May 5
It's hard to believe that I leave in two days to go to Bangalore. I have been wanting to experience the flow of local life in India since the very beginning of the year, and there is a constant buzz of excitement going through me, at the idea of it coming to life. Most of the initial stress of logistics has been fully taken care of— flights and hotels are booked, and my internship has been coordinated. I am really excited to see what I am going to learn this summer, and how I will grow.
I am interested in what this internship experience will look like. Part of its appeal to me was how closely aligned to my interests ESamudaay, the organization I will be working with, is. ESamudaay is an Indian “local commerce” and digital marketplace infrastructure startup that was founded around 2020 and initially operated out of Karnataka, with strong roots in Udupi. Its core mission is to help small towns, local entrepreneurs, and neighborhood businesses build their own digital commerce ecosystems instead of depending entirely on centralized platforms like Amazon or Flipkart. The opportunity to work with this mission on a grassroots, personal, and local level is truly one of a kind, and I couldn’t be more excited— especially to get to know the amazing people who have started this work, as well as the vendors that are part of the ESamudaay ecosystem.
However, due to the nature of it being a startup, I anticipate being the only intern, which may make the work a little challenging or lonely. Luckily, the area I am supposed to be staying in is a very lively area. I am looking forward to exploring parts of Bangalore and surrounding areas when I have the free time, and keeping an open mind to meeting new people. With all great experiences, there are highs and lows, and I expect nothing less of this one.
