Graduating to the top
Aradhika Sekhon

This bundle of determination is what one might describe as "a chit of a girl", slight in build and as cute as they come. But let no one be fooled by this cutie because there happens to be an extremely incisive mind that's part of the package. Heading for London to work for American Express, this 23-year-old will be the highest paid woman graduate from the IIM this year.

Born and brought up in Chandigarh, Tulika Maheshwari did her matriculation from Sacred Heart School, her twelfth from Mount Carmel School. She went to the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and then to the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. At both these prestigious institutions, she came out with top honours.

The moment Tulika (otherwise known as Chinka) passed out of the IIM, American Express invited her to be a part of the strategic planning group which does internal consulting for Amex, Europe and Asia. While she is looking forward to her new job, she is also excited about "wearing formal office clothes and getting a paycheck," which incidentally happens to be about half a crore rupees.

Her support system has been her family — her dad, mom and sister. Her father, late Sharad Maheshwari, especially, "always had full faith in me. I may have been ready to give up sometimes, but he had to just tell me to give it my best shot." She recollects her IIT coaching classes at an institute in Chandigarh. "There were these 50 really bright guys there, who were really focused. The girls were slightly less focused in comparison; I was a bit fazed. But my father told me to just do it and that's what I did."

Tulika loves to hang out with pals. "I'm not at all the sporty type. Apart from walking and doing aerobics, I do little else. But what she really loves to do is just chat with friends "at coffee places or at their home, but not in discos`85" Trained in classical vocal music, she likes to spend time reading modern fiction, and classics. She enjoys pottery, which she feels she can pursue later. What does she do to beat stress? "Stress? I don't get stressed." she says with aplomb. "I'm cool and calm and like to think positively at all times."

Despite having a considerable number of achievements under her belt, she feels that this is but a beginning. However, there is nothing flippant about her because, as she declares firmly: "I know what I want, I go for it and I work very, very hard for it. Once I've decided what I must do, I'm very focused about getting there."