We asked our community members to imagine themselves at a crossroads in their life, whether it was in their career, a personal pursuit, or a new journey and to then picture having a wise and experienced guide at their side, offering knowledge, encouragement, and support.

With this in mind, we posed them two questions:

Have you ever encountered such a mentor in your life? If yes, share a defining moment where your mentor positively impacted your growth. How did their guidance shape your choices or help you overcome challenges?
Looking beyond oneself, what are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? Do you believe it benefits not only the mentee but also the mentor?

Below, are their answer to one or both the questions.

Nijagunayya S Soppihiremath

Earlier, I worked with Banco Products India Ltd as Head of Projects. Now, I provide Engineering Advisory Services as a freelancer to manufacturing companies, and my core areas of expertise are in Manufacturing Engineering, Project Management, Digital Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, AI, IIoT, and OEE Improvements.

Have you ever encountered such a mentor in your life? How did their guidance shape your choices or help you overcome challenges?

One of my favourite mentors during my 1st tenure with BPIL (2007~2013), Mr Vimal K Patel (Chairman Emeritus at Banco group), used to treat me like his son. His advice on time management, logical thinking, behavioural aspects, psychological observation, business acumen, business finance, personal finance, and reasonable and accurate business forecasting helped me to mature myself in day-to-day work discipline, make precise decisions and make accurate judgments.

To refer to his humbleness out of many- he used to research vegetarian food for me at local restaurants in China. He used to personally visit the hospital to discuss with my doctor during my pre and post-hospitalisation case. He used to advise me on how to control anger in group discussions with delegates; he used to teach me logical techniques about negotiation skills, which made me an exceptional negotiator in the industry.

He has nurtured me in human behavioural aspects, which are key points in guiding me in winning debates, winning approvals, winning decisions and winning buying leads. Whether it is about health, food, trekking, reading, hard work, smart work, or continuing higher studies, everything comes from his mentorship. Every day, I miss his mentorship with love and affection.

Looking beyond oneself, what are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? Do you believe it benefits not only the mentee but also the mentor? If so, how?

In my view, mentorship plays a pivotal role in personal and professional development, benefiting both the mentee and the mentor. For the mentee, guidance from an experienced mentor provides valuable insights, accelerates learning curves, and fosters a sense of direction with a personal touch. Beyond knowledge transfer, mentorship instils confidence and resilience.

Equally important, mentors also gain from the relationship. Teaching reinforces the mentor’s own knowledge, promoting a deeper understanding of their expertise as he always expresses an ‘aha’ moment upon exploring new ideas or upon getting new sources. It will fulfil the ideation process between the age gap; he always highlights young minds and young blood’s role in creativity and risk management. Mentoring fosters leadership and communication skills, and the mentor often gains fresh perspectives and innovative ideas from the mentee. Ultimately, mentorship is a symbiotic relationship that contributes to both growth and success, creating a positive ripple effect throughout the broader professional and personal spheres.

Sumit Ghosh

A social entrepreneur who is on a mission to work for SDGs in collaboration with like-minded individuals & institutions and wants to positively impact society through effective mentoring.

Have you ever encountered such a mentor in your life? How did their guidance shape your choices or help you overcome challenges?

Only 24 months of association with a gentleman helped me to build the rock-solid foundation of 33 years of professional career, which is still going on. I am talking about the great mentor and my first boss, who created the maximum impact in my life, who was none other than the late Mr Ratan Shankar Dixit, fondly called by us Dixit Da. I was a university fresher and stepped into the corporate world for the first time. I did not know anything about corporate culture. But this gentleman helped me to understand each and every critical aspect of corporate life, from conducting meetings, analysing business, coping with business pressure, team management, networking, reporting, corporate etiquette, and work-life balance. He pushed me to excel in each and every domain, and I was not very comfortable as I was not mature enough then. But today, once I look back, I realise the true meaning of “Mentorship”. I am unfortunate that I only had 24 months to work with him as he got a call from God for a bigger assignment. Today, wherever he is, I just want to say that I am trying to follow his path and impact the junior professionals the way I was impacted by Dixit Da.

Looking beyond oneself, what are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? Do you believe it benefits not only the mentee but also the mentor?

Mentorship is the ability to act as a catalyst. It is an art of mixing a bit of teaching, training, coaching, and counselling, but above all, helping others to identify their inner potential without influencing their original traits. Mentorship is a continuous process of evolution not only for the mentees but also for the mentors, as there is no limitation to exploring new domains as well as looking at the existing domain from different angles. The biggest challenge for a great mentor is not to influence the mentees as per his or her own style but to identify the unique characteristics of each and every mentee separately and design a holistic plan which suits best for the mentees in this process every time the mentor interacts with his or her new mentees, the mentor also got an opportunity to learn, unlearn or relearn about the new subjects or new domains.

