Rendezvous with The New Indian Express

My rendezvous with The New Indian Express                                          

Link to article: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/1759860
Link to The New Indian Express full epaper: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/171072/Indulge-Bangalore/11-October-2013#dual/12/2

Give us a little brief about yourself both professional and personal.

I go by Archana Sundareshan…

Professionally I am an engineer in the Senior Management leading Research and Development of Mobile Technology.

Personally it has been intrinsic in me to look at life aesthetically and my reasoning mind embarking on a philosophical inquiry that augments my thought process, seeks purpose to life. Mine is a journey leading towards self-discovery and my relationship with the world around me.  

My personal and professional sides can be perceptively seen as various roles I play that enable me to learn and grow. My personal life and professional life also are my informed choices of profound relationships I engage in with fellow travellers/ teachers/ companions/ inspirations/ support systems/ like-minded or complimenting people who facilitate my progression.

I take pride in the various roles I play as a citizen of India, a daughter, a wife, a mother, a daughter-in-law, a friend, an engineer, a student and the list goes on…In role playing, living the moral values exhibiting strength of character is primordial for me as it unobstructs intellect expanding the capacity of our senses being more open to the flow of life thereby truly empowering us.

• What got you interested in engineering?

My need to stay connected to people and information anytime and anywhere sowed the seeds of a career in engineering during my teenage.

Engineering to me is not only about solving worldly connectivity problems but I do believe in “Inner engineering” which is about progressive transformation towards a better self through studies, introspection and retrospection. At crossroads of life and through the abyss of probability of chance, when we are hit with perennial questions, applying gained wisdom -- aka-- ENGINEERING is what makes us proud owners of the real estate viz "Inhabited Heaven" that can be bought only through the currency "Intellect".

As an engineer, I get my grey cells every day in the act of shrinking this blue planet with power of communications by bringing products of desire produced working with a team of visionaries and strong reasoning minds, that enables everyone around the globe to connect to anyone or anything that matter to them the most from anywhere.

I wake up every morning; get myself to work in order to bring designs to life what people call today Mobile Technology. At the end of a working day, I return home with a sense of achievement empowering people.

• Did you feel outnumbered as a woman when you attended college?
• The issue of sexism, in the field and in the world at large, is a huge ball of worms. Why are there relatively few women in technology, at least the forefront?
• Do you think there is a slow rise in women being part of both technical and non-technical aspects of work?

Note: I have combined above two questions because my answer to both these is linked.

           

Outnumbered by guys in an Information Technology discipline at Engineering college or the fact that there are fewer women in technology than men in the forefront itself is not a problem in my view. We need to ask if women have equal opportunities as men to pursue engineering if they want to or see no fair recognition when they work their way duly towards getting to the forefront in the technological domain. To put it in simplistic terms, we need to ask if women are empowered to live their choices be it in the field of engineering or arts or commerce or as a home maker etc. What are the blockers or issues we have today that don’t let a woman live their informed choices?

It is worth mentioning that there is a rise in women empowerment across the spectrum of fields, that is appreciable and a pride but we still have work to do in this area. Women empowerment needs inclusive growth in

·         Provisioning education opportunities to every child both in scholastic and co-scholastic subjects. This opportunity should not just be “a fair chance” but a promise we citizens need to make towards the future citizens of our country. This would even require a “Educational revolution” focusing on the mission to completion.

·         Provisioning equal opportunities for career in any named field

·         Work towards a healthy society that measures/values the success of an individual using the barometer of happiness/peace of mind achieved through universally moral virtues than that measured through the money mechanics.

·          Also build an environment that is not laying for us one race after another but encouraging and appreciating organic progression of a hardworking individual.

• You say that intellect has no gender. Yet women are constantly undermined in fields like science, technology and engineering. You comments on that.>

Having said this, it is also worth mentioning that there is no place for laziness or parasites. We cannot blame someone else for our own lack of conviction to work our way through fields of science or technology or any other which is male dominated today numerically. Woman or Man, one need to be strong willed, work hard and wholeheartedly through rational engagement. Intellect has no gender. It just seeks expression that evokes a sense of achievement. I'd encourage everyone irrespective of the gender to walk down the road to enlightenment and at heart be an ENGINEER to make your own vehicle that takes you to places you want to go...Pursuit of excellence is key and yet it is important to stay detached towards results for mental equilibrium. One need to take full responsibility for one’s choices and where one reaches in the journey of life for we are a reflection of our work.

To summarize, yes we have come a long way with respect to women empowerment and we still have a long way to go, but I am positive we will.

• Elaborate on what it is like to a female leader in this mostly male-dominated field.

Like I shared before, Intellect has no gender and this has been my personal experience too. If we are good at what we do, irrespective of gender we rise. Good work gets its due recognition. But let me tell you that being “Good” at work is a lot of hard work.

