Letter to my daughter on her first day at her job

Dear Oju 

You have always made us proud with all the talent you have and what you have achieved on your own in any  of the areas / fields you have entered without any support or guidance at any stage. Be it started playing chess  and represented your school and college in inter school competition and won so many medals, or enrolling  yourself for TV Journalism course in XI standard, going for acting course in Actors Prepares (Anupam Kher’s  acting  academy),  enrolling  yourself  for  photography  course  with  MDPS  (both  Fashion  &  Marriage  Photography), took up teaching in a NGO in Powai, Mumbai, learning riding Enfield bike and going for a road  trip on the same, competing for Formulae 4 and representing team Ahura (stood 4th in the qualifying round),  going for The Times of India Women’s Car rally with your mother (and driving single handedly with both your  co-riders doesn’t know how to drive), getting selected for participating in women’s dirt car rally in India (stood 4th in the qualifying round), going overseas to study post graduate MBA in London (UK) on your own (even  finalizing the college and accommodation both on your own), completing your MBA with flying colors (with  first  class), going  for  a  solo  trip/vacation  in  Andaman  &  Nicobar  Island  and  finally  getting  exposure  thru  internship  in Marketing  field  in Ultrahuman  (Indian  startup  based  out  of  Bangalore)  and Point Marketing  (based out of London, UK). Both companies where you did the internship, offered you a full-time job! Bravo.  What  an  incredible  journey this  23  years old  is  having! There  were  some  pull  backs  (when  you  gave  up  Chartered Accountancy) in life but that has not stopped you from achieving what you wanted to achieve.  

You have always lived your life on your own terms without bothering लोग क्या कहेंगे? Be who you are and  do what you want to do in life.  

And now, today, you have converted your internship into a job offer and are going to start your corporate journey  as an “employee” and that too “international”! You have broken all the glass ceilings in whatever you have  done. As a father, you have always made me proud. I wish and am confident that you are going to achieve  much more in your life in whatever you do.  Don’t doubt yourself whether you will be able to do this or not as  you have never thought that in the past (see what you have achieved so far) and I want you to continue to  have faith in yourself.  

Wish you all the best for the new chapter in your life as you are starting your corporate journey (job) today  and a bit of advice from a protective and concerned father who wants his kids to be shining on the world stage.  I have already shared almost everything with you, which I used to seek in the candidate when I used to hire.  But let me take liberty to repeat the same on this most important day of your life. 

I want you to always have faith/conviction in God and yourself. I want you to never compromise your integrity at any cost. Integrity is everything in life. Always have an attitude to and openness to learn new things and new  ideas, take ownership of your work (including your mistakes/ errors or miss outs). Have an eye for detail and  perfection (I know people say perfection is the enemy of growth at times). Try your level best to keep things  simple. Always aim to be the first time right rather than going for a round of iterations. Do what is right for the  Company / Organisation and not what is right for Promoters alone. Once committed a deadline, give your best to achieve the same always. Be updated in your field of work. That will give you an edge over others. How  much you grow in your field, remain grounded always and remember no work is a small work. Always lead from the front and protect  your  team and never  forget or underestimate  their contribution in your success. They are your parachute  packers. Never ever take credit for others’ work (particularly when no one can find out or watch you). That  is the biggest sin. You are a hard worker and try to be a smart worker as well. Embrace the technology every  time.  

God Bless You Oju. Go, chase and conquer all your dreams, achieve & experience everything which you want to  do in your life and never keep anything in your bucket list.  

Your proud father (I know you are never going to allow my mustache to go down ☺)