Respondent Name – Meghna Gupta

Age – 25

Interviewer Name – Charu Chopra

My name is Meghna and I am 25 years old. I am from Bhagalpur district in Bihar. I did my schooling
from Bhagalpur and then did my engineering from M.S Ramiah Bangalore before finally coming to
MICA. Between Engineering and MBA I have 1 year work experience in the construction sector.

I switched to MICA after a year in job because I liked marketing. I did a Marketing project with
Maytas and I really liked the idea and hence wanted to take this up as my career. The project was
about Hill county flats in Hyderabad which was to be sold only to people of Hyderabad and it was
just not selling. I got the project to increase the sales. We did a teaser campaigns about the homes
where we put out online and offline ads of the homes. We sold 108 flats in 28 days and I felt I might
do well in this field

I have travelled a lot from Bhagalpur to Bangalore to Hyderabad and finally Ahmedabad, but the
overall experience has been really good. My experience in Bangalore was particularly great. There I
had freedom for the first time. In Bangalore and met a lot of people can also the first time I had to
do all my work alone. I had to do my studies washing cleaning and all other stuff on my own. This
helped me gain a lot of confidence and I had a lot of fun in the process. The people I met were crazy
in the sense that some acted like case while others were mature beyond their years. Some will even
racists in the sense that the lot of divide between the people of North India and South India and
even between those from eastern and western parts of India. Initially I was very open and direct
with most of the people like I was at home, but then people started perceiving me very differently.
Like we called people from the North eastern states “Chinky” which they hated. But then I learnt
about people and then things improved. I kept people in different sets and then tried talking to
them, I kept their varied sensibilities in mind.

In Bangalore I saw new people and interacted with them. I never met so many people in Bhagalpur.it
was very different there, I mean the only people we ever saw were family friends. Here in Bangalore
you had to live with people from all over the country and adjust to the different lifestyles.

I did not change my lifestyle but only adjusted to their behaviour. For example I saw people
wearing a bindi with jeans. In south if you do not put on a Bindi it means you are a Muslim. There I
also learned to differentiate between the people of Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. I
understood the differences between their habits and behaviour. After living there and feel I can
adjust anywhere and live anywhere.

After living in Ahmedabad when I am done with the course, I want to go back and live in South
especially Bangalore. What attracts me there is the life of Bangalore. They treat you as a guest and
they treat you really well. If you watch movies and then and learn their language you become a part
of their life. Even if you can't learn the language everyone knows English which helps. Also there are
hundred and eight colleges in Bangalore and thus the crowd is very young. Even if you are old you
do not feel old when you are surrounded by such a young crowd.
I feel that I'm old now. I am already 25. I feel as if I'm losing desire for simple things like shopping
and even make-up. I feel probably this is age related because earlier I used to dress well, have a
matching back and used to put on make-up. I did this because in college we usually went out with
the peer group. Now I don't have those many people around and I also don't care.

I did all this till 23, now I feel all this for kids. Yes but I put an extra effort when I go to parties. I've
also started using age related products like Olay etc. As now I feel I'm getting wrinkles etc. Also not
refer to wear suits and not jeans. This is probably because I do like to wear comfortable clothes.
Earlier I wore tight clothes then went out to pubs or hotels or any outing even if it was
uncomfortable. Now I don't do that.

In Bangalore we mostly went out to pubs, discs, hotels, malls and restaurants. We always went as a
large group to these places. Only the movies did I go alone. I don't feel like going out any more than
just want to stay back in my room. I feel it's too much of an effort and am also very lazy.

Nor don't want to go back to Bhagalpur. Because there are boundaries there I mean social
boundaries. For example you to come back before five in the evening and after that it can't go out
alone. The mindset there is very restrictive and it has always been like that. My sister and my cousins
all used to come back early and I've grown up seeing them. So now when I go back and if I'm late
people around my house look at me queerly and these are the same people who have seen me grow
up and are probably family friends.

My father and my mother are both doctors. I have an elder sister and brother and my grandmother
also lives with us. Sister is married now lives in Noida and was a psychology student. My elder
brother and his wife are also doctors. In my family no importance is given to doctors any more.
Cracking medical examination is no longer a big deal my family. I wanted to be different and wanted
to stand out. I wanted to see the excitement and delight on the faces of my family. And I became
the first engineer of my house and my family. And yes I did get that reaction for being the different
girl.

Well I do not see that there have been any positives of becoming an engineer on the contrary there
are only negatives. And I become a doctor I would've got necessary support from my family. Like my
brother and my cousins wanted to set up their own practice got help from their respective families.

Everyone asked me to give medical examination and become a doctor but I refused. My friends had
gone out and Orkut was a new thing at that point of time. They used to put up pictures of all the
different stuff they did and the new places they saw. I too wanted to go out and experience that
life. I too wanted to do all these new things that they were doing then.

But I did not want to stay in Bhagalpur. My brother warned me against staying in Bhagalpur
because of my nature. I was very rebellious since I was a little girl. In Bhagalpur parents used to
drop their kids or they went in a school bus. Siblings always went out together. But I always went to
school alone and never accompanied anyone. I fought a lot with my parents over small things. Had
I stayed back in Bhagalpur either me or my family would have gone crazy.

And today I feel that I am Independent and I don’t depend on my family for any sort of assistance.
My brother and cousins who are doctors still ask for my father’s help but I don’t require it. I am self
dependent and I love that fact.
I will also never marry a Bihari, also I do not want to marry an IAS officer as well. I don’t want 2
bodyguards around me when I go out vegetable shopping. It just feels so odd in such a
surrounding.

Scripted By:-

Arnab Mukherjee