Conversations with the Assistant Director and Junior Fellow at IDFC Institute

I first met Avanti through friends. She was someone I instantly clicked with. She was smart, funny, and interesting. My true friendship with her begun one afternoon grabbing coffee and talking about travel. I was intrigued by the fact she grew up in Istanbul. Coincidently, I happen to be visiting Turkey that summer. She gave me a long list of places to visit, things to do, sight to see and restaurants to eat at. The conversation then steered away from just travel to how she actually spent her time in her childhood and began working there! In this article I dive deeper into learning about her journey through various internships in India and abroad!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself 

I’m a Public Policy Researcher and I’ve been working in this space for the last 5 years. I have a background in Law and Political Science. I enjoy traveling to new places, eating new foods, meeting new people and learning new things. My hope is to keep evolving and not remain idle through this journey of life.

 2. What do you enjoy about your current job? 

It’s that I’m always learning and discovering. There is never a day when I feel the work is monotonous or not intellectually challenging. This job offers exposure to a mix of things—public sector consulting, government advisory, research (academic as well as non-academic) and quasi-journalism. What I also love is the interesting people I’ve met and the interesting opportunities I’ve gotten along the way.

 3. Let’s zoom back, can you describe a few challenges you faced while finding your first internship at the Istanbul International Community School? 

My first “internship” was actually in the same high school where I was studying. A couple of my friends and I had some free time between classes and decided to be entrepreneurial. We went up to the faculty and administration staff and asked if there were some gaps where we could help out and we created the role of Teaching Assistant for primary school teachers. The biggest challenge I guess was the kids themselves and it made us appreciate what it takes to be a teacher for toddlers.  

4. What was your experience at Teach for India like, what did you learn? 

Teach for India was a short but fruitful experience. I met some great, dedicated people there and really got a feel for an office environment and what it takes to put larger pieces of a puzzle together. The Education sector is such a beast and there are so many ways to tackle the systemic problems and stakeholders involved in the process. It also gave me an insight into the operations of an organisation, which has helped me immensely thereafter. 

5. How did your internship at Wadia Ghandy and Co. help you gauge the industry and build connections? 

This was my first topical internship. It was actually an Articleship for becoming a Solicitor. Through this I was able to gauge all parts of the legal field and convert my theoretical into practical knowledge. It taught me to be disciplined and the merits of sheer hard work. But it also piqued my curiosity for the field of policy and implementation. Law is more about the application of legislations, rules and by-laws and all the intricacies in between. But what about the formulation of laws itself?  

6. What learnings did you take from your internship at IDFC Institute as a Research and Communications intern?

This is where my current journey began. I was completely new to the field, out of my comfort zone and unsure whether it would be a fit for me. I was passionate no doubt, but there were many unknowns along the way. I took this internship with a hope of converting it into a full time job. Thankfully, it has become my career. I took on a dual role to understand both sides of the policy process — understanding the “what” and “why” through research and the “how” through strategic communications.

7. Would you want to change your journey of navigating through the different internships? If so, how and why? 

I wouldn’t change much about my journey actually. Maybe one thing I can think of is not selling myself short. I’d often read applications and think I didn’t have the requisite skills and shy away from applying, but what my last internship taught me was to have faith in myself and my skills. 

8. Any advice you would like to give recent graduates, especially those who are finding it difficult to navigate and find a path, especially amidst a pandemic?

Be open—try something even if you’re not sure. Sometimes you’ll become certain about what you don’t want to do after you try it and that is an important part of the process. It’s a good way to sift out things early on with less pressure. And it will also help match expectations. As for the pandemic, you’ll be surprised, but it’s opened more doors than closed. Now you can try that internship abroad that you’ve always wanted to since the requirement for physical presence has been relaxed. Having some international exposure, in my opinion, gives you a very valuable worldview and maturity.

9. How did your different volunteer experiences shape you not only professionally but also personally?

One of my most memorable volunteer experiences was during my time at Tufts University. I volunteered with the Leonard Carmichael Society. We went to local shelters in Boston on the weekends and prepared and served food to homeless people or those in need. Just the sheer amount of joy that existed in the kitchen and the lunch room was incredible to watch and be a part of. It really made us feel bonded and part of something larger and more important than ourselves.