The rags to riches story has always fascinated me, so as a kid I wanted to be Dhirubhai Ambani (who doesn’t?). When I was heading a pre-school as a partner with Pinky Dalal, an educationist and visionary, I had the good fortune to observe her closely and learned from her the skills of HR, delegation, setting excellent standards and not accepting inferior work, etc
Journey as an entrepreneur
I was born in a middle class, ‘Baniya’ Gujarati family where the secrets of entrepreneurship are fed to kids along with their morning cereal. My first ‘business’ at the age of 10 was to conduct classes for drama for the neighboring kids. I provided the script and direction along with a snack. From there onwards I have always tried to turn my time into value. After a series of various classes for children, I went on to create and head Dolphy Computer Classes for children and then headed a pre-school for 10 years. And now I am the Head of HR in On-Time Management Services, which is a leading consultant in software, hardware, surveillance, and automation solutions.
Key achievements
- In 1992 I set up Dolphy Computer Classes for Children, which began with a friend’s kid and one computer and went on to become a one-of-its-kind institute with 45 students, 6 teachers, and 10 desktops. We initiated children aged 3 plus into the basics of Ms Word. We even taught old people who were scared of using computers.
- I am the HR and Marketing Head of On-Time Management Services, which is a pioneer in the business of IT. Our verticals are computer hardware, including networking, software development, digitisation, surveillance, and security. The latest vertical we have developed is Home Automation Solutions. Our vision is, “Fluent innovations to make your life affluent”.
- I am a key member of WIT (Women in Technology) Indian Chapter, which is currently working hard to empower the woman of today using technology. We are committed to working “For the woman, by a woman, from a woman”.
- I am also a part of a private NGO that works towards education of the girl child.
Role model
The rags to riches story has always fascinated me, so as a kid I wanted to be Dhirubhai Ambani (who doesn’t?). When I was heading a pre-school as a partner with Pinky Dalal, an educationist and visionary, I had the good fortune to observe her closely and learned from her the skills of HR, delegation, setting excellent standards and not accepting inferior work, etc.
Work-life balance
Organisation is the key. My home runs itself like my business, with key people in charge. If enough effort has been put into creating a good system (for home or office) and contingencies are taken care of, it ensures a smooth life. Also, I am fortunate to belong to a family where work comes first, regardless of the gender. So it’s always “our” work, not mine or yours.
Women in IT – a rare breed?
I agree that women in IT have been rare, although in recent times I have seen the landscape of IT change. WIT, a Microsoft Initiative, is ensuring that. I am observing more and more girls ready to embrace technology as their career path. Also, in my opinion, whatever a woman decides to take up, she does it sincerely. Women all over the world are breaking barriers and entering streams that they had never thought of before. This is an encouraging phenomenon which we should encourage further.
Life ahead
My dream is to ensure that each Indian girl has the technological advantage in their chosen career path. I am working closely with various NGOs to ensure basic education for the girl child. Also, one of the projects of WIT India Chapter is to donate refurbished laptops and desktops to village schools and also to train their teachers so that they, in turn, can train the children. Once the doors of technology open up for a child, the sky is the limit for what knowledge he/she can avail of. I very strongly believe that it’s going to be A WOMAN’S WORLD soon and so each girl child should be well equipped to take the nation forward, and for that education in technology is the key.
