Having a role model can propel us towards our goals and affect us in a way that makes us want to be better people. Role models come into our lives in a variety of ways - teachers, mothers, fathers, eminent personalities, peers, civic leaders, and even ordinary people who we meet in everyday life. At GSK, we have the privilege of working with highly engaged and motivated colleagues. Starting with this issue, we are introducing a section where you share with us who is that positive influence in your life.
In this edition of Infobytes, we caught up with Harsh Mehta, Product Group. Manager, Vaccines for a conversation on his role model.
Who is the most inspirational person in your life, and why? The person I look up to is my dad, Bhaskar Mehta. Despite being bom visually impaired, he has never let that come in the way of him leading a normal life and fulfilling his goals. He insisted on receiving mainstream education. With his perseverance and Model
efforts, he completed his MA, B.Ed. and LLB with distinction and was also a gold medalist. He was selected an a lecturer and professor of Sanskrit, where he carried out his role with utmost commitment. He later
served for three years in the Gujarat State Government as Commissioner for Persons with Disability. This was a senior IAS position, wherein it was the vision of then Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi that differently - abled people. must serve at the helm of such boards. He has also served for five years as the President of the National Association of the Blind.
With such exemplary accomplishments to his credit despite all the challenges he had to face, I don't have to look far to find my role model
What values of your father inspire and motivate you the most?
My dad has always remained positive and cheerful, even in the face of adversity. He has never let his disability define him or limit him in achieving his dreams. This has been my guide to take life and all its lessons as it comes. I have learnt from my dad to dream big, never quit, and that everything is possible.
Another outstanding quality of my dad is his sense of gratitude and constant desire to give back to society. He has worked tirelessly to help others through the NGO National Association for the Blind. He has contributed towards educating and rehabilitating around 30,000 disabled children and adults. Il is his goal to work with disabled children to ensure that they do not face the same bias he did while growing up and help them achieve mainstream success. My dad's selflessness came naturally to him, and his greatest reward was the
sense of satisfaction he got from helping others. His commitment to communities has inspired me immensely, and I hope to follow in his footsteps. Finally, my father has taught me the importance of staying humble. Even when my father served as a Commissioner, an elite government post, he was always approachable and grounded as was his nature. When he returned to teaching, he did not let it affect him or the family and continued life as usual. This lesson is an important one for me. I have learnt to be grounded and steady in the face of success and failure.