Happy International Women's Day!

On International Women’s Day, I express my gratitude for the women in my life.

I have been privileged all my life to have some wonderful women around me to guide and support me. Starting from my maternal grandmother, who in those times (1970s/80s), was an incredibly independent woman. She lived alone at Arya Manila Ashram in Delhi for over 30 years and supported numerous causes. As a child, I used to spend my entire two-month summer vacation with her at her Ashram. Surrounded by all the amazing women at that place, the first seeds of love, compassion, humanity, and spirituality were sown in me. I learned how to navigate a male-dominated society, how to speak up for your causes, and how to encourage people around you to overcome suppression as I watched my grandmother from a distance. She left an everlasting impression on me.

The second beautiful woman who came into my life, or rather I came into hers, is my mother. I haven’t met a mentally stronger lady than her. She went through tremendous pressures - social, family, and financial. But, I never saw her lose hope. There were times (long periods) when she used to keep Rs. 20 on top of our fridge, and that used to be the money for the day to manage. She raised my siblings and I with amazing love and taught us how to live life with dignity, how to survive adversities, and how to stay happy in all situations. She lost her husband early on, and now she has lost her daughter, who she loved the most. However, what I am learning from her since my sister left in June 2021 is the extreme ability to hold on to her emotions, stay mentally strong, and give me and the rest of the family the support that she needs the most at this time.

I'd like to mention my sister as my next inspiration. She was very bright in academics and always stood at the top of her class. She could have done wonderfully well for herself had she pursued a career after her education. However, she chose to get married. I always thought she succumbed under some kind of family pressure. I never could understand this until we spoke a few years back. She said she chose her own path very well, being aware of what she is letting go. For her, a career and money weren’t on the list. What she always wanted was a family with a loving partner and kids she could be proud of. That reminded me of her favourite game as a child - ‘playing family with dolls’. This was like a lifetime project for her where she wanted to leverage and apply the learnings from our mother, experiment with new ways of raising the kids with full independence, and achieve happiness through strengthening connections and bonds in the family. So much I have learned from her that I am trying to apply in my personal and professional life. I feel fortunate that I was by her side in her last days, holding her hands like never before and receiving her precious energy. I am sure she is at peace wherever she is now.

My lovely wife is the next amazing lady in my life. She is completely opposite to me as she is expressive, full of energy, lively, and a bundle of joy. As they say, opposites attract, and that’s how she came into my life. She came from a very different background than our family. However, she quickly adapted to the new environment, which still amazes me today. She made everybody notice her through her selfless love, and very soon that notice translated into adoration, and then into love at both ends. Today, I am known in many family and friend circles as ‘Reena’s husband,’ and I am super proud of it. Honestly, I have not been a great husband as I always prioritized work over family, family and friends over her. It’s time for me to change and deliver what I have learned from her.

My daughters are my source of constant learning and inspiration. I have three daughters (including my sister’s daughters). Aashna Mittal , Kriti Goyal , and Stuti Goyal make my life beautiful and meaningful through their presence. They teach me to stay young, to enjoy life, to keep things light in mind, and to party hard. And of course, I learn a lot from them about current affairs and trends. They are an immense source of knowledge.

One more name that I can’t miss stating is that of my manager from the past, Sonali Verma . She was my manager in three different organisations. She made great efforts to groom me. Whatever I am today professionally is credited to her. She transformed me from a raw material to a finished product. Sonali has been an inspiration to many for her strong willpower, can-do attitude, and zeal to succeed. All these attitudes are a must to win to succeed.

There are many more women I am inspired by Lorna Tangirala , Diya Das Kutty , Priyanka Paul , Rachel Pereira , Vidhi Gupta , Nupur Gupta Marepalli , Shruti Parikshit Mohan , Shikha Braria , Nidhima Malhotra , Molly Chanda , Kartika Ravi , Vaibhava Kamalasanan, Shelly Robertson , Stephanie Soares , Emer Mc Ginley , Guro Risan and Zertashia Awan . In fact, each woman in my life has taught me something or other. I owe to each one of them. As I said in the beginning, I am hugely privileged to be surrounded by such wonderful women who have shaped my life. Million thanks…