It was 10 o clock in the morning and Anupamaa was standing before a tall multi-storeyed building located on the Ashram road situated in the central business district of Ahemdabad. It was the office of AK Group of Ventures with which Anupama had an interview for the position of marketing intern. Her interview was scheduled at 10:30 and she was relieved she reached on time despite the heavy traffic on the way.

She stepped into the building but had no idea where to go for her interview. So she decided to ask the receptionist by the door.

Anu :- Excuse me…

Receptionist:- Yes mam….how can I help you?

Anu :- Actually I had an interview with your HR Department for the position of marketing intern….would you mind telling me where the interviews are being held?

Receptionist :- Yes mam….your interview is scheduled with our HR manager Mr. Mishra and his office is on the 10th floor. The elevator is on your left.

Anu:- Thank you….

Receptionist :- You’re welcome mam..

Saying this, Anupama walked towards the elevator. The doors to the lift opened and she stepped in and pushed the button of the 10th floor. The doors closed and the lift started moving. Anupama was very nervous as it was her first interview and she knew very well that it wasn’t going to be easy as she was not the type of candidate the companies usually looked to have as an intern. She was middle aged in her 40s with no experience and there was a huge gap between her graduation and MBA. She was lost in the thoughts when the elevator doors opened and she could see Mr. Mishra’s office right in front of her.

She mumbled a quick Dhyan Rakhjo to her Kanhaji and moved towards the office.

She knocked on Mr. Mishra’s door and entered the office when she heard a voice that said “Come in”….

Anu :- Good evening sir…I am Anupama Joshi…I had an interview for the position of marketing intern…

Mr. Mishra :- Ohh yess…. Ms. Joshi….please come in….have a seat…

Anu :- Thank you sir..

And saying that Anupama took the seat opposite him.

Mr. Mishra took a glance at her resume and spoke….

Mr. Mishra :- I must say Ms Joshi…you are not the usual type of candidate that apply for the position of intern in our company…

Anu :- Yes sir I understand….my situation is a little different…

Mr. Mishra :- Okay…so shall we start..?

Anu :- Sure sir…

Mr. Mishra :- So Ms Joshi…..tell me about yourself…

Anupama gave a general introduction of herself where she is from ,her hobbies, her passion for dance etc.

Mr. Mishra:- Okay….Ms Joshi…your grades seems to be great….but there is a huge gap between your graduation and MBA….were you working somewhere during that period?

Anu :- Yes sir….I was

Mr. Mishra :- Would you like to elaborate on your job experience ?

Anu :- Sure…..I was a housewife….I have been managing my home for the last 25 years….

Mr. Mishra was now confused so he went on...

Mr. Mishra:- I am sorry… I thought you said you were working somewhere…

Anu:- Yes Sir…..I did… I was managing my home…my family…for last 25 years….isn’t that a full time job?

Anupama said this with a warm smile on her face.

Mr. Mishra was amused and quite impressed with her answer. Usually people don’t consider managing home as working and most of women are hesitant to call themselves a housewife as they think their responsibilities and work are easier as compared to that of a working women but in reality it’s the opposite. Sitting before him was not a hesitant women but a proud housewife who was proud of who she is and the work she has been doing for years.

Mr. Mishra took a minute before moving forward.

Mr. Mishra :- Yes….indeed it is…Ms Joshi….it was just not an answer that we usually expect….being a housewife is the most difficult job in the world….but Ms Joshi…you have no experience in marketing….and that is a matter of concern..

Anupama was now nervous. She knew she wasn’t experienced as much other people in this field but she needed this internship. She knew she might not get a lot of opportunities owing to her gap in education and a lack of experience. She composed herself back and then started..

Anu :- Yes sir….I understand…I don’t have a professional experience in marketing…but I do have experience…..as far as I understand sir…marketing is about building and maintaining relationships with your clients or customer….and I have been doing that for most of my life as a housewife….maintaining my family relationships, managing them, solving their disputes,convincing them for things they are hesitant to do, finding alternative ways to satisfy the needs of your family when the family budget won’t allow you to spend much….isn’t it a part of marketing?....It’s just that instead of convincing and building relationship with your family members….you have to build relationship with your clients….instead of finding alternatives to satisfy your family needs when low on budget….you have to find alternative ways of marketing your product whenever there is a cost cutting on a product or a project…..and I think I will be quite good at that….

Mr. Mishra :- That’s an interesting way of looking at things….Ms Joshi…I never thought home science can ever be applied to marketing….you seem quite confident of yourself…that’s definitely a quality we are looking for in our interns….

Anu :- Thank you sir……

Mr. Mishra :- So Ms Joshi….do you have any questions for us?....I mean to say what are your expectations from this company?

Anu :- Sir I have the same expectations as any other intern would have…..learning as much as I can….from the work and my superiors….As you pointed out earlier….that I don’t have a professional experience in marketing….I would use this opportunity to take as much knowledge and skills as I can from this two month experience…so that it makes up for the years of gap I have between my graduation and MBA….

Mr. Mishra:- I am glad to hear that Ms Joshi that you are keen on learning and we will be lucky to have you as an intern…I hope we will learn as much from you as you would from us…

Anu :- Thank you sir…

Mr. Mishra:- However , Ms Joshi I would like to give you a heads up that being an intern at this age would mean taking orders and working for superiors that are half your age…..would you be okay with that?

Anu :- Yes sir I am completely fine with it….they are at their position because of the years of hardwork they have put in…..and I would be lucky to learn from such hardworking and experienced superiors…

Mr. Mishra :- I am glad to hear that…..so Ms Joshi you can start this Monday…the other details regarding who you would be reporting to and what project you would be working on will be shared with you in e-mail..

Anu :- Thank you so much sir…..

Mr. Mishra stood up from his seat and forwarded his hand for a handshake. Anupama shook his hands and left his office mouthing a thank you to him.

Anupama was relieved. She had a lot of doubt on her capabilities before but after the interview she was confident that she can do her job.

She was ecstatic thinking about all the new things she will learn from this internship while walking out of the building premises when she heard a voice that called out to her…..

Anupamaaa….