Believe in yourself and follow your dreams

Name: Sanju Kankariya CEO, Navjeevan Computers

Job Profile: Navjeevan Computers, supplier of computers and
peripherals in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, was founded by Sanju Kankariya's nephew in
2000. Kankariya took up the role of the CEO of the company and since then has
been enjoying her work. Being the front face of the company, she has been
playing key roles in the organization such as handling the sales and service,
addressing the customers' problems and attending the team of technicians.

Background: Born in Andhra Pradesh, Kankariya completed her schooling
and further studies in Visakhapatnam. She pursued her masters in Politics, but
chose a different career path. Surprisingly, without any additional
qualification she went into the hardware business after getting married in 1989.
However, her journey was not smooth initially, as she did not get support from
her family and relatives. "As I hail from a typical Jain family, I had to face a
lot of hardships to enter into the family business. But I kept moving to achieve
my goal," said Kankariya. She added, "Fortunately my husband and my nephew
understood my liking for computers and encouraged me to join the business. My
husband and mother-in-law motivated me to turn my dreams into reality."

Woman Power: For Kankariya, maintaining a cordial relationship with
her colleagues is the key to keep problems at bay. Also, she believes that to
achieve anything in life one needs to handle every situation on his own. Her
confidence is one of the main motivating factors for her as she considers
herself as one among the crowd in the office. According to Kankariya, women in
the IT industry should never worry about the gender bias and they should come
forward to take up responsibilities. Every female child should be given equal
opportunities to grow in life like their male counterparts. Women should not be
considered as the weaker section of the society.

Strengths: Maintaining a balance between her family and professional
life is her greatest strength claims Kankariya. She firmly believes that career
despite being the top most priority in her life, family should also be given
proper attention and importance. This apart, it was her belief in herself that
made her recognize her potential and hold the challenging position of CEO. "The
most unforgettable moment in my life was when my mother-in-law advised me to
join the family business. I consider it as a biggest turning point in my life,"
said Kankariya. At the same time, she regrets about not pursuing her studies
further. "I wanted to study law, but after marriage I could not focus in this
direction. If I get a chance, I will study law in near future," said Kankariya.

Hobbies: Kankariya loves to travel. Besides, chatting with her family
members also gives her immense pleasure. Despite her busy schedule, she is fond
of catching up with her daughter's favorite sitcom in order to spend some
quality time with her.

Inspiration: It is not just one individual who Kankariya is really
inspired by in her life. "If you ask about inspiration I would say my customers'
satisfaction inspires me a lot, which incidentally allows me to progress and
grow in my business. Then, my mother, who has always supported me with her
constant encouragement, is also my inspiration. I learnt to maintain balance in
life from her," said Kankariya. She further added, "For my achievements I would
like to thank my nephew Kamlesh Kankariya, MD, Navjeevan Computers and my
husband, Sunil Kankariya, MD, Navjeevan Super Shop."

Future: She aims to open more branches of Navjeevan Computers and
extend the chain of business in other regions as well. She would also like to
concentrate on social work and put efforts in this direction for the betterment
of the society.

Minakshi Shetty

minakshis@cybermedia.co.in