Client Se Paise Nahi Aaye: Chronicles of an Intern in Indian Startups

Ah yes, the sacred Indian startup internship. That rite of passage every college student must walk through… barefoot… on burning coal… while carrying their semester workload like a donkey during peak wedding season.

Let me take you on a little tour of this magical experience, shall we?

Act 1: The Dream Begins

It starts with a LinkedIn post:

“We’re hiring interns! Learn, grow, and be a part of our exciting startup journey 💼✨”

You, wide-eyed and CV freshly polished, think:

“Wow, this is my moment! They said they’ll give a ₹10,000 stipend. That’s like… 1000 Maggi packets!”

So you apply. You give the interview. They say you’re a “perfect fit” (you’ll later realize this means: cheap labor with decent grammar). And boom! You’re in.

Act 2: Welcome to the Startup Circus

Day 1: They give you a Slack login and a Notion doc longer than your entire course syllabus.
Day 2: You’re assigned to “revamp the website, make a chatbot, build a backend system, handle socials, and maybe pitch to investors if time permits.”

Also Day 2:

You’re in a G-meet at 1:37 AM, eyes redder than Indian parents after seeing a 6/10 GPA, while the founder says:

“Let’s keep the momentum high team!”

Bro, what momentum? I lost that with my sleep.

And if by mistake, just one button is off by 2 pixels, suddenly it’s:

  • “Are you even serious about this internship?”
  • “Is this the quality you want to show the world?”
  • “I could have done this better in Paint.”

Sir, please, I just came here to learn React, not get roasted like a tandoori chicken at 2 in the morning.

Act 3: The Famous Words – “Client Se Paise Nahi Aaye”

Now comes the grand finale: stipend time.

You waited the entire month. You skipped fests. You coded through heartbreaks. You designed while your friends were in Goa. All for this moment.

And then you get the text:

“Hey, actually abhi client se paise nahi aaye… we’ll send your stipend soon!”

You wait.
Then they ghost you harder than your crush from school.
You send reminders. You get blue-ticked. You call. They say:

  • “Abhi funds ki thodi kami hai.”
  • “Ham tumhare kaam se bahut khush hain… but abhi company thoda tight chal raha hai.”

Dost, I’m not RBI, I can’t print money at home either.

Act 4: Emotional Damage

After all this, if you DARE to make a mistake – a tiny typo in a design, or misalign a div – suddenly you’re:

  • “Unprofessional”
  • “Immature”
  • “Wasting company time”

and my personal favorite:

“Are you nonsense?”

YES. I am the nonsense. Born and raised.

Final Thoughts: The Real Punch

Look, jokes apart, here’s the real issue – internships are supposed to be about learning, mentoring, and mutual respect.

Not unpaid labor, midnight exploitation, and emotional gymnastics.

We get it – startups have hustle. But that hustle should not come at the cost of exploiting students who are already balancing academics, mental health, and the desire to just get some real-world experience.

Startups – if you can’t pay your interns, at least respect their time. Communicate clearly. Set boundaries. And for the love of code, stop gaslighting us with “client se paise nahi aaye.”

To all interns out there – you’re not just resources, you’re learners, creators, and future leaders.

  • Know your worth.
  • Ask questions.
  • Set limits.

And maybe… just maybe… keep all your “stipend not received yet” screenshots. You never know when you might need a spicy LinkedIn post.

TL;DR

  • They asked for passion, I gave my soul.
  • They promised ₹10,000, I got “client se paise nahi aaye.”
  • I asked for learning, they gave me trauma.
  • But hey, at least now I know the true meaning of “startup culture.”
    💀