When you reach a certain age everyone starts expecting certain things from you. Society starts expecting you to behave in a certain way. It’s like they forget that you too are a human with your own wishes and fancies. Your age which opened doors for you as you transitioned from a child to an adult becomes your biggest barrier when you go beyond adulthood and enter old age. Even though your body feels fine and your mind is ready to climb the next Everest society tells you that it’s not right and you should take a break. Defying all these silly expectations that society has set for people who are old, Neeru Saini trailblazes her way through it all. And we know it as she shared the same with us in our interview.
Neeru Saini: Early Life
Born in Batala, Punjab, Neeru Saini was a bright young girl. At an early age, she showed tremendous interest in sports and even became a national-level sportsperson as a child. But at the young age of 20, she was married off. And as married life entered the mix, her passion for sports, dance and fitness took a back seat. She completely devoted herself to raising her family.
For many years after the marriage life was stable and calm with the usual chaos from children. But soon the storm came that uprooted Neeru Saini’s life from the ground. At age 28, her husband was diagnosed with blood cancer. And in four years they had drained up all the family savings but sadly her husband lost the battle to cancer. A housewife with no money in her early thirties and two daughters to take care of life seemed like an endless dark tunnel. Many people may have given up but Neeru Saini didn’t even think about giving up. She believed that there was still more to life and it was not the end for her or her children.
Neeru Saini: Building A Life Again
After the unfateful incident that resulted in the death of her husband, Neeru Saini picked herself up and restarted her life. She began by providing tuition to school kids and studying simultaneously to help her gain a better job. Soon she started working as a full-time teacher in a private school and later in a government school. Through it all she ensured that she never lost faith in herself and ensured that her kids got all that they needed. She even urged her daughters to find their own future even though it may take them far from her. She ensured that her daughters were independent and could blaze through life like she did. Even to this day, she looks back to those times in her life when she started her life from scratch after her husband’s death as the time that really moulded her into the resilient person that she is today.
But even after building herself up, things changed in such a way that she couldn’t help but fall apart once again. She loved others around her so much that when she was left by herself she just couldn’t understand what to do. That’s when she had to find herself. She even considered going for a second marriage but her uncle became her voice of reason and told her to focus on herself if she wanted to get out of her depression and not another person. He suggested her to try meditation and she joined a meditation camp, where she realised that there was so much she could do by herself.
Gradually she re-connected to her first love, sports and soon dancing followed. And little by little she found bits and pieces of herself that she had lost over the years. Neeru Saini learnt to love herself all over again.
Neeru Saini: Social Media Journey
Soon enough she asked an ex-student of hers, a yoga and dance instructor, to teach her the same. And while dancing her heart out and perfecting her yoga postures she asked her student to record the same and one day with her permission he posted the same on social media and she realised that she felt good doing it. And that’s how her social media journey began.
As a way to empower women in her area, she formed many a WhatsApp group for different activities, from running to biking to dancing. Initially, she posted her dance videos in the groups to encourage her fellow female friends to express themselves and not hold back. When she started posting on social media like Instagram and YouTube her goal remained the same, to help other women in India realise that it’s never too late to do what you love.
Rather than following any trendy diet, Neeru Saini focuses on eating clean and organic food and exercising regularly to stay fit. As and when some of her videos started becoming viral, haters followed suit. Initially, it did bother her as many commented on how she should act according to her age and not post such dancing videos on social media. But while meditating she realised if she was actually doing something wrong she shouldn’t feel happy about it or do it at all, there was no point in doing it but not posting it on social media. Hence, she realised that she was not on the wrong side of things.
But being a teacher by profession she couldn’t just tell the haters to shut up, she decided to explain to them her side of the story and as predicted many did understand and sympathised with her and even apologised for their comments. To this day she believes in focusing on herself rather than thinking too much about what others think, keeping her faith in “kill ‘em with kindness” Neeru Saini turns a hater into a follower with her patience and grace. With her goal of influencing more older Indians to be fit and put it out on social media, she hopes to increase the number of older female Indian fitness influencers.
A Message for Young Dreamers
As someone who has been on social media for a long time now, she realises that you need to have a thick skin to truly feel happy about what you put out. She urges the younger generation to think thoroughly about what part of their life they are comfortable showcasing. As that part may be put through a lot of scrutiny and may receive negative backlash. She suggests that they apologise if they are in the wrong but she also suggests that they stand their ground if they know they didn’t do anything wrong. At the end of the day, she suggests to just enjoy their time on social media and be themselves.
