Durban – You might know Jayshree Parasuramen from her East Coast Radio show, but she’s also an accomplished playwright, actress, teacher and comedian.
Jayshree is also just one of those happy people. Smiling comes easily and naturally to her, and you can often hear her laughing about something.
Behind the smile, lies a smart, independent woman bursting with ambition and creativity. She credits this to her family. “As a child I was always full of energy and always independent... and it is still my nature” she says.
“My family are very rooted in our Indian traditions and culture. That has naturally passed on to me. My parents were and still are very involved in community work. I’ve learnt from them to serve others before myself. My brother and sister are my rocks and absolute pillars of strength. They support me fiercely ..in spite and despite anything.”
Born in Chatsworth, Jayshree recalls early dreams of acting. “I’ve always dreamt of becoming an actress and when the opportunity of it seemed so far of, I opted to become a teacher but didn’t relinquish my passion for theatre. My heart always remained in the arts. For many years I juggled both careers until I decided to take a leap of faith and follow my dreams.”
Asked if she remembered that one pivotal moment in which she suddenly knew what she wanted to do, she says: “I fell in love with theatre when I was in high school, after watching my first play.
“Writing my first script years ago was disastrous. I wrote something and thought it was great and my family bought tickets to watch this awful show.
“It was years later, after writing many scripts, that I finally realised this is what I wanted to do. I purposefully set upon my playwriter pathcourse and attended playwriting courses. Later on I got invited by the Playhouse to a great playwriting workshop. Excitingly I went on to produce 4four great plays… the rest is history, as they say.
“This year I was made the head writer, dramaturge and company manager for the School Season Production My Body and I at the Playhouse which ran 40 shows. It was completely sold out.”
One of Jayshree’s passions is finding real-life South African heroes, often unsung, and bringing their lives and history to life in theatre.
“The characters are actually real life people who have made a difference in this country and without their input democracy would not have been achieved” she tells me. “They are fascinating to me because I see many of these characters as role models and people who will inspire others positively. I tell untold stories so that our history will not be lost or forgotten. What I’ve discovered by telling these stories, is that I’m not even yet half the human that these great people were. It’s a greatness that I see in them that I aspire to.”
Long hours are nothing new to Jayshree. Currently she co-hosts a 9pm to midnight slot on ECR with Warrick Frank. Their friendship provides a playful chemistry andthat has made them a popular act on radio. Comments from fans on Facebook are extremely positive.
, and the duo have fun interacting with their followers.”After doing some crazy videos with Warrick Frank on social media and posting some hilarious #JayshTag posts, having fun and promoting the arts,it wasn’t long before ECR programs manager spotted both Warrick Frank and myself and called us in for an interview” she tells me. “We are currently doing our own show called the Warrick and Jay Show. We talk about the arts, our dilemmas in life and all things fun.”
Despite her earlier success, presenting on a national radio station, has taken her to a whole new level.”It’s become a whole lot more fun and my colleagues at ECR are awesome. The entire ECR team and listeners make this whole experience truly worthwhile. My life has become more hectic and I get 100s of inbox messages on social media.....some from weirdos too. The personality in me certainly won’t change who I am or what I stand for.”
Though her life reads rather like a fairy tale success story, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. “Rejection has taught me to peseverepersevere and never give up. That a series of no’s doesn’t mean I should abandon on my dreams or visions” she says.
“I get up and keep punching... until I start seeing the obstacles slowly fall. Hot cuppas and hearty chats with my soul mates, hibernation to reflect and regroup…Then I resurface and bring down my barriers until I see my vision become a reality”
I point out that in every interview she has ever given, Jayshree has declined to reveal her age. I ask if she is going to break that rule this time. She tells me it doesn’t matter and when I ask why, she says “I’m 18 til I die.”