In 2016, I sat down with Dr Anjhula Mya Singh Bais for a wide ranging interview and cover shoot. It was India’s foremost women’s magazine, ‘SAVVY’ Magazine’s historic first black and white cover. Readers flooded the magazine with letters of appreciation for her interview variously citing her courage and grace, and how that left an indelible mark not only on the countless readers but me as well – I was truly inspired by her strength, clarity of thought, and unwavering commitment to the truth. As a result, she earned the ‘SAVVY’ woman of the year award. I still remember her request of minimum air brushing and photoshop be used for the cover.
With a life that both entails and demands operating at the highest levels professionally and personally, Dr Anjhula has an indefinable presence, power, and persuasion. Wielding a wide ranging intellect, wry wit and ability to hold forth on just about anything, she was on time, well-spoken and humble, a welcome change from the other famous personalities I had met and interviewed in my career as a journalist and editor. Merrily sipping white wine at 4 p.m. “Ah, put it down to my Rajasthani roots”, she very articulately fielded my volley of questions on the spot.
Described as one of the most powerful women in Asia, and one of the best educated Indian entertainment industry figures, Dr Anjhula embodies what TheGlitz Media is about: Style, Sensibility, Spirited ‘sassy’ness… and of course, going ‘Beyond The Superficial & The Ordinary’ to achieve the extraordinary to give the readers the ultimate experience in media. At the start of the year, I sat down with her for a quick catch up on what she is doing almost a decade later. I found her the same yet more in focus was her spirit, her transcendent, fiery thoughts, her ardent will, and her high calling.

• Sumita Chakraborty, Editor-in-Chief, TheGlitz Media

Over to the TheGlitz Media 2025 Catalyst & Game Changer – Dr Anjhula Mya Singh Bais

Your career spans numerous fields and areas – from psychological trauma to human rights advocacy, climate change,feminism, modelling, your family conglomerate and the duties of an erstwhile background. Can you share the pivotal moments or experiences that shaped your journey and led you to become the influential figure you are today?

Dr Anjhula: Life happens. All things that shape a human experience and the human condition, for example, love, loss, betrayal, integrity, joy, loss, health, and sickness have been formative. Some of the most pivotal moments were doing my undergraduate in India at Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) for its feminist training, bucking arranged marriages and getting married to a feminist ally (Satish Selvanathan), being held hostage at gun point (negotiating a successful release), taking on corruption in Malaysia in a potentially land mark case and winning, choosing international as opposed to clinical psychology which means a much more equanimous understanding of human behaviour, leading and facilitating global organisations and the dynamic fluctuating environments that entails, becoming a young global leader (YGL) of the World Economic Forum, an environment largely free from envy and competition, deciding to be child free for environmental and climate reasons, travelling to Greenland with leading climate scientists to understand the climate crisis: these all have made a mark.

Some of these experiences I wouldn’t have willingly chosen, but being thrust into it, I embrace the learning. All of us have the ability to be alchemists, turning base metal into gold.

You have recently been appointed an ambassador for the French National Awareness and prevention campaign “Mots et Maux de femmes” in favour of the elimination of violence against women. Reading about the campaign, they chose you as someone with the ability to raise and elevate issues internationally. As a feminist and human rights advocate then, what do you believe is the most overlooked issue when it comes to women’s rights globally, and how do you address these challenges in your work, your life, and with Amnesty International?

Dr Anjhula: Gender rights and violence itself. It’s 2025 and when we look at the paucity of women, especially women of colour in leadership positions, the violence on women, for example the case of Gisele Pelicot in France where she inspiringly said “Shame changes sides”, or the 70,000 plus male membership of a German telegram group that shares tips on how to drug and rape women, with often live streams, it defies explanation. Whilst there is focus on gender, it’s not deep, hard, serious or swift enough, nor is there enough attention and resources put behind this. This violence manifests in different ways according to culture. In India for example, it’s through the deeply flawed and brutal patriarchal systems that a woman is raped every 16 minutes. Violence is occurring on every level: macro, meso, micro. The well-meaning aunt that tells a young woman to be quiet about the sexual abuse otherwise she’s not marriageable material? Meso level violence. …Women feeling unsafe in boardrooms, bedrooms, the beach? Systemic macro-level violence. Women judges are interrupted 3 times more than their male peers, this is micro level. Drop by drop, it adds to despair and exhaustion, especially the accruing of micro injuries like carrying for example menstrual products in a paper bag out of shame or being consider dark-skinned in India.

