VEENA & VIKAS (PGP 1975)

VEENA & VIKAS MANKAR PGP 1975

2017! 44-years since we have known each other, 42 since we graduated from IIMA and 40 since we got married. Over these years, our proudest achievements are our three children – Shilpa, Preeti and Mohit; and the most endearing consequence of being a parent, five precious grandsons- Veer, Angad, Shoan, Arjun and Amartya, in order of appearance –one every year from 2010 to2014.

Our families had different plans for us when they waved us off to IIMA. Apart from acquiring an education, they also saw us moving up the eligibility charts in the process, so simultaneously (albeit discretely)they commenced a search for acquiring a son/daughter-in-law. It was the 70s, when let alone from a different state, the talk of a match from another sub-community was enough to cause the family foundations to tremour. In our case, on breaking the news of our intentions to get married, the Richter scale hit a 7 or 8!Thankfully, the “broad minded” Punjabis finally accepted and the joint family Maharashtrian heart melted, sooner rather than later.

The early years saw us move to Sharjah, in the wake of the Gulf boom. As we raised a family, Veena’s career took a break, whilst Vikas tried to instil fiscal discipline in construction projects,that if left alone, had a tendency to spiral out of control. For Vikas, the quintessential Mumbai cricket lover, the best fringe benefit came from the fact that his employer was also busy making Sharjah an international cricketing centre. It was part of corporate social responsibility to attend the events! After almost a five year hiatus and a brief stint at teaching, Veena was able to get back to banking in Dubai.On her first day at work, she had to deal with the astonishing fact that she was the first woman manager at this local bank. The alma mater’s reputation no doubt had a lot to do with that.  After a little over a decade, we moved back in the early nineties as India opened up, primarily to bring the children “home” to the warmth of the joint family fold. Even whilst away, Mumbai was and is home! In fact, Vikas is probably the only person from the class whose home address in the year book remained valid for over three decades. In the age before cell phones and e-mail, it was a wonderful anchor to stay connected as our class-mates too spread out all over the globe, but Mumbai remained a pass through port!

We have no illusions that our experience of becoming an IIMA couple was unique, which ‘2 States’ reinforced years later. Unfortunately, we neither had the idea nor the talent to make literary capital out of it. Nevertheless, it was very special.

So why are IIMA couples special? Is it the shared education?Campus experiences? The first semester shock of being thrown in at the deep end?Placement anxieties?  It is much more than that. It is the time and freedom over the two years to discover differing perspectives with a shared value system that makes you gravitate towards the same group of friends, appreciate and support each other’s professional journey, find joy in the small things and work out differences. Over the years, we have given a priority to “ours” versus mine or yours. Wehave been able to last through the dips together,laughed and cheered at our joys and accomplishments, including those of our children and grand-children. Looking back, it’s been a busy, fulfilling journey.

So thank you IIMA, for not only launching us on our respective professional paths, but also for being the place where we met and began “our”story. We raise a toast to all those couples who were lucky enough to experience the same and to all those who will in future come here to find their “mojo” together.

( Veena was a fresh Economics graduate from Lady ShriRam College, Delhi when she attended her first class in marketing,  over awed by ProfessorRavi Matthai, as he  explained the how and why of the IIMA brand, and welcomed us as the best and brightest, the  future stars of corporate India. Vikas, with a masters in science from IIT Mumbai, had already cut his teeth on a career in finance at ICICI Limited (the venerable project finance institution and pre-cursor to the bank) but was not over awed by ProfessorMote – Mallya and probable branches of decision trees.  Bitten by the project finance bug at ICICI, Vikas gravitated to seeding new businesses(albeit for others)in India and the Gulf – from exploring new ideas, to turning those with potential into implementable plans and raising funds. He turned entrepreneur in 1999, providing dedicated research and back office services to US fund managers. Veena, a banker all her life, also turned entrepreneur in 2005 with Swadhaar, to bring banking services to poor and low income households. We both feel ready for the next phase in our lives, less busy with work, more time for grand- children and hoping to dabble in some unfulfilled pursuits, including travel to newer destinations.)