Fiery & fabulous – Amruta Devendra Fadnavis proves she is a unique women’s leader, time and time again.
By Andrea CostaBir
Accomplished banker, purposeful and melodious singer, deeply committed social activist, and powerful women’s leader – Amruta Fadnavis aces all her roles with aplomb! Not to forget her role as the supportive and influential wife of the Hon. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis.
While the lady plays a leading role at Axis Bank, her place of work, she puts in mammoth efforts to pursue social initiatives that lift the marginalised. Staying true to its mission of ‘Empowering Lives, Transforming Futures’, her Divyaj Foundation is a dedicated NGO that works at helping the underprivileged, especially acid attack victors, better their lives.
Also lauded for her musical prowess, she is a trained classical singer whose melodious voice and passion for music have won her countless hearts.
A firebrand with a compassionate heart, Amruta Fadnavis is a breath of unique air – unafraid to speak her mind and follow her heart; be it in the professional or personal domain.
Determination and passion have brought you where you are today. But what ignited the spark that set you off on this journey? Also, what is it that keeps you going?
I believe that there is still a lot to achieve and I am learning each day, trying to imbibe all that I learn in my life. That said, I would say that my greatest inspiration has been my mother.
She is my ideal, and she is the one who ignited in me the passion and the drive to do something worthwhile with my life.
My mother is a fiercely independent lady. She is career-oriented yet, at the same time, she has been a perfect homemaker, and has toiled for her family. She is a practicing gynaecologist. Since childhood, I have seen her running between her clinic and home, trying to balance her life, and she accomplished it beautifully, with aplomb, I would say. She would go to the clinic, come back to take care of me and my brother, and see to it that we did our school work. In fact, she ensured that we did our extra-curricular activities too. She always tried to instill in me the spirit of an independent woman, yet she never compromised on the cultural aspects. She has given me a sound value system that has brought me thus far. It has made me the person I am today. So, that is what ignited the spark in me – to be like her.
When I look at my daughter and scores of other daughters of our nation, especially in smaller towns and cities, I feel duty-bound to care for them the way my mother cared for me, to give the same love and guidance my mother gave me, that is what keeps me going. Let me tell you something, girls in smaller towns have very few examples to look up to, to get inspiration from. It is not about just a handful of women who can make a difference, it’s about creating a whole troop of them. And I want to be one of them.
Is there a lesson you have learnt from a mistake or failure in your career? How has that helped you move forward?
I don’t remember making any such profound mistake in my life. Some small, insignificant mistakes maybe, like everybody else, but nothing that affected me in any way. But yes, I have seen failure, and it became a silver lining in my life. I say that because that failure reinstated my belief in myself and in my faith.
I was always career-minded. So, although I had musical capabilities and creativity and talent, I chose to be a banker. You know how the corporate world works. There is a lot of competition between colleagues. There is a lot of comparison also. I have been taught to take any challenge head-on, not shy away from it. I saw my mother handle challenges in her life superbly and emerge a winner every time. So, there was a time when I was competing fiercely with all the other colleagues. However, despite giving my 100%, I didn’t get promoted that year. It was a setback for me, and I was distraught for some time at the failure I faced, but under the advice and guidance of my seniors and family, I persevered. I got that promotion the next year.
People say that giving your 100% will always get you the result. But it doesn’t always happen that way. The result can be delayed. The lesson here is perseverance. And, as ‘Shrimad Bhagwad Gita’ says, karm karo, phal ki chinta mat karo (do your karma, don’t worry about the result). The result will come eventually. And a year later, I got the promotion. In a way, the failure made me so much more confident. Had I got it immediately, maybe I would have stopped struggling later in my life.
Similarly, my favourite sport, tennis, has taught me a lot. It has given me the strength to keep on fighting despite the many failures I have endured on the tennis court. I am never bothered, whether I win or lose.
The lessons that I have learnt in both my professional and personal life have given me the courage to keep going on, so much so that despite getting trolled or pointed out for something, I continue with conviction.
Which quality defines you as a leader; a person of influence?
I would say that the one quality that really defines me is that I am true to myself. I am an unadulterated free spirit and firmly believe that I am the best version of myself. I get inspiration from my elders, for sure, but no one can influence me. I am my own person. As my Instagram handle says: What you have, many can have… but what you are, no one can be! So, one should be his or her unique self. I certainly am unique.
Reaching for the sky requires strong roots. Please share a few details about your support system.
That’s true. A tree can’t grow tall unless its roots are strong. Only then can it survive the vagaries of nature. Similarly, ambition needs to be supported by strong familial ties. In that, I have indeed been very lucky to be blessed with a family that has not only supported but encouraged me to reach for the stars.
My grandparents, my parents and in-laws, my husband, Shri Devendra Fadnavisji, and our daughter, have all contributed to my journey as a person and a professional. You don’t need them to be with you constantly; just knowing that they are there for you, makes a lot of difference.
I remember, when I conceived and Divija was very young, I was tempted to give up my career as I wanted to be with my daughter. Being a new mother, I wasn’t sure how she would be taken care of. But Devendra inspired me to continue working and I was assured by the family that she would be well taken care of in my absence. “You can’t take a break from your six-year-old career for three-four years, it will be a big setback for you,” they said. So yes, a support system is crucial.
Do you have any advice for a young woman who wants to emulate you?
Be true to yourself, work hard and become independent. And, above all, don’t shy away from difficulties or failure. Failure should not bring you down, it should motivate you to do better and work harder. I see nowadays that children, and I am talking about both boys and girls here, take failure to heart. They get mentally disturbed by it, which at times provokes them to take extreme steps. Instead, I would appeal to them to take failure as a challenge and rise above it. In the end, my advice to young women is to be strong mentally, physically and emotionally. No troll or critic is worth paying any attention to.
