Janmejoy Mukherjee

Though I had been happily working with a world-renowned IT giant company since 2012 in Bengaluru, India, my aspirations were growing with the international exposure I experienced while working over there.

I knew I was here to do something big, something unique. By the end of 2014, I made up my mind that I had to choose a strong platform where my vision echoes and finds similarity. And yes! I did find it... in Edinburgh! At the University of Edinburgh Business School.

By September 2015, I stepped out of my home country for the first time in my life to realise my dreams. A big achievement for me and for my family - no one had ever gone abroad to study!

I was initially awestruck by the city’s beauty, charm and history. People in Scotland love to get to know their visitors and guests. Everyone I met in Scotland knew exactly how to welcome an Indian guy. I've seen Scottish friends dancing in truly bizarre ways to the bolly music and tunes during Bollywood night parties.

From the very first day in Edinburgh, I felt my dreams would find their wings here in this city, in this prestigious university. All I had to do was FOCUS. I kept telling myself all throughout the course: “Just breathe and focus, never forget why you are here.”

The education system here is different and better than in India. It’s more practical based, focused on current real issues, and accommodated evolving trends. Coming from a highly competitive education system, where scores and grades mattered the most, I felt my education at Edinburgh was altogether unique and focused more on the values, in-depth understanding, and real life implementation of subject concepts.

I remember the time spent in group studies, discussions and group projects. The educational treks were an eye opener to me. We went to Dublin to visit the Google, Murex and Twitter offices, Trinity College and the best part: Guinness Brewery! We also visited Johnson & Johnson's manufacturing plant in Livingston, and Irn-Bru's manufacturing plant in Cumbernauld, near Glasgow.

These treks changed my perception towards the business world. Such treks gave us an opportunity to understand how a company board thinks, manages and functions. All these treks concluded with one important lesson for me – everyone made it. I should do too.

Your experiences since leaving the University

Currently, I’m posted as Assistant Director to a proud organisation - Trade Promotion Council of India – New Delhi, supported by the Government of India.

Before reaching this point of success in my career, I went through a self-evaluation phase. I came back to India in 2016, after my masters. Being the only son of my parents, settling down other than in India was a bit tricky for me as I had family responsibilities.

By the time my masters was over, I had a total of eight years of education and career experience after high school. Whether a career could be both fun and challenging was still a question for me. So I wanted to test my capabilities and learnings in a different sphere of the business world. To find my answers, I joined a disparate career line – a small role in the creative field in Mumbai, India. It took a lot of courage and patience to convince my parents and, importantly, strength to tread a path where I never belonged.

I did theatre, some acting classes, learnt the business model - how the business works in one of the world's biggest entertainment industry, Bollywood. After about a year spent in the entertainment industry, I joined a top Germany-based consulting firm and flourished from there.

Today I bring in big ticket investments to India from foreign lands, help them get established and flourish, and I’m proud to say that I’ve reached where I dreamt of. My aspirations are ambitious now.

My journey taught me: “Just breathe and focus, your brain and heart is doing the rest.”​​​

It took a lot of courage and patience to convince my parents and, importantly, strength to tread a path, where I never belonged.

Life during Covid-19

The disruptions witnessed due to the pandemic have affected each one of us significantly. These hard times have shown how the world is interconnected not just in a digital ecosystem but at a human level too. Many countries have started contemplating self-reliant, self-sufficient and resilient economy building. At this point in time, my vision is to build competencies that would keep me resilient and adaptable. Investing in digital skills would surely seem to be the best bet, but it should be a kind that would help the masses on a large scale and saves time and cost.

Alumni wisdom