Women's Day Special: Why Mumbai's working moms are supermoms

Women are often referred to as the better half of the species And there is enough evidence to prove that women in fact are better than the other half In this half there are the supermomsBeing a mother is a 24x7 365day fulltime no pay no hike no bonus kind of a job There are no breaks and definitely no holidays for a mother Right from the time that the child begins its journey in the womb the mother nourishes it and cares for it And this is a lifelong assignment so to speakEarlier it was observed that if both parents are professionals it would usually be the woman who would give up her career and sit at home to tend to the family However those days when women sacrificed their careers and became housewives after tying the knot are historyWomen today are far more careeroriented and give equal importance to their professions along with nurturing their children and families Juggling between excel sheets power point presentations and the childrsquos tiffin and school homework is just one of the many tasks that the new age woman performs today The mark of a progressive society is where women form a majority chunk of its workforceWomen are successful as entrepreneurs CEOs bankers engineers and designers to name just a few professions One look at the political scenario in the Indian subcontinent will display how effective women have been in governing nations Sri Lankarsquos Sirimavo Bandaraniake became the worldrsquos first female prime minister in 1960Indira Gandhi Benazir Bhutto Pakistan Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh have all successfully led their respective countries Here we celebrate the multitasking woman who loves to dance in the rain play with her kids on a carefree Sunday and is ready to battle a mundane Monday with a heavy dose of cough syrup and a cup of hot coffeeSupermomBy the age of 18 Nita Bhaya had already carved her career path She completed her CA and by 22 she had her first fulltime job in hand Amid all the pressures of accounting and balancing books Nita started her family with the birth of her daughter Pranavi She took a sixmonth maternity leave and went right back to work all guns blazingName Nita BhayaProfession BankerChartered AccountantChildren Pranavi 5 and Devaansh 2PicAtul KambleldquoInitially I was a bit apprehensive about resuming work but having a supportive organisation and a conducive work culture helped a lotrdquo says Nita She started off with flexible hours juggling her time between work and the baby and soon figured out a plan to manage both effectivelyHowever Nita admits it wasnrsquot as easy as it seems ldquoHonestly it is a bit of a struggle One always feels that there is not enough time in the day to spend with the kids after a full workday However I do try and ensure that I leave the office at a reasonable hour and able to spend at least threefour hours with the kids before bedtimerdquo adds NitaHaving the support of family and relatives is a big boon for working moms ldquoMy mother comes in to look after the kids once a week and they share a special bond with her She showers them with love and makes them feel very special My husband is also very supportive and fills in when I have some crazy work daysrdquoThe supermom adds ldquoI feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction that I am able to juggle and manage both work and kids However there are days when I get exasperated at not being able to spend enough time with the kidsrdquoSupermom advicegtgt Believe in yourself have confidence in yourself and your ability to balance things out and donrsquot give up Itrsquos hardest in the initial phase gtgt Love your work If you do not love what you are doing you will not be able to push yourself in terms of time and energy gtgt Do not hesitate to ask for help Whether it is in terms of flexibility at work someone to help manage the kids at home or just take some time out for yourselfOver the years Pooja Solanki has worked with a host of architectural firms and carved a niche for herself in the world of interior designingShe started working while pursuing her Bachelorrsquos degree and has continued ever since After the birth of her son Karan in 2005 Pooja took a break and became a fulltime mother Six months later she was back at her desk only this time she had flexi hours to work withName Pooja SolankiProfession Interior DesignerManagerChild Karan 9ldquoAs a person I need to be productive with my time to be able to do justice in all other areas of my life I am a better mother because I was able to pursue my professional liferdquo says Pooja Finding the right balance is the key and it varies from person to personldquoItrsquos always tricky to find the right balance between what should be and what is possible Thankfully I live with my inlaws and they were happy to babysit my son when I was away Hence it was relatively easier to step out when Karan was just sixmonthsoldrdquo shares PoojaldquoIt takes a lot of factors to get the balance just right support at home as well as support from the employer I have been fortunate on both accounts to reach where I am todayrdquo adds Pooja who is Vice President Projects Tiles and StylesSupermom advicegtgt Itrsquos most important to not lose your identity because that is what propels all the other roles gtgt With technology it is becoming easier to work without being present at the desk at all times depending on the nature of job gtgt A lot can be achieved knowing exactly which priorities can be juggled to match the circumstancesHaving graduated from NIFT Rachna Shah began pursuing her passion designing She began her career as a designer and manufacturer of fashion accessories mostly of footwearAfter Aadityarsquos birth in 2005 Rachna decided to take a long sabbatical from work and be a mom to her son ldquoMy baby was my top priority I took a sabbatical from work for about two yearsName Rachna ShahProfession Footwear DesignerManufacturerChild Aaditya 8PicAtul KambleThen for the next few years I decided to scale down and restrict my work hours About three years ago Aaditya became independent and thatrsquos when I decided to commit myself to my career in a fullfledged wayrdquo says RachnaItrsquos been a wonderful journey and she has been able to strike a perfect balance between her creativity and her sonrsquos needs ldquoBeing a mom is the best thing in the world to me and being able to work also gives me a sense of balance I am enjoying both my career and being a mother I feel proud secure and satisfiedrdquoShe adds ldquoLike a lot of working moms there were days or weeks when I used to feel guilty and completely overwhelmed Today when I look back I feel quite satisfied that I was able to manage both pretty well My positive attributes of being a good multitasker high on energy and full of life along with the trust and support of my husband my parents and inlaws all together helped me balance my time between my child home and careerrdquoSupermom advicegtgt Accept that there will be good and bad days It is beneficial to discuss your feelings with your husband or parentsin laws Donrsquot be afraid to ask for help gtgt Focus on a plan get organised list down all of the things that need to be done over the next few daysgtgt Everyone has a smartphone today which is an amazing piece of technology So use it for more than just texting and updating your profiles on social media websites