#PeopleOfDonatekart: Meet Naveena Sami
“I would hold my grandmother’s hand and go to the temple near her house every day after school. It was my most favourite part of the day. That, and falling asleep to all her stories — about her childhood, fables and mythology. I lived with my grandmother until I was in class 2, and I have such fond memories of my time there. Even after I moved back with my parents, I would visit her every weekend. I think my grandmother was my first strong support.
Growing up in a small town like Podili in Andhra Pradesh, I spent a lot of time with my family. Especially my mother. She would often tell me how she wants me to study and start working. She had gotten married very young, and stopped studying soon after. In those days women weren’t encouraged to pursue higher studies, let alone a career. So she wanted my younger brother and me to have those opportunities. I started studying to become a chartered accountant because of her. I wanted to make her proud. I spent 4 years at a hostel, attempting the CA exams over and over again. It was so stressful. But my mother helped me through those difficult days. No matter how busy she was, she would come to visit me every Sunday and we would spend the day together, laughing, talking. For those few hours, I would forget everything else that was bringing me down.
Today I’m not a CA, but that doesn’t make me feel bad anymore. I have an MBA, I’ve been working at Donatekart for 2 years and I’m more independent than I ever thought I would be. I still remember the day I got the job. Sandeep, the co-founder, called me to say that I had to come in for an interview. When I got there, he told me that it was my first day! I was so happy.
I’m able to do all this because of my parents’ support. Even when people said I shouldn’t be allowed to go to the big city and work because I’m a woman, my mother fought for me in her own way.
It’s all the little things my grandmother and mother have done for me that has made me who I am today. These little things aren’t so little, though.”
- Naveena Sami, Accounts Associate