Amnesty has a robust program work on gender rights for example Human Rights Education for Gender Equity or on Sexual and Reproductive Rights. Internally, across many global organisations I work with, I repeatedly experience male fragility and insecurity with men not quite realising their opinions are not equal to my expertise. I am no stranger to male violence in the board room, on social media, and in society at large. From rape threats, to stalking, to vicious name calling, to dishonesty, laziness, and ruthlessness, I have seen and experienced this inborn entitlement, its universal.

My spouse and I often talk about the double bind where a woman is damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t. If you have intersecting identities i.e. a woman of colour for example, you have to be twice as good, the scrutiny and benchmark are not average. My husband and I can utter the same sentence in the same way, he is assertive, I am aggressive. Allyship and greater understanding of cultural upbringings and unconscious bias will help all of us to be better leaders and citizens and tackle these issues on multiple levels. The key is to acknowledge this is an issue to begin with. It is also key to take a stand. I refuse to accept and do labour where I clean up messes created by men, the phenomena known as the glass cliff. I think Rebecca Shaw echoes what many women are perhaps secretly thinking: “I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world (or organisations) down- I just didn’t expect them to be such losers”. Ngozi Cadmus offers a great free translation service here: your passion is “aggressive” Translation: Too strong. Your voice is “loud” Translation: too present. Your confidence is “intimidating” Translation: Too much

You haven been awarded several of The American Psychological Association’s most prestigious citations. Your work as a global psychological trauma specialist deals with the most vulnerable populations. In your opinion, what are the long-term psychological effects of systemic oppression, and how can societies better support healing and resilience?

Dr Anjhula: Societies and governments can better support healing and resilience by Exposure, Exposure, Exposure. It is said you can’t have an enemy if there is understanding and experience of their lived reality. How often do we come out of our bubble? We all have them. …The White Privilege Bubble. The Urban Bubble. The High Socio Economic Status bubble. The Global North Bubble. Women and children are, of course, the most vulnerable populations, and they literally do and have the ability to sustain the very planet. It continues to be mind boggling that this is not strategically harnessed for the greater happiness and prosperity of all. Long term oppression has a plethora of psychological and material consequences from economic GDP loss due to lost productivity, to increased health expenditure, early mortality, increased violence, and decreasing mental health. A collective consciousness of resignation and despair ensues i.e. “What can and will really change? “Nothing!”

Stop building Burj Khalifa height buildings and invest into free mental health training and rectification of structural deficiencies. If this is a state roll out, it will more than pay for itself. With better mental health, we are able to grasp and pay attention to our rights. Leaders need to have a vision for the future of the country and world, not what makes them popular for the next election cycle. I take comfort that former US president Jimmy Carter was only a one term president where one could argue he didn’t play politics. He came from a place of principles and pragmatism, and it’s no surprise that he’s the only president to be awarded a noble peace prize after the presidency. It takes courage not to be political. This is why some of my most prized experiences are my field work which I plan to return after my term is over with Amnesty. On the ground from Sierra Leone to Democratic Republic of Congo, to Myanmar and Bangladesh, experience coupled with education is a potent combination.

Your family owns and operates a 9 figure revenue 4th generational Southeast Asia portfolio conglomerate. What is that experience like, how do you contribute to it, and it to you?

