Bengal to Bangalore

FERNS 'N' PETALS

“I’ll never forget that day,” she says nostalgically, “I stepped out of Kolkata, in search of new life, a successful career, and a lot of dreams. I was armed with a Master’s degree in finance, and did a short-term course at IIM Kolkata. After getting placed at a top financial firm in the City as a  researcher, I finally landed here.”
But her beginning wasn’t what her dreams were made up of, Snigdha recalls her initial struggle. “The first few months were the toughest. Our company had provided us accommodation for a week, after which we were on our own. At the end of seven days, due to lack of time and long training hours, I couldn't find a suitable place to stay, so at the nick of time, I found an apartment, which belonged to a relative of a colleague.”
“The area where I stayed, Chellaghate, was in the middle of nowhere, and after 8 pm, we would find no autos there. They would charge Rs 50 to travel barely a kilometre.” It was not only the autowallas who tried to outsmart her. “The local vendors, as soon as they knew I was an outsider, hiked the price to almost double,” she remembers
Being a finance expert, she quickly learnt her ways. “I learnt to speak basic Kannada, and that solved most of the problem.” But challenge didn’t end their. Being a single woman in the City, proved quite arduous. “It was always a problem finding houses, as Bangalore is a conservative city. My landlord gave me a tough time; the first month when I didn’t use any electrical appliance, including a geyser, TV etc, the bill came to Rs 800. I was shocked. I went to the landlord, and subsequently the electricity board and finally got my due.
But the landlord continued to harass us, and called girls from outside ‘loose and immoral’. It was not very different at work either. Certain men, reeled under the perception that a single woman from a different City were available and approachable.”
She goes on, “The first two months, I would cry and wanted to flee from what I thought was a harsh and unfriendly City.” But Snigdha proved to be survivor. “I knew I had to be strong and assertive and fight for myself, I made my stance clear, and was surprised at the respect I got.
I won the ‘Employee of the Month’ award, and found friends and colleagues who were really supportive. And things changed for the better in just a year.”
And in three years, Snigdha, started earning three times of what she started off with. She also changed her job. She is now working as a consultant with a major software firm in the City, and lives in a plush new apartment. “I learnt a lot, and am grateful for the opportunity. I am a great cook, I bought my own furniture, two wheeler and also travelled abroad,” she says proudly. And now Snigdha is looking forward to getting married by the end of June, to a CA, and shifting her base to Noida.
“I will miss my friends and colleagues who have become more of a family to me here, but I’ll keep visiting Bangalore, and maybe even move back here one day. This is where I came as a naive girl, grew up into mature and smart woman.”