About Me — Arpita Biradar
The Me Beyond My Resume
Image owned by the author.
Hi there,
I am Arpita from India, a CFA Level 2 candidate and a curious soul enraptured by books, economics, business, and everything in between.
But hold on — I’m not writing a cover letter that necessitates self-aggrandizement. Let’s go back to the drawing board, and let me introduce you to a less embellished version of myself — the one that the market economy never cared to delve into.
I, Arpita, come from a country full of contradictions. On one hand, we have an affluent population with consumption habits resembling Singapore’s; on the other, a majority of the population struggles to make ends meet. It’s a country enjoying the upper hand of a demographic dividend, yet the same country is grappling with a shortage of skilled workforce.
Like the place I come from, I am an amalgamation of antithetical thoughts — complicated yet beautiful — that constantly jostle for space within me. I often find myself astonished by how conflicting my views can be. Just a few months ago, I was remarkably inspired by Bill Gates and read incessantly about his galvanizing journey. Then, the very next week, I walked around with a book titled The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire.
I am someone who adores the creativity of public advertisements, only to come home and research the negative impacts of bombarding ads in public spaces. My background in finance excites me as I encounter countless situations being smartly morphed into business opportunities. Yet, the same inquisitive me often feels unsettled by the commodification of everything around us. I frequently find myself in catch-22 situations, usually on highly contentious topics.
A conversation from Brooklyn Nine-Nine resonated deeply with me (yes, I am hilariously obsessed with extracting moral lessons from every book I read or every movie/series I watch — hence the reference).
Jake: What if I’m too cautious now? I used to see everything as black and white, and now it’s looking real grey to me.
Ray Holt: I wish every cop had a voice in their head asking, What if he’s innocent? You see it as a weakness, but it means you’re growing. It makes you a better detective.
This conversation made me realize that viewing the world through dichotomies isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s growth — a recognition of the shades of grey that exist between the extremes.
A 23-year-old — that’s what I am. A Gen-Z learning what to value and what not to, navigating dreams, money, what is good and bad, right and wrong, in an era where the lines between them are perniciously blurred. Learning how to love or what it means to be loved. And, most crucially, figuring out who I am and who I want to be. I wonder if this is what it means to find your voice — if this is what it means to be young.
I’ve always believed in the power of words. I devour them, use them when in need, and trust me, I’ve always needed them. They said, “Make books your best friend.” Thirteen-year-old me cackled at this statement. Twenty-three-year-old me, however, takes it as gospel. Writing and reading incessantly have helped me make sense of this enigmatic world and have aided in deciphering the indecipherable me.
What I write honestly depends on what life throws at me. Recently, Instagram was besieging me with Korean skincare reels, which sparked my curiosity about the proliferation of Korean culture and inspired me to write about it. I guess I write wherever my curiosity leads me.
Much like my country, with all its startling paradoxes, refuses to be held back by its contradictions and works on its limitations along the way, I hope to emulate the same trajectory. With ample time spent writing my thoughts, I intend to grow and evolve while making sense of it all.
So, let’s figure it out together with words that offer succor.
