Newsmakers

Jiniya Chatterjee from Mumbai won the fifth season of Wakefit's Sleep Internship, beating thousands of applicants to take home Rs 9.6 lakh and a sponsored vacation.

Imagine getting paid lakhs of rupees for sleeping! Sounds like a dream job, doesn't it? Well, a Mumbai woman has turned this unusual idea into reality by winning Rs 9.6 lakh in a competition that revolved around getting a good night's sleep.

Jiniya Chatterjee from Mumbai emerged as the winner of the fifth season of Wakefit's Sleep Internship, a unique two-month-long competition that required participants to maintain healthy sleeping habits, track their sleep patterns and complete a series of entertaining challenges.

Along with the cash prize of Rs 9.6 lakh, Chatterjee also won a sponsored vacation. Over 2 Lakh Applications For The Sleep Internship
Organised by mattress and home solutions company Wakefit, the fifth edition of the Sleep Internship received more than 2 lakh applications from across India.

Following several rounds of screening and personal interviews, just 10 candidates were selected to participate in the 60-day competition.

Participants were required to follow a consistent sleeping schedule, monitor their sleep quality and maintain good sleep scores. Their daily performance was recorded on a leaderboard, while weekly challenges tested their creativity and problem-solving abilities.

From Sleep Cinema To Undercover Missions: The Unusual Challenges
The competition was not simply about spending hours in bed. Participants had to complete several quirky weekly assignments.

Some of the interesting challenges included:

- Sleep Cinema: Contestants had to recreate famous movie scenes with a sleep-related twist.

- Sleep Bingo: Participants had to assess and review their sleeping habits over a week.

- Undercover Sleep Mission: Contestants had to use the words 'blanket' or 'pillow' 10 times during a conversation without getting caught.

The best-performing participant each week earned the title of 'Pro Sleeper of the Week'.

How Jiniya Chatterjee Won The Competition
After approximately 60 days, Jiniya Chatterjee, Ratnagiri Manikandan and Mehek Khot emerged as the top three contestants.

However, Karim Khan from Hyderabad, who had won the highest number of weekly creative challenges, secured a wildcard entry into the grand finale, taking the number of finalists to four.

The finale, titled 'Big Bedd', featured two major challenges.<
br> In the Memory Foam Challenge, contestants had to recreate a bedroom setup after observing reference pictures, testing their memory, observation and teamwork.

The next challenge, called Sleep Auction, required finalists to bid for essential sleeping arrangements, including pillows, blankets, air-conditioning controls, lighting and sound settings.

The contestants then spent one final night in their customised sleeping environments. Their sleep scores were compared to determine the winner.

Chatterjee eventually emerged victorious, taking home the Rs 9.6 lakh cash prize and a sponsored holiday.

Wakefit's Sleep Internship Started In 2019
Wakefit launched its Sleep Internship in 2019 to highlight the importance of quality sleep and encourage people to develop healthier sleeping habits.
According to the company, the initiative has received more than 10 lakh applications across its first four seasons, with 65 interns receiving stipends of Rs 1 lakh each.

With its fifth season offering a significantly bigger prize, the initiative has once again attracted attention for turning something as ordinary as sleeping into an unusual competition.