Dr Anjhula: I am thankful for the diversity of experience and exposure this brings. From mindsets to strategic thinking, operations, execution, and forecasting, it’s been a vertical learning curve. With 10,000 employees, going through the Sri Lankan Civil War, my in-laws are a walking and talking lesson in leadership. It has taught me what to take and not take a stand for, how to navigate multitudes of political and socio-economical realties on the ground across countries, negotiations, and analysis. I consult frequently on the HR side of things in terms of culture, managing people, hiring and firings and on best governance practices. I read CVs and meet people prior to a major C-suite hire to ascertain if they are a fit. This experience helps enormously when you Chair for example an organisation like Amnesty or facilitate global CEOs through the Young Presidents Organisation (YPO). It’s easy for the world of activism to dislike the world of business but we have a lot to learn from each other. Activism is the reason that ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) considerations are standard topics in board rooms today, but equally, strict financial controls, know-how and efficiency are gifts that the business world can give to other fields. There is no such thing as developed and undeveloped countries. The rich ones plundered the others. They stay rich by plundering, albeit in not such obvious ways as the past. It is in people’s inherent self-interest to maintain their global hegemony, this must be challenged brick by brick and dismantled.

They say… ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown’. Coming from an erstwhile Noble family of Rajasthan, how have your roots influenced your attitude, your behaviour and your outlook?

Dr Anjhula: Honour. In Rajasthan, we have a saying (metaphoric now days): Death before dishonour. There are many avenues I can take to get ahead, to put myself out there etc, but what does it cost one? Integrity is paramount, a fundamental mainstay. It is amusing to see a white global north hegemony where the default is to centre their way of being as right and normative. As if their brand or notion of civility is correct and others are savages. I see this all the time, the hubris of having white skin and thinking you are the purveyor of all things proper. Coming from a lineage that’s a thousand years old, if anything, my people are better candidates for what works. We have a track record. I will never place civility over justice. Whilst there is no need to be cruel, achieving anti-racism, financial equity and gender parity is not going to come through what I call a “Kumbaya” notion of only kindness and unity. That only serves to maintain the status quo. The world is fragmented as it were; division is natural if there is a deep and sometimes existential topic at hand. Rather than trying to change a perpetual reality, my roots have taught me how to battle. The how is imperative and matters.

Rajput Royal families operate very differently than how mainstream Royals operate (for example from the Global North). Far from being a tax burden, there has always been a complete emphasis on sustainability, good governance, justice and balance, i.e. the philosophical warrior king or queen. We are the indigenous protectors of the land and people and I feel activism is a natural output for the modern royal. My roots teach me it’s not only what you do, but also how you do it. Our ancestors were put in a variety of diverse experiences. …From war over kingdoms to fighting the British colonial rule, to modern day members of parliament and politicians, to settling land disputes between former subjects. It has taught me when to be fierce, when to be compassionate, when to be unbending, when to be flexible, what in modern day parlance is called agile leadership. Another saying we have is “your word/your last name is your bond”. If you say you’re going to do something, contractually or not, you must honour it, even if it’s just a handshake or the utterance of the promise. I take this seriously and have zero time for people who do not. These principles have stood the test of time, they work and that’s why I try to adhere to them as much as possible. We honour time, trust, and truth. The one place I may differ from my clan is I am more focused on trying to be a great ancestor rather than a great descendant and yet there is a whole bloodline of women chanting my name as I make all the right enemies. Depending on the field, organisation, or crowd, I can speak openly about my family. I wish sometimes I could speak normally about my reality and parents as a mom and dad, but I am aware that people can perceive it as intimidating, seeing the conversation through the lens of hereditary titles. Reincarnation wise, I realise this “title” is one for this lifetime, a role I have to play for this lifetime, we will see what the next life holds! In this sense, I take things seriously, but not myself.

How do you reconcile your super model career that reached the highest of highs with feminism?

Dr Anjhula: There is nothing to reconcile. Feminism at its simplest level is about choice. I choose to model, and I have shaped the parameters of that career in accordance with my values. For example, I didn’t wear real fur or feathers for Fashion Weeks in New York, I refused to endorse the Fair and Lovely brand of Skin Whitening, I advocated for all body types, for fashion houses to get over the Eastern European wave of models and embrace dark-skinned models, and for models to unionise for better working conditions in New York. Unless a campaign or product fits my ethos and resonates, I won’t model or endorse it. I recognise my economic privilege affords me the opportunity to say no, but it goes beyond that. Forsaking the usual patriarchal direction of your father’s financial protection and then straight to your husband’s, I paid for my Master’s degree on my own through modelling. I would go the extra step of speaking out about the shadow side of the industry and its documented how that cost me (Elite Model Agency my former agent can attest to this!), but I also gained. It’s a beautiful thing to see how far we come when runways look more and more like a GAP ad full of diversity. In a ‘Times of India’ interview, I said: you can both wear lipstick and be feminist, they are not mutually incompatible.

