In Conversation With
Indu Mehta
President – Corporate Communications
and CMD’s Office, LNJ Bhilwara Group
I SEE ROADBLOCKS AND CHALLENGES AS POTENTIAL
OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW – INDU MEHTA
Spirituality is the very essence of
one’s being. It helps us reconnect with
our inner being and as a result we
connect to the eternal peace and joy.
You are highly educated and having a number of educational degrees, our readers would like to know about your educational achievements?
Learning has been a lifelong journey for me. I believe that evolution is the very sign of life, else the whole purpose of human life is defeated. I am interested in very diverse subjects and for me, advancing personally & spiritually is as important as my career growth.
I have always believed that we are all born successful. Since my initial years, my approach towards my career was to be part of big structured organizations that have set high standards for quality, processes, and invest in employee learning and development. It worked. Being a small fish in a big pond gave me enough space to grow my roots and build a strong foundation with exposure to best operational know-how, systems, processes, checks and balances, optimization, cross – utilization of resources and brand marketing. I invested a sufficient time developing strong core values and ethics for myself. When I started, I trained with Hyatt Regency, American Life Insurance as a product trainer, Unilever Arabia as a market research executive, and the Emirates Airline.
I see struggle and challenges as potential opportunities to grow. Whenever life presents you with a challenge, it signals or warns you that something is out of alignment in your approach or understanding of a subject from all perspectives. It is a signal for you to change your strategy and overcome it. To me, each struggle is like a red or yellow sign on my car dashboard either warning me to be careful and fix something. Hence, I believe that what doesn’t kill you improves you. Just be thankful for the struggles in your life and treat them like an opportunity to grow and become a better version of yourself.Ever since I started my spiritual journey and have trained to be a Holistic Life Coach, I have dropped the negative aura around the word ‘struggle’. I love to just flow with the current and not against it. I want to enjoy each minute, each day, and every single year of my life that I work hereon.
I attribute my role with the LNJ Bhilwara Group as an answer to my prayers even though I have almost 3 decades of work experience to my name. After being an entrepreneur for nearly ten years, I was no more interested in taking up employment or a full – time role with any organization. I used to pray that I only work with people who match my values of integrity and respect for human capital, and believe in growing together with the team. With this opportunity, I feel that my prayers have manifested because of my childlike faith. I am now turning into a deliberate manifestor.
The group’s core value system includes giving back to society, hence, it aligns with my beliefs. These value systems have been instilled by Mr L.N. Jhunjhunwala (known as LNJ Babu with love) and driven down by his son Mr. Ravi Jhunjhunwala and his grandson, our current CMD, Mr. Riju Jhunjhunwala. Expounding on the hiring process, I had three rounds of selection. I was interviewed by Mr. Riju Jhunjhunwala, during which I was asked to present several success case studies of business turnarounds, how I overcame functional & operational challenges, and set up new businesses or business verticals. Mr. Riju Jhunjhunwala is quite progressive and pragmatic. He gives space for creativity and provides guidance wherever needed. He is a thorough gentleman and provides a safety net to his people while they forge and explore new territories.
What are your priorities in present scenario?
I am responsible for the group’s and the constituent companies’ branding, communication strategy, and reputation. I also make sure that the CMD’s passion projects in technology, hospitality, health, renewable energy, and social welfare are taken care of as they provide the requisite impetus to the group to keep discovering and moving forward.
The NGO Jawahar Foundation is particularly close to me since it has been dedicatedly working for food security, water & environment conservation, health & sanitization, employment generation and digital literacy. In my leadership style, I pick up each roadblock as an opportunity for human transformation or system upgradation and constantly focus on driving the engine forward.
What are the focus areas of CSR work of your Organization?
There are multiple missions that the organization is striving to achieve through its CSR work. These are –
Education: we have four community schools at our plant’s locations in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with around 5000 students enrolled and a digital literacy program in Rajasthan that partners with government school students and the youth between 12 to 20 years of age to impart functional knowledge of computers and mobile applications in order to make them cyber savvy.
Food Security: Under “Swabhiman Bhoj” (a community kitchen service being operated in Rajasthan) fresh meals are provided in just 1Rupee to the needy. Under the program, four centres are currently operational across Rajasthan feeding over 1500 meals daily and serving nearly 3,00,000 meals. We have also partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation and Madhya Pradesh state government to set up a mega kitchen serving 50,000 mid-day meals to school kids in Bhopal and Raisen, Madhya Pradesh every day.
Empowerment and Environment Conservation: We are running the Global Parli project in association with Global Vikas Trust to help farmers upgrade to higher remuneration crops thus empowering them to earn a better livelihood.
Old Age Home: We have setup a 50 bed facility for homeless, needy & the elderly at Apna Ghar ashram in Bhopal with a 24×7 ambulance facility. We provide them regular Medical check-ups, proper treatment by professionals, shelter and food.
Adopt A Heritage: We adopted a UNESCO-recognised site Bhimbetka Rock Shelters in Bhojpur (Raisen), Madhya Pradesh for development and conservation of the site, and I am proud to share that our group company HEG Ltd. has been appointed as a ‘Monument Mitra’ by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
How do you manage time for your professional works and personal responsibilities together?
I am a conceding fan of scheduling. I schedule everything on my calendar. Apart from my work, meetings and correspondence, I include everything else such as meditation, gym, commute time, salon, reading time, and even my social commitments, including phone calls. Hence, everything basically gets done on
time. As a by-product, I am able to pace myself and be the timekeeper of a meeting or task. I schedule 10 days in advance and stick to it 90% of the time. The periodic stuff, including my 10-min break, or weekly and monthly meetings, gets automatically scheduled.
