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InsideIIM's Ode To The Women Leaders Of Today And Tomorrow

Mar 8, 2020 | 10 minutes |

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“It’s time we realise that feminism is equality of both genders and not the empowerment of one,” echoes Aranya Johar, poet and a part of BBC’s Most Inspirational Women of 2020. Echoing this sentiment, b-schools across the country encourage gender diversity with bonus points for female applicants. At InsideIIM too, we recognise the immense contribution women bring to management. In 2019-20, we met and interacted with some outstanding women leaders and pioneers. Many of our readers, and b-school students too, came up with inspirational stories on life, depression, inclusion and more. We’d like to thank all you ladies (all genders really!) out there. Today, on International Women’s Day 2020, here’s some inspirational stories celebrating womanhood, survival and inclusion.  Check out these inspirational stories to help you on your own journey!

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Life As A Consultant At BCG India - Seema Bansal, Director - Social Impact Practice & IIM C Alum - MUST WATCH
In this video, Seema Bansal Director - Social Impact Practice @BCG India & Asia Pacific, IIM C Alum tells you how to get a PPO at BCG. As a certified scuba diver, a trekker who’s climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on her 40th birthday and who is currently learning to play the piano and dance the salsa, we think Seema is a terrific person to draw inspiration from. Check all 3 parts of her talk at Konversations Cafe if you haven’t already! Find the links in the article linked in the title. 
What Can An MBA Grad Do At Google - Aditi Shukla, Google, Ex Rothschild, XLRI Jamshedpur Alumna - MUST WATCH
  “What Does An MBA Do At Google?” If you’re aspiring to work at the giant brand that is Google, you want to watch this video featuring Aditi Shukla Tara, Strategic Partner Development Manager @Google, Ex-Investment Banker @Rothschild, Ex Corporate Strategy @Cipla and XLRI Jamshedpur alumna. Check out the other 2 parts on Aditi’s video in this article as well. Find the links in the article linked in the title. 
Must Read: Meet InsideIIM's Star Women Writers
A Story Of A Girl Who Had The Heart And Courage To Go Against Societal Norms - Talat Khanam - SPJIMR - Celebrating Womanhood
“As I was learning, I started questioning. Even my mother supported my action of boycotting burkha. When I was ashamed for not wearing a burkha, I used to say why don't you ask your boys to wear kurta pajamas all the time? Why only girls? The problem was lack of education. They didn't have a point of view. They accepted what they were told. What's the literacy rate of Muslims in India? Around 42.7%? And how many Muslims do we find in good schools and colleges? Very few.” - Talat Khanum’s story is one of true courage and broadening of horizons. Expected to go to a Madarsa for education, Talat rebelled against the fetters of societal expectations went t
I Always Thought I Was Not A Risk Taker - Pragya Batra, Entrepreneur - Bain, INSEAD & IIT D
IIT Delhi, INSEAD, Consultant at Bain & Co., Pragya Batra’s life seems sorted. If all’s well though, why choose to strike out on your own as an entrepreneur? Why decide to work in a pretty saturated, male-dominated market to launch your first venture? In this video, Pragya, currently, Founder at QuirkSmith Jewellery, takes you through the major reasons why you’d choose entrepreneurship over a job. Don’t forget to watch Part 1 & Part 3 of Pragya’s talk too! Find the links in the article linked in the title. 
Why Every MBA Student Wants To Do Consulting - Chetna Vasishth, Founder of ChetChat, XLRI
Meet Chetna Vasishth, Owner and Host at ChetChat, a YouTube channel that assists students with their study abroad dreams, has had a long journey. In this video, Chetna takes us through her journey at XLRI Jamshedpur. She talks about studying an MBA in a time when the economy was unstable and how it changed the needs of the industry then. Don’t forget to watch the other parts of Chetna’s talk! Find the links in the article linked in the title. 
What Men Think About The #MeToo Movement | The Perspective of The Other Half
“I have the opportunity to interact, live and study with few of the brightest minds of the country. With IIM Rohtak having a strong male base of 120 out of 240, men of our batch who come from all over the country were to be my subjects for interrogation. Thus, began the in-depth interviews or should I say, many chai-pe-charchas at our very own ‘tapri’.” -  Find out what men think of the #MeToo movement in Tanya’s unique take, as she interviews fellow batchmates from IIM Rohtak.
Conditioning Is The Biggest Contributor To Sexism - Shivangi Tripathy, IIM Nagpur
“A lot has been said before, and a lot more is yet to come but how much of it stays is the question. There’s so much to fight for that sometimes, we as women, are made to question ourselves, ‘Is it that we are asking for too much?’ I am sure we are not. We are asking for a gender-neutral society. What is so difficult to understand about this? Is it the people or the system?” - Shivangi Tripathi from IIM Nagpur raises some questions that make you think. Read what she has to say about “women empowerment.”
The Story Of My Dreams, Struggles And Success - Sakshi Gupta, IIM Ranchi | More Power to You Girls
“I believe knowledge is the biggest source of empowerment for anyone. My belief and my passion for Human Resource Management activated me to pursue my longtime aspiration of being an MBA. Well, it was an indeed tough call to make, given the fact that I was married and had a much-coveted PSU job. I had to hear comments like “Has she gone mad to leave her job and live away from her husband just for another degree?” and the likes of “These days girls are more ambitious than they should be”! But my desire to learn and the unrelenting support of my husband & other family members kept me motivated to live my decision.” - Sakshi Gupta from IIM Ranchi shares her views on sexism, feminism, office politics and more.
'What Is It Like To Work For Amazon?’ - Divya Anand, Product Manager At Uber, Ex-Amazon
In this video, Divya Anand, Product Manager at Uber, Ex-Amazon & HT Media, SP Jain & University of California Berkeley Alum, published author, shares her experience managing various products like Amazon Kindle and Shine.com. Don’t forget to watch the other parts of Divya’s talk! Find the links in the article linked in the title.
A Fashionista And Finance Geek At An IIM - Celebrating Womanhood At IIM Trichy
Rutuja Borade, is pursuing an MBA from IIM Trichy. She holds a dual degree (B.Tech and M.Tech) in Engineering Physics from IIT Bombay. She also runs her own fitness studio and is a professional model. A small glimpse of her talents is exemplified through her clearing of CFA level-1 in the first year of MBA, along with her achievements outside the world of academics. Her journey from being an engineer to model to an MBA student is definitely an inspiration for all the young ladies out there who aspire to follow their heart and achieve big in life.
Don't Let Placements Define Who You Are - Ankita Aggarwal, IIM I, GM - UrbanClap, Ex-Bank Of America
In this video, Ankita Aggarwal, AVP - General Manager, Beauty & Wellness, UrbanClap, Ex-Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Ex-Cisco, IIM Indore Alum tells us about her role at UrbanClap. She talks about her b-school placement experience at IIM Indore and gives some long-lasting advice for placements and life. Ankita tells us about why and how you can choose to work at startups. Don’t forget to watch the other parts of Ankita’s talk! Find the links in the article linked in the title.
I Funded My School Education By Taking Tuition Ft. Nikita Tayal, IIFT Delhi
Meet Nikita Tayal from IIFT Delhi. Nikita came to terms with the financial difficulty her family was going through, at a very early age, when paying her school fees were getting delayed frequently. Struggling to understand why it is happening, she went directly to her mother, only to know about the struggling business of her father and the crisis situation that her family was going through. It is then that she decided to take things in her hand.
Incidentally, Nikita is also a member of InsideIIM’s student team and has penned some brilliant content to help her fellow students and aspirants. We’d like to take a moment to thank Nikita for her thought out and well-researched stories! Check out her work here
After Losing My Father At 10, B-School Was A Tough Dream Ft. Pooja S, IIM Kozhikode
Pooja lost her father when she was just 10. She suddenly was now a part of a family with three women. Things went south financially as Pooja’s mother was a housewife and there was not much to bank on. With an elder sister, who was not old enough at the time to earn for the family, it was difficult for the family. In our REAL STEEL series, powered by Tata Steel, we have Pooja’s story for you today.
My Interview Experience And Life At IIM Lucknow | Ft. Prerna Lalwani, Amazon
Just like you, Prerna Lalwani, Finance Analyst at Amazon (Prime Video) too struggled with interview prep at one time. Check out how she cracked IIM Lucknow, and finally landed at Mondelez (Cadbury’s) for her summer internship. Read Prerna’s articles on InsideIIM here.
Depression Reached To A Level Where I Decided To End My Life - Gayathri S, XLRI Jamshedpur
Studying away from family, the pressure of acclimatizing in new surroundings and proving to others that her decision of not pursuing engineering to go for mathematics was the right one, took a toll on Gayathri’s mental health. To an extent that one day she decided to end her own life! In this video from the REAL STEEL series, sponsored by Tata Steel, we have Gayathri Shankar from XLRI Jamshedpur, taking us through the ups and downs of her life.
'Don't Let Anyone Tell You That You Can't Do Something Because You Are A Woman' - Aayushi Agarwal - IIM Bangalore - Celebrating Womanhood On InsideIIM Amidst submissions, deadlines and exams, we got a chance to catch up with Aayushi Agarwal, who was more than willing to share her story! Here is how it unravels. Aayushi is an electrical engineer from DCE, Delhi University Gold Medalist. Aayushi worked in NTPC for four years. She took CAT in 2014, and is a PGP 2015-17 student at IIM Bangalore. Passionate about fitness and enjoys swimming and running, she loves to watch short films and comedy series.
My Journey From Being A Mother To A TISSian - Against All Odds - TISS
Ami Ukey was 8 months pregnant when she sat for her GD/PI round at TATA Institute of Social Sciences, and it was then that she fell in love with TISS. She was at home with her 10-day old son when she got a call confirming her seat at the institute. This is Ami Ukey's journey - from being a mother to a student at TISS. Here's her take on the challenging yet exciting life as a TISS student and what she thinks the future holds for her and her son.

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  Check out more Women’s Day related stories here.