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Hi, my name is George Abraham and welcome to Eyeway Conversations. My guest today is Nikita Vaid Raut who works with a bank as an HR and L&D professional. She's a singer, a fun loving person, a family person, and a motivational speaker. Hi, Nikita, welcome.
Hi, George.
So Nikita, you've joined a bank. Did you always want to join a bank as a child growing up?
No, I didn't want to be a banker. But yes, definitely I wanted to be a corporate women. I wanted to be either an entrepreneur, a businesswoman or a corporate women. So bank happened to me as as part of my campus placement when I was doing my Masters, my MBA. So bank came for recruitment. And I basically specialized in HR working presently, in one of the nationalized public sector bank in the country. So it was recruited as Manager HR. And I eventually rose up to the level of being an Assistant General Manager presently. So L&D and HR has been my forte so far.
So could you talk a little bit more about your profile as an HR and L&D person?
So George when I was recruited in 2009, I joined the corporate office of the organization. And I was there for about six years in the corporate office where I was largely entrusted with the work of, you know, policymaking, drafting a couple of schemes, guidelines, etc. And we did a quite a lot of work as far as the space of, you know, providing facilities to persons with disability was also concerned. So, we did a lot of work in and around, you know, employee development, etc. And then after six years, when I, you know, I was elevated, I got promotions. That's when I felt that, you know, just being in the corporate office may not give me a 360 degree view of what actually the HR function is, or what can an HR professional, what role can an HR professional play in creating the impact that I wanted to create. So I requested my seniors to, you know, give me another posting, give me a field posting. So my second posting was in Delhi, it was in a region, I was setting the regional HR profile for that region. And I was there for a year or so. And then I again, came back to Mumbai handled yet another difficult region as the regional HR head. So that profile, you know, gave me a lot of exposure, in terms of dealing with different stages of the lifecycle of an employee, including dealing with IR issues, disciplinary action issues, employee development, etc. And then post that in 2018, I got into the training part of it. And I was chosen to head the training center of the bank in Mumbai. So that's where I'm presently heading the training center of the bank, which is at Mumbai as the learning head or the vice principal. So my present profile entails, you know, designing programs for different category of employees, taking sessions, mentoring and content developing, etc.
Do you also see yourself playing a role in actually making banking products accessible for people with visual impairment?
Yes, of course, George, that's very much an important role that though not officially assigned, but in my personal capacity, I do see playing that role and I keep, you know, nagging at the departments whenever they keep coming out with something new one, which is not accessible, so it's very important that you must point out and tell them specifically that where things need to improve. And like, I realized that our internet banking, when it got upgraded, there are a lot of accessibility challenges at the moment. So, you know, I personally went and I gave them the demo to the concerned department, showing them exactly while using it, where we get stuck as far as accessibility is concerned. Similarly, the mobile app as well.
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How did you actually prepare? Is there any kind of specialized studies that you have to do to actually get into the bank?
Okay, so while I was doing my MBA in 2009, till that time, the banks were recruiting people directly from the campus, subsequently, the guidelines change, and the banks were prohibited from doing so. So mine was a campus placement, I did not have to actually give a written exam. But I prepared very well for the interview, I even took my laptop and my mobile etc in the interview room to show my panelists how I despite being 100%, blind can actually work just like them. And then towards the end, when I was given an indication by the panel that they liked my profile, and they want to select me, and they gave me an opportunity whether I would like to ask them something and I said, yes. There is a question that comes to my mind. And, you know, which I share with everybody when I talk about this. So the question is that you are a public sector organization and as per the government mandate, you are necessarily required to recruit persons with disability. And I'm one amongst them. So when you say that you like my candidature, and you want to recruit me, whether you are recruiting me only because I'm blind, or you are recruiting me because you feel that I can do justice with the job, and I have that merit or the capability in me to fulfill your job requirement. Senior person in the panel did ask me that what was my reason behind asking this question. And with folded hands, I said that if this is a mere obligatory recruitment, that you want to comply with the government mandate, then I'm sorry, I will not be interested in joining the organization. But yes, if you are recruiting me, without considering my blindness, and only on my merits, then I would very well join the organization. And the panel was so happy, they kind of stood up from the chair. And they said that no, it's our promise that we are recruiting you only and only because we feel you're the right candidate for the job. And never ever will the blindness come in, you know, the way of our decision making as far as your employment in the bank is concerned.
You also told me some time ago, some years ago, actually that you have a passion for singing and you are into music in a big way.
George, I have done classical singing though I don't purely perform classical singing, etc. But I've learned classical singing, I have done my visharad in vocal. I used the sing for All India Radio until a couple of years ago. As a child when I started learning music, I have memories of you know, people murmuring that okay, she's blind at least when she grows up if nothing else, she can actually sing and find money for herself. So I didn't want the blindness to get associated with my talent of singing. And therefore very consciously I did not choose to, you know, make singing as my primary profession. I went a different route. I gave singing, though it is my passion, but I gave it the second preference then. But now when I realized that now I'm kind of settled as far as my profession is concerned and I've proved to the world what I wanted to. Now is the time when I can actually look back to singing as my passion. And now I am learning again from a professor because learning, especially in arts It's a continuous process. It's not that you've learned and the game ends. Learning is each day, right? Now I've started also taking my music classes in a big way from a professionally trained mentor. And he's himself a very renowned singer. He's a ghazal singer, Mr. Jaswinder Singh. So I'm training myself in music under his guidance. I don't perform at a professional level, not for money, because singing is my passion. But yes, I do perform wherever I get an opportunity. And if you ask me, my choice of singing, my genre is more devotional and, you know, light music gazals all songs. That's my genre.
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You also pick up speaking engagements. So what do you speak about?
So I am called for two types of speaking engagements. One on the subject that I deal into. So L&D, HR is specifically, diversity inclusion is one of my favorite areas. And the other one which is more close to my heart is I'm called as a motivational speaker where people do ask me to share my own journey and motivate the audience.
What actually is the cause of your blindness? And when was it discovered And where did the support for you come up and your inspiration?
I'm blind by birth and my parents, they could only figure this out when I was around seven or eight months old. The diagnosis revealed that my optic nerves are dead. And I have at a retina detached thing. So basically, I was born as the third child of my parents. I already have two, two sisters elder to me. So those good old days, not too old. I'm just 38 years old. So 38 years ago. So those good old days, there used to be a lot of social pressures, especially, you know, in the northern part of the country, to sort of have a boy, right. So my parents also had to give into that pressure. And that's how I was conceived. And the biggest shock that my family got, not my parents, though. But yeah, the people who acted as the advisors, they got the shock that I was again a girl. So they did not even come out of the shock. And they were given the other shock of their life a couple of months later that this girl cannot see where some people, you know, said that, okay, this is a destiny. But some people also said that, oh, this is a result of some bad karma that supposedly my parents or I would have done and then some people also gave advices like, to my parents to go and leave me out in an anathashram, hostel, etc. But lucky me, fortunate for me that my parents did not succumb to any of those pressures. They were very resilient in the fact that they always wanted to raise me just as they raised the other two daughters. They focused on my education, which was again, very very challenging because those times there was hardly any school which was ready to take a blind child. So that's where the role of NAB National Association for the Blind stepped in. And, you know, it's because of their help that I, my parents could manage to get me an admission in an integrated education program or in the school. So, you know, the history has been such George, straight from my kg, my nursery till date, I think wherever I have taken education, I was the first blind student for that particular institute. So you know, so the first time first thing so a lot of new learning a lot of challenges, a lot of workarounds, etc. So that's been and I think it has been an interesting journey, not just for me, but for also the people around me, my parents, my sisters, and of course, now my husband and his part of the family.
So it'll be interesting to know, how did you meet your husband? And as a blind woman, getting into a new family would have been an interesting experience.
Yes. So um, how did I meet my husband? So we work in the same bank. By the way, my husband is physically normal. I'm stressing on the work physically. Otherwise, husbands are not supposed to be normal this overtime. That's the lighter note. But yes, he is sighted. He's physically normal. And it was a typical love marriage. Punjabi girl wedding Maharashtran boy. So um, you know, a lot of adjustments that both of us had to make, not because of my blindness, but probably because of the the culture differences that we both originated from the Maharashtran and the Punjabis. So he doesn't like Punjabi food, and I do not like Maharashtran food. So you can imagine how it is. Otherwise, it has been good. So it was obviously quite a task for him to convince his parents to agree for, you know, their only son to be getting married to a woman who cannot see completely. It was a task. And there was a lot of resistance then, but I don't know how he managed and the parents were convinced. And the little bit which was remaining some resistance, that probably I could use my HR skills and convince my mother in law or, you know, my in laws to sort of accept me the way I am. But let me tell you, they've been quite open to it. And, you know, one good thing that happened with me, George, while I was a child is my mom especially trained me to, you know, train me for a completely independent living. So just because I was blind, I had no excuses. And she would not listen to the fact that maybe I will not be able to do this work, or that the way she trained her other two daughters. Even more strictly, she used to deal with me. So as a result, you know, for me to work at home or to do anything that a normal girl is expected to do has never been a challenge.
