Anumitha Sharma

[Dr Saundarya Rajesh @SaundaryaR]

When we talk about India’s march toward a $10 trillion economy, (or TamilNadu's own 1 trillion dollar dream) we are ignoring the elephant in the room: our staggering, systemic underutilization of women.
Take the case of the same countries that just got upgraded by the World Bank. The re-classification of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka into upper-middle-income economies highlights a truth I have championed for decades: gender inclusion is economic growth. China's post-1978 miracle was powered by a female labor force participation rate (LFPR) above 70%. Today, Vietnam stands near 69%. Meanwhile, India languishes at just 32%.
Women's LFPR must not be boxed into just a rural issue. Everywhere - from small towns to corporate boardrooms, we are bleeding female talent. At @avtarcc, we see the "leaky pipeline" every day. Nearly 50% of Indian women who take career breaks for marriage or motherhood never return to formal employment. Up to 73% drop out within five years of having a child. In Sri Lanka, social frameworks support continuity - career breaks are unknown! In India, our structures systematically eject women.
Infrastructure and capital alone will not bridge this gap. For India to reach its goals, women cannot remain on the periphery. We must treat affordable childcare, flexible work, workplace safety, and an end to hiring biases against career returners not as corporate social niceties, but as the highest-leverage economic interventions available.
We cannot build a developed nation on the backs of only half our population. It is time to stop romanticizing the gap and fix the leak. The transformation must begin now.

[Dr Saundarya Rajesh @SaundaryaR]

#KaalaiVanakkam! Gratitude is DEFINITELY NOT false positivity. We must never mask reality. True gratitude demands presence - being in the here and now. Don't feign normalcy when storms are raging in your mind. Instead, sharpen your focus. Look around. Search deep. Scour the wreckage for living embers of progress. Even in deep suffering, relentlessly unearth the fragments of what still works. This is your necessary, courageous, vital labor. That is REAL Gratitude.

[Dr Saundarya Rajesh @SaundaryaR]

Being a #YesPerson!
Quite some turbulence in the world of work and I get messages from folks who are afraid their jobs may disappear.
Here's a solution to protect your job. (It's not a fool-proof route but one which in my experience has had solid success). Become a #YesPerson 🧵

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR Thank you for sharing this. Acknowledging the glimmers and silver lining in every situation has really helped me stay grounded, mam.

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR This is beautiful, mam!

[myAvtar.com @myavtarjobs]

Introducing myAvtar VanGuard: Our C-suite Executive Search Service! myAvtar Vanguard is designed exclusively for organizations seeking transformative leadership.

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR Thank you for the much needed reminder, mam

[Dr Saundarya Rajesh @SaundaryaR]

#KaalaiVanakkam! Consistency is your greatest secret power. Incremental efforts, even miniscule - every single day - will 💯 take you to a highly improved version of yourself! Successful Monday to you 👍

[Avtar @avtarcc]

Today, we unveil what is brewing! Introducing 'Diversitea': A fortnightly podcast series by CII and Avtar, from January 1, 2025! 25 Conversations in our 25th year As Avtar celebrates 25 years of pioneering inclusive workplaces in 2025, we’re thrilled to bring you Diversitea.

[Dr Saundarya Rajesh @SaundaryaR]

There are many ways to finding your ideal job! Ladies - the #myAvtar Job fair for women is one that has created hundreds of careers! This is the 6th edition. Register now - merely hours left https://t.co/5dYLuxCM51

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR This is beautiful, mam. Thank you for sharing.

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR Such a beautiful much needed timely reminder. Universe does work in beautiful ways in sending these reminders also, mam. Thank you.

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR Faith, healing and strength

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR Thank you ma'am for this. Gratitude is the ultimate attitude to moving forward in life.

[myAvtar.com @myavtarjobs]

Be part of the largest career extravaganza only at the myAvtar Career Conference for #Women in #STEM (MACC).

Check out some exciting job openings in @AdityaBirlaGrp at #MACC, which will be held on April 20 at KTPO, Whitefield, Bengaluru.

Register Now: https://t.co/Novc7PtZaO

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR This is such a powerful quote ma'am. Love it ❤️

[Dr Saundarya Rajesh @SaundaryaR]

#KaalaiVanakkam! Soft is not weak. Being soft in words is sympathy. Being soft in action is compassion. Being soft in intent is empathy. Being soft in reaction, is maturity.
Softness is a superpower

[Dr Saundarya Rajesh @SaundaryaR]

Its Feb 1st again. And in the next half hour, the Hon'ble @FinMinIndia @nsitharaman will shortly take stage to deliver her presentation. It's a crucial #interimbudget - one that is eagerly awaited by all. However, some of us are anticipating it more than others.
I am talking about the archetypal #IndianWomanProfessional - the IWP, as we refer to her at @avtarinc. Over 60 lakh women, with a combined earning potential of about Rs. 4500 crores and therefore an on-par tax contribution to the exchequer - is all geared up, waiting for this budget.
Why?
Because, the IWP is today more career-savvy, more finance-savvy, more budget-aware than before.
Because, seeing a lot of focus on #workforceparticipation of women by way of surveys and promises and researches, she believes her time has come.
Because the IWP has always been placed last and she hopes that will change.
In 2000, when Avtar was born, it was with the express purpose of increasing #womensworkforceparticipation.
In 2005, when we first started the second career revolution for women in India, we proved to corporates that the Indian woman is a different person altogether. She is unlike her western or far-eastern counterparts. You can't paint her with a broad brush. You need to really understand the IWP and enable her.
In 2008, when we began advising corporates, it resulted in the creation of career comeback opportunities for lakhs of women, recognizing that flexible working is not just an option but oxygen for women's careers.
Yes, in the last 24 years of Avtar's existence, there has indeed been tremendous improvement, but we have a long way to go.
Why?
Simply because there are still thousands of organizations in India which lack even the basic policies needed to support women and leverage the power of #WomensWorkforceParticipation.
For instance, consider policies such as paid maternity leave for expecting mothers, childcare support to new moms, flexible working options, commute assistance to women to ensure their safety and upskilling for women on breaks. 
You would say, yes, my company offers all of this. And I agree. Fortunately, all or most of these enablers are available to women working in large Indian companies like @MahindraRise @TataCompanies @TheJSWGroup @ITCCorpCom @drreddys et al and in MNC's like @IBM @EYnews @AccentureIndia @Citi et al.
But the plight of women employees in small and medium scale enterprises? It remains a cause for deep regret. 
Mind you, MSMEs too are keen on providing all the above-mentioned enablers to their women but they are not in a position to do so.
Answer me this. With limited finances:
A} How can a small organization afford to provide full compensation to a woman employee without requiring her to fulfill job responsibilities?
B} How can an MSME afford to open a daycare for its women employees?
C} How can an MSME adopt diverse hiring practices when they face genuine challenges in employing and retaining women? 
The answer is 'They cannot.' Not without the support of the government, which must provide financial support and incentives.
Hence the following asks:
1. Lower Taxation Slabs for Women
2. Tax Credit for Child and Dependent Care
3. Separate Section 80D Benefits
4. Enhanced tax sops for MSME's who employ women
Yes. The IWP waits in anticipation.
Will the Hon'ble #FinanceMinister deliver good news? She is, after all, an #IndianWomanProfessional, herself.
#GenderInclusivity #WomensWorkforceParticipation #WomensEmpowerment #BudgetSession #Avtar #ChangeMakers #InclusionRevolution

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@SaundaryaR Wow! This is just brilliant, ma'am. Thank you ❤️

[Anumitha Sharma @anumithasharma]

@GMSRailway @DrmChennai Sir could you update if 12028 will arrive in Chennai Central tomorrow?