My message to you today is this: Dare to question the norm.
Continue readingDare to Question the Norm – A Tale of Two Women
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Category Archives: Leadership
Aspire While Being Content
This is a speech I delivered in my Toastmasters a while back, pretending the audience to be my fellow alumni and students from my alma mater.
In 1978, a family of three arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with 700 dollars to their names, and all their possessions in two suitcases. They knew one woman in the city, the one friend they had made in India when she was passing through and needed a place to rest in-between flights. Now they were relying on her to put them up for a night or two while they found housing. You could say they were naïve, you could call them foolhardy, but they had aspirations. The man was going to do his higher studies, and the woman and the one-and-a-half-year-old daughter tagged along.
Continue readingThe Loss of a Leader and a Friend: Dean of CEG, Dr. E. Natarajan
“Sometimes the people whom we’ve know for only a short amount of time have a bigger impact on us than those we’ve known forever.” – Maya Angelou
I have known Prof. Natarajan only since the end of May 2020. He had just been appointed the Dean of the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) earlier that month. The CEG alumni had compiled the results of a student survey and wanted his permission to share it with the students and alumni.
Continue readingLeaders are flexible
When I answered a leadership questionnaire to determine what my primary leadership style is, I was not surprised by the discovery. The result said my leadership style is Coaching. This is good because I currently do a lot of coaching and mentoring. But I am also very much aware that leadership style is highly situational. How many of you are aware of the theory of Situational Leadership?
Continue readingBharathy’s Gift
Bharathy Bhaskar is a household name in Tamil Nadu. Her motivational talks draw thousands, and her YouTube videos are seen by millions. She is a celebrity and needs no introduction. Why would she agree to a webinar to inspire the students of an engineering college in Chennai? Therein lie some great leadership lessons – a lesson in modesty, a lesson in compassion, and a lesson in the spirit of giving back.
Beyond Redwalls of CEG – Ep15: “The First Woman Engineer in India”
I had the opportunity to talk about Roots and Wings with Hari, my fellow alum from College of Engineering, Guindy. I am thrilled to have four of the women from Roots and Wings provide their takes on what it meant to them to study engineering. Thank you, Nalini, Radha, Kalpa, and Indira! You can click on specific links (in the video description) to hear them talk.
Thrilled to be in this company – CEG Distinguished Alumni 2020
Every year the Alumni Association of College of Engineering, Guindy (AACEG) selects a number of alumni for the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The categories are:
- Renowned Professors from Academic Institutes
- Eminent Scientist
- Illustrious Defense Personnel
- Prominent Industrialist / Entrepreneur / Administrator
- Prominent young Scientist/Entrepreneur/ Administrator (Less than 45 years of age)
- Outstanding Sports Personnel
- Eminent personnel in Arts and Music
- Philanthropist /Prominent Social Service rendered personnel
- Any Others (Specify)
Women and Self-Empowerment
Introduction
Recently I was invited to give a talk on Women’s Empowerment at the San Francisco Tamil Manram. This article is based on the webinar I delivered in Tamil. One of my mentees who is currently doing her engineering undergraduate was surprised by some of the challenges I mention. That comes from belonging to the privileged class of women. Keep in mind that when I talk about women, I am talking about all women in the world and my frame of reference is the Indian culture. Challenges unique to women in technical professions are also discussed.
Dr. Seetha Lakshmi: Pioneering Database Technologist
Seetha Lakshmi graduated in 1972 from the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), with a degree in electronics and communication engineering. She went on to get a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Texas, Austin (the first woman Ph.D. from CEG!).
பெண்கள் சுய அதிகாரம் – Women’s Self-empowerment
I had the honor of presenting a webinar on Women’s empowerment to 80+ Tamilians – members of San Francisco Tamil Manram & Sacramento Tamil Manram and some Tamil friends.
You can watch the recording of the webinar or browse the slides.
