Shripal Hajari, a pampered child, changed his approach to life, thanks to his elder sister who was his mentor, guide and friend, and helped him achieve his goals
‘Working with machines was a fascination and I always wanted to be a mechanical engineer, but there was something else waiting for me, and that was management. Automobile engineering and strategic management have been my favourite subjects since these subjects use analytical skills’
Brought up in an upper middle class family, and being the youngest at home, things had always been rosy for him. And he took life too easy as well. It was his sister Sonal, who was his inspiration, who changed things for him. Meet Shripal Hajari, who took up the professional course of PGDM - Executive, management student, who now rubs shoulders with the bigwigs in the competitive corporate world. He starts his new innings with Bajaj Finserv as a management trainee.
Punctuality is the other name for Shripal whose attendance records in school and college show 100%. “Thanks to my parents, who believed in being early always, and have imbibed this quality in me,” says Shripal. “This one quality which has been with me throughout my life, will help me in my life ahead.”
A pass-out from the Dinanath High School in Nagpur, Shripal completed his mechanical engineering from GH Raisoni College of Engineering in his hometown. Since then things have changed. All that he wanted was to stand tall among his college friends and come out triumphant in the placement process, which he did.
Being the youngest, he always got the best under the pretext of doing well in academics, but unfortunately would never even get passing marks. “Being the youngest in the family, I have been the most notorious kid, with lot of memories held back by my parents and teachers,” recalls Shripal. “But things changed on acquaintance with the best teachers who taught me many things apart from academics, which I will treasure all my life.” He always wanted to be an engineer, more so a mechanical engineer. “Working with machines was a fascination and I always wanted to be a mechanical engineer, but there was something else waiting for me, and that was management.” Shripal goes on to add, “Jadhav Sir had been my favourite teacher because he not only taught me about automobiles but also gave lessons about how to be a good human being. Automobile engineering and strategic management have been my favourite subjects since these subjects use analytical skills.”
‘Competition brought a lot of fear, although it worked in a positive way because it made me work harder to achieve my goal during my placement days’
Being a junior, one has to listen to the seniors or do what the seniors want, which is part of any college life. But at the end seniors come forth to help the juniors.
This is something which every professional college student would look forward to, and Shripal was no different. “Being selected after the group discussion and psychometric test, I went through the personal interview round which was quite brief. I was asked about my skills, my previous experience, my educational background and my desire to get the job. This was interesting and every step forward gave me new ideas. And getting into a company of nanational repute is something everyone would want to,” he said as he was selected by Bajaj Finserv. “Competition brought a lot of fear, although it worked in a positive way because it made me work harder to achieve my goal during my placement days,” says Shripal.
This is just the beginning and Shripal has a long way to go in life like any youngster out of college. “Everything in life is a learning process, and this stage is one among them. Here there is no teacher or homework but one takes the call for himself and this is the real test of life. It is the time to realise all my strengths, change my weaknesses into opportunities and run as fast as I can to grab all opportunities coming towards me,” feels Shripal.
“There have been many but I would place my parents on the top of the list. They have encouraged me and made me realise what I am worth. My sister was my guide, mentor, teacher and most importantly, she was a friend,” acknowledges Shripal. His father, Sheshpal Hajari, is a government servant, his mother Sangita, a housewife and elder sister Sonal is a project leader in Infosys.
Making parents proud is what anybody would want and that was his happiest moment. “I made my parents proud when they were told that I had got the job in the campus placement. I could see the tears of joy in their eyes, which is a big inspiration.”
Shripal with friends and family“Life is a game to be played fairly. One may witness many challenges and in the process of overcoming these hurdles one will learn many lessons and gather many memories,” believes Shripal.
By Joe Williams
