18th April, 2022

Author: Preeti Sharma (Content Writer)

The road to success is created with education and learning. Education results in the sharing of knowledge that is beneficial to an individual, whereas learning is an ongoing process of accepting and sharing knowledge which never ends. It is evident there is no age restriction for achieving one's degree or dreams. There are numerous individuals that did not have opportunities to advance their desired degree at a young, but it has never been too late to obtain a degree and pursue the possibility.

Here is the incredible story of Dr.Smita Kuntay, who is 56 years old and had a desire of earning her PhD. It was a dream she cherished with her late father, who've always wanted Dr.Kuntay to pursue a doctorate degree. Dr.Kuntay had been through a lot in her path to achieve this landmark in her career.

Dr. Smita Kuntay belongs to a Maharashtrian family in Nagpur, and being the eldest sibling, she is burdened with duties. She is always ready to learn new things. Her initial accomplishments in life were her M.com and Masters in Philosophy from Nagpur University. She started working in college in Nagpur ,but due to the lower strength of students in commerce, the college's administration requested her to leave Because Nagpur has fewer industries, individuals prefer science courses over commerce.

Her father constantly encouraged her to progress and advised her to look for employment in Mumbai or Pune. Dr.Kuntay moved to Pune and began looking for work, but she was unable to find a suitable position based on her qualifications, and eventually ended up working for a coaching class. She was unsatisfied with her work for not having classes the majority of the time, which was impacting her education.

Finally, in 2001, she saw the rewards of her devotion when appointed in a government college in Mumbai. Initially appointed at Elphinstone College to lecture undergraduates, she was then transferred to Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in 2007 and continues to teach till this day. Sydenham being the oldest college at the time, only offers PG course and received the chance to teach students for M.Com. During this time, she thought to start PhD but it was not as simple as it seemed, however, she had completed her studies in Nagpur, deployed in Mumbai, and was residing in Pune. But after looking into numerous institutions, she was unable to find one that would accept her registration. Dr.Shete who was a colleague in Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics, who later promoted as Joint director of Pune of Division supported her in registering for PhD from Pune 2014. Her other colleague, Dr. Chouguly, who is 10 years younger to Dr.Kuntay, motivated her throughout her PhD path by encouraging her to make a schedule for research since only then she could complete it in the allotted time period.

Dr. Kuntay considers teaching to be one of the most rewarding aspects of her life, and enjoys engaging with her pupils. When the Covid -19 became a global concern in 2020, the whole education system abruptly switched from offline to online. Dr. Kuntay utilized the opportunity to learn about new technology and managed to learn and executed successfully. However, her friends and colleagues always encouraged her to use this time to begin working toward her desire of earning a PhD, but due to parental concerns she was unable to do so.

Her mother lived in Pune, and due her health concerns, Dr. Kuntay travelled to Pune every Saturday to care for her and returned to Mumbai on Sunday. It was a roller coaster ride for her at this age to travel this often, but she did it. She has faced numerous challenges, but always had one specific goal: to get her PhD. From 2014 to 2019, she was completely engrossed in her professional responsibilities. It is customary to complete a PhD within five years of enrolling, but in Dr. Kuntay life she tirelessly worked to complete it in within the time span. This was a difficult period in her life because her mother fell unwell and her trips to Pune had become a regular thing. She also suffered from Covid-19, and completing her PhD became somewhat impossible for her.

In addition to college, she joined The HULAHUL Foundation, a Mumbai-based Charitable Trust Foundation, in 2017. Mr. Ravi Singh, the Editor in Chief, had a vision in 2019 to launch The HULAHUL Times, an E-newspaper. Dr. Kuntay was the first to take the initiative. Dr. Kuntay is one of the pillars of The HULAHUL Times and the HULAHUL FOUNDATION. The HULAHUL Times has evolved into better form thanks to her expert leadership and understanding.

Dr. Kuntay was in a difficult position as a result of her mother's frequent hospitalizations and untimely death, and with this she suffered from major health concerns. However, she was able to attend the Pre-PhD viva. Ravi Singh was always a strong support for her during that tough situation. She ultimately completed her thesis on January 18th, 2022, and gave her final PhD viva on March 8th, 2022, and years of hard work and dedication resulted in the most meaningful result of her desire.

Dr. Kuntay completed her PhD in A Study of New LIC Business Development Policies and aspires to publish a book on the subject as well as other published literature for M.Com students. Dr. Smita Kuntay currently resides in Mumbai and is affiliated with The Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics.