Highlights
- Rajita Singh, Chief People Officer at Kyndryl, never imagined she would pursue a career in HR.
- She faced biases and challenges in her early career due to her gender, age, and family background.
- An incident in her workplace led her to get into counseling and she became a certified counselor.
- Singh is the only one in her family to enter the corporate world, deviating from the family business.
- She excelled in car racing and continues to maintain a work-life balance through various hobbies and interests.
Never in her wildest dreams did Rajita Singh, the Chief People Officer at Kyndryl, envision herself in the field of HR. Being raised in a business-oriented family in Delhi, Singh’s upbringing in Hyderabad was solely due to her parents’ need to relocate for business purposes. Since childhood, her ambition was to become a Cardiac Surgeon. With a strong determination to pursue this dream, Singh secured admission to three Medical Colleges, including one in Bangalore and two in Hyderabad. However, given a difficult family situation, she chose to stay with her mother in Hyderabad despite having paid the fees at the Bangalore college. As a result, she had to let go of her medical aspirations and pursue a degree in Commerce at St Francis College in Hyderabad.
Initially, Singh felt that studying Commerce was just like joining the crowd and being “one among the others.” However, she soon realized that transitioning from a Science background to Commerce was quite challenging. Struggling with a significant drop in her academic performance, which was a drastic change from her previous academic accomplishments, was an embarrassing moment for her. To figure out her path in the Commerce field, she surrounded herself with non-Science friends and learned about their aspirations. Their influence made Singh understand that life doesn’t always go as planned, and sometimes you have to adapt.
Singh excelled in Statistics but faced difficulties with business law, which was part of the vocational subject. She credits her patient professors for their guidance and support during her college journey. Building a supportive ecosystem took time, but by the second and third year of college, studies became easier for her.
As the only person in her entire family who pursued a corporate career, Singh faced societal biases related to her gender, age, and unconventional career choice. Despite being offered job placements after graduation, she didn’t take up the opportunities due to family pressure. It wasn’t until a friend of hers created a resumé for her that she started exploring career options. While pursuing her MBA, Singh chose to specialize in Marketing and HR. Although her family initially had reservations, she received support from her mother and sister, and eventually, the rest of her family warmed up to the idea.
Throughout her career, Singh encountered biases in the workplace. Senior employees would make derogatory comments about her age and experience, questioning her competency. As one of the few women in the room, she often had to stand up for her opinions and face opposition from older, more traditional leaders. Singh shared an incident where she led an outdoor activity, and a male colleague dismissed her advice based on gender stereotypes. Despite the challenges, she managed to maintain a professional relationship and later became good friends with him.
Singh’s childhood was unusual for a girl in a traditional family. Her father, a national-level hockey player and underwater swimmer, introduced her to car driving at the age of 12. By the time she turned 18, she had become a racing champion. Embracing her upbringing as the first grandchild in her paternal family and being raised like a tomboy, Singh participated in various activities such as arts, crafts, karate, and Bharatanatyam.
A tragic incident at work involving a friend led Singh to pursue counseling. The friend, who worked in the payroll department, took his own life due to a failed love story. Singh was the last person he called, and she made efforts to help him by contacting his family and the police. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain. Deeply impacted by the incident, she joined a non-profit organization called E-Seva and became a certified counselor. However, due to the mental and emotional strain, Singh does not practice counseling on a full-time basis.
When it comes to maintaining a work-life balance, Singh humorously remarks that the idea of work-life balance is mostly a myth. Instead, she believes in integrating various aspects of life and allocating time according to priorities. To unwind, she enjoys listening to music, doodling, painting, watching TV shows and movies on platforms like Netflix. Her husband inspired her to start reading books, particularly non-conventional ones that provide different perspectives. Currently, she is reading “Motorcycle Diaries” by Argentine Marxist Revolutionary, Che Guevara.
Singh follows a life philosophy based on the DSD approach from the Mahabharata, which she learned from her mother. D represents doing one’s duty, S stands for having courage and conviction in being true to oneself, and the second D stands for patience. While Singh acknowledges that patience is an area she needs to work on, she finds solace in this philosophy.
Published On Sep 16, 2023 at 03:29 PM IST
