Love, resilience and compassion - the career and life of Prerna Dharni.

Thank you so much for spending your time with us on the playground today! And a big thank you to Prerna for sharing her pivots and her passion with us.

Here are my top takeaways from our chat:

Prerna was born in New Delhi to parents whose careers as hoteliers meant moving around a lot.

During her early life, Prerna wanted to be many things including a Black Cat Commando and a police officer.

In university she took commerce but also English literature, political science and history.

She had the luxury of being confused about her path, and appreciated her cousin who was the first female role model who was able to leave and create her own life. We never know who is watching or how people are inspired by our actions and choices in life and in our careers.

The diversity she encountered at a socialist university allowed her to see the world, and she knew after she completed her masters that she wanted to join the public service.

Unforeseen things can happen in our lives, and we need to be resilient in order to get through them. We need to pivot – like Prerna did after her beloved dad had a heart attack and she had to look after his business.

There is no career graph – life is a series of ups and downs (like the up of getting married but the down of having a long-distance relationship.) Like the up of welcoming a baby to the world, but the down of being in a new country during a pandemic with no personal (or professional) network.  

Prerna finds joy in spending time with people and enjoying food together, and is most proud of having been able to say goodbye to her father in the way that meant most to her.

A meaningful quote - Love and compassion are necessities and not luxuries from the Dalai Lama

Thank you again Prerna for hanging out with us – it was so inspiring and wonderful!

Links:

What is P.O.S.H? - Cimmons Information Portal

National Security Guard - Wikipedia

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Official Website of Panjab University Chandigarh ਪੰਜਾਬ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ पंजाब विश्वविद्यालय चंडीगढ़ पंजाब यूनिवर्सिटी चंडीगढ़

Home | Chandigarh, The official website of the Chandigarh Administration

Gurdwara | Sikh Place of Worship, History & Significance | Britannica

The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama | The 14th Dalai Lama

NAB India Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies