Celebrating the spirit of womanhood, here we have Annesha Chaudhuri, a post-graduate student at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, speak about her priorities in life.
What was high school like for you? How did it contribute to your personality/ the person you are right now?
High school was one of the worst phases of my life. I had done my schooling till class 10 in an all-girls convent school in a small town. I never learnt gender roles or how off the playing ground was for women. In High School, I landed in a co-ed school, where I was bullied by peers for being good in maths, for the way I dressed (I have always preferred baggy jeans and oversized shirts). Statements like “Girls don’t get into IITs” was common place, not just from peers but from teachers as well. It was a weird place where somehow girls were lesser than the boys.
The biggest contribution that high school had on my life was two-fold. One it gave me a preview of the real world and it made me a rebel. I became adamant to do what I feel like doing and how I do it. That is has become a core to my entire personality.
If money was no object, what would you do all day?
If money did not matter I would paint, make handicrafts and read all day.
What advice would you give to a 5-year-younger you?
The thing you need to see is how far you have already come, the people who are constantly behind you. Just keep on doing what you are doing, don’t stop dreaming and do not stop fighting. It will not get easier but you get better.
How do you think women are better equipped to deal with problems as compared to men?
I don’t think they are. It is kind of wrong to expect women to handle problems better than men. What I can say is the way a man faces his problem and the way women face them are different. There are some people who are inherently better at handling problems than others. I don’t think gender plays an important role in this
Many IIMs and other b-schools award extra points for being a woman. What is your take on that? Do you propagate the concept OR Have you faced any backlash for the same?
Previously I felt that the effect that this will have is too less. Most women who are trying to get into IIM or other b-schools are already working students and they will do whatever is necessary to push their career forward.
However, in IIM, I learnt that giving benefits to women has a larger effect than I previously anticipated. Growing up I didn’t have a role model to look up to because very few Indian women were in a position of prominence. The presence of more women in the middle and top management encourages other women to continue their work. Hence now I feel this does serve a greater good.
Name one incident that you encountered where someone told you, you couldn’t do something because you’re a woman.
Naming one is the difficult task. I am the first woman in the family to hold a salaried job. So starting from the fact that I can’t play football, cricket, to I can’t leave home to study, to I can’t get into top college, can’t work in the field, can’t drive the list is long. Now I actually enjoy when someone tells me that I can’t do something because I am a woman, that just gives me a new avenue to try my hand in.
If you are out on a date, do you prefer to pay yourself? If you insisted that you want to pay for yourself, how did the other person react?
Well, I have a very strict policy of sharing the bill. I have had men who refused to let me pay because of my gender, needless to say, there were no second dates with them.