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Building Products That Matter: Reflections on Recognition and Purpose

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# Building Products That Matter: Reflections on Recognition and Purpose

Recognition is humbling, but purpose is what drives the work. Receiving the Chairman's Individual Award in the Emerging Professional category at the Aditya Birla Awards 2025 was a moment I will always cherish—an honour presented by Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla himself.

But awards are milestones, not destinations. They remind us to pause, reflect, and recommit to the journey ahead.

What Makes Work Meaningful

The projects that earn recognition are rarely the ones we set out to win awards for. They're the ones where we:

Solved real customer problems — not hypothetical ones, but pain points discovered through deep engagement
Took on challenging scope — projects that stretched capabilities and demanded growth
Collaborated across boundaries — working with mentors, peers, and teams who believed in the vision The best products emerge when trust meets opportunity. I'm grateful to leaders who gave me room to take on impactful, challenging projects and mentors whose guidance helped me navigate, learn, and grow at every step.

Looking Forward

Recognition fuels motivation, but the real reward is the work itselfcontinuing the journey of learning, solving customer problems, and building products that make a real difference.

The best is yet to come.

Background

Neeharika skipped presentations and built real AI products.

Neeharika Parasa was part of the August 2025 cohort at Curious PM, alongside 15 other talented participants.