Anuradha Das Mathur is the Founding Dean of the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women. She is the Founder and Director of 9.9 Media, one of India’s fastest-growing niche media companies, which believes in raising the bar for higher education through publications like EDU that help decision-makers at higher education institutions govern their institutions smartly. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, she ran Businessworld, one of India’s most widely read business magazines and worked for The Economist Group. Anuradha was selected as one of 25 young, talented, emerging global women leaders for the prestigious Global Emerging Women Leader’s Programme, which Fortune magazine and the US State Department offered. Her passion for improving women’s participation in the workforce took root during this programme and has led to pioneering ventures such as The Foundation for Working Women, a platform where public policy, infrastructure and awareness come together to help women ‘live their choice to work’. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Master in Arts from Trinity College, University of Cambridge.

The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women

What are the strengths of the Vedica Scholars Programme for women?

In my eight years of Vedica, the programme not only prepares you for a successful career that makes you financially independent and strong for the world, but it also does something for young women that makes them feel better about themselves. It changes the person into a more confident and thoughtful person who will be much more ready and prepared for the world in future.

Are there any placement opportunities for the students?

Vedica offers comprehensive placement support and guarantees an appropriate placement to every scholar. We have had a consistent track record of 100% placements across all batches with Scholars working in diverse sectors, industries and roles. The average placement so far is 11 Lacs, while the highest has been 22 Lacs. Our average increase in salaries for work-ex candidates is ~160%. The Programme has a 100% ROI, ensuring financial independence for our Scholars. You can visit our placement page to learn about career opportunities after Vedica.

How does the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women contribute to Scholars’ personal growth?

At Vedica, we have identified areas considered strengths for women and those needing attention to succeed in the workplace based on research and employer feedback. We focus on these aspects of personal growth through the 18 months of the Programme. Each Scholar is encouraged to discover their authentic style and then equipped to succeed in their preferred career. Typically, these include networking, visibility, negotiation skills, and assertiveness. Our all women’s environment encourages Scholars to express themselves and their aspirations without any constraints of conditioning and gender biases, which leaves them far more confident to succeed in the workplace.

Check Vedica Scholars Programme for Women Scholarship

Any message for students and parents that you would like to give?

The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women is for young women who want to become more confident and assertive. I want to tell students and parents that we can’t change the world for the students, we can’t change the life that the girls will have, but we can indeed change how they approach life. There were many instances where past Vedica Scholars have told me about how their relationship with their father/partners/siblings, who are financially independent, has changed over the period with the programme’s exposure. We help the girls become women of substance who have respect and can dream for themselves.

What is Vedica’s selection philosophy, and how do you choose your scholars?

We at Vedica believe that marks do not indicate people’s potential to succeed in their careers. It is not like you have to be a college dropout to succeed, as many successful women never went to IIM and other business schools with severe cutoffs. Still, they are also very successful in their career and run a large business without having a 98% in school and college. So, we at Vedica believe grades or competitive exams do not determine your success. We want to treat everyone for who they are, and we can look beyond the marks and show your glory, potential and promise.

How does the college encourage students to engage in career development activities beyond academic studies?

Vedica is far beyond academic studies as it has additional core tracks, which run parallel to the tracks of Management Studies and Liberal Arts — Communication Centre and Quant Centre, which help the students to start from scratch and eliminate their fears such as public speaking and math.