From early childhood, we are told we are responsible for ourselves. Crafting our destiny is in our hands. Work hard. Work smart. Apply your mind. Focus. Concentrate. Do the right things. I did all that, but life was not the way I wanted it to be. Thereon, started my journey into discovering the how-what-why of my life. I realized that there are certain fundamental principles that stay true for everyone. If we understand these better, then we easily realize the enormous power that each individual has to not only transform his/her/their life, but also significantly impact the environment around.

I hope that through my writing, I will be able to share some of these insights with you. I hope you enjoy reading my articles and find them relevant for work and home, professional success and personal fulfilment. I would love your feedback, and look forward to hearing from you.

For those interested in what I did in my earlier avatar, I was a senior corporate banker in India for over two decades, and worked with ANZ, Standard Chartered, ING and Kotak Mahindra. I had a lot of fun in different functional and regional leadership roles. I enjoyed creating and innovating, challenging defined norms and taking my business to commanding heights. After two decades, the entrepreneurial bug bit me, and I changed my avatar from a high-street banker to an independent consultant. I was introduced to the world of start-ups, mid-sized and small businesses, and the challenges they face.

The pandemic forced me to close down my fledgling firm, and I joined a friend as a social entrepreneur. As a response to the severe societal impact caused by CoVID, we launched #NotAlone, a platform that supported women who had lost their life partners, parents or children, and, who were also probably the primary breadwinners of their families. This was largely a volunteer-driven program that provided emotional counselling, inheritance management advice and finally transitioning them into economic independence. Despite these service being pro-bono, we did not force-fit these women into groups. Rather, we recognised that each woman is a unique individual in a very fragile state, and we offered each one an individualised experience till they were ready to join support groups. We touched 100 women and their families. We prevented many women from harming themselves, thereby saving their young families. We resolved issues related to inheriting assets [insurance claims, getting dues from employers, resolving tricky debt situations] and helped streamline their financial management. Most of the members of #NotAlone were not working and we provided resources for upskilling, career counselling, resume writing et al, besides connecting them to recruiters. It makes me so happy that all the women who wanted our help to get jobs, were able to do so.

Thankfully, the pandemic abated and I realised that my role with #NotAlone was done and it was time to handover the platform to others.

Onto new adventures, journeys and experiences!

Wish me luck!

Thank you!