A world apart

The changing facet of motherhood
Meeran Borwankar,Special Inspector General,Crime Investigation Department
My mother was a postgraduate by qualification and a teacher by profession before her marriage. She completed her graduation before the partition. Her family migrated from Punjab during the partition and were refugees. After her marriage to my father,who was a police officer of the Punjab Police,she had to quit her job due to the frequent transfers. In any case my father had told her before their marriage that she will not be able to work. I do not think my mother had much of a choice. I have often listened to her stories of her wonderful teaching days in Amritsar; the financial freedom of her working days that emerge very strongly when she used to get nostalgic,though she may not be aware of it. She made it a very strong point that both her daughters would not only study but also work. Today my sister Anita Kapur is the Chief Commissioner Income Tax in Delhi. After my father’s death my mother stays with her.
My joining the Police force was my own decision. It has been a very challenging field indeed but I have enjoyed every bit,so for me to be a police officer has been a very natural way of life.
My husband has sometimes voiced his reservations about my profession but has reconciled to the same. Being a mother has come very naturally to me and I have enjoyed having my two boys who think that their mother is rather ‘slow’. Compared to me,my mom has been a strict disciplinarian,very focused on her children doing well in studies. My brothers did their MBAs from Wharton and Purdue,considered some of the best Universities in US. (Both of them are currently located out of India). We had a strict regime of studies very studiously supervised by my mom. It was like having an exclusive teacher at home. My mother enjoys cooking especially baking for us. I cook only occasionally and my children feel that their mom is a good cook.
I think my mom reconciled to the fact that she had limited choices and was very happy in her world that mainly revolved around her husband and children. I have been a rebel of sorts,refusing to be limited because of my gender,therefore life has been an adventure for me,sometimes tough,sometime easy but enjoyable in all aspects. We four (two brother and two sisters) feel very strongly that we did well because our mother devoted herself to her home and our studies while our father dared to dream big for all of us.

My journey as a professional
Lila Poonawalla,Head,Lila Poonawalla Foundation
I have been often asked and questioned regarding how did I manage to make it so big in a profession that was dominated by men,how I juggled my career and work,and a host of questions pertaining to my journey as a woman and all I can say is as a woman one needs to have intense belief in what she wishes to do,and then the sky is the limit for her achievements.
As far as my professional life is concerned it has been very rewarding. Of course it has had its ups and downs,but than one never grows without both the experiences in life. One has to learn from the failures and leave them behind,focusing on the successes,however small or big they are. In 1967,I joined Ruston & Hornsby as a trainee engineer. From there seeing another opportunity in Vulcan Laval I moved on to Vulcan Laval as an apprentice. Moving through various departments of the company including working on the shop floor,which I insisted upon,I learnt the joys of the profession I had chosen. As one cannot become a good manager without understanding and feeling the products I worked on the shop floor. I rose to become the Exports Manager in 1978. It was hard work to get the Indian operations of Vulcan Laval recognised for both performance and quality. But with determination and focused approach I succeeded. In 1986,I was appointed the Executive Vice-President and in 1987 the Managing Director. With this appointment,I became the first Indian Businesswoman to be appointed as the MD of a multinational company. I also became the first woman in the Alfa Laval group to reach that position. I was appointed Executive Chairperson of Tetra Pak India Ltd. and Vice-Chairperson and Managing Director of Alfa Laval in 1992. In 1996 I was appointed Chairperson Alfa Laval India and CMD Tetra Pak (India).
Post Alfa Laval I began working with my own foundation the Lila Poonawalla Foundation that has since the year 1994 been working towards the development of young girls and helping them achieve their dreams just as I did in my own case. As far as advice to women is concerned all I can say is that they need to be focused while working towards their goals,while keeping their feminity and womanhood in mind and perform all their roles and duties to the fullest.