The goal posts of idols are dynamic and keep changing as per circumstance and requirement. At several stages of my life there have been women who have affected me intellectually and socially. My mother, my teacher, and my senior at the workplace. They gave meaningful turns to my career path and my thought process. 

But the one who stands out and who saved me from a humdrum life was Dr. Rajani Gupte.

She was an innocuous neighbor at first. Nodding acquaintance in the lift while we travelled up or down. We lived in the same building. I liked her. Erudite, genteel and very warm. She

couldn’t hurt a fly. So, we had coffee together. We talked and exchanged ideas, and I told her how keen I was to teach. That one sentence stuck with her and months later she asked me to join a management college where she was the director and teach business communication. And just like that my life turned.  

I was a merchant navy wife and us ladies are single parents raising children and keeping house. I had great ambition but no definite path. And Dr. Gupte showed it to me. In the college she took me under her wing, taught me the ropes, and I went on to be the placement in charge and a lecturer for business communication.  

She was a disciplinarian and ran a tight ship. But if we had to be reprimanded, it was in the gentlest of words. Nary a raised voice nor and a temper tantrum.  

A true mentor is always present. They never chase or poke you. We are not animals to be prodded with prongs. Dr. Gupte was a quiet presence in my life. She offered advice when asked and never but never counseled unnecessarily. We often went on company visits together and whereas she was suave and direct I appeared gauche and imperfect. But she saw to it that I learnt on the job and if I am confident in my dealings with people, if I could snag companies to offer internships for my students and if I could  invite companies to campus and convince them to take the students, it was in no small measure due to her. 

Some people come into our life for a reason. They open the door of the garden turnstile and show the way to you. You look back, a little unsure and a lot confused, but their quiet presence offers solace and then you take off. This happened to me. Slowly but surely with her hand at my elbow I moved forward and all the years I have spent as a lecturer, happened because she saw the potential. 

I am playing it forward. I have joined toastmasters and I mentor several youngsters. If there is a young, bright student who needs guidance, I pass it on. I want to be the game changer for someone, just like Dr. Gupte was for me.