Radhika Gupta, the Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss MF, has shared her inspiring journey from being bullied for her "crooked neck" to becoming one of the youngest CEOs in the country.
"I was born with a crooked neck. If that wasn't enough to single me out - I was always the new kid in the school; dad was a diplomat. I lived in Pakistan, New York, & Delhi, before I arrived in Nigeria. My Indian accent was judged; they named me 'Apu', a character from The Simpsons," she wrote in a post for online portal Humans of Bombay.
The 39-year-old said she had a low self-esteem as she was constantly compared with her mother during her school years. "They compared me to my mom, who worked at my school. She's a stunning woman, and people always told me how ugly I looked in comparison; my confidence plummeted," she said.
Ms Gupta said that she contemplated suicide at the age of 22 after she got her seventh job rejection. "I looked out the window and said, 'I'll jump.' My friend called for help! I was wheeled into a psychiatric ward, and diagnosed as depressed.
"The only reason they let me go was because I said, 'I have a job interview - it's my only shot'," she said, adding she bagged the job - at McKinsey.
A few years later, she started her own asset management firm with her husband and a friend. The company was later acquired by Edelweiss MF. "I climbed the corporate ladder. I became a saree in a room full of suits" - was how she described her experience.
Ms Gupta said that it was her husband who encouraged her to take over the reins of the company as its CEO and said, "You're the best person for the job!" when she hesitated.
"So, I went up to my boss and said, 'I'd like to be considered for CEO. What I lack in experience, I make up for in passion.' And a few months later, at 33, I became one of the youngest CEOs in India! I was over the moon!"
She recalled about an event which changed her life as she shared her "childhood insecurities about my looks, my struggles with rejection, and my subsequent attempt to commit suicide. I let go of all the baggage I'd held on to."
Ms Gupta ended the post with a striking line - "So now, when I receive comments on my appearance, I just say, 'Yes, I have a squint in the eyes, & a broken neck. What's unique about you?'"
