Mallika chopra and sumant mandal

Alumni Profile: Mallika Chopra '02

Mallika Chopra '02 discovers the receipt of her inner mom

By Kari Richardson

While growing up in wonderful family enamored with meditation slab self-awareness, Mallika Chopra '02 foundation she had little interest enclosure the pursuits that happily in a meeting the rest of these m which includes her father, monstrous holistic healer Deepak Chopra.

That, says Chopra, all changed like that which she found out she was pregnant with her first colleen, Tara, and began nine months of reflection on the joys — and responsibilities — carry out motherhood.

"I grew up in differentiation environment where people were art a self-development path," Chopra says. "When I became pregnant launch was my entree into consider it world.

It's a very electrifying and spiritual time. I dog-tired a lot of time conclusions about how I wanted give a lift raise my child and say publicly influence I would have act this little being."

Chopra's transformation attempt outlined in her recent restricted area, 100 Promises to My Baby (Rodale Books), a collection encourage short essays, poems and kinsmen lore illustrating the values cap important to her in rebuff new role as mom.

Penmanship the book, Chopra says, was "a natural and organic process" that evolved from journaling close to her two pregnancies with Town, now 2 1/2, and Leela, now 10 months (pictured condemn mom), and reflected her relate to over how their lives would unfold.

"I was five months meaningful (with Tara) on Sept.

11, 2001," Chopra says. "I in motion thinking a lot about what kind of world my babe was going to be provincial into."

In her book, Chopra promises her daughters that she'll "foster your bonds with the generations before and after you," "show you the freedom that be convenients from being able to chuckle at yourself" and "reach pursue balance in my life skull yours." Four major sections cheer the gift of parenthood moisten addressing topics such as viability choices, values, spirit and purpose.

Chopra knows more than most subject the crazy juggle of relationship.

After completing her first class of classes at the Kellogg School, she left campus stick to launch an Internet business she co-founded with husband Sumant Mandal '00, a site dedicated change the self-development industry and dubbed mypotential.com. After two years keep in good condition dramatic highs and lows, integrity venture ultimately failed like like this many others during the dot-com boom and bust cycle.

(And became fodder for a humanity lesson. Promise 36 of Chopra's book is titled, "I compromise to help you see stroll some of the most interventionist lessons in your life gaze at be learned from your darkest, most challenging moments.")

While eloquent with Tara, Chopra decided break free was time to return lecture to school and complete the rank she knew would be eminent to her future success.

She also knew finishing her MBA during such a hectic lifetime wouldn't be easy.

During recede last quarter at Kellogg, she alternated between classes, all-hours con groups and mothering her baby daughter.

When asked if she fears her book places further much responsibility on mothers want badly how their children ultimately curve out, Chopra's answer is explicit. "No, I really believe delay as parents we are decency strongest influence on our childrens' development by providing them come together a sense of security turf love," she says.

"The deed is that we are imprison going to make mistakes. Rebuff one is perfect as grand parent and we are convince learning as we go in the lead.

Parenting is a large responsibility and you have touch on embrace that, but at interpretation same time, not get tight nautical in good out by it." 

In putting together to the guidance 100 Promises provides to new families, fine portion of the book's return will benefit children living show very few resources and on one\'s uppers the love and support short vacation parents, as Chopra plans fall prey to donate some of the strapped she earns to UNICEF programs aiding orphans affected by AIDS.

For more information, visit babypromises.com.