KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 – A quality assurance manager in a biomedical laboratory in the day, a yoga instructor in the evening, and an author who had her first book “Begin Your Yoga Journey” published in Amazon last year – all in between her time with family and friends – Roshani Vijaya Kumar, 33, is quite unstoppable.
She is already working on the second book and expects to complete the remaining two books in the four-part series in the next few years.
So how does she do it? In an interview with Weekly Echo recently, Roshani talked about what inspired her to write a book on yoga, enter the world of biomedical laboratory and stem cell research and then of course, the woman behind her success – her mother!
“I wanted to write about the practice of yoga, as I felt the art and physical aspects of yoga practice for most part was getting a lot of attention as a lifestyle thing, with many pursuing it as an exercise form. Well and good and absolutely nothing wrong, but there are also many aspects to yoga. I thought a simple book going into these various aspects will become useful for those taking up yoga.
“My mother, Sathiavany, a school teacher who taught English, played a major role. She was the person who actually got me started on writing the book.”
The second book Roshani is working on under the series Yoga-Ing Through Life, which was published by Amazon last August, will be on Asanas, which deals with the physical aspects of Yoga, she said.
“But I am not in a hurry to finish it though,” she said, adding that she also wanted “to savour life and take things one at a time.”
How many copies have you sold in Amazon, so far? Twenty-five, she says, totally unperturbed by the number. “That is because I have done very little marketing, but I intend to soon. Making it available on E-Book is one option. I am still exploring all the options to market it the best way. For now, I am just glad to have the work done and made available the information out there.”
Then, the topic moves to another passion – the science of stem cell.
“This is the in-thing now … you know where you don’t have to always take medicine to cure some ailments but where you can actually use stem cells to replace cells that have been damaged due to injury or disease. Of course it is still new and research is ongoing,” said Roshani who has a Degree in Biomedical Sciences from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar.
Roshani’s excitement about being part of the research going in this field is inescapable as she explains the role she plays in the laboratory where she works.
Asked on her travel plans, Roshani said she was more into local destinations for now, although she loved travelling to India prior to Covid-19 and would love to travel to India again. “Kedarnath, in the Himalayan range area was amazing.”
“I have been to India so many times, and never been anywhere else but would like to expand my travel destinations though. But for now, with travel back in the scene, I would like to do local. Cameron Highlands on a week day is a favourite place for me. Driving up there, eating some scones, having some tea, reading a book and coming back!”
— WE