Investing in knowledge yields the best results, says Divya Momaya, who bears testimony with the example of her journey in pursuit of knowledge that has helped her to achieve every milestone
Divya Momaya comes from a nuclear family. Gujarati by birth, she was brought up in Hubli, Karnataka. She has migrated across three states, learning many languages before she entered the corporate world. She passed out from one of the best colleges with MBA (Human Resources) under her belt, as she makes headway to fulfil her dream in the real world of challenges, starting with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) ECC.
Divya believes investing in knowledge will yield good interest as she says, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest and life is a journey full of milestones.” She has gone through different phases in life, from being the lone female student among the 80-odd male classmates, to being the captain of the volleyball team of her college, besides taking part in marathons during her graduation days at B V Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology, Hubli. And the best part which made her different from other girls was that she was fondly addressed as Ms. Momaya, her surname. She has joined the family of Larsen & Toubro ECC ltd, as an executive HR, to kick-start her innings in the corporate world.
A pass out from Sacred Heart Convent School, Hubli, she was an outstanding student in subjects like math’s, science and languages, which made things easy for her. She was liked by one and all, both teachers and students as she was very bright in academics as well as sports. “Being a bright student at academics and co-curricular activities, I always used to be a part of the various committees, be it at school or that of my community,” says Divya who credits all her qualities to her friends and teachers who have played an important role in shaping her life, most importantly in setting up her goals, as she says, “I believed that it was important to set one’s goals and review one’s routine regularly in order to achieve success.”
Science and math’s being her favorite subjects, both her parents and teachers were of the opinion that she would become an engineer or a doctor, but she had other ideas. “I was good at studies throughout my academic life, as I was inclined more towards understanding the concepts rather than just memorizing them. This lured me into the world of automobiles- was curious to know the mechanism of their functioning-that is when I decided to graduate as an automobile engineer.” Four years in college changed her entire course of life. “I stood as the only female student in a class of 89 male batch mates. It was tough at the beginning, but later on I cherished these precious years the most. It is both fun and scary when you are the one who holds all the attention in class,” she recalls (laughing). It was here that she developed leadership skills and this saw her take a lead role as she was consecutively elected the class representative for three years. Later in her final year she was elected the General Secretary of Community Development of the college, where she along with her team conducted blood donation camps, Hubbali Marathon (10,000 participants across Hubli) and various other events at college. And she was awarded for all the leadership qualities.
After being in the hometown for over 20 years, she decided it was time for her to explore the world outside. “I wanted to get an exposure to how life is led independently and get hands on experience of the outside environment. So, I decided to pursue higher studies from outside my hometown. And this is when I decided to pursue my career in management studies post-graduation in Human Resources.” These two years of MBA added spice to her life, making her learn to balance academics with culture. Her academic and cultural interests were at the peak, as she was the cultural coordinator and a rank holder at her college, which helped her balance her studies and develop corporate relations.
“I believed that it was important to set one’s goals and review one’s routine regularly in order to achieve success”
Divya with her friendsPreparation for placement was an integral part of the curriculum since day-one of the Master’s course. “Everyone is groomed to strike the interview of their dream companies. I was very keen on being placed with a construction or manufacturing firm and hence was a little choosy about the companies I wanted to attend interviews of. This was the day when Larsen & Toubro ECC had decided to come to my college for campus placements for the very first time in 18 years, and I feel privileged to have been placed with such an esteemed organization, this campus placement being my very first interview,” she beams.
There have been many who helped her, and among them are the college authorities who boosted her confidence, which made her feel facing interviews is a cake walk. She began her corporate world in Chennai at the L&T’s Head Office, where she had to report to the Head HR of Smart World & Communication Business Unit of L&T ECC. She carried on from where she had left academics, and in just four months the company recognized her hard work. “I was promoted and transferred to Mumbai with a new post as Cluster HR of Maharashtra Region to handle smart city projects across the state. My joy knew no bounds and I was overwhelmed with this new designation.”
Learning has been the other name for Divya, as she has reached this level only through learning. As she recalls her parents’ words, “Put yourself in situations where you need to get better than what you are if you want to survive. You keep doing it and you will build awesome adaptability and learning skills.” Life has changed in leaps and bounds for Divya and in Mumbai she found her life partner, Henil. They met each other through their parents. Henil Lodaya is the Managing Director of Kulin Impex Pvt Ltd, a jewellery manufacturing company based in Mumbai. “My life saw changing moments when I moved to Mumbai. The city turned out to be lucky, because that’s where I met Henil a caring and supportive partner.” She happened to meet Henil the very next day of her being posted to Mumbai.
“Life is a journey full of milestones. I make it a point to enjoy each milestone as I prepare for the road ahead. Life has never failed to amaze me as it brings abrupt changes during its course of a joyful ride. During this journey, stay grounded to your roots, for this is what helps you blossom into a beautiful flower.”
Divya with her husband
Divya with her parents and brotherBy Joe Williams
