Beauty with brains: Janadi Karawita

01 Feb 2021

Beauty with brains: Janadi Karawita

01 Feb 2021

By Mahika Panditha For those of you looking to study abroad or get into an educational institute outside of Sri Lanka, I highly recommend taking some time out of your busy schedule to have a chat with the immensely talented Janadi Karawita. Janadi is a second-year medical student currently pursuing the USMD programme in Tbilisi, Georgia. She runs her own NGO, Muthuhara Dubai, in collaboration with her mom. The NGO is also in association with Rupavahini right here in Sri Lanka! Aside from this, she produces content that focuses on academia and productivity on her main Instagram page, and also does covers on her singing page and blog posts. Like many young people, Janadi has many goals for her future. “To name a rather ambitious few: Get matched in a residency programme for dermatology in the US, hopefully under Yale; host a TedX talk about growing up as a Third Culture kid and navigating life as an expatriate; and go on a three-month-long solo backpacking trip.” Happinez is so excited to see the impact she is bound to have on so many people around her, including us! Before I say too much, let’s dive right in. Before we begin, do tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a rather enthusiastic, bite-sized Hermione Granger with a dose of extremely intensive creativity, existing on Earth for the last 20 years. I grew up majorly in Dubai and occasionally would travel to Sri Lanka to meet the grandparents and family. I am an inquisitive learner, passionate about learning different cultures, indulging in different music, and actively inspiring others. You are currently studying medicine. Why did you choose to pursue that career path? A culmination of incidences navigated me towards the road of medicine. Growing up, I used to vicariously live through the tales of Edin Blyton’s Famous Five, Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys, so much so that I wanted to be a crime-solving detective when I grew up. I remember I used to have this pink detective coat, where I would pretend I was Nancy Drew and uncover imaginary mysteries with my stationary magnifying glasses. Over time in high school, I grew passionate about biology and how complex human processes are. That fascinated me. We would live our ordinary life and not realise there are such cool things happening in our bodies. Simultaneously, I would volunteer my time, working on various projects targeting fundraising and special needs care; I came to realise that I loved to do that – to invest my time providing aid and comfort. I wanted to understand more about discrepancies in the human body by relating them to problems or disorders faced by my family. I enjoyed reading about learning what went wrong, and what we can do to fix it. When thinking about it, a turning point in my life would be to research vitiligo, a skin problem that my grandfather was facing. I remember him being distraught about the fact there was nothing we could do about curing him, and he knew how much I enjoy biology, so he asked me to explain it to him. I remember sitting him down and explaining it to him in the most simple of words to make sure he comprehends what is going on in his body. I wish there was a way I can figure out how to “cure” vitiligo. Looking back now, all my life incidents directed me to secure this road. What has been your favourite thing about university so far? The thrill of being a young adult, living in an unfamiliar country by myself, surrounded by people interested in a similar passion as me! Speaking in terms of academia, it is lovely to constantly learn about a field you are interested in and open your eyes to how big of a field medicine is. As much as how stimulating it is, it can also be draining. You learn to take things day by day, allowing yourself breathing time and coming to the understanding that your mental wellbeing is significant as well. In the world of socialising, I love to encounter new people. It is so refreshing to listen to people’s entertaining stories about their life: Everyone so unique to their diverse cultures and upbringings. Significantly, I cherish the freedom I possess. Any advice for students struggling to cope with the new normal? The new normal is difficult to adjust to. We all are going through major stressors in our life right now, and it is critical to acknowledge that. Take a breather whenever you require it and never feel convicted about it. Prioritise your physical and mental wellbeing by practising self-care – it can be yoga, going for a walk, or even a dance party! I have found it helpful to pop on to Pinterest and create a vision board about how you demand your life to represent. Whenever you are facing a bad day tackling out the new normal, looking at how much life has in store for you provides you up with anticipation and hope. You have a blog too. Where do you draw the inspiration for your blog posts? I mostly draw inspiration from the culmination of thought-inducing conversations I have with people. It is the hardships they encounter and the lessons they learn after wrestling it out. There was one article that I composed called “Third Culture Paradigm”; it is built upon cultural confusion that many of the expatriate kids feel when they think about what home is to them. I remember staying up at around 2 a.m. with the question of how I define home to be. I got up, opened up Medium, and typed away my thoughts. I recalled the sheer confusion of everyone who I conversed with and tried to pinpoint it down to words. I don't know what forged over me, but stories that have been told to me granted me so much power. I then revised it with the help of a friend, Devmini, and I published it. I shared it around, and it brought about a positive response, which I am so glad to say. I write about my personal experiences in studying abroad in a foreign country and navigating the gentle ropes of adulthood, and try to provide guidance to students interested in studying away from home. Those blog posts are in accordance with the content I create on my main Instagram account. I talk about personal finance as a broke student, how to socialise and make friends, etc. We absolutely love your voice and your covers! What is your favourite song these days? Thank you so much! I have Last Time by Adam Melchor on REPEAT. I dance around my room to it. It’s a BOP. Any music recommendations for us? You need to listen to Pulaski At Night by Andrew Bird. It transcends you to beautiful cobblestone roads of Europe through its beautiful violin parts. It is the epitome of pure freedom and happiness. Aside from this, what do you like to do in your free time? Binge-watch Bridgerton on Netflix and have aggressive dance parties in my room to my amazing Spotify Dance playlist. I equally enjoy doing yoga as well, and going on long walks. Could you tell us more about Muthuhara Dubai? It is an NGO that I am co-founding with my mom! Dubai Muthuhara is in association with Rupavahini in Sri Lanka, and we essentially provide Sri Lankan expatriate kids in Dubai to stay in touch with our Sri Lankan culture through music and arts. We also have little workshops and talks by professionals doing cool things to allow them to expand their curiosity and knowledge of what the world offers. We occasionally host competitions and events like a talent show and debates as well. PHOTOS KHWAISH ADNANI, JANADI KARAWITA, JAYATHMA GAMAGE, SIMRAN BULCHANDANI, RUFUS ค็อกซี่, ADIBA FARHIN NITOL

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Beauty with brains: Janadi Karawita

Beauty with brains: Janadi Karawita

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