While growing up, I dreamt of being many things. I excelled at school and college, followed by an MBA. My creative pursuits took me to the world of marketing and advertising. However, my heart was really not into it, as I realized later.
In my home state of Bihar, when I was growing up, any child who was any good at studies, was assumed to be destined for only one career path – the civil services. Having lived in that world, I had many plans for what I would do to improve governance when I made it to the civil services. So, after a few months, I quit my corporate job, went home and started preparing for one of the toughest exams in the country.
In 2002, with an all-India rank of 66, I made it to the IRS. I was already married by then. I finished my training, got posted as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax and another phase of life began for my husband and me when we became parents.
