Anushka Dube

My journey from ignorance to enlightenment

Thanks to the Supreme Lord’s mercy, my Guru, my parents’ unwavering support and guidance, and the valuable association I received whenever I went the wrong way, I have become the person I am today.

Since childhood, we all have come across many stories and compared our lives to them. But I learned that comparing ourselves to the characters in those stories was an insult to our own unique talents and potential.

There was a time when I used to ponder over my life’s purpose. I used to wonder what unique potential God had bestowed upon me. But, in recent years, Secure Meters emerged as one of the instruments in helping me discover and understand that the path from ignorance to enlightenment begins with the willingness to explore beyond our existing knowledge.

First glimpse of Secure

Secure Meters was not new to me as my father worked here. Since childhood, I have attended many Sems Day, Secure’s annual fiesta that celebrates its culture and people. The captivating performances and activities, the Kids Play zone, always fascinated me, and I waited every year for it. Watching all Semsites people acting, singing, dancing and anchoring, I wondered if I could ever be as confident and skilled as those performers.

The journey from LST to Product Portfolio Analyst

My dadi (grandmother) always wanted me to join Secure, and when I got selected in 2020 as a Last Semester Trainee in the Software Validation department, she was overjoyed. It felt like I had achieved a significant milestone.

Over the next two years, I worked as a Validation Engineer before transitioning to my current role as a Product Portfolio Analyst in the Product Portfolio Management (PPM) department. This journey helped me transform my personality and developed my character. I realised that character defines who we are when no one is watching, and it is more valuable than anything money can buy.

This place provided me with numerous opportunities for continuous learning, not only from mentors but from everyone around me. Activities like field visits and engaging in MAST and Offline events help me and many like me to improve ourselves and make strong connections with others.

Field visits and new learnings

In my first month at Secure, I was given a chance to visit field services for three weeks. I travelled to Bhilwara to learn more about MBC services. Initially, field visits seemed unimportant. However, those three weeks laid the foundation for me and gave me a deeper understanding of how things work in Secure. My next visit was to Gurugram to meet some customers. I worked as a Validation Engineer in the submetering programme then.

These visits exposed me to the practical aspects of our work. I learned how meters are installed, interacted with consumers, witnessed the out-of-the-box approach of installers and contractors, observed maintenance services, and gained valuable insights from a customer’s perspective. These experiences were essential in the Validation department. These learnings contributed to my foresight and eventually helped me when I switched to the PPM department.

Sems Day and me

SEMS day, like a vibrant fair, played a significant role in my journey of collaboration and self-awareness.

I used to be fearful and hesitant to perform on stage during my school and college days. However, here, thanks to the encouragement provided by remarkable people like Shubham ma’am and Renu ma’am, I found myself participating in various activities like flash mobs, Fun Fridays, sports and cultural events, and even virtual meetings – Chai par Charcha during the lockdown.

I participated in singing and drama during virtual and semi-virtual Sems Day in 2020 and 2021, respectively. These experiences unveiled aspects of myself I was previously unaware of. On Sems Day 2022, I auditioned for anchoring, wondering if I could pull it off. Kusha Ma’am, Shafik Sir, and Leena Ma’am conducted the auditions. To my delight, I became one of the anchors for Sems Day 2022, something I had only dreamed of as a child.

Self-transformation

Although I was doing well as a Validation Engineer, I wanted to make a greater contribution by working in a department where I could utilise my technical skills and gain insights into the workings of the market. At that time, an internal vacancy opened up in the Product Portfolio Management team. Without giving it much thought, I applied for it.

My role required skills beyond what I had learned up to that point. However, my ‘Can do attitude’, enhanced by then, helped me secure a position with some role modifications as a Software Product Portfolio Analyst.

Working with intelligent minds and finding balance

“Whatever action a leader performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.” Secure has many such great leaders, and being in the PPM department gave me a chance to work with leaders like Kaushik sir, Rajesh Nimare sir, Pankaj Jain sir, Sudipta Sir, Jayant Sir, Alpesh sir, Payal Ma’am and many other gems.

This journey was not easy and came with many challenges. I stumbled and lost my balance multiple times, both personally and professionally. But these hurdles made me enquire how to balance life and find true happiness. Around that time, I started reading books, practised meditation and joined the Hare Krishna Movement to balance all aspects of human intelligence, i.e., IQ, EQ and SQ.

Today when I see society, the focus has shifted from being ethical, honest, patient, and hard-working to doing whatever it takes to become famous and successful overnight. But what is unique about Secure is its culture, 12 beliefs and 13 behaviours which have been ingrained in us since our first day. If practised religiously, these beliefs and behaviours help us grow professionally and personally.