The Amazing Journey Of Bikash Chowdhury
Smart work might help in achieving short term goals, but hard work teaches you life. Former seems easy and is demand of the hour, but it is hard work only that makes you an achiever yet grounded. Do these words sound phony? Here’s another example of this- Bikash Chowdhury.
Bikash Chowdhury, who is now an associate vice- president of treasury at JSW Steel, is a child of a laundryman. In an interview with Akshay Sawai, The Economics Times, Mr Chowdhury talked about how for a glass of refreshment drink he would study English from Debjani Lal, former cricketer Arun Lal’s wife.
The movement of Lals from Delhi to Kolkata, when Mr Chowdhury was only 12, was the only chance event in his life, and after that it was his hard work and persistence that paid off. He was then the only child in his family to study in an English-medium school of Kolkata, Julien Day School. In high school, he graduated in commerce stream to obtain bachelor’s degree from St. Xavier’s college and master’s degree. Later he appeared for CAT exam to get admission in IIM, Kolkata in 2000, after competing thousands of students in one of the toughest exams in India. Job in Duetsche bank followed right after his IIM. From handling balance sheets to becoming Vice President within few years in Duetsche Bank, Mumbai he was laid off in 2008. However, as he “had created a reputation” of his own that he got a job within a week’s span in Credit Agricole. Alongside he had worked for HDFC Bank and multinational DBS bank. Last June, he moved to JSW Steel as head of treasury.
However he admitted that in 9th, it was the words of Lal that there is no assurance in sports that pushed him to studies; else he was considering football as profession till then. Moreover, it is not that Chowdhury was all perfect; he also took help from his seniors and classmates in Mathematics. He also saw lows when he entered in IIM as the subject seemed extremely tough to him, however herein also his persistence and hard work played a vital role. Even the loss of job in Duetsche Bank was not a downer; rather he was resilitent to the adversity and bounced back. But above all, in midst of this glory, of his path from rags to riches, he never forgot his parents, neither his biological ones nor adopted ones, Arun and Debjani Lal, along with his friends who were with him when he needed them.
Along with gifting them with Metrcedes, Chowdhury even named his daughter – Arunima; after his adopted father Mr. Arun Lal.
As Lals were childless, so once Arun Lal said, “We gained a son. He is a terrific human being and I am grateful to the Lord for Bikash”.
However, in the recent past Lal was diagnosed with jaw cancer.
