A Harvard mom or a Harvard wife: What makes Punita Kumar Sinha more proud?

In her three decade-long career as an investor, Punita Kumar Sinha has confronted some tough questions. But none must have been as tough as this one: Is she prouder of being a Harvard Business School (HBS) mom or an HBS wife?

The question was posed to her during a session at the annual India Conference recently at HBS. Sinha’s husband, Jayant (Minister of State for Civil Aviation) is an HBS alumnus and her son, is currently a student.

No points for guessing the response. “I think HBS mom,” Sinha said. Her reason: She was pursuing her PhD at Wharton at the time and was a “reluctant spouse” when her husband went to HBS as they had just had a baby. “I fought with him saying, ‘No, you are not going to HBS. You are staying at Wharton. I don’t know how I’m going to manage with my little baby here,’” Sinha shared. In the end, her son was sent to India for six months while she completed her PhD.