Another mother-son duo is Hema Shukla & Tathaagat Shukla

Growing up in a household occupied by artists and that bustled with the stories of stagecraft, Tathaagat Shukla knew he will never need an outside force as an inspiration in achieving what he dreams. Many already know him for the hilarious stomach aching vines and for those who don’t, he is a talented actor, comedian, entertainer and an engineer. Entertaining more than 200k followers and thousands of subscribers on YouTube, artistry was inherited for Tathaagat. Following his parents’ footsteps, he has been a theater artist since he was four. But what made him a humorist and a YouTube viner is the story to procure. In a conversation with us, Tathaagat reveals the secret of his inventiveness and the source that made him a powerhouse, his mother – Hema Shukla.

• What has been your mother’s role in making you what you are today?Everyone needs a solid support system in life to rely during the tough times. Tathaagat has been very lucky is this case as his parents have always been supportive and given him the freedom to choose his own career path. He admits that whatever little acting skills and knowledge he has, he owes it all to his mother. People think creating vines is very easy and the ones with no real talent or work apparently, make vines. But what people don’t understand is the amount of brainstorming needed for ideas or the toil a person must go through in order to assemble everything and make one vine. Despite this, Tathaagat is glad that his parents, especially his mother understands the gravity of his work and provide him an environment free of noise or disturbance for him the peacefully do his work. She has been a constant pillar of hope and support for him.
• How has your mother helped you or been your strength in facing life during the time of distress?Tathaagat coolly says that life is really a chill for him as he is doing what he loves and following his passion. But whenever he encounters a dark phase in his life, his mother simply tells him one thing, “this too shall pass”, this works wonder for him like an effective mantra and helps him facing any discomfort in life. His mother has always taught him to be humble at the time of success and to be virtuous during the difficult times, as the moon of tough times will set, the sun of good time will rise. Hema’s only motto for all the hard times in life is “stay humble, stay firm”.
• What is that one trait of your mother that you admire the most and even aspire to emulate in yourself?Tathaagat gets all giddy and couldn’t stop gushing about his mother. But one of her qualities that he would love to have, her management skills. Tathaagat’s mother is a production designer, producer and manager of their drama group. He is personally not much of a disciplined person but his mother flairs absolutely flawless management skills or as he puts it – “ekdum baap”. Tathaagat is always left in awe looking at his mother’s hard work and discipline and would love to emulate this in himself.
• One-line message that you would like to dedicate to your mother:Tathaagat fondly says, “Just keep supporting me like the way you do and never lose faith in me, everything will soon fall into place like it always has.”