I never let circumstances mess with my studies

Story of role-model Anumpam Singh

Anupam said, 'I would arrive at school on my hand-me-down full-size gents cycle. It would get me the stares, I did not want.

I was in 10th. School was 10 Km away. The cycle was my commute. It was my constraint too.

My father is a central government employee and we transfer often. This time we had arrived at Kanpur from Lucknow.

I kept to myself as making new friends, with the board exams around the corner, would have been doubly stressful.

Others thought, maybe I was arrogant.

Around the same time, I spoke to my parents about my aspiration to become a doctor.

I was good at studies. I knew I could do it.

My constraints took me to BBA instead.

Teachers and classmates saw I was bright. So slowly but surely, I made new friends.

I began to connect the dots.I gave my 12th boards and was looking to attend our farewell party the next day. I had borrowed a Sari from my mother.

Instead, I found myself sitting outside an operation theatre. My father had had a heart attack.

We tended to him.

Between my 3 brothers, house-wife mom and now unwell father - we could see expenses looming large.

I made my Resume and took up a job.

Just then, my father had a 2nd heart attack. I felt, I should stay on in Delhi and continue my job. Be nearby.

Over the next few years, I continued working. At the same time I did my bachelor's - in Management - and then my master's - in HR and Ops.

Simultaneously building up work experience, I also kept studying.

I then obtained my EDP from XLRI and now I am pursuing SHRM certification.

I never let circumstances mess with my studies.

At work, I have also learnt to learn with Action Learning, Cohorts working on real-life situations and experience sharing from experts.

I now help my colleagues learn this way, as part of my job.

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