Saturday, June 22, 2013

Preeti Monga - Esha Achiever of the Month - Concluding part of the guest post by Sandeep Koul

This is my favorite part of the interview. Because to me, it was the most inspiring part.
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“Did you have to struggle a lot to get where you are now? Can you talk about one incident that encapsulates this phase?” In an incredulous tone of voice which seemed to suggest that she had been talking to a retard the whole while, she replied, “Of course I had to struggle all the time, I still have to.

I am not able to decide which incident I should tell you, as it will be very difficult for me to do so. But one thing I wish to say is that no matter what my struggles were, I have had a great life! I have enjoyed every moment, every struggle; no matter what it was! As I said, there is always 2 sides to everything. For example, I walked the streets  and markets with pickle bottles, selling  with the temperatures from 47 degrees to 1 degree, bumping into things, tripping on the stones and potholes, slipping in mud, being asked to get out of shops who did not want my product… having doors shut in my face from houses I was trying to sell at; yet I loved it all as all this physical activity kept me fit  and slim, allowed me to eat everything and anything without worrying about my weight! Plus, I had my boyfriend cum lover with me all the time, for he was my official assistant! What more could I have asked for?

The  Struggle was that I was a single mother of 2 little kids, plus had hardly any money to call my own plus did not know when that day will come when I could earn enough to support the three of us? Plus I was fighting for my divorce. Yet I focused my thoughts and energies upon all the fun I was having learning new things, meeting new people and enjoying the attention I was getting. Well I can go on and on about all these things, so my book is what needs to be read for the real secret.” With this obvious plug for her book, “The Other Senses” I was drawing towards a close. I had run out of questions here, canned or otherwise, so I asked the final b-school closure question next. “What is your current goal?” She replied, “My current goal is to take Silver Linings to becoming a company/organization  worth Ten Thousand Crore. And once I achieve that, no one, I mean no one will ever again take a disabled woman for granted!” Worthwhile ambition for a special person – we wish her all the best at achieving it ASAP.

My heart was overflowing with gratitude towards ESHA for providing me this brilliant opportunity to interact with such a magnificent person – hey, wait- I’ve run out of superlatives here…
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Thank you, Sandeep, for the fantastic interview. Thank you, /Preeti ji, for sparing the time.

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