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Alumni Kushal and Anuprita Bhomick (MBA 2003), both successful and busy working professionals and they sure have something to be proud of these days.
Their daughter, Arya, aged 9, recently came out tops in the National Science Olympiad (NSO) at an all-India level.
The NSO is one of the most prestigious science competitions in India for school students testing on their mental ability, local and analytical reasoning and Science.
Anuprita, who works as a Manager at the Worldwide Consumer Marketing Team with DELL Computers, shares that her secret in raising her genius daughter is in simply giving her a conducive environment for learning in her growing years.
The couple did their MBA from 2001 to 2003 together, and so Arya who as 2 at that time, spent a good majority of two years at the Business School campus.
They planned their timetables so that there was someone who could always look after her. On times when it was impossible, fellow classmates were only too glad to assist.
Arya's love for drawing was cultivated there, and her first drawings were of normal curves complete with mean and median lines! The ethos of education and hard work from the Business School must have rubbed off onto her during her childhood there as she now aspires to be an entrepreneur when she grows up.
Extending the learning environment to the home also contributes significantly to a child's learning process. The whole family reads widely and contrary to popular belief that the Internet and television are bad for a child's development, there is no such restriction in the Bhomick family.
Instead, Arya is taught to question everything she reads and watches, and the family researches together to further learn on the topic in doubt.
Anuprita feels that a key point in bringing up children, is realizing that all of them are unique in their own ways, so comparison is unfair.
"It's important to spend a lot of time with your child and also to listen to their questions and learn from them. Every child is unique in his or her own special way so it's unfair to compare them. Tell your kids about your life and your experiences and what you learnt. Then listen to what their takeaway was from the conversation."
She adds, "When your child does something wrong, always ask why first and then decide whether you are going to be angry. Most of us reverse that. Also if you were wrong, then apologize. It is important for your child's self-esteem and confidence."
An emphasis on work-life balance is something that the couple does not take for granted.
"Over the years, we've learnt that it's important to switch off from work when we are at home. We are lucky that we work in the same business park, so lunch together is often on the agenda. We go on holidays and actually find it very refreshing to spend time with Arya and her friends."
Arya is the pride and joy of Kushal and Anuprita, and their time in NUS Business School has not only offered them two MBAs in education, but as Anuprita puts it, "I think we got a good deal from NUS. 3 MBAs for the price of 2!"
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