Just like her father and film producer Ronnie Screwvala, Trishya Screwvala initially found her calling in producing films and pursued her masters in film production. It was only after producing several documentaries in India and interacting closely with the underprivileged community that she realised how there is a huge gap in creating a structured and accessible platform for volunteering. Trishya then founded The Lighthouse Project in 2013 and her venture completes five years this July.
Ask her if it was an ideal choice to pursue film production as a career and she shares, “I was not expecting to be in the social sector and film production came as a natural choice. When I decided to take a jump, my father was very supportive of my decision and I’m grateful to him. He understood that I wanted to follow my passion and has been an incredible support since then,” Trishya shares.
Speaking of The Lighthouse Project, Trishya adds that it’s an extraordinary environment conducive to volunteering, both within and outside of the social sector. “The organisation connects working professionals and college students with children from under-resourced communities, through one-on-one mentoring in a safe environment,” she shares.
Her project today has over 400 mentors and mentees working together in order to improve the lives of children, her husband being one of them. Trishya recently married her long-time sweetheart and leading sports commentator Suhail Chandhok who looks after the marketing and social media strategies for the firm. “Life after marriage has not been very different. Suhail is one of the mentors at the organisation and has some great sense of ideas because he is from a marketing background. He has been involved with the activities since the beginning and has been a great support,” she shares.
Apart from managing her venture, Trishya is also a trained Ballet dancer. However, work doesn’t allow her to pursue the hobby anymore. “I trained for 12 years, but unfortunately, unlike other dance forms, it is difficult to continue ballet as it is a little demanding, I do hope to start my classes again next month,” she shares.
Besides dancing, Trishya loves the ocean and is very much a water-baby. “I’m an advanced level diver just like everyone in my family and love the ocean and beaches, there is so much that is unexplored and it is a whole new world out there,” she adds.
While she would love to travel, her schedule doesn’t give her enough time to do so, she admits. “I don’t travel as much as I would like to. But I’m always open to exploring new places each time. Argentina and Egypt have been on my wish list for a long time now and hopefully, I’ll visit Argentina soon,” she shares. For her diving and surfing expeditions, she loves the Galapagos Island in Ecuador. “That place is completely untouched and there is so much to experience — the wildlife both on land and underwater is incredible,” she signs off.
