It all begun as we took a right from the gate of our college. As a business exercise we were supposed to make ourselves useful to any kind of business or organization in Koregaon Park and work there till 4 pm and earn a minimum amount of Rs 300. The catch was not to use any money to do so and not reveal our college’s identity. Me and my buddy ,Arjun took 3 different lifts to reach the specified area including in a truck. After we reached KP we started looking for any opportunity that we could see. We went to a couple of shops and restaurants. Being a Sunday most of the companies and shops were closed. We waited in a few places to speak to the manager but no luck since being a holiday most people were out of station. Also in the bigger establishments the manager was reluctant in giving us work as they needed permission from the higher management to do so. After almost 7 rejections we stepped into a high end boutique called Araliya. The place felt like heaven with all kinds of designer wear and the AC felt really. We spoke to the assistant present there regarding the task and she said they had work since they were again setting up after the shop renovation but we would have to talk to the owner and ask her first. We spoke to Mrs Damanti Raje Bhosle on the phone and she promised to give us Rs 300 for working till 4 pm.
We started working with unpacking and ironing designer dresses and jewellery. Though I thought they were over priced but each of them looked gorgeous. I was a bit scared ironing a twenty thousand worth gown. We interacted with the assistant, Rina who was there and came to know that the store was one of the four multi designer boutique present in Pune. The owner , Mrs Raje Bhonsle is a very popular socialite and has a huge network in the elite groups. She is also a fashion designer herself. Most of the customers in the boutique are generally amongst her friends and their circles. The store which is years old does not do any kind of external promotion except a few parties to launch a new collection. Rest of its sales is completely based on networking and contacts of Mrs Bhosle. The boutique makes a profit of about Rs 8 lakhs per month and is ahead of its competitor Rudraksh.
We had lunch with Rina and continued working after the same. During our break we saw photos and articles of the store in the papers. There were a lot of well known celebrities who I could easily identify. We also met a customer who had come in to see a new range. Rina explained that they had fewer clients since it’s a lean period. By then we had almost finished ironing all the dresses. We received our money and thanked the owner and left for Post 91, a restaurant where the whole batch was supposed to meet. On reaching there I could hear guitar and singing. My batchmate Leonald was playing and singing some beautiful songs .His partner was asking for contribution from everybody. It was hilarious. Apparently, they had earned the whole day that way.
After the whole batch was there ,our professor addressed us and gave us a chance to share our experiences. Everybody seemed to have had an exciting day. We had tea and then headed back to college taking lifts. Again we got a lift from a truck which dropped us at the college gate.
Overall it was a great experience as we really stepped out of our comfort zones and tried to finish the challenging task. It was a good learning and memorable experience.
