Smita aspired to become a UPSC Officer, but forced by circumstances, she had to give up her dream. With further determination, she stepped into academics and became a Professor at a prestigious college in Mumbai.

Smita Naik Salunke is a Lecturer in a college. She is also a Kathak Dancer and an Author. She is a proud member of IPSOA- IPS Officers Wife Association, Mumbai. She had been the Secretary of this association a few years back. She is also active in social welfare work and has been associated with several NGOs.

Smita was born in Ludhiana but brought up in Goa and has been living in Mumbai for the past fourteen years. She graduated in Humanities. She did her Masters in Climatology from Pune University. She had a great desire to appear in the UPSC exams, but she could not do it as her father passed away. To reduce her mother’s responsibilities, she strangled her dreams and got married.

Describing her journey, Smita says that her husband is an IPS officer. So she moved to different places with him for a couple of years. Simultaneously, she worked hard to pass the UPSC exam and was able to clear the preliminary exams after several attempts. However, due to not getting much support from her family, she could not go to Delhi to prepare for her Mains exams and so could not clear it.  To come out of this situation, she pursued Ph.D. At the same time, she worked as a Lecturer in two colleges in Mumbai. On the strength of her firm determination of doing something good in life, she soon cleared her NET exam. Currently, she is a Professor at one of the prestigious colleges in Mumbai.

Recalling her childhood, Smita says she was an average student throughout her school time. Fascinated by Kathak, she started learning it in the 3rd grade itself. In her 12th std, her father suffered a brain hemorrhage. She could barely clear her 12th std resultantly. Due to not being able to concentrate on her studies in such circumstances, she switched to Arts from Science.

When asked about her inspirations, Smita says she takes inspiration from every person she meets and learns something from everyone. She also draws inspiration from her Kathak guru for instilling discipline in her.

Talking about her achievements, Smita says she topped her University in graduation and post-graduation, which is no less than an achievement for her. Besides, she is a ‘Black Belt’ in Karate and considers it an achievement.

Sharing her COVID experience, Smita says it became very difficult for her to stay at home during the lockdown. She wrote a book on this struggle of hers called ‘Within Four Walls Of The Mind’, which is an autobiography.

Between education and experience, Smita believes that education stays with you throughout your life and it builds you as a person. She adds that education is beyond any degree. Moreover, qualification is just a way toward gaining experience. She says experience comes at a later stage but when it comes, it helps you achieve heights in your career.

Regarding leadership, Smita opines that there is no such thing as a born leader. She believes that every person has leadership qualities and traits in them, which they develop with time and their life experiences.

Whether Smita has free time or not, she never misses her evening walk. Otherwise, she enjoys going to the gym, cooking, kickboxing, and meditating in her spare time.

Advising everyone, Smita says that in whatever field you want to go, go ahead with hard work, dedication and determination, and no one can stop you from achieving success.