.I give a special cheer to my husband. From the outside these may be tagged risky, but back then I knew my reasons very well and my self confidence was strengthened from what I had learnt in the course of these switches beyond technical skills, which eventually backed me in starting my own company.

On learning music

Q2. What is the most widely held belief in your field that you quietly, or not so quietly, disagree with?

The goal of learning music is to perform on stage.

Musical avenues for young children

Q3. You have built real expertise in a specific area over a long time. When did the work start feeling like yours, not just something you were doing?

I have been trained in Hindustani Music since middle school. What started as my admiration for the arts, especially Indian classical music and dance, now is a basis for a larger vision at ShrotaHouse, where we create fresh avenues especially for young children, Gen Alpha and onward to get involved in Indian classical music exploration. Management is a different ball game as compared to being an artist, so I am honestly learning to enjoy the work involved. Heading ShrotaHouse is transforming me in the most uniquely satisfying ways, being backed by a strong purpose as well as the startup ecosystem (NSRCEL, Startup India, IRMA-iSeed, Microsoft for Startups etc).

The 1 AM Brainstorm Sessions

Q4. There is usually work that happens with no name on it, no metric attached, and that most people around you probably do not notice. What is the most important thing you do that fits that description?

Explaining every step of our hard work at ShrotaHouse to my curious young son and receiving his ideas … and also the 1 AM brainstorm sessions.

Necessary and Sufficient

Q5. There is a version of visibility that requires performance, constant output, constant presence. And there is another version that is just being findable in the right places. How do you think about the difference?

If visibility could lead to achievements and growth, then I believe being visible in the right places at the right time is necessary and sufficient for key critical growth. Being digitally visible beyond that with added consistency seems to help certain people achieve followings and aligned goals.

Honest Love Towards the Subject of Work

Q6. Building a career in India, in the field you are in, carries a specific set of invisible requirements that are not in any job description. What are some of them?

Belief in self and honest love towards the subject of work rather than trends or others’ opinions.

I Am Glad I Was Human

Q7. Five years from now, you are in a conversation with someone whose judgment you trust. Not a performance review, just an honest conversation. What do you want to be able to say about this period?

I am glad I was human and trusted our team while navigating the AI shift.

Madhumita Bhaskar is Co-Founder and CEO of ShrotaHouse. This interview was conducted as part of the Draupadi on the Dais Interview Series.