For the last few days, I had been humming the famous song from the musical The Sound of Music, ‘I am 16, going on 17…,’ but with a difference…my words were… I am 60, going on…
The age of 60 is a very significant year in our lives. For those leading a professional life, it means retirement from their profession in most organizations. At a personal level, 60 means getting into the senior citizen bracket. Many people asked me, “how does it feel to be 60? Do you have any bodily changes? Is there a change in your mindset? Do you think you would like to take it a little slow? What would you really like to do?” But, 60 is just a number and doesn’t really matter because life doesn’t change drastically after 60, and my work will remain the same.
Fortunately, in Symbiosis, there is hardly a retirement age. It is such an inspiration for all of us to see our Founder, Dr S B Mujumdar, who will turn 90 now, coming to work every day and actively participating in all the events and activities. Therefore, in such an organization, the number is very insignificant.
In fact, if anything feels vital at 60, it is the need for introspection. It is time to look at the past, what one has accomplished in one’s personal and professional life and what one would like to do going ahead—which is what I did! I looked at the past and realized that from a career in medicine, I moved into a career in education, and the transition happened so beautifully because of a wonderful platform called Symbiosis that I got because of my father.
While I am proud that Dr S B Mujumdar is my father, I did not want to limit my identity to being his daughter only. I wanted to create my own identity, which I have been able to do. My focus on the Internationalisation of Higher Education has undoubtedly widened the horizon of my thoughts. Through my interactions with friends in academic circles, various discourses through webinars and seminars on internationalization and of course, my deeper engagement with foreign students changed my whole mindset. Therefore, I have created my identity in my own space in higher education.
Fortunately, I had children early in life, and they are grown up and self-sufficient and have their own families. They have given us three beautiful grandchildren, which has given me great satisfaction until the age of 60. As a personal goal, I would like to spend more time with my grandchildren, read books and travel. Although I do travel for work, I rarely get the chance to go on a holiday.
Beyond this, I have set a few goals for myself, as I do every year. Professionally, I would like to contribute more to the growth of Symbiosis and see how it can be a university of choice not just for Indian students but also for students globally. While maintaining its own DNA of internationalization, how it can be a seat of global education that creates global citizens with deep-rooted Indian values.
I am also happy that we created the first international campus of Symbiosis in Dubai this year. Therefore, this has been a landmark year for me and Symbiosis. This has been my desire for a long time, and I am happy that it coincided with my 60th birthday.
I am eager to expand Symbiosis with more international campuses to serve a broader community. The people at Symbiosis are like my extended family; together, we’ve shaped what Symbiosis is today. Their dedication has transformed Symbiosis and therefore my life too and this has also shaped my personality. I thank my family, friends and my well wishes for extending their beautiful wishes on my Birthday!