You are a renowned personality of corporate world and very active in professional and various social work. In the higher professional status some time you have to face criticism also.
Being in the corporate world while rising up the ladder as a woman attracts more attention than others and our work or recognition is often discounted as favouritism. I have learnt to take everything in good stride as long as I am diligent and righteous. As leaders, we too make mistakes, but it’s important to take a step back and analyse the one broken cog in the wheel before declaring the entire wheel was defective. I introspect with my team to take corrective measures and move on after the learnings.
What is your message for your critics? How do you accept criticism?
“Thank you for your opinions as they helped connect me to my inner-being to seek peace and validation bringing me closer to the divine. Today, I love myself just like God loves me.”
What were the reasons that inspired you become a holistic life coach along with your professional career?
I cannot see anyone in pain or suffering because I believe we have all taken birth to experience the beauty and goodness of the world that god created for us.
I coach via one-on-one sessions. To date, I have coached over 60 people resolving traumas of childhood, ugly relationships, self-doubt, breaking through patterns of misery, feeling of stagnation and mid-life crisis. I continue learning and have invested in several certifications in metaphysical work.
These are as follows:
Holistic Life Coaching Certification from Life Coaching Foundation by Alan Cohen
Unleash the Power Within – Tony Robbins
Neuroscience & Neuromarketing from Copenhagen Business School.
Break free – Productivity Bootcamp by Designing Life Academy.
Business Coaching – Designing Life Academy.
Principles of Manifestation – Business Coaching India by Rahul Jain.
Serenity Surrender Healing Modalities.
Memory Magic, Art of Living Basic and Advanced.
Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Vedantic Studies.
15 forms of Meditation from Osho Meditation Retreat
Ananda Sangha – Meditation Initiation
Initiation into Raj Yoga Meditation & Self-Study – Brahma Kumaris
Several additional courses by Alan Cohen – Soul Contracts, Soul & Destiny Series, Leading Edge of Accelerated Prosperity, etc.
Reiki Healing Level 1 & 2.
In the present life style all age group of people are suffering from mental health issues. How much mental health is important along with physical health?
Thoughts create feelings and feelings create our experiences. In other words, mental health is far more important than physical health. If a certain person is suffering, the importance of mental health goes far up in their lives. No living being can physically function without its mind. Whenever our physical health drops, our body starts giving out signals. We catch a cold or a fever or some body part starts paining. But the mind is like a new born child. It’s very fragile. It won’t speak if it’s aching or needs attention. It will just show in very subtle ways.
What is the main reason of depression?
Mental illnesses cannot be reasoned out so simply. Depression, in particular, is quite a complex disease. It can happen due to a variety of reasons and each of them is as significant.
In day to day life. How medicines can help to cure depression?
I can speak for myself. I feel it is not the medicine that cures us but our belief in it that it will cure. While I am not suggesting this is true everywhere. If there is a chronic condition and a psychologist has recommended medication, then honour expertise and knowledge. However, I choose to deal with depression with more holistic practices and work on the thoughts, mind, and body.
I like to use alternate methods to generate Happiness Chemicals; i.e. Dopamine (also known as a reward chemical) by eating healthy, trying to achieve my daily goals, get more than 6 hours of sleep. Oxytocin (the love hormone) – by socialising with like-minded people, petting our kitty, doing community service, Endorphin (the pain killer) by exercising each day, laughing & listening to music, Serotonin (the mood stabilisers) – get 45 mins of sun exposure, practicing mindfulness, and nature walks.
What is the role of spirituality in our life for inner peace?
Spirituality is one’s being. It helps us reconnect with our inner being and as a result, we connect to eternal peace and joy.
Who inspired you most in your life?
Shri Swami Yogananda Paramahansa. He has been a true inspiration in shaping up my entire life, both personally and professionally.
You are always energetic and fit, what is the reason behind it?
I stay disciplined.
What is your message to those women entrepreneurs who failed to achieve success and do not get support from the family?
See your failures as an opportunity to learn and make it a part of your learning curve. There would always be something holding you back in life. Same is the case with starting any new business venture. They say the beginning is always the hardest and rightly so. Just because a hurdle seems insurmountable doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. So, break free from all perceptions & problems and think of what can we do to make it right!
You have proven yourself as an icon for women’s empowerment. What are the challenges of women’s empowerment in our society?
Challenges to women’s empowerment have remained the same through generations. What has changed is the form in which they appear. Earlier, the challenges were limited to just the household, but now they can be seen everywhere, from the workplace to sports.
In my experience, a key challenge is a mindset and I feel that the shift is happening. Men and women have actively tried to unlearn sexist practices and are picking up new and improved value systems that serve them and society better.
You are an achiever of number of awards. How do you see these prizes and awards?
Awards are nice to receive as a recognition to your work, however, for me, I like to keep the focus on learning, application, and the fact whether I am growing each day or not.
How do you define success in your life?
Success is what makes you happy. For a lot of us, it lies in the achievement of materialistic goals. Focus on the emotions that the achievement triggers within you. Do you feel happiness, pride, fulfilment, or validation? Feeling those emotions is what real success is for you. Once we are able to detach success from materialistic goals and do not depend on any event to make us feel positive emotions. We will begin to accept that we are successful no matter events in our life. This acceptance itself will guide us onto our mission and our path of true success.
