Meeting Mrs. Deepika Bhattacharya

You want it to go left, it’ll go right. You want it to slow down, it’ll go blazingly fast. You want it to be easy it’ll be tougher than fighting a bunch of gun-wielding goons blind-folded. Such is life. A life which isn’t always fair….

Yet fighting against all odds and taking the sudden surprise turns in our stride has always kept us going. We might not know exactly where we are headed, but we’re definitely progressing…each day, each moment.

Embodying this philosophy is Mrs. Deepika Bhattacharya, Vice President, Accenture whom I met at a college event. When she took the stage, she had her audience entranced. But I dare say that even she didn’t know destiny’s plans for her.

Though she’d dreamt medicine-dreams while in class 8, she ended up pursuing commerce, thus, becoming the first female in her family to venture into this line of study. She then planned to do Economics and landed up with Bachelors of Commerce and later wanted to become a Chartered Accountant and ended up doing Masters in Business Economics. Her life almost never obeyed the choices she made.

Undaunted by the lows that life sent her way, she persevered. Working with some of the top-notch firms like Dabur, NIIT, American Express, GE and now Accenture. She went from a ‘Can she fit in here?’ girl to the ‘I really admire her!’ lady. Her twenty-three year journey in the corporate sector is testimony to the fact that through sheer hard-work, grit and determination seemingly ordinary people can transform themselves into big achievers.

She left us with such valuable lessons as can only come with experience. One particular idea that had a deep impact on me was this: Work towards your strengths.

Is it not very logical? Do what you are good at, do it better than anyone else ever can. Yet we always work in the exact opposite direction, slaving with skills which aren’t really our cup of tea. True, it helps us diversify but wouldn’t we be much better off if we knew one trade like the back of our hands…instead of being jack of all trades and master of none?

While dealing with questions regarding problems working women face, she emphasized on the fact that you always have to stand by the decisions you take. I couldn’t agree more. If I myself do not support the decisions I take, how can I expect anyone else to do it? How can I achieve my full potential if I have a trunk full of regrets weighing me down?

Her closing thought was “Don’t be too hard on your own self.” I think that directly translates to my philosophy of loving one self. True, you are your best critic. But when this self-criticism starts to put you down, when it starts to have a negative impact on your personality, it is best to stop. Love your flaws. Were you perfect, life would’ve been considerably more difficult.

Her words gave me food for thought and I sure am munching away to eternity.

P.S. I later discovered we’re from the same school. Awesome! Right?