00:00I told my, you know, the person who I spoke to, saying that unless I can do business, you know,
00:07I'm allowed to do business, I'm not, you know, I can't go ahead with any proposal where I'm not willing
00:12to, because I grew up in a very broad-minded environment, you know, independent environment.
00:18So he said, well, it suits us very good, because they were already in business, and the more the hands,
00:25the better, isn't it? So then I came, and then, one thing I was, I was, you know, everybody has
00:32certain fears, and I always had this fear about math, you know, and then the business that they wanted to
00:40hand over to me was the financial company, the Mark Darsichet Funds.
00:45We were about 11 branches then. So, you know, my husband was running the media company, the younger brother was
00:53getting into another media company, we had hotels in Wysak, so that's far off.
00:59The only business that was available here was the financial sector. So I thought, if I don't agree with that,
01:06I'll be stuck to the kitchen. So I said, it's okay, I'll do the struggle, but I will go.
01:12So that's how I took up some business that I was not wanting to do, but I turned it around
01:19from, you know, it was about 100 crores turnover, and this year we'll be touching about 15,000 crores turnover.
01:25It's all about passion and commitment, you know, how ardent you are, you know, about what you want to do
01:33in life, you know.
01:34You will make time for it when you are ardent about doing something big, yeah.
01:40You need to dream big also. So I joined in 90, in 95, you know, the then managing director was
01:52leaving, you know, he was taking his own path.
01:54And then in the meeting, Chairman Garu, he was sitting next to me and he just whispered, I'm going to
02:00announce your name as the managing director.
02:02Okay, I was about 27 then, you know. And you won't believe it, my heart started beating so fast, because,
02:10you know, this is a financial institution, you know, it's public money.
02:15And one has to be very much accountable for every single rupee. We are only custodians, we manage the funds.
02:22So that's why, of course, my heart went beating so fast. That is the day I decided that in my
02:30life, Mark Darcy will be the first priority, everybody else is the second.
02:35You know, my husband, my children, everybody was secondary to Mark Darcy.
02:40Why? Because I was managing public money and I'm accountable for it. And I have to be very, very cautious
02:49about this fact all through my life.
02:52By the way, the family also just wanted me to manage the business. It's not as if they wanted me
02:57to really grow it big as, but it was my dream.
03:00My father-in-law told me this the first day he took me to office. He said, Shalija, this company
03:06is older than you. Okay.
03:10And there are people who are your father's age working in this organization.
03:17So it will not be possible for them to change their attitude and behavior. Okay. So bear that in mind.
03:25And mind you, that helped me so much because I'm young and I'm enthusiastic. You know, I have to work
03:35with people who are 50 years old.
03:37Okay. So I was, that really helped me to always give them the due respect for their age, you know,
03:45and work with them.
03:47It's not easy for a young person to work with all 50 year olds. Okay. So that, but that really
03:53helped me how, how I have to be with them.
03:56You know, I can't be like, uh, okay, I'm the daughter-in-law of so-and-so and we own
04:01the company. That's not the attitude we should have, uh, definitely not for any big organization, but at that age,
04:08you know, it really helped me to have the right thinking.
04:11So carrying the team along with you is very, very important. And also due respect to everyone is very, very
04:20important.
04:20My father-in-law gave me a lot of freedom. Like he gave me the company and he gave me
04:25the freedom to work because he knew the way I was focused.
04:29He was seeing, he would be walking at 4 a.m. in the morning on the terrace because he had
04:34threats.
04:35So he had to walk only on the terrace at home and he would see me getting into the car
04:41at 4.30 and leaving the house early in the mornings.
04:45Uh, so, because I used to go by road all the way to Adilabad, all the way to Karim Nagar,
04:50because I want to be there by 9 a.m. by the time office opens.
04:54And then I work the whole day and then start back at sometimes 8, 9 a.m., 9 p.m.
04:59in the night to come back to the city.
05:00So he understood within 4-5 years that, you know, you can take the horse to the water but you
05:08can't make it drink, right?
05:10But I was a horse which was running to the water. So he need not worry. So he gave me
05:16full freedom and it was my dream to make it big.
05:21And that's how I worked on Mark Darcy, yes. And also, you know, most people think, sorry to say, but
05:27most men think that women can't do much.
05:31Okay. Generally. Yeah. They give us full credit at home. Only women can manage the home. Only women can manage
05:38the house.
05:38But business, they think only most men can do it. But that's how it has been traditionally, right?
05:43But it's changing now. All women are taking active role. So for them to believe, when I went for my
05:51first daughter's delivery and I didn't, I was, I took off for a year.
05:54So everybody thought she's gone. She's now going to come back. Okay. But then when I came back, they were
06:01surprised.
06:01Very few women have been given the opportunity in the past because I know women who are IITs, IIMs just
06:11remained as homemakers because in the family business, there are already two boys and that business is enough for two
06:18boys to run it.
06:19So this girl will not get a chance. That's how it has been traditionally. But yes, she will give her
06:26knowledge.
06:26She will give her wisdom. She will give her values to the children of the family and groom them as
06:32very good children.
06:34But so the general feeling generally will be that, oh, you know, it's the man's world. That's what I'm trying
06:41to say.
06:43So in the man's world, for the men to believe in you and say, yes, she can run the company,
06:50it takes a lot of effort by the woman to get herself to be accepted.
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