For example in my role as a leader, I have seen with my experience it is necessary to have a vision, communicate effectively that vision to the team in such a way that it is credible and believable to the team thereby engaging them rationally. It is also highly important to “Walk the talk”, role modelling and working with them not with a patriarchal perspective but as one team at ground zero building the products of desire run by state-of-the-art technology we create. Last but not the least, not a moment we forget that we are at the end of day humans and the relationships we have at workplace is laid on the foundation of trust, respect and empathy. I strive my best in my role not to fall short…

Yes there are lot less women peers I have than men in leadership roles and it might seem like a man’s world to a person seeing through the glasses to filter gender. But seeing through my eyes, I see visionaries, inspirational leaders, stellar engineers and a world class team that knows how to make it happen! Gender is transparent here.

Having said this, there is lot of hard work, conviction and uncompromising grit to get there. We needed to be first engineered internally and need to have built a platform to prepare us for role at workplace and give us momentum fuelling us day after day -- here support systems count…

Firstly my parents have been very encouraging towards intellectual progression. My father G.S.Sundareshan, has nurtured and set standards for me to rise high in altitude as a righteous, independent woman with a strength of character and inner beauty that finds its roots in the rich heritage of our country’s Dharma – that I work on every day. Also I have had the need to build equations at home that is conducive and co-operative of my career oriented choices and a big thank you there to my husband Yudhir Kataria and my child Meghana! For ex: I am travelling a lot on business and I see it is an accepted norm wholeheartedly at home supporting my career needs. I also realize that it is not easy for many women to find that co-operation coming naturally. This is what I mean when I say that choices we make in our life confining to roles we play with the people we choose as companions have a lot to contribute here. Growth is holistic and career growth is not linked only to our colleagues/business partners but also family co-operation has a major role to play.

As much as “There is a woman behind every successful man”…In my case with a token of gratitude to Yudhir I would say “There is a man (and a child) behind (every) empowered woman”…

• Your comments on the top people in technology have almost always been men (including Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg).

All the men you name remind me of a quote from Ayn Rand.

“From this simplest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and we have comes from a single attribute of man -the function of his reasoning mind.”

Steve Jobs did believe that it is only engineering that raises the standards of this world and I resonate with that belief.

At the levels you mention here citing examples of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, I would say we women need to get inspired to imbibe the kind of passion they had towards their dream giving it form and rising each time they fall with indomitable spirit and relentless conviction to make it happen. As an example: Mark is from Harvard and I am reasonably sure if you ask him or any of his fellow batchmates or professors of Harvard that if a woman would have walked down the road Mark did with all the characteristics Mark had/has, would she have been equally successful as Mark is today – Majority of answers would be a “YES”.

So I would see this as woman needing to have the courage to walk the road these great leaders did…If a woman has shown courage and yet there have been unfair treatment, it requires attention and work to eliminate such blockers.

• Where do you think women fit into online business models, digital marketing, e-commerce, new media, social media strategy, gadgets, and IT infrastructure?

In all intellectual domains, I do not see an issue or blocker for women to pursue career in named field if they are willing. But in fields demanding primarily physical strength, whilst there are many individual women physically stronger than an average man, but going by weighed average it is likely that those fields might not befit women though there would be exceptions to that rule. It is an anatomical characteristic and nothing a woman can be blamed for. Its nature! We appreciate it!

• Give us two reasons why you believe women are equal if not better in the technology field.

I as a person have not demanded equality with men for I am not equal to any man or woman as I am unique and I’d like to be recognized/known for my craft bearing my signature art – but yes, I do not appreciate when there are no equal opportunities for women and men.

• If there is anything else you’d like to add but I’ve missed out asking, please feel free to include that too.

I engage in philosophical studies and it is part of my day to day life.

Now for the more casual questions

• A website you wish you’d created

I’d create it if I wished. I have a simple blog feeding my need for expression through pen and for now keeping it that way. When I am able to, I also engage in forums of spirituality, philosophy and science.

• Your favourite app

Well a lot of apps actually. But the ones I use most are Whatsapp, FaceTime, Youtube and Gmail.

• Your favourite operating system and why

We are in the world of eco-systems than operating systems. That way Android, Windows and iOS being leading/popular eco-systems highlight that simplicity, intuitiveness, easy integration and robustness are that appeals to users.

• Your inspiration in life
• Your professional inspiration

I do not have specifically “a person” as inspiration. We learn from all those we cross paths with in life. The true inspiration for me is walking down the path of righteousness progressively relying on my rationale, working towards it for it unobstructs our intellect enhancing the capacity of our senses energising us in the flow of life – truly empowering us.

I am fortunate for having crossed paths with great people who have influenced me in my life starting from my parents, my husband, my teachers in school/college, my colleagues, my spiritual friends/mentors, my team and my child.

• Your favourite technological device

The mobile phone I built…