MAKING LIFE TRULY ‘PURPOSEFUL'
Dignity Dialogue|February 2020
At the age of 70 when most people feel their enthusiasm for many things ebbing away, Omita Paul, Managing Director of Pranab Mukherjee Foundation, is cruising ahead with great speed to make a mark for the foundation’s many activities in public welfare. A dreamer as well as an astute leader, Omita revealed the secrets of her thriving life in an exclusive talk to Mriganka M Bhowmick for Dignity Foundation.
Mriganka M Bhowmick
MAKING LIFE TRULY ‘PURPOSEFUL'

IT was a sunny winter afternoon in Delhi. Omita Paul was completely engrossed in her daily busy schedule at the office of Pranab Mukherjee Foundation which she formed in 2017 to carry forward the legacy of Pranab Mukherjee, who served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017 in the course of a political career spanning five decades, On request for an interview, publicity-averse Omita replied with a smile, “I don’t give interviews.” However, upon insisting, she agreed to our request. In an exclusive interview with the Dignity Foundation she revealed her deep insights on life and her purposeful journey at the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation, which she has been fostering with motherly care for over two years. Excerpts:

You had an illustrious career in civil service. What ignited you to foray into social service during your post-retirement days and build the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation?

It is not merely a post-retirement engagement for me. I had a long career of nearly five decades in the civil services and worked on multiple important assignments throughout my public life. When I retired in July 2017, as secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee, I had many options to choose from as a second career. Here I took a pause and I asked myself: ‘What is it that I really want to do for the rest of my life?’ In the silence of my heart, I found the answer.

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