The Odyssey

"I dreamt of flying, when the winds resisted. I dreamt to rise, while the quicksand tried to pull me in. I planned, I failed, I strived, I fell, but, I never stopped standing up again. It surely took some time to check mark my goals, but it still is a long way to cover, before I say that I won."

Year 1976, a child takes birth in a well-educated upper middle class Oriya family, second girl child of that family. As per the society, she wouldn't get to study much, as she won't need it much and get married, being the only forced-fed goal for women of the society. She is given a name, ironically, inspired by an ancient female philosopher & scholar from the Southern India. A determined being, she carries her education breaking the shackles and stigmas of societies. She promises herself for offering the best of education to her, no matter what troubles she may face.

If you are determined, you make your own ways and achieve, and sometimes, the stars help you to get even better. Excelling her studies, she overcomes every hurdle, every trouble and completes her schooling. All prepared to join a graduation program, she gets sponsorship from the state government for her brilliance and she opts for Hotel Management. As believed that there is a plan defined for everyone by the creator, she receives another sponsorship to complete her Masters from the UK, by a British organisation.

She joins the University of Luton for pursuing Masters in Human Resource Management through the sponsorship she is offered with. But, she has more to achieve and for owning the same, she takes up a part time job in a hotel to support another course, Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development. She meets a fine Greek man in while studying and ties in the knot of holy matrimony.

Her life takes another turn and she lands up in Greece, a nation with a completely different language and culture. Her husband challenges her that she will never be able to find a job, as she will never be able to speak Greek and it is the preferred language for Greek employees. But again, she is as determined as ever. In the first six months of her challenging stay in Greece, she faces the troubles of learning a completely different script, while she has to study and work as well. She starts her innings as a lecturer of English in an Evening School of Language, while she learns Greek in an institute throughout the day. On the weekends, she opts as a lecturer for the MBA program, teaching executive MBA, marketing and human resource.

Six months down the line, she is well versed in Greek and joins the Texnokat Group of Greece and starts as an HR Consultant on a freelance basis, later on growing as a full-time employee for Human Resource and International Business. From an Indian knowing nothing least about Greece and the language, to coming a Greek national and leading the Texnokat group as their Vice President for International Business, Joint Ventures and Merger Acquisitions, she proves her sheer dedication and mettle of what a woman can.

Year 2013, she lands back in India and since then, she is leading different organisations for International Business Development, HRD, Employee Benefits and CSR. A strong believer of ‘Service of Mankind is Service to God’, she follow that whatever she is bestowed with, she has to return the same to the world. Considering it her social responsibility, she delivers lectures across top colleges and universities addressing women and children challenges. Furthermore, she personally reaches out the grass root levels, and takes classes in slums to help children enhance their communication skills, self-development and motivate them to face all situations in life. She currently trains students of IICA (Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs) on Corporate Social Responsibility ICP in CSR.

For her works and achievements, she is honoured by Late President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam during his visit to Athens, Greece, and recently by Sri Pranab Mukherjee as well. It is not the recognition she seeks, but to make this world a better place to live for every single being. She strongly believes that ‘Impossible says I am Possible’, because she has made things possible, which were not, bringing her to this level of success in life.

It may seem like a story weaved to share the lesson of not giving up, but it is not. I am Lopamudra Priyadarshini and it is my story. This is the story of how I wished to never give up and how I achieved my goals, no matter how many times I fell. I have not even covered 10% of my journey in achieving higher goals of life, to serve the people across the world. Let’s join hands and walk towards a better world, a world without discriminations, struggles and hatred.

Thank you for reading.

Lopamudra Priyadarshini |Daughter | Wife | Mother | Teacher | Human