Cool Bihari: Inspiration Unbound

Today’s TOI carried out an inspiring story about Jaya Jha, who emerged topper among 249 students in Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow. She has already spurned lucrative oversees job opportunities and clearly chalked out her own path. She has been offered pay package of Rs 10-16 lakh per annum.

“I do not want to get sucked into job placement straitjacket and would rather take the risk of setting up my own venture. I really want to serve my own country, specially Bihar, the state to which I belong,” a confident Jaya told TOI on Thursday.

Though the 22-year-old effervescent Jaya has taken a job with a comparatively new Readlink Technology Pvt Ltd in Banglore but she does not intend to stick to it for long. She sees it as her springboard.

Jaya began to plan her future while doing her BTech in computer engineering from IIT, Kanpur. Born in a nondescript hamlet Bharmarpur in Bhagalpur district, she did her early education in Banka. But when her father Chandra Shekhar Jha, working with UCO Bank, moved to Purnia, Jaya studied at Saraswati Vidya Mandir, St Xavier’s and finally at Navodaya Vidyalay, Garbanaili. She also studied at DPS, Ranchi.

Though now an IIM celebrity, Jaya displayed interest in Hindi literature too. This gifted, multi-faceted genius was adorned with Rashtriya Kavita Award and Nehru Bal Kavita Award.

She wants to set up a website primarily to help the young Bihari girls who continue to be stuck in ignorance and backwardness. “They surely need the exposure and must come out of morass of depravity.”

Chandra Shekhar and mother Neelima Jha are on cloud nine. “We were sure our daughter will attain something,” said Neelima. Meanwhile, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has expressed willingness to help this pride of Bihar.

My Views: This comes as refeshing news since we have been hearing and watching almost apathetically media reports about the kind of money MBA grads make out the lucrative job offers from MNC’s.

We also know that IIM-B chairman (placements) Y L R Moorthi has stepped down from the post, a year before his term would have ended due some apprehended controversy regarding two students of Class of 2006 — Gaurav Agarwal and Venkatesh Shankararaman, who bagged the highest salary offer this year — shot off an email to Apte, expressing anguish over their salaries being made public. They said their compensation details were publicised without consulting them.

Jaya’s move is not the first of its kind which MBA students opt for, but the most amazing thing is that a girl from Bihar has taken a commendable lead in initiating a new career move which I’m sure will inspire many others in the days to come.

Folks, the move is all the more appreciable because it’s a different matter that we all aspire to do something and create a better Bihar, but she has refused lucrative offer and is committed to serve the state.

I have spoken to Atul, Gautam, Neeraj and many folks in our group who nourish similar ambitions but we all have personal aspirations, career goals, family, social commitments and sometimes we even use this as an alibi for the status quo.

I guess that’s one of the reasons why we can appreciate better that it’s indeed a brave move on part of Jaya.It’s not easy to refuse such lucrative offers when you have made it to a place like IIMs and have toiled for years and competed with lakhs of others to find a place.

Cool Bihari would like to wish her the very best in her future endeavor ,and we sincerely hopes that she inspires million other Jaya’s in our state and country who put there foot ahead for a such inspiring endeavours .