SRCC Wings-of-Fire interviewed CA Himanshu Bhatia, an alumunus of SRCC and presently a Tax partner at EY. He is also a sports fanatic and movie junkie. Read on to know more about him…
1. How do you define and measure success?
~ If you are happy at your workplace then you are successful. That’s how I define success in life. Guess there is no single parameter for measuring success. In my opinion, if the people who work with you become your best pals and they respect you, then you know you are successful in what you are doing.
2. What makes you excited about mondays?
~ The fact that Friday is only 5 days away!!!
3.What do you enjoy most about working here (EY)?
~ Freedom to choose what I want to do and how I want to do that. I get my own personal space that allows me to be myself.
4. Any advice to CA aspirants.
~ Never undermine yourselves. It is one of the toughest courses and not for people with light heart. Remember to make the most of your articleship period. This time can actually propel your career. Live life to the fullest and don’t compromise on things which you do as an individual.
Being a sports enthusiast, I dreamt of becoming a professional tennis player. At the age of 14, after my tournament in Thailand, I realized it was not my forte. I was determined that if not tennis, then academics were where I had to make a mark. Witnessing the struggle of my sister while preparing for medical examinations induced me to choose Commerce as my stream. From never being among the top rankers of the class to making it to SRCC, it has been an unanticipated journey.
Always being passionate towards MBA, I diligently prepared for it and was confident enough to get into one of the IIMs. As it turned out Lady Luck didn’t favour me. Owing to over-confidence I had been a late applicant in most of the companies for placements. I lost faith in myself, thinking SRCC was by fluke. “In desperation, I forwarded my resume to a friend who worked as a manager in Pizza Hut to become a server, while I was waiting to give my CAT next year.” Fortunately, Andersen (one of the Big Fives that time) recruited me. Consequently, to augment my knowledge, I started pursuing Chartered Accountancy.
However, a part of me always wanted to do MBA. CA students usually undermine themselves for the fact that they possess expertise only in a particular area when compared to an MBA but they fail to realise the fact that they can master these skills while having on hand experience in a working space. Even though my area of expertise is tax, I give a lot of time understanding my clients business and related issues.
Presently, I along with my wife, am running a restaurant named ‘Bhookhaa.’ With a vision to have a sustainable and scalable business, we have opened tuck shops in corporate houses.
When I was a kid my mom always used to joke, “If I didn’t study I would end up selling Chola-Bhatura.” It’s the same thing I’m doing currently but now it is out of choice (laughs).
A big cricket buff since childhood, I religiously follow it till now. The picture of my cabin bears testimony to this fact.
“Always remember life is like a test match, there are some sessions in the beginning where you really have to grind, in order to enjoy smooth sessions later. Always keep a balance between your personal and professional life while keeping your individuality intact.”
~ CA Himanshu Bhatia
Tax Partner at EY, Cricket and movie junkie
Wings of Fire, SRCC 
One reply on “CA Himanshu Bhatia: Man who aced in all fields”
Thank you for sharing your experience sir…
I would be greatly obliged to read your journey of becoming a partner in ey. In other words, how to become a partner before one turns 40 years old.
LikeLiked by 1 person