Mrs. Chhavi Sahai
Assistant Professor
AISSMS College of Hotel Management & Catering Technology
All of us have wished for time to turn back, at least once in our life, haven’t we? I experienced something similar, I felt I went back in time when in my early forties, I had to go back to college as a student. It started when I decided to join academics as a faculty member at AISSMS CHMCT, one of the prestigious institutes of Pune. The job required me to acquire a Master’s degree. I enrolled in one post-graduation program with a lot of apprehensions; whether I will be able to manage it, with all that I was juggling – two grown-up kids, a job, and responsibilities at home. I was aware that there are millions of women like me who face these dilemmas every day and come out victorious with flying colors. This thought gave me strength and belief.
The classes for the Master’s program started online, as the world was in the grip of COVID-19. Online learning was very helpful for a working professional like me. Being a student was a challenging but fascinating task at this stage in my life. Few of my teachers were much younger than me, which made my experience even more extraordinary. It was exhilarating at times to be a student and a teacher simultaneously, it was not easy for sure. Attending lectures and conducting lectures – changing roles in a blink of an eye. Sometimes goofing up a few things along the way too. Here I was submitting assignments, appearing for tests as a student one day, and asking my students to do the same, sometimes on that very day. It was an exasperating and rewarding journey.
Time flies and I can happily share that I have completed my Master’s degree with a great result. I am proud of my achievement. Through this experience, I have inspired myself to achieve my other goals similarly. My daughters are also proud of my achievement and that is a cherry on the cake for me. I truly believe age is just a number and you are never too old to learn new things.