Poonam Singh Jamwal
This year, I complete thirty-five years in the corporate world.
Thirty-five years of pushing boundaries, driving myself beyond the brief, re-engineering possibilities, and remaining endlessly fascinated by human potential and endeavour. There were days when I charged ahead like a bull in a china shop; days when I crashed spectacularly against glass doors, glass walls, and glass ceilings in almost cartoon-like fashion. There were exhilarating highs, painful free falls, incredulous reactions, and moments that tested every ounce of resolve.
Yet, through it all, there was always a bounce after the fall.
There was always a ready hug, an irritated shrug, a practical word, a patient listener, and a steadfast believer who dusted me off, picked me up, and nudged me forward once again.
While I was busy chasing challenges, building teams, driving businesses, and pursuing ambitions, he was pursuing his own dreams-building malls, airports, homes, enterprises, and opportunities. Yet every time I turned around, there he was.
Behind me. Beside me. With my back covered.
Suave one moment, delightfully goofy the next. Argumentative, entertaining, thoughtful, wise, and forever full of joie de vivre. The pettiness and politics that often accompany corporate life became little more than background noise because my heart remained full. I was intellectually stimulated, creatively engaged, emotionally anchored, and profoundly blessed.
Today, therefore, this is an ode to believers.
Perhaps it will encourage others navigating the exhilarating madness of creating milestones, institutions, and enterprises. Perhaps it will remind us that passion and purpose flourish best when nurtured by trust, companionship, and unwavering support.
I have come to believe that happy people create happy, mindful solutions. And mindful solutions improve the human condition. Such work is sustainable. Such work leaves a lasting impact.
And as the old saying reminds us, “Those also serve who only stand and wait.”
Which brings me to a larger question.
Have women arrived?
Seventy-seven years after Independence, have women finally earned their place at the decision-making table?
My answer would be: some have, many are well on their way, and countless others continue to climb. The journey is far from complete, but the progress is undeniable.
Yet no achievement exists in a vacuum.
Behind many accomplished women-leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, scientists, artists, administrators, and changemakers-stand men who never viewed their success as a threat, but as a triumph to be celebrated. Men who encouraged ambition without demanding the surrender of identity. Men who understood that empowerment is not about stepping aside, but about standing beside.
They are husbands, partners, fathers, brothers, mentors, colleagues, and cheerleaders.
They have quietly absorbed the pressures of shared dreams, shouldered responsibilities without fanfare, offered strength during moments of doubt, and celebrated victories as though they were their own. They have enabled women to pursue demanding careers while ensuring that love, companionship, and family remained sources of strength rather than sacrifice.
The finest among them never sought recognition for their role.
They simply believed.
They believed that talent deserves opportunity. They believed that partnership means growth for both. They believed that a woman’s success diminishes no one and enriches everyone.
India’s growing constellation of accomplished women shines brighter because of these believers. Their confidence, encouragement, and unconditional support have helped create women who are not only professionally successful, but deeply fulfilled, grounded, content, and joyful.
So this is an ode to those men-the quiet enablers of progress, the secure partners, the proud companions, and the steadfast champions.
For every woman who has broken a barrier, there is often a man who refused to become one.
And in that partnership lies one of the most powerful forces of social transformation.
To the believers-thank you.
You may not always occupy the spotlight, but your faith has illuminated the path for others.
And because you chose to believe, many of us dared to become.
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