How I became Me
There are moments when I am back on the roof of my grandfather’s house in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in northwest India. The day has just started and the city is not awake. The cool of the night has not yet given way to the heat of the morning in the desert. This scene I have lived countless times.
The journey began when I was in elementary school. During those days the summers were dedicated to meeting extended families and doing nothing. I used to visit my maternal grandfather, M.M. Mehta. He was an English teacher and had a passion for learning and teaching. He was a scholar in English literature, religion, history, and many more fields, yet lived a very simple life. Every summer, he used to teach me English literature, provided me skills on how to articulate my thoughts in a presentable manner via writings and speech. Since summers are extremely hot in deserts, he used to wake up early and teach me every day. When summers got over, we communicated over Inland letters( which are sweet memories these days). I am forever grateful for the dedication he had.
Taking these core values of passion, humbleness, simplicity and being focused, I went to do my undergrad and grad in Computer Science at IIT Bombay. He was thrilled to hear that since I was the first female engineer in my entire family. He was always a true supporter of promoting and encouraging women all through his life. He is no more in this world but has left a great legacy that I continue to share with my kids.
While I was growing up, two other important people have made an impression on my life, my parents. My mom Aruna Singhvi has Masters in Econ and my dad Dr. S.M. Singhvi has a Ph.D. in Agriculture. While my dad was traveling, my mom decided to be a homemaker and share her wisdom, vision, and values while raising me and my brother. She paved the path for me independent and consider every kind of work to be important and impactful. She is not a science major but when she realized during my elementary school days that my inclination is towards STEM, she used to learn herself by reading books and discuss with me. Internet and phone was a luxury during those days. The only way of getting to know resources was to be aware and talk to people. She always made herself up to date with the opportunities that I can avail and excel in my career of interest. Till today her curiosity about learning new things and being creative with less always amazes me. She has taught me to always have a bigger and impactful vision, never hesitate to ask and continue to expand the circle of influence. My dad has given me an appreciation towards, what it means to earn it yourself.
Coming from a family who has always been focused on education, I was fortunate to pursue my Undergrad at SGSITS, Indore and Masters in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IITB) one of the most prestigious institutes in the country and well known in the world.
In retrospect, we see this all the time when people move on and they go from being the most gifted to being one in the crowd. Being away from home, and trying to push me hard to be at the top of the class. Soon I realized that I am surrounded by many smarter intellectual people. This reality was harsh and I had to accept it sooner than later.
I decided to have a conversation with one of my Professors Dr. D.B. Phatak around my struggle of continuing with the program. You would think that why someone like him would have vested interest in a student whom he did not know personally. There are thousands of people who line up to get an entry into IIT. It could have been very easy for him to sympathize with me and say Adios!
He looked at me and said: “ Entering into IIT is like a Mumbai train, thriving in IIT is like holding the metal bars tight. If you hold it tight and just enjoy, you will reach your destination”. That one statement changed my perspective about how I was looking at things. I started looking at what best I can achieve during my stay at IIT and today I am proud to say that being alumni of IITB with great achievement has been my biggest accomplishment. It has taught me to be perseverant, be self-reflective and most important be nimble.
As I moved to the US, over the years, I have built my network and met some amazing people on the professional front. I would like to thank each of them who came along with me in this journey, mentored me, helped me grow and be there for me during tough times.
Today let us Pause and Reflect. Pause to embrace all the moments and learnings you have cherished and Reflect on all the people who have made an impact on you as individuals and as leaders themselves. Always remember that you are who you are because of so many people who have made an impact in your life.