Pavit Madan

I worked as a sourcing manager for an international company before becoming a freelancer.

Have you ever encountered such a mentor in your life? How did their guidance shape your choices or help you overcome challenges?

I was unsure about how to move forward in a crisis, so I came across my mentor, who gave me clarity on further course of action. This changed my outlook towards life!

Looking beyond oneself, what are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? Do you believe it benefits not only the mentee but also the mentor?

Yes, it does help both the mentor & the mentee. They both get a perspective of the situation and respond accordingly. Mentors get new experiences and new perspectives, even if the situation is similar. The mentee, on the other hand, gets a lease of life.

Sitharaam Jayakumar

I retired as a Lead Software Engineer in the year 2019 and have taken up writing in earnest since then. I write articles on gender equality, politics, fiction, flash fiction and several other areas. I am an author of four books, have contributed to several anthologies and am a published poet.

Looking beyond oneself, what are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? Do you believe it benefits not only the mentee but also the mentor?

A true mentor is someone who recognises the strengths and weaknesses of his mentee and acts as a friend and guide. When I look back at my rather eventful life I wish I had had a mentor when I was in 10th grade who could have not only pointed me in the right direction in choosing the appropriate career path but also taken the trouble to convince my parents that it would be the wise thing to do.

I grew up in times when it was universally accepted that the best career path for all and sundry was to either become an engineer or a doctor. My parents were extremely eager that I should join an IIT. I should not be remiss and blame my parents alone. I was a very bright student though not what I would call brilliant. I too was attracted by the charm and glamour of the IITs. I took up the science stream, prepared for the IIT entrance and secured admission to IITBHU in Metallurgical Engineering.

After completing my BTech I switched over to a career in Information Technology in which I have been moderately successful. But in retrospect, I wish I had had a mentor who had bluntly told me and my parents that given my character I would be better off as a classical scholar. Perhaps if I had taken up the humanities or the commerce stream my success quotient would have been much higher. I discovered my life’s greatest passion which is writing at the age of 51. As mentioned before, I maintain a blog which is a potpourri of poems, essays, fiction, photography and several other things. I have written one book in the action and adventure genre till now and I am getting ready to pen my second which would be a thriller cum science fiction novel.

A mentor can make or mar a person’s life. It is very important to have someone who can give blunt advice. For the mentor, there can be nothing more rewarding than pointing people in the right direction, particularly in the context in which I refer to a mentor. Moulding people to lead a satisfying and fulfilling life gives them a sense of purpose. It is morally extremely rewarding.

Ram Prasad Jogadenu

I am a Civil Engineer with 40 years of experience in the construction sector, working both in the Government and private sector. Presently, I am looking for hybrid model work. My hobbies are interest in project work, music, seminars, spiritual lectures and so on.

Looking beyond oneself, what are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? Do you believe it benefits not only the mentee but also the mentor?

On the receiving end, I will benefit richly in a way again since this knowledge, along with my life experience, can be passed on to needy people. Being a mentor is the greatest satisfaction since one’s rich experience and knowledge will be implemented effectively through one-on-one interactions. It is good to align mentor and mentee to work toward a common goal. Nowadays, it’s a really challenging factor for mentors to choose it as a professional career. Commercially, a mentor can benefit by providing tailor-made and effective solutions to problems.

Varsha Mahore

I love to explore life and go with the flow as it evolves.

Have you ever encountered such a mentor in your life? How did their guidance shape your choices or help you overcome challenges?

So this was around 2017 when l attended the training of The Ant and the Elephant by Prantik Panigrahi on the human brain and its capacity. The training changed my perspective towards life, as l understood more about humans and their behaviour. When applied in my daily professional life, it has given me the results I desire. So, l am grateful to Prantik Panigrahi, who conducted this session.

Looking beyond oneself, what are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? Do you believe it benefits not only the mentee but also the mentor?

Humans are habitual creatures. Constant reminders and constant motivation are needed, and l feel we can learn from every individual, but a stable mentor will always have an added advantage.

Ganesh Baskaran

Have you ever encountered such a mentor in your life? How did their guidance shape your choices or help you overcome challenges?

I am my role model and my mentor. I mean, my life experiences have thus far shaped me to be a better version of myself. The experiences continued to be rich and challenging, and at one point, I felt like I had reached the peak. Now, I am attracted and relate my experiences to the already existing spiritual knowledge to learn and for the right understanding.

To share your articles, blogs, and other written content related to your post-retirement experience, write to us at content@wisdomcircle.com.

Mentors and mentorship: what do they mean to WisGen?