Let me ask you the next logical question. Who manages to home, your husband or yourself?
So we both manage and we both mismanage. That was, again, on a lighter note, but yeah, I mean, we both manage because we both are working. And just as the other normal working couple does. But let me tell you some interesting facts. So a lot of times when we go out in a social circle, you know, people are gently in awe of things because they feel to a fully blind girl has been married to somebody who's sighted. So what a sacrifice the sighted man would have made or your day to day life, may how much this man is required to work, etc. And this girl not may not be able to do anything at home. But this is an open fact. And even my husband admits it, that there's hardly any work that he does at home, and I don't do so including sometimes even joke around, you know, sometimes he searches for some things that I'm not able to get my wallet, or I'm not able to see my my belt or my shirt, etc. And then he will come out grumbling, and I will just quickly go inside from his cupboard search it and give it to him in his hand. Sometimes he says, I really wonder whether who amongst us is blind, you know. So at times when I not just make my own cupboard, or I not just make my own beds when we have to go out on a travel. But I also do the same for him. It's that and I think the more important thing is that how you coordinate with each other, how you understand each other. So there are times I remember when we were newly wedded, my husband would be without even telling me he would just blindfold himself and walk around the house, just to understand how I feel or how I perceive things without seeing it so that he can empathize and he can communicate in the same way with me, as would make things comfortable.
That's an interesting idea and thought. So let me also ask you, how does Nikita Vaid Raut have fun and relax?
Oh, okay. So relaxing yes, of course music is one. And my favorite, whenever I'm stressed, you know, just in case I am. Generally I try not to be but if I'm stressed my favorite stress buster is cleaning my house or cleaning the cupboard. As far as fun is concerned. So yes, I am a very fun loving person. We do go out, we travel. We like going on long drives. I like trekking. I'm a foodie. And of course I love to dress up. And dressing up means everything has to be matching. So some people say that your husband might be spending hours together to dress you up. The answer is flat no. In fact, most of the times I just dress up myself while I'm, you know, rushing to leave for work, or I do my makeup in the car while I'm traveling. That's when I'm alone.
You know, you also have got a lot of recognition by way of awards and so on. So which is the award that you cherish the most?
Okay, so to tell you very honestly, the first achievement that I cherish the most is the recognition or the achievement when I stood first in the Mumbai University after completing my BMS, okay. And the second one, the most recent one is the one that I cherish was the national award that I received last year on third of December, by the hands of the Honorable President, then President Shri Ram Nath Govind for, you know, the visual impairment category best employee, and for all those who know, this award is constituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment, and given on third December
Being an HR professional, having lived life as a professional and a family person. Is there any kind of advice or words of wisdom that you'd like to share with our listeners?
Um, words of wisdom toh meh nehi kahungi. I will just share a couple of principles that I follow. And I never preach, but I always just share in case it is appealing. So you know, I always believe in leading the life on the principle of my blood group that is B positive. And I always feel that you know, at every stage, you have to make a choice, the situation can never be in your hand. But the choice of how you want to respond to it is always in your hand. So what sort of a choice that you make determines the end result. And, you know, the last thing I mean, that I would always I believe in, I would like to share that, you know, George in India, we do celebrate so many festivals, Christmas is just around the corner, Diwali etc. But there is one festival that we can celebrate every day, every minute, every second, and that festival, to me is a festival of life. So once this is showing that your life is a festival, I think there is no reason where you will not be happy.
So your message is celebrate every moment of life and make the most of it. Well, that's a very bright note to end this conversation. Thank you so much Nikita for taking out the time and I wish you the very best.
Thank you so much for having me here on this platform, thanks to the audience for listening and though in advance, but I would like to you know extend my season's greetings to all the listeners. Wish You a Merry Christmas and a very wonderful new year ahead.
Thank you very much Nikita. All the best.
We had Nika.
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