How was your experience of mentoring Devi?
I was Devi's first mentor. Have been with her ever since she became a part of Villgro portfolio. It was not such a good time for her when we started out. She was struggling with the product design and felt rather stranded and alone. That was when I realized that my role as a mentor was to pick her up- emotionally and psychologically. I tried to establish a certain amount of comfort level with her so she could unload and talk about anything and everything with me...and we have never looked back since then!
The next step was focusing on the product. We sat together and worked around that; along the way, we set milestones and I ensured that they are met on time. This was also the time when Villgro was thinking of pulling the plug on her, so Devi had to really push herself even more. And to everyone's surprise, she did that, and how!
Have there been any learnings for you from this relationship?
If I look back at our partnership, I have come to learn a lot of things from her, tenacity and commitment being the biggest of them. When she started out, she was in her mid twenties. She came from a well off family and studied abroad, but despite all this, she chose the road less traveled. And that has made a difference indeed!
(Rama is Devi's friend, philosopher and guide. That's the kind of impact that a mentor can make in the mentee's life. Join us to experience it first hand!)