Buddy Talks

  I magine you want to travel from Pune to Goa.  You reach the bus terminal and find two options.  One is a rather ordinary-looking bus going to Goa. And parked next to it is a luxurious Volvo—comfortable seats, great interiors, excellent reputation... But it is going to Nagpur. Which one would you choose? Sounds like a ridiculous question, doesn't it? Obviously, the vehicle matters only after we know where we want to go. Strangely, when it comes to engineering admissions, many intelligent students and parents seem to forget this simple logic. A student begins with: " I want Computer Science." Then counselling starts. Ranks. Cut-offs. College reputation. Placements. Campus. Brand. Suddenly he discovers that he can't get CSE in  a CAT A college ... he can get the same in a CAT B college  ( Lets say College B) .. but he is getting  Civil or Mechanical in the much more prestigious CAT A  College .. ( Lets say College A) And slowly the conversat...

  As I reflect on this awesome profession today On this Doctors’ Day, my heartfelt respect and gratitude to all doctors who dedicate their lives to healing others. And as a Career Coach, Doctors’ Day also compels me to ask a difficult question. How many students truly aspire to become doctors because they deeply understand the profession… and how many are simply driven by prestige, social validation, parental expectations, or fear of missing out? This is not an easy question. But it is an important one. Let us begin with a reality check. Every year, over 2 million students compete for barely 1.3 lakh MBBS seats in India. In simple terms, more than 94 out of 100 aspirants do not get an MBBS seat . Even if you   Add another equal number of seats that are available in BDS and AYUSH put together   ( Total approx. 2.5 Lakh seats ) Pause for a moment. This means nearly 90% of aspirants will not secure a seat . Think about what this means psychologically. Mi...

  When Institutions Change Slowly and Individuals Rise Quietly What Saee Jadhav’s IMA Milestone Teaches Us About Careers, Courage, and Character. As a career coach, I am sometimes asked a deceptively simple question by young people and their parents: “If talent exists, why does opportunity take so long?” The story of Lieutenant Saee Jadhav from Kolhapur , who became the first woman  officer to pass out from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in its 93-year   history , offers a rare, living answer to that question. This is not merely a story about gender. It is a story about institutions, identity, timing,   resilience, and the real anatomy of career breakthroughs . IMA: Not Just an Academy, but a Cultural Stronghold The Indian Military Academy, founded in 1932, is not simply a training centre. It is the symbolic nucleus of the Indian Army’s combat leadership tradition . For generations, IMA has represented: Permanent Commission Command res...

How Shah Rukh Khan Built His Career: The Personality Behind the Stardom If you strip away the glamour, the superstardom, the million-watt smile and those iconic arms-wide-open poses, Shah Rukh Khan’s story is, at its core, a story of grit. Not luck. Not privilege. Not “overnight fame.” It’s about a boy who kept showing up—even on days when life threw situations that would break most people. And that is exactly why Shah Rukh Khan’s journey is worth studying—not just by actors but by anyone trying to build a meaningful career. Let me walk you through his phenomenal journey briefly..   1 . The Ability to Convert Pain Into Fuel Most people know SRK lost both his parents very early. But what’s less spoken about is how he responded to those losses. Where many would collapse under the weight of grief, Shah Rukh carried it differently. He once mentioned that every time he walks onto a set, he feels he’s doing it for his parents, because he deeply felt that his parents sh...

  “What ridiculous? What are you talking about… what does femininity have to do with employment? Are you saying there are fewer women out there for employment, or the society still isn’t giving women an opportunity? Why do you women try to link everything with femininity or masculinity?” His facial expressions clearly showed a mix of puzzled look with contours of sarcasm.   “Chill, dear… take a breath… I certainly don’t mean what you are saying. By diminishing femininity I mean diminishing feminine energy from the life of every individual—be it a male or a female—and then consequently from the home, from the village, from the Governments and from the Corporate world, from our personal pursuits as well.” She said and paused to look at him.   While his sarcasm faded, the puzzle was still there. “Interesting… could you elaborate?” he said.   “Listen.” She smiled and came closer, looked deep in his eyes and said, “Your life, my life, the Universe and everything...