As a two-term Chair of theInternational Board of Amnesty International, a Noble Peace winner, what do you believe is the most significant leadership trait, what has been your ethos at the helm, and how do you know if you’re succeeding?

Dr Anjhula: Seeing and vision is two different things. I meet intelligent people, but often they are intelligent in a narrow field or area of specialisation. Lacking is a holistic and fluid sense of the whole. Without grasping the whole, any organisation will tank. We must not measure success by narrow misses but situate ourselves in the liminal space of what is becoming or what could have been. Then we start to see what is costing us and the direction of travel needed. Leadership is very different from having intelligence. People are allergic to the word power, they use it often in a work setting to shame women “She’s after power, she’s too ambitious”. Again, nothing is inherently bad or good, it’s how you wield it. So long as power is wielded in life affirming ways, and I argue it’s an art and science, the organisation can thrive. From day one at Amnesty, I have said I am not here to be popular. I am here to take extremely tough decisions to enable a desperately needed change in the world, and of course, that starts on the inside. An overlooked leadership trait is asking what you can do for an organisation, rather many, at least on a subconscious level, are asking what the organisation can do for them. I treat every organisation I work with like a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. I honour it, it’s a worthwhile thing to do, but it’s not the apex of my career, CV, or life. With this freedom, I have the clarity to take the harder right as opposed to the easier wrong. Quirkily, I believe I am succeeding because I am hated by the right people. If it’s by the right people, that’s a mark of progress! All leaders should develop the ability to analyse and not tell a story without data, or give data without a story, both are crucial. A leader doesn’t match energy, they raise the bar.

You have been described as easy to speak with, hard to get a hold of. Perusing the countless media on you, your work, family, in laws, and husband, you are received in a thousand different ways. How do you define yourself against that?

Dr Anjhula: I don’t define myself against it. That would be mean I have as a basis of my worth, value, and validation something that is externally based. Everything is an inner choice. One thing that spiritualists, psychologists and well anyone who does the work knows is what people say or do is not a reflection of you. It’s a reflection of themselves. I don’t accept opinions from people I wouldn’t ask for advice. I am open and solicit for critique and have regular inbuilt feedback loops from friends, family, and peers. Consultation is key, but so is having an unshakeable core. I am swayed neither by praise nor criticism, I stay on the path. When people are angry, beneath that is fear and beneath fear is sadness. When they act or write violently, it’s stemming from an insecurity or ignorance. When they act dishonourably, it’s usually from a desperation, shortfall, or longing in some part of their life. I practice trying not to take it personally, and maintain equanimity. Is it easy? …Not at all! …Some of the times, but eventually we get there, and in “there” lies freedom.

With the rise of climate anxiety, particularly among younger generations, how can psychological trauma specialists, like yourself, contribute to global conversations about climate change, and what are the most effective ways to address this growing concern?

Dr Anjhula: We must share our knowledge with other people, with each other. As a collective, there are abilities far beyond what we use. I believe in reverse mentoring, younger people sharing what they think works, what we should do. As adults, we have a great misconception where when we duck accountability, we think that will lead to ease and happiness; it’s someone else’s issue. The opposite is true. We ought not to point fingers and blame but rather look at the three fingers pointing back at ourselves and think of how to provide and create platforms and frameworks for the present and the future. Adults often have rampant ageism and dismissiveness. If you look at young people as your teacher, a guru, it can lead to amazing innovations and change, why wouldn’t it? Youth are not our future, they are the right now and they have every incentive not to have the planet warm up even more. I coach primary care givers every week in therapy that their young persons are not “going through a phase”. Their eco-anxiety is a very real thing, something adults often can’t understand because it didn’t exist in their time, but rather was generated during their time. I say in therapy and coaching groups or individuals that the climate crisis is not about blaming but rather taking responsibility. Above all, we must through emotional, mental, spiritual and indigenous wisdom and health, generate the individual and collective will to stop harmful practices NOW. The Climate crisis was created by people; it can be halted by people. State, governments and leaders exist to accede to the will of the people, not the other way around. I encourage everyone to be a warrior, not a worrier.

