From Strength to Strength

Rajani Mahishi has spent an interesting life and she has travelled to those remote parts of India that we may have only heard about or seen on a map. Her job as a Medical Investigator for Insurance Companies, requires her to travel far and wide in order to interview the clients and to gather relevant as well as accurate data that can be used by the Insurance agencies when medical claims are presented before them.

Born to an Army Officer father, Rajani led a very disciplined life in her growing up years especially she was the oldest of three children. She was married off immediately after she completed her medicine studies as her father was ailing. She is glad that she complied with his wishes as he passed away within six months of her getting married.It gives her great satisfaction as she feels that she was able to give her father the honour of performing her ‘kanyadaan.’

She is married to business man within her own community as it was an arranged marriage. Being a doctor, she had always hoped for a partner who wasn’t from the same profession as her. She considers her husband to be her biggest support system and closest friend.She often turns to him for guidance and encouragement. Luckily for her, she was blessed with a caring family post her marriage.

Rajani partners with five to six insurance companies and is responsible for conducting an investigation of health claims. She considers herself to be a business woman and takes pride in saying that she does her work with complete honesty and integrity.

Rajani’s greatest fear has always been of losing a loved one. But certain life experiences have made her realise who are the ones that have stood by her and those who have not. She no longer feels tied down by unnecessary relationships as she has identified those which really matter.Sadguru’s sermons guide her and provide her peace in times of anxiety and apprehensions. She also reaches out to her husband when she feels the need get an opinion, to seek advice or to just vent out. She calls him her backbone.

Rajani views failures and setbacks to be an integral part of life. If there is happiness, then sadness is never far behind. They work hand in hand to bring about an equilibrium in life.

At the onset of her career, Rajani faced many teething issues. She was venturing into something new with not much guidance and hence she had to learn on the job. Everyday brought new challenges for her and she had to figure out things on her own. She would often travel for close to 200kms in an auto rickshaw to get to her clients. It was tough work, physically and mentally too. But she never once thought of giving up. Her work brought her great happiness and pride. She has worked hard to achieve a very respected status within her work circle. She fought to get rid of the many stigmas associated with being a lady doctor in the field of Insurance. This gives her immense happiness and satisfaction. 

If there was one thing that she could go back and change, then that would be the fact that she was always so busy with work that she ignored her health which has given rise to several health concerns for her now. She wishes she could have been more sensitive to the needs of her body.

Giving birth to her daughter is the single most magical moment of her life but she had to leave her little on at home and resume work within fifteen days of having delivered her baby through a cesarean. There was no other option if she wanted to retain her job at the hospital where she was employed. From that day to now, she has never stopped working, spending a minimum of seven hours each day at work.

Rajani has an insatiable love for life. She enjoys spending time with her loved ones, cooking for them, beautifying her home and going on vacations. There is definitely more to life than just work.

Rajani says that education is very important to bring structure and discipline in one’s life. It allows you to take control of your destiny and be able to guide it in the right direction. Her definition of success is a little different. She says that at the end of the day, she defines her success by the number of people she has been able to make happy. She says that there is a direct relationship between the number of blessings she has and with how successful she considers herself to be. The more the blessings, the more successful she is.

For someone whose biggest inspiration is Swami Vivekananda, Rajani finds her motivation in the people she meets and interacts with on a daily basis. She says that when she looks at the hardships that others face in their life, she finds the courage to keep moving forward.

Her advice to other women like her is that always remember life is only as complicated as you make it to be. It is easy to keep it simple. Make the most of what you have and ensure that you utilize your resources to the maximum. Being spiritual helps one in attaining a sense of peace and calm that assists in relieving stress and anxiety of any sort.

Team Laja wishes that Rajani is able to achieve all that she aspires for and may she move forward from strength to strength.