Jai ho!

An 18 year old walked up to me at a coffee shop and asked me if I had any part-time writing assignments for him. He is an aspiring theater artist and wants to make some money on the side to sustain his non-paying career in theater till he makes it big there. Not very long ago, in India, if you wanted to become a theater person or a photographer or a guitarist or a painter, then perhaps the most common advice you would have got from wise elders is "Why don't you go to Europe or USA, they encourage such activities." But that's changing now. You see enthusiastic shutterbugs sporting cameras and going on weekend photography getaways, not just for recreation, but to develop professional skills with the camera. Flutes, easels and guitars are fast becoming the most sought after accessories. There are open cultural spaces springing up all over the country for enthusiasts to come, practice their art and promote it. People are seriously considering careers in what were earlier tagged as offbeat professions, and no longer are these professions low paying. If you have the skill and the right attitude, then sky is really the limit to pursue a career out of your passion. No longer is it about vying for the top-paying jobs after college and clocking long hours at work. It is about discovering your passion and going that extra mile to make your dreams come true even at the cost of plush jobs and material comforts. And this generation has no time to waste either. Summer holidays during graduation meant avoiding the heat, watching any movie that released, playing gully cricket in the evenings and generally catching up with friends at coffee shops and whiling away time; but, no longer. How would you react to a 19 year old graduate student spending her summer vacations volunteering for an international tsunami relief camp, traveling far and wide across the country raising funds and organizing fundraisers and soon after, packing her bags and going deep into the forests of Andhra Pradesh to cover the tribal festival of harmony in her new Nikon camera? If it is with awe, then welcome to the club of 'mesmerized and incredulous oldies' and if it sounds very obvious then this country and the world belongs to you my young friend. Jai ho!