In your work as an author and advocate, you often highlight the importance of truth and justice. How do you maintain a balance between exposing harsh realities and inspiring hope for systemic change?

Dr AnjhuIa: I suppose it’s endeavouring to adhere to the Buddhist principle of the middle way. Thomas Coombes does amazing work on hope-filled language in the world of activism. You can talk about harsh-filled realities, but embed in this discourse ideas, wisdom, and possible solutions. We talk about losses, but equally, we talk about and highlight wins and gains, and how far we have come. I use the 3:1 ratio. For every negative, there are three positives. An Amnesty international board colleague of mine and Peruvian Activist, Fabiola Arce taught me that every meeting and conversation should be ended on a high note. There is also the psychological super power of reframing that we all possess. To use a simplistic example, instead of saying sorry to keep you waiting which is negatively valanced, I say thank you for waiting which is positively valanced. The latter phrase uplifts both people. Often therapy clients have anxiety about flying. We speak about how media has an incentive to capitalise on the one plane that crashed. I ask clients to literally go to the airport for three hours and watch how many planes take off and land successfully, yet no one focuses on that. Words matter because words are our wands. On a macro level, Martin Luther King Jr wouldn’t be nearly as impactful if he began his famous speech with “I have a complaint”. Rather he began “I have a dream”. The inner is reflected in the outer. If a person leads a balanced lifestyle with healthy eating, exercise, meditation etc, their approach to work is likely to be balanced as well.

You possess that rare quality of knowing your mind with a conviction that challenges the status quo, yet doing so with an elegance and calm that is truly admirable. What’s the secret?

Dr Anjhula: Thank you very much for this compliment. I don’t know about any secret. When younger people ask a similar question, I say there are people who are doing it and there are people who are talking about it. Be the former. Often, I see people seeking recognition which is prioritised over seeking truth then your judgment begins to erode. Paradoxically, and isn’t that often the case with life, those who let go of the need for recognition and focus on clarity are the ones most often recognized. No one can be or should try to be everyone’s cup of tea. As a woman, there is a disproportionate focus on how they are looking and sounding. Forget it. Focus on the substance. That often doesn’t happen by design. You look at for example the Blake Lively case. “She’s a psychopath, narcissist, ‘the problem’” etc, condemned in other words. Simultaneously you have Brad Pitt living his best life whilst each one of his kids has disowned him. People will punish and provoke until you lose your calm and then they go aha, gotcha! People like nothing more than to hate a confident successful woman. A huge chunk is projection of their terror, hope, fears, ambitions etc on your person, a tale as old as time. Fortunately, there is wave after wave of women around the globe holding the fort and changing this. If you can’t be shamed, you can’t be controlled.

Frank Herbert, author of Dune Messiah describes what all Indian women know through our pantheon of Hindu goddesses: “Vulgar, witty, knowledgeable to a depth that terrifies, cruel when she is most kind, unthinking while she thinks, and when she seeks to build, she is destructive as a storm.”

Looking forward to 2025 and beyond, what are the biggest risks and opportunities you foresee?

Dr Anjhula: Perhaps it’s not the answer one might expect, but it is foundational, a first principle. The narratives put forth are both the biggest risk and opportunity. We must be vigilant to how news and information is created, by whom (machine, human), trace the “supply chain” if you will and become learned in understanding and spotting misinformation and disinformation. Behaviourally, narratives will determine what happens to a plethora of global issues including the leaders who espouse them. What is being parroted, what is being parodied, what is puffery, what is practical, what is principled, what is proof? Of course we need different thinking styles, it strengthens all people. Yet Hannah Arendt was right in discussing the aftermath of Nazi rule: The most outstanding and also frightening aspect of the German escape from reality lies in the attitude of dealing with facts as if they were mere opinions”. With the somewhat democratisation of communication, the person who most craftily wields the pen, the mic, and the social media account is creating a new reality and definition of influence and power with an order of magnitude consequences. We all have a duty to build discernment and resilience in the face of these speed of light changes.