Have you ever utilized your competencies to help improve those of others? Have you ever stepped up to your seniors when they were wrong, and left a positive impact on a larger scale? Well, Maharshi Chhaya has done both these things. Maybe that is why he was among the lucky few who were selected as India’s 50 Most Employable Graduates of the Class of 2020.The following is Maharshi Chhaya's set of responses to a questionnaire floated amongst MBA graduates to determine the top-50 most employable MBA graduates of the Class of 2020. Amongst the massive number of entries and responses being evaluated by the Founder of InsideIIM-Kampus Konversations, Maharshi’s story and profile stood out. Here's a little about him, in his own words.“I am a person with a calm head over my shoulders which helps me stay focused under pressure. I have always believed that the process is more important than the results. I am quite a hard-working and resilient person and have always worked towards my goal tirelessly. My professional goal is to become a successful Finance Professional. On a personal front, I wish to contribute towards the betterment of the education system in India through the improvement of schooling in particular. I was an elected member of the Students Council in IIM Shillong. I am a trained singer and a huge fan of Cricket.”Name an instance where you wanted something and went out of your comfort zone to achieve it OR Tell us the biggest risk you have taken so far in your life.After becoming a Chartered Accountant in January 2017, I decided to pursue an MBA. I got admission in IIM Shillong. The biggest challenge was that I had never stayed in a hostel before. Also, I believe, staying in the North East was a big shift for me because they had a totally different culture from my hometown, Mumbai. I had to step out of my comfort zone to pursue the course. I am quite glad I got to interact with people coming from different parts of the country, managing things on my own, taking crucial decisions myself. I believe I had taken a huge risk of leaving my job, city, and comfort to pursue an MBA, but it made me stronger and as a result, I found a better version of myself at the end of the program.When was the last time someone relied on you? OR What did you do which was purely for someone else - a truly selfless act.In the first year of my MBA course, we had subjects like Accounting, Economics and Financial Management. I was fortunate enough to have studied those subjects way too early in my student life, as I had studied them in-depth in Chartered Accountancy and B.Com. However, people who are not from a commerce background were struggling a lot. I sensed that and I decided to hold sessions for them so that they don’t face any sort of difficulties during the exams. Many students would rely on me before the exams to explain the concepts.Also, being a part of the Student Council, I always strived hard to help my batch mates and juniors, be it academics or personal issues. I genuinely believe in making a positive difference in people’s lives. And I am quite glad that my IIM Shillong fraternity had that confidence in me and relied on me throughout my time there.Tell us about a time when you disagreed with an opinion/idea/decision. What did you do about it?I did my articleship in Mumbai, where I was mainly involved in Statutory audits of PAN India clients. In the first year of my articles, in one of the audits I was a part of, I identified the error in accounting. Apparently, the impact that was given in the books of accounts by the client was not in accordance with the prescribed Accounting Standards. I immediately brought this to the notice of the Accounts Manager. He replied that this practice has been adopted by them for years and can’t be changed. He was quite adamant. I understood that since I was an intern, he did not care to answer the query properly and thought that I will not push this further. I decided to escalate this to the CFO of the Company. I prepared the work, showing the comparison between the correct and incorrect treatment and the difference was to the tune of ₹ 35 crores, which was quite material. The CFO himself admitted that this is a huge mistake that went unnoticed for years. During the partner’s review, I brought this discussion, and eventually, we could resolve this issue through deliberations. The client incorporated the changes and thereafter, they continued with the correct accounting practices.What is the one thing you can claim to have some level of expertise or depth of knowledge in - it could be anything - a subject, a sport, a hobby, a venture, an initiative which has led you to do deep work in that field?I have grown up watching Cricket and have learned a great deal from it. I understand the game very well and can claim to have in-depth knowledge about the game.If 10 Million Dollars (approximately INR 75 Crores) is given to you to use it any way you deem fit what would you do with this corpus?Given the current scenario where the entire world is grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic, I would want to do my bit and donate ₹ 5 crores to the PM Cares fund so that the funds can be utilized for the relief materials. Balance ₹ 70 crores will be donated for the education of underprivileged children especially at the primary level, as improving the education standards in India is one of my goals which I wish to pursue going forward.Intended utilization:
Sponsorship of school uniforms, bags, and books for kids.
Strengthening the school infrastructure viz. buying audiovisual equipment for schools such as smart boards and AV consoles, improvement of school buildings, classrooms, furniture, having a proper science and language labs with proper equipment for students to conduct science experiments, ensuring that there is a proper playground for the students, etc.
Training and development of teaching and non-teaching staff".