attack while they were in the US.
Returning to India, daughters in
tow, involved multiple challenges
of not just a shift in continents but
also a change in lifestyle and cultural
environment.
While the social stigma
surrounding widowed women in
India hurt her initially, she got over
the taunts by ignoring them. She
says, “Gradually, these comments
made me realise who my true well-
wishers were, and that toughened
me up.” She devoted all her time
to work, which kept her occupied.
Above all, she found her greatest
motivation to soldier on from her
role as a single parent and the sole
provider to her daughters’ emotional
needs and security.
Photo: ParaniSandhya Cherian
Vice-President, Frontier Mediville &
Director of Frontier Lifeline HospitalSandhya did her Bachelor’s in Electronics
Engineering from Anna University and Masters
in Bio-Medical Engineering from Texas, USA.
Prior to joining Frontier, she worked in the IT
Industry in Virginia, USA. At present she manages
administration at Frontier Mediville and Frontier
Lifeline Hospital, with the primary objective of
directing the company towards optimal utilisation
of funds and resources.
She is also involved in structuring policy
guidelines for the efficient management of
various departments at Frontier. As there
are many people in India who cannot afford
expensive surgeries due to the prohibitive costs
of implantables, consumables, and disposables,
she started the research wing of Frontier Lifeline
Hospital to make life easier for them.
An avid traveller, Sandhya has explored most of
Europe, North America, the Middle East, Australia,
and some parts of Africa. Besides exploring
new cultures and trying out different cuisines,
she enjoys trekking with friends, painting, and
dabbling in landscape photography.Power point:According to Sandhya,
it is important to be prepared for
every tragedy. Though she has been
putting money aside in a nest egg
for many years, escalating costs
also means she needs to plan more
judiciously for her children’s future
and still save enough for her own
future. “I know I should consult a
financial advisor. I would advise
other women, especially single
women, to be more serious about
investing.”Persevere through
the worst
In her first few years as a radio
officer on board a passenger ship,
Radhika had to deal with frustrating
scepticism from her male colleagues.
She had to bring precision to
everything that she did, to ensure
there was no room for slip-ups.
The resistance towards her got
worse when she opted to become
a navigating officer — the new role
involved greater responsibilities38 Outlook Money March 2018 http://www.outlookmoney.com