“Women are not as intelligent as men. They are weaker and more sensitive.”

These are some of the statements we have been hearing for decades and maybe at some level even accepting it. Although things are changing and there are many more opportunities out there for us, certain fields are still considered male centric. Automobile industry is one of them.

The name Mahindra is a very aspirational one for me! I was born in Satna, where there were a lot of restrictions on women and discrimination against them. I pursued my graduation in electronic engineering and overcame all the challenges.

Passion is all you need

They say that the family plays a vital role in shaping one’s career. In my story, it did. My father wanted to become an engineer, but due to some personal problems, he had to quit his studies and support his family at an early age of 10. He is my biggest motivation, and I owe my career to him. I always noticed how passionate he was about electronics; it made me curious and want to pursue a degree in electronic engineering.

I was lucky to have gotten an opportunity with Mahindra in May 2018, soon after my graduation. In my first role as an ICRE in the commercial department, I was given the responsibility to effectively resolve customer issues. With my technical background, I was only waiting for an opportunity to take on technical roles. The Pink Collars drive gave me a good impetus to start. With an extensive training from Mahindra Institute of Learning Excellence and after clearing all necessary certification tests, I started getting honed for the role of a technical manager. Not only did I receive a lot of appreciation for this but I was absolutely sure about taking on an engineering career.

Later in January 2019, I got promoted to trainee CoTEK (Technical Manager). In this role I was further entrusted with the responsibility of giving training, provide guidance on technical issues and more importantly sending critical feedback back to our plants. I really enjoyed diagnostics during this time.

Making the best of the opportunity:

The automotive industry still seems like a man’s world, but Mahindra provides equal opportunities to everyone regardless of their gender. Mahindra has helped me to grow and made me more passionate about my job. Every effort of an employee is recognized and appreciated here. This is what keeps me motivated to work harder each day.

People here are very supportive. I got a lot of support and guidance from the GM of our dealership. It helped me improve.

Smashing Stereotypes

Challenges make you a better person. In a city like Satna, people have a lot of perceptions about women. It wasn't easy for most people around me to see a woman working doing a technical job. When I started working, I was a little scared to deal with the customers, there were times when the customers used not to take me seriously because I was a girl and wont be able to deal with technical issues.

Today however, Not only am I am very confident about my work but can deal with different types of customers quite effectively. Being a woman, my exciting part of the day is when I get floor responsibility, as it helps me keep evolving my knowledge about vehicles.

I want to give out one message to all my women colleagues out there – Give it your best and be extraordinary. There is nothing that a woman cannot do!