Two mothers of toddlers at IIM-Ahmedabad navigating the demands of long-distance motherhood

Indian Express

25-05-2025

AMONG the 48 female students — the highest number of female representation so far at the 20th batch of 'One-Year Post Graduate Programme in Management (MBA-PGPX)' at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) that started on April 14 — are two mothers of two toddlers aged 2.5, navigating the demands of long-distance motherhood.
Ayushi Verma, 33, a distinguished veteran of the Indian Navy, retired as a Lieutenant Commander in June 2024 after a decade of exemplary service to the nation. Her naval career was marked by pivotal contributions to high-impact projects, most notably as a key member of the commissioning team at Naval Headquarters for INS Vikrant, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier.
A devoted mother, Ayushi from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad continues to demonstrate unwavering commitment and resilience as she skilfully balances the demands of motherhood with the academic rigour at IIMA. 'At times you need to take tough decisions in life but the defence life inculcates a strong mindset and I want my son to look up to his mother. I wanted to set up an example,' Ayushi told The Indian Express.
'I have immensely learnt from the ten-year service in the Navy during which I also was a part of the INS Vikrant team for two-and-a-half years. Being a part and leading a team of over 300, many twice my age were an experience in its own. Now here at IIMA too, the kind of learning we are going through every single hour of the day is also an experience, which I think will stay with me,' Ayushi, a civil engineer and a postgraduate in naval architecture form Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, said.
She is eagerly waiting for the first term to end on June 11 to meet her son who is staying with her husband, who works with the NHAI, and her mother-in-law in Delhi.
Akshata Kamath, 30, a chartered accountant and company secretariat, has spent over eight years in corporate finance and analytics, eventually leading a team at TCS Mumbai.
Another devoted mother, Akshata has made the courageous decision to prioritise her child's stability during his formative years by keeping him rooted in Mumbai while she took on the academic rigour at IIMA. While navigating the demands of long-distance motherhood, she continues to exemplify resilience, dedication, and grace proving that motherhood and ambition aren't trade-offs, they can thrive together.
'While the academic rigour is demanding at IIMA, it gets tougher with a separation from family and a two-and-half-year-old son. Fortunately, with the support of my husband and in-laws I was able to take this decision and continue to follow my passion of broadening my horizon as I always felt there is much more to an organisation than just numbers,' Akshata told this paper.
Like Ayushi, she is also looking forward to meet her family and the toddler after almost two months. 'I have plans to visit home on June 12 as we have a short break of two-three days. While at IIMA, I make it a point to talk to him over phone or video call every alternate day as he is too small,' says Akshata.
Out of the 158 experienced professionals from diverse sectors at the 'One-Year Post Graduate Programme in Management (MBA-PGPX)', 110 (69.62 per cent) are male students and 48 female (30.38 per cent). The cohort with an average work experience of 7 years 9 months — 36.43 per cent having international exposure in terms of work and studies — also brings with it diversity in experience from various sectors like advertising and media, aerospace and aviation, agriculture, banking, financial services and insurance, consulting, defence and security, energy and utilities, FMCG, infrastructure and construction, IT and ITeS, legal services, among others.