A brave new world - ANIMA BALAKRISHNAN
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/04/03/stories/2006040300600100.htm
Hindu Metro Plus
April 3,2006
Barely into his 20s, Samit Basu dared to take a decision that was considered madness. He dropped out of IIM-A to write a book. Now at 26, he has two fantasy novels to his credit — The Simoqin Prophecies and The Manticore's Secret — and the concluding part of the trilogy is on the way.
Basu is not alone to have walked away from a premier institute, a prestigious degree, a job to die for and big money. More and more IT and management professionals are bidding adieu to a cushy life to realise their calling. Software programmes and marketing strategies have given way to fiction, pre-schools and reporting.
"IT jobs are challenging and I believe it's a good career path. But I was not putting my talent to full use," says 26-year-old Vasudevan Rangarajan, who quit his job with JP Morgan Chase to join the media.
Twenty-six-year-old Vardan Kabra knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur right from his days at IIT-Mumbai. So, after his MBA from IIM-A, he spurned a P&G offer to set up the Fountainhead Education Foundation in Surat.
"I always knew I wanted to do something on my own. I may not have had the business skill to do that after my engineering. So, a management degree was a logical choice," he adds.
But they all agree that saying no to all