At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Aparajita Banerjee for an exclusive interview with us. Aparajita is an Entrepreneur and Founder & CEO at Astrit Research and Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. Let’s learn more about her background, journey and her advice for our community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Aparajita:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
My professional journey has witnessed many changes in the last decade. What initially began as academic mentorship and tutoring in Melbourne (Australia) in 2016 eventually led to founding a research and advisory company in Kolkata (India) in 2019.
A major feat that stood out for our company in the three years (since its inception in 2019) was the role it had played in enhancing the India-Australia bilateral trade relations in the Eastern region, with a major focus on the Education and Security sectors.
We had the privilege of working very closely with the Australian Government in the Eastern region as a ‘strategic conduit’ and ‘stakeholder engagement advisor’. We had assisted public and private stakeholders of both countries to forge new collaborations and associations, such as the Eastern chapter of the Indo-Australian Chambers of Commerce and the Eastern Council of ANZIBC in West Bengal. We had also conducted educational and mentoring workshops in West Bengal to promote entrepreneurship in colleges and mental health across different societal spectrums.
My educational background in Psychology (Bachelor’s in Applied Science), Master’s in International Business and Master’s in Supply Chain and Logistics Management eventually led to a research and advisory pathway where ‘lifelong learning’ is inevitable and not merely a matter of choice.
In many ways, I started my professional journey in India as someone who had accidentally stumbled into entrepreneurship. At that point in time, our organisation was still trying to zero in on its core competency, while I was still trying to find my bearings in a new country.
However, after COVID-19, Astrit had to reevaluate its focus area(s) and streamline research domains. My entrepreneurial journey in that sense is still a ‘work in progress’ as our organisation is currently undergoing changes.
I wanted to focus more on emerging transnational security risks in trade and gradually move into the policy sphere. I have undertaken an Executive Program in Public Policy and Management at IIM Calcutta and am really excited about my first educational stint at one of India’s premier institutes.
‘Astrit Research and Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving?
The company was founded in 2019, exactly one and a half years after I had relocated to Kolkata from Melbourne. It was at a phase where I was exploring the city, culture and festivals of Kolkata and at the same time, going at it alone with starting my own company. I was mesmerised by the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata and wanted to capture the novelty of experiencing the Pujos and venturing into entrepreneurship.
‘Astrit’ in Sanskrit means ‘Invincible’ which happens to be synonymous with the names ‘Durga’ and ‘Aparajita’. However, it’s also a name commonly found in Albania, meaning ‘star’, which I found quite amusing.
In many ways, the name is a tribute to the resilience, determination and intensity of the city, where Astrit Research and Advisory Services was conceived. Hopefully, it will serve as a reminder that change is constant and required for impact, every time we venture into new research domains.
We are trying to bring about the much-needed awareness of international security risks in trade. A major focus is to reevaluate current policies around financial transactions and how current governance and regulations may be inadequate to manage risks in international trade and Finance.
In addition to our interest in financial crime and terror financing policies, we also provide customised upskilling courses in integrated management and professional development. We are aware that the Eastern region could benefit from more policy think tanks, but that may take a little longer to establish.
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
I think that’s who I am as a person, and it is my ‘default headspace’ that has come from intensely engaging with various challenges in life. Changing countries first, educational fields and then career interests come with a certain amount of self-doubt and exhaustion, but the trick is to nurture an appreciation for the life experiences and knowledge accumulated in the process. ‘Learning’, exchanging knowledge with others, really triggers my passion to ‘keep going’.
Essentially, research is about discovering something new, making new conceptual connections and bridging specific gaps. It’s about initiating a new conversation or a perceptual direction, and in that moment, you learn a little bit more about the world around you and how insignificant you are within it.
When things get tough, it’s another opportunity to engage with what ‘really’ matters to you in the process – turning challenges into opportunities for self-growth and discovery.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
1) Don’t make anything so grand that you can’t get over it (including yourself, especially yourself). This is probably applicable to both personal and professional aspects of life. People go through so many changes in life, but in previous phases, it always seems like the end of the world, but it isn’t, until it is actually over, for good. There’s so much angst about the perfect career, perks, anxiety about beating the next frontier in business, climbing up the corporate ladder, etc., and all that is great, until some realise that it feels like running endlessly in a hamster wheel. I’ve been through that phase until I realised how limited my life felt as a result of me glorifying the ‘usual way’ as the only parameter for success.
Life is uncertain and may change at any moment, so holding on to the illusion of permanence in all aspects of your life can limit how you view yourself and others.
2) Know the difference between sacrifice and compromise. I think the key to good decision-making lies in being honest and conscious about your stakes in a situation. Often on, people struggle with their life choices in a bid to secure something perceived to be more valuable in the long term, it could be forgoing a creative pursuit for a well-paying job, or transitioning into academia after a stint with the corporate sector or relocating to a completely new country to pursue a creative hobby. In all the scenarios, it’s important to honestly acknowledge and differentiate the decision as a ‘sacrifice’ or ‘compromise’ to avoid self-criticism and sabotage in case things don’t work out as planned.
I’ve learned it the hard way within my interpersonal and professional relationships, where I was initially unable to ‘negotiate’ a mid-point, mainly because I was not aware of my interests within the relationship. This changed significantly over the years, when I gradually came to realise that protecting your interests in professional and personal contracts is crucial for preserving your sanity and dignity, irrespective of others’ opinions.
3) Humility is liberating. I think people often misunderstand humility as weakness or a kind of submission that allows for self–deprecation or negation. I think it’s the most ‘freeing’ and wholesome feeling on this planet. It takes off the burden of constantly trying to prove yourself to others, seeking validation and exaggerating your potential. It’s a trait that probably gets you in touch with your authentic self and allows you to accept people for who they are. Humility is probably one of the greatest predictors of objectivity and having a realistic outlook in life.
I don’t think you can force ‘humility’ down someone’s throat, it’s a natural thing that grows in the presence of greatness, maybe from reading philosophical texts, or watching brilliant art forms come to life, being around an inspiring teacher, friend or if you are lucky enough, saints.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
I’ve thought about this question often on, at various stages of my life. There are certain points which are obvious and repeated throughout the years to the point of semantic satiation.
Determination, a positive attitude, taking responsibility for your actions, being resourceful, accepting change and at the same time, being consistent, etc, are all aspirational (even if somewhat contradictory) on the road to success.
In my view, I think going back to the drawing board to “subjectify” what success means to you at various phases in life is one of the most important keys to then going ahead and working towards achieving it. Whilst it appears to be an easy task, often, people are baffled with this exercise in introspection, because of the prejudice, social pressure and disapproval they have to experience when going against the grain.
Being honest and unapologetic about your personal definition of success is crucial. For me, it is about broadening my worldview through travel, education and understanding the nuances of humanity through all aspects of life. I believe in sorting out the bigger picture, i.e. ‘what do you really want’ first, as it fits your personal framework and then de-hyphenating ‘what is to be done’ and ‘how to go about doing it’.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Many students and young professionals struggle with ‘expectations’ in their careers. There is sometimes a lack of engagement when it comes to staying focused or remaining committed to an academic or professional pathway.
Several reasons may explain why young professionals are generally becoming more disinterested in their pursuit of a successful career, which could range from the imminent threat of AI replacing jobs or just not seeing the point of having a long-term vision in times of uncertainty.
Undergraduate degrees can appear to be a long, drawn-out experience if students do not engage with the content and take proactive steps, such as internships, to really figure out their interests.
I’ve always thought the undergraduate degree is more than just a passport for the next phase of your career; in many ways, it’s a foundational training ground that sets you up for your next academic program or work. It shapes your mind in a certain way, so it’s important to pay attention to those three to four years.
For young professionals, expanding their skill set is becoming important in today’s employment scenario. On average, more than half of the young professionals today (in India) are willing to trade titles for a job that matches their skills.
The problem is with striking that balance between what’s available in the market and your expectations. In which case, compromising on the kind of tech, marketing or Human resource job description that closely fits your expectation would be a pragmatic way to sync it with your lifestyle or other commitments.
The definition of ‘career’ has gone through a massive change in the last decade, where for better or for worse, pragmatism has trumped purpose and the main concern at the moment is striking that work-life balance.
This leads me to an important point which is probably discussed behind closed doors – enjoying what you are working on and being comfortable with whom you are working for, will probably shape your attitude around your personal work ethic and approach in the future.
When you’re starting off, it’s better to choose a good boss in an average organisation than the other way around. Skills are replaceable (AI is here to stay), but what’s not is the synergy between people that still work their magic in ideation, collaboration and innovation.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
The spectrum of initiatives I’ve been a part of ever since moving to India. It’s like a whole new narrative has presented itself in the most unexpected way. The exciting part is that there’s still so much to learn about one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and an enigma that baffles so many.
I don’t think growing up in Australia and having completed most of my education there, I had ever thought of challenging my perception about India at one of the best academic institutes in the country.
I keep on going back to the time as a teenager when the saying went “You want to prove something to them? Let’s see you get into IIM!” and that somehow stayed with me subconsciously. This year has been a turning point in my professional and academic journey. I’ve gone back to academics, learned about the nuances of Indian policy-making and governance. It was difficult, challenging and extremely rewarding.
Last year, I had the good fortune of being a part of two very unique events. An international security dialogue, supported by the Ministry of External Affairs (India) in Udaipur (Rajasthan)and the ‘Doing business in India ‘conference at the Indian Consulate in Melbourne, where I was the only delegate representing West Bengal.
I think it’s an exciting time to be in India and to study it, because the country is navigating through its own crisis and opportunities at the geopolitical stage. I’m sure I’ve just scratched the surface.
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