A person is known by the company she keeps and I have been extremely fortunate to grow as an individual in the company of caring faculty and an excellent peer group. My various stints at positions of responsibility, sports, inter-school competitions etc., helped hone my oratory skills, taught me the importance of teamwork and helped boost my confidence in more ways than once. I do not remember having a stage fright ever!
If money was no object, what would you do all day?
I always make time for doing the things I love and my day is pretty much eventful as it is. However, if it were really so, I would perhaps invest more time in gearing up to be a tourist to the International Space Station.
What advice would you give to a 5-year-younger you?
I am a major movie buff and several of my biggest life lessons have been learnt from them. I would like to particularly mention this quote from a popular movie - "I learned a long time ago that there's no sense gettin' all riled up every time a bunch of idiots give you a hard time. In the end, the universe tends to unfold as it should." Sublime.
How do you think women are better equipped to deal with problems as compared to men?
I am an advocate for equality. However, in my personal capacity, I feel women are stronger emotionally. Having said that, one is necessarily not alone. If a problem does crop up, and as the recent ad campaigns teach us- "Share the load!".
Many IIMs and other b-schools award extra points for being a woman. What is your take on that? Do you propagate the concept OR Have you faced any backlash for the same?
I am cognizant of the strong opinions that arise from the execution of such a system. As for me, I feel one should not be awarded points for being a woman or a man, but for being herself/himself. It is indeed as they say- "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken!".
Name one incident that you encountered where someone told you, you couldn’t do something because you’re a woman.
My twin and I are avid football fans and as young girls trying to break long-fortified bastions in being one in India, we would encounter remarks downplaying our association with the sport. Words such as "You kick like a girl!" or "You are a girl, what do you know about football?", believe it or not, strengthened our resolve to "be different" further and with time and support from our family and friends, I believe a woman is equally capable of doing most things usually considered to be performed by the opposite sex.
If you are out on a date, do you prefer to pay yourself? If you insisted that you want to pay for yourself, how did the other person react?
I "go Dutch", accept or I pay the amount myself, depending on the situation. Today, the society is more progressive than before and any reaction to my making the payment is mostly a promise to repay in the next meal.
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