Women

Sarika Upadhyay is an MBA in Finance who works part-time for a multinational German company. She is a full-time mother and wife. She likes to live life on her own terms as she is not afraid to be herself and to take the road less traveled.

She loves to travel and is a fitness enthusiast. In her spare time, she’s also a blogger. Dancing gives her tremendous energy and joy. To fulfill her desire of love for nature and travel, she willingly organizes ‘excursions’ but with like-minded friends.

She likes to reach out to people in need of help and is willing to go out of her way to render assistance.

Times Women's Drive 2019 road map from Mumbai to Goa.

Editor's Note: Sarika recently participated in the Times Women's Drive 2019, a motorsport that invites women from Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad to team up and drive all the way to Goa. In its 10th edition this year, the two-day rally was flagged off on 3rd May. Each team had to follow a detailed Rules Book to cover the segments of the course in a given amount of time at a given average speed, taking short breaks along the way but avoiding penalty points. The winners were crowned on 5th May at a gala awards ceremony in Goa.

What follows below is Sarika's experience.

It’s so difficult to get women out of their shell, their comfort zone, their commitments and responsibilities! Of the 100 or so whom I asked to join me in a long drive from Mumbai to Goa via Ganpati Phule, only 2 showed that confidence.

Pragnya Mishra is an M.Phil. in Anthropology from Utkal University. She also has a post graduation diploma in Rural Management from Xavier Insitute of Management (XIM), Bhubaneswar. Pragnya worked for two years as Research Associate with XIM. She later joined the Agricultural Finance Corporation but quit her job to raise her children.

Pragnya currently lives in South Africa with her family. Her three children, a daughter and twin boys, attend school in Johannesburg.

Pragnya is active on social media and is highly respected by her friends and well-wishers.

It was in the late nineteen seventies. My father, Shri R.K. Mishra, was posted in Gunpur, Koraput. Gunpur is a municipality and one of the sub-divisional headquarters of Ryagada district of Odisha.

The outskirts of Gunpur were completely covered by forest and hills. My memory is faint as I was a small kid then, yet to join school.

My parents had two beautiful pet peacocks: Payal and Jhankar. The duo was probably rescued from the nearby dense jungle.

Dr. Madhu Chawla, a medical professional, graduated from Institute of Medical Sciences, Benaras Hindu University over 40 years ago. Her husband retired from active service last year, and the two adult sons are settled in the USA. Having satisfactorily executed domestic and professional commitments, Madhu now works, on a charitable basis, with three NGOs. Giving back to society, for Madhu, is a dream come true. She also worked with underprivileged children with Times of India, in their Teach India programme for two years.

An eerie silence. Or at best an uneasy calm. Unexplained. Two friends, as thick as thieves, almost polite strangers now. A change that she cannot understand. A friendship she refuses to give up. And, for which he gives no answer.

The story of Mehr and Abeer.

Flashback to a few years ago.

Sangeeta Gogoi is a freelancer based in Mizoram. She served as a Labour Officer at the Labour office of the Government of Assam. She was also HR executive in the Hospice sector and visiting faculty in various institutions. She is a certified nutritionist from Stanford University and a yoga therapist.

Presently Sangeeta is Director, Meraki Yoga Retreat Centre. She stays with her husband, Jitu Gohain, and 5 year old son, Ayan Gogoi Gohain, on a remote hill-top in Mizoram. Jitu Gohain is an electrical engineer and manager with Power Grid Corporation. The India Book of Records bestowed the title of youngest author in India on four-year-old Ayan for his book 'Honeycomb' that was published in January 2018.

My love for yoga started when I was 4. At home, I used to be dazed by seeing my mother, Janoki Gogoi, perform the various mudras (especially, chakrasan) right after her morning prayers. And at school our Principal; Dr. Haladhar Duwarah, Sir, made it a daily part of the school curriculum.

Pragnya Mishra is an M.Phil. in Anthropology from Utkal University. She also has a post graduation diploma in Rural Management from Xavier Insitute of Management (XIM), Bhubaneswar. Pragnya worked for two years as Research Associate with XIM. She later joined the Agricultural Finance Corporation but quit her job to raise her children.

Pragnya spent 12 wonderful years in South Africa and one year in Dubai. At present Pragnya is a full time homemaker having shifted to India five years ago. She is parenting her three children, a daughter and twin boys, by herself as her husband continues to work in South Africa.

Pragnya is active on social media and is highly respected by her friends and well-wishers.

It was a perfect sunny day in Johannesburg, South Africa. I could feel the warmth of the sunrays through my kitchen. I was in a hurry to finish my cooking before my twins arrived from school. After all, my two 2½ year old tiny tots needed loads of attention.

I usually fed them lunch and put them to sleep before my daughter returned from school. She had not grown up enough to take care of herself all on her own.

Suddenly my phone rang. It was from the school that my twins attended. The lady on the other side very politely informed me that I should meet the principal at once. They had something important to share about my son, Raj.

Dr. Madhu Chawla, a medical professional, graduated from Institute of Medical Sciences, Benaras Hindu University over 40 years ago. Her husband retired from active service last year, and the two adult sons are settled in the USA. Having satisfactorily executed domestic and professional commitments, Madhu now works, on a charitable basis, with three NGOs. Giving back to society, for Madhu, is a dream come true. She also worked with underprivileged children with Times of India, in their Teach India programme for two years.

An emergency call from the factory. The factory of Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Thane, Maharashtra. The Calcium Sandoz people. From their Medical Clinic where I worked as the Doctor. A lady from the township had fallen and cut her forehead. A 500 meter dash, if it can be called that, and I was there.

The township was small. Only and totally inhabited by skeletal staff who may be needed in the factory post regular working hours. Archana Talukdar was the wife of one such staff member. She was also a good friend of mine. There was a huge playground in the centre of the township. Used by all in the township. The children played in gay abandon. The ladies gravitated to meet each other in what could be best called a common living room. The men joined this motley group on their return from the factory.

Tilak Mathur is a PhD in English Literature with specialisation in the British poet and playwright T. S. Eliot. Tilak is very actively engaged with social and charitable work in and around Jaipur. Basically a homemaker, she came into her own as a natural leader when she got an opportunity to lead. She lives in Jaipur with her husband Subhash. She often travels to Ahmedabad and USA where her two sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren live.

In the year 2005 the outgoing President of Indian Revenue Service Ladies Association (IRSLA) at Ahmedabad nominated me as the new President. As I was skceptical of my capabilities I felt that I was the reluctant chosen one. But to my surprise the innings got off to a good start with the support of most members, in particular Mrs. Saroj Bansal, an important office bearer of the Ladies Association.

In all, we were about 20 members of this exclusive club who would organise functions and get together on festivals and other important occasions. Social activities were also on our agenda. With these responsibilities on my shoulders, each festival took on a new meaning.

Meenakshi Hooja is an IAS officer who has served in both Government of India and Government of Rajasthan. She is a published poet in both English and Hindi. She has authored books on Panchayati Raj and tribal development. She was a visiting fellow at Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford (U.K.).

19 May 1984. Place: Sirohi Road railway station. A bright afternoon.

My mother-in-law, two children and six packing cases getting down the train with me and so many unfamiliar yet familiar faces standing at the platform—some holding garlands, some bouquets and the others just staring away—wondering whether the person they are receiving is really their Collector!

I remember this scene vividly as if it was only yesterday. No doubt, it did not happen very long ago to have assumed some of the golden halo of a hoary past, but even so a number of years have passed since I detrained at Sirohi Road with my family to join as Collector and District Magistrate, Sirohi.