I have been fortunate to have had illustrious mentors, teachers and peers from whom I have learned different things. I firmly believe that "If I have seen it further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

I love traveling to different parts of the world and absorb the variety of cultures and cuisines. I find reading and listening to music very relaxing. Personal and professional goals have to be balanced well for creativity, productivity and happiness. I have learned that a combination of time management, fitness, stress management and building of sustainable support systems is the key to achieving this balance.

I am happy to share that 50-to-60 percent of the scientists at Dabur Research Foundation are women and they have made very significant contributions. To all the young women out there who want to contribute to biotechnology in the years ahead, my message is simple: Please pick this as a career only if you love it and are inspired by its potential. Once you do so, it will cease to be a job and it will be a lifelong commitment. It will need hard work, patience and discipline all along the way but the journey will be very rewarding when one realizes that it enables one to make a difference to people's health and lives.

I would like to continue to contribute towards biology-driven innovations in India. In the last two decades, Indian biotechnology companies have taken major strides in that direction. At DRF, we have over the years built a motivated and well trained team of scientists who have the expertise to undertake complex preclinical development for compounds in several therapeutic areas, including oncology, inflammation, immunomodulation, dermatology and metabolic diseases. We have been working as drug discovery and development partners to several national and international groups by providing access to this expertise. It is important to nurture this expertise as essentially this is the key to successful translation of compounds in the clinics.

Lastly, but significantly, biotechnology has to provide the answers to the ever changing needs of healthcare and it is critical to keep biotechnology connected and responsive to changing healthcare needs. The biotechnology industry has to provide solutions to the ever-changing needs and challenges of the healthcare industry. In the years to come, I would like to continue to play a role in strengthening capacity building in core and emerging areas of biotechnology, through mentoring of the next generation of biotechnologists.
(As told to Vipul Murarka)