An interview with

Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman,
former member of National Commission for Women and an Educationist

Bhoomika: Tell us something about your association with JNU.
Ms. Sitharaman: I joined CESP in JNU in 1980.

Bhoomika: What kind of trajectory did your career follow after you left JNU?
Ms. Sitharaman: I left JNU after submitting the draft of my Ph.D thesis in the Centre for West European Studies, SIS. I went to London where my first job was in the famous store Habitat as a shop assistant. There, in my first month I won a bottle of Moet Chardonnay Champagne for record sales. But soon I left them to join the Agriculture Engineers Association as an assistant to their Economist. Almost a year later, I joined Price Waterhouse in their UK Headquarters as a Research Assistant. There, I went on to become Manager, Research. This was at the time when Eastern European economies were being dismantled and Western audit and marketing systems and practices were being passed on. My time there in that environment was a fantastic learning opportunity. I was able to hone my research skills. I returned to India just a month before my only child, a daughter, was born.

My husband Prabhakar (also a JNUite) and I started a Public Policy research centre in Hyderabad. We took up several studies for the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Unicef, ILO etc.

I am happy to say that I also started a small school which has set standards in school education. Not expensive and therefore accessible to all, it makes being in school a memorable learning experience for students. The school won acclaim from the British Council as one of the schools in India which was/is adopting good quality international teaching learning practices.

As a member of the National Commission for Women - a statutory body with quasi judicial powers, I could serve the cause of women. The issues for the Commission to deal with were many. I would say that the most challenging phase in my career was my period at the Commission. But it was also the most gratifying, as one could see that in one's own small way, one brought a difference in the lives of struggling women.

Currently, I am a member of the National Executive of a major national party. In Andhra Pradesh, I have been given the responsibility of writing the Party's Manifesto for the forthcoming Assembly Elections-2009.

But let me confess that my political initiation happened in JNU- I was a part of the Free Thinkers group.

Bhoomika: How has JNU shaped your perception in relation to your profession?
Ms. Sitharaman: JNU most certainly provided me the best opportunity to participate in all sorts of debates and to think in a different way. I must say that JNUites do things differently, wherever they are and that's how they stand out.

Bhoomika: Is there anything in your life which can be dedicated to JNU?
Ms. Sitharaman: Oh! It won't be an exaggeration to say that anything that I am doing today has some inspiration drawn from JNU. My politics, my school or my commitment to certain values, my friends, even my family- my husband in particular, all around me has a bit of JNU. So, a separate dedication? That will only dilute its importance.

Bhoomika: Which aspects of JNU do you like the most?
Ms. Sitharaman: The environment it offers- both academic and social. The exposure it gives, being located in Delhi, is one of the factors. It draws the best of students from all over the country- this is a right mix for the all round development of a young Indian. JNU is a great place and I owe a lot to it. There is something about the campus (not just in the physical sense) that keeps growing in you even after you leave the university. And it is that something which binds us irrespective of the years that pass gradually.

Bhoomika: What message would you like to give to the JNU students?
Ms. Sitharaman: You are in one of the best places in the world. Make the most of it as you are there. It will work like a catalyst in the rest of your life for you to optimise your strengths in building a career or in being a contended individual.
 

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