Nishtha Anand - Awakening the Rainmaker: A Guide to Gender Equality

AWAKENING THE RAINMAKER

AWAKENING THE RAINMAKER

A Guide to Gender Equality

Nishtha Anand

BLOOMSBURY INDIA

Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt. Ltd

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First published in India 2021

This edition published 2021

Copyright Nishtha Anand, 2021

Nishtha Anand has asserted her right under the Indian Copyright Act to be identified as the Author of this work

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ISBN: PB: 978-93-54350-61-0; eBook: 978-93-54350-77-1

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Dedicated to all mothers.

And, the answer to my prayers,
Dityamay you grow up in a
world ever progressing north.

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Albert Schweitzer

Nobel Peace Prize (1952), doctor, missionary, philosopher and musician

CONTENTS

Meher Pudumjee, chairperson, Thermax Limited

Dr Sujatha Ramdorai, Indian mathematician

Raspreet Sidhu, captain of the Indian womens national basketball team

Dr Rohini Godbole (Padma Shri, 2019), Indian physicist

Chhavi Mittal, actor, YouTuber, influencer, co-founder, Shitty Ideas Trending, and founder, Being Woman with Chhavi

Reeba Chacko, partner (head corporate), Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (Part A)

Naiyya Saggi, founder and CEO, BabyChakra

Kalpana Morparia, chairperson, South and South-East Asia, J.P. Morgan

Lizzie Chapman, co-founder and CEO, ZestMoney

Renu Sud Karnad, managing director, HDFC Ltd1

Sukhleen Aneja, CMO and marketing director, Reckitt Benckiser Hygiene, South Asia

Reeba Chacko, partner (head corporate), Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (Part B)

Sonia Gupta, managing director, Accenture

Zia Mody, corporate lawyer and founding partner, AZB & Partners

As far as my memory goes, I have always been passionate about gender equality. I wanted to be the best in whatever I pursued and make my parents proud. As a child, I loved to act and dance to Papa kehte hain bada kaam [karegi]. I cannot pinpoint the exact reason why I had this drive for achievement from such a young age. It is hard to know whether it had something to do with growing up in a predominantly female householdsociety at large always saw something lacking in our family unitor if it was the subtle gendered signs one gets while growing up, from relatives, teachers or even strangers, who are always ready with their friendly advice on how girls should talk, walk and behave, to achieve the zenith of marital and maternal success. Thank heavens for my brains wiring that I took all the unsolicited advice in my stride and focused on doing just the oppositeon achieving academic and professional success. The constant, unwavering support of my parents, sister and husband has helped me stay the way I ama gender-equality enthusiast who, with this book, is working towards bettering things for women right from the start, the moment they utter that first cry as a baby when they enter this world.

When I was pregnant with my first child, despite reading enough literature on how women can manage their personal and professional lives better and the steps one can take towards perfecting the art of becoming a multitasking diva, I still found myself quite overwhelmed. That is where the genesis of the idea for writing a handbook promoting gender equality came to me. I decided to voraciously read, interview and interact with other women, to bring together the less-talked-about fact that for a woman to continue her career uninterrupted, in addition to her own efforts, she needs support from her familyspouse, parents, in-lawsand policy support from her organisation. This book is an attempt to help women realise that they should question their lives when they are expected to choose between their family and their career. A womans life can also shape up like that of her father, brother or husband, where she too can simultaneously have a professional and personal life. To achieve this, she needs to stop living the myth that women can do it all and needs to start unapologetically delegating household responsibilities to free up the much-needed bandwidth to pursue her passion.

In the process of writing the book, besides extensive secondary research, I also interviewed and interacted with some phenomenal women who have beautifully managed their personal and professional lives and are now embodying their gender-inclusion vision at their respective organisations. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all these ladies who spared time for a first-time author (in alphabetical order): Chhavi Mittal, Kalpana Morparia, Lizzie Chapman, Meher Pudumjee, Naiyya Saggi, Raspreet Sidhu, Reeba Chacko, Renu Sud Karnad, Dr Rohini Godbole (Padma Shri), Sonia Gupta, Dr Sujatha Ramdorai, Sukhleen Aneja and Zia Mody.

I would also like to thank some more ladies who feel passionately about the subject and shared their experiences and domain knowledge on the matter: Devjani Sharma, Japleen Pasricha and Payal Gupta.

Thanks to Sarbani Mukherjea, who was there all along the way as a sounding board and trusted advisor whose editing inputs I valued greatly.

A shout-out to my dear friends, who were helpful in varied ways and means through my writing journey: Jasmeet Kaur Grover, Shagun Gupta, Prerna Parija, Gunjan Karthik, Sonam Jain and Ganesh Iyer.

Last but not least, a few lines for my husband, Narendra Rathi, for being a true partner and standing behind me as I pursued my passion project. He relentlessly spent many sleepless nights brainstorming with me so that this book offers the best to all its readers. Just like behind every successful man there is a woman, a woman too needs her man beside her to succeed in her pursuits.

A rainmaker is someone who, through their wide network and influence, brings in monetary success and increased brand value for a business. With their connections, contacts and clout, they are integral to the success of any company, especially in terms of generating revenue. Given their immense contribution to the top line, rainmakers are put on a pedestal in any organisation and enjoy massive power and authority. They often have the last word on important decisions and matters such as employee bonuses, promotions, hiring and dismissals. They project confidence, as they know how important their contributions are, and seldom mince words, being articulate in their opinions.