Shivani Agarwalla

Shivani Agarwalla is a 37-year-old practicing Chartered Accountant, mother to a 5-year-old, and a world-renowned Kettlebell Athlete. With an initial plan of losing postpartum weight, Shivani chanced upon her mentor and coach Arnav Sarkar, who saw in her a spark that would lead her to create history.

It was in 2017 that she represented India at the Asian Championship for Kettlebell, achieving the 1st Rank while simultaneously being named the Best Female Lifter; a first by any Indian Woman Athlete.

Shivani further went onto represent India at the 26th & 27th World Gira (Kettlebell) Sports Championship organized by IGSF ( International Gira Sports Federation) held in Uzbekistan and Australia respectively. She successfully brought home Gold both times, setting up yet another milestone for the first-ever Indian Woman Athlete in Kettlebell to have achieved it. Turning pain into power, she earned every bit of her success through perseverance. With her husband traveling extensively, she handled the long hours of work, rigorous training, and the hands-on care of her son, altogether.

A fellow member of the ICAI, Shivani is currently self-practicing under 'Shivani Shah & Associates' while specializing in Indirect Taxation. An erudite commentator, she has gone on to give lectures at various seminars, conferences, and workshops on topics relating to GST, Service Tax & VAT. Shivani regularly contributes articles to various journals like the EIRC, ICAI, Excise Law Times, and plenty of other websites. Shivani holds multiple key positions such as being the current Chairperson for the GST Committee for ACAE, Kolkata, a Member of the Indirect Tax Committee for the Bengal Chambers of Commerce & Industry, the Chairperson of the Women’s Committee, ACAE, a Member of Indirect Tax Committee, EIRC, ICAI.

With shouldering various responsibilities,

Shivani believes that her biggest achievement is her work-life harmony and pride in living her life the way she wants to be remembered; as a homemaker, excellent chartered accountant, and a Kettlebell Athlete who made India proud.

She came from a No Fitness background but she believed that persistence can get us what we want and consistency can help us keep it, which has made her an inspiration for women to take up some form of fitness.

Shivani's advice to the aspiring readers is that happiness is not in trying or finding, but in deciding. She adds that we shouldn't give up on our dreams just because it might take us some time to achieve them because time will pass anyway.

We should be replacing our excuses with efforts, laziness with determination, to see it all fall into place.