I am a life-long learner and a firm believer of having no boundaries when it comes to learning and development. Born in a conservative family and growing up in a small town, the initial years of my life was more about shaping up my future by listening and following the advices of relatives and seniors of neighbourhood.

‌Acing‌ ‌B.A,‌ ‌B.Ed‌ ‌and‌ ‌M.A.

I had my schooling in Hindi medium school. Way back in 1990s when I was at the cross roads of selecting a career stream, I opted for Humanities as I was never at ease with the Science streams. By 12th grade, I started realising the value of earned money Vs. pocket money and started taking tuitions, largely as I wanted to have my own scooty which my parents were scared to provide as they feared traffic. Little was I aware that this early beginning as a tutor would set me for later part of my life as a teacher. My parents were very happy with the way I was developing, as teaching profession would be acceptable to most other families of our kinds from the perspective of marriage. My father who had done his AMIE, challenged me to pursue B.A. in English literature. Although it was an uphill task for me owing to my vernacular medium schooling, I took up the challenge and passed B.A. with decent score.

After completing graduation I cracked the B.Ed. Entrance exam and passed with flying colours. Thereafter, I pursued M.A. and in the middle of the course got married and shifted to Mumbai. In Mumbai, my earlier days of teaching came to my aid as I applied for the job of Trained Graduate Teacher in the prestigious Atomic Energy Education Society, an autonomous body under the Dept. of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India (BARC) and got selected. Almost 5 years in the job and as a mother of a child I realised the importance of avoiding the comfort zone, so I enrolled for M. Phil. and completed it.

Participation‌ ‌in‌ ‌Indian‌ ‌and‌ ‌International‌ ‌marathons.‌

Life moved on and I was blessed with a daughter. We were very happy and I started living a sedentary lifestyle which gifted me excessive weight and lifestyle related issues. I resolved to get rid of my excessive weight and started running at the age of 40. Running helped me to shed 30 kilos and live an active and healthy life. I matured well as a marathoner and got chosen by several marathon organisers to associate as a motivator or pacer i.e. Helping others complete their marathon. I went deeper into the domain and completed a certificate program in marathon training. I started helping other women and house wives to give up sedentary life style and take up active living by forming a running group for women. Personally, I have participated in several Indian and an international marathon. I also started trekking and have completed treks to the Everest Base Camp and Friendship Peak along with my husband who coincidentally also runs.

My quest for knowledge further intrigued me into exploring the arena of mental health and well- being. As a teacher and as a parent I witness growing exam related stress and anxiety in the adolescents. In the normal course itself as a teaching professional I had to counsel my students, however I felt that I should know the scientific aspects, knowledge and skills of this space. So I applied for the PG Diploma in Counselling Skills program in the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences and got selected at the age of 45 years. I have completed all the three semesters and awaiting my result for the final semester. The years 2018-19 were unique years for us, as in my family now there were three students, my daughter in grade 7, son in BBA and myself pursuing PG diploma.

I wish to contribute now in the area of mental health and well-being leveraging my knowledge, skills and my experience in teaching & continue running marathons across different cities. I feel this domain has been ignored so far, lots needs to be done; it has finally caught the attention of CBSE and even our Prime Minister who has been laying emphasis on students to be stress free and take up exams happily. Thanks to my curiosity to learn, I keep aspiring to acquire knowledge.. I feel there is no age to being a student.. Keep learning Keep Growing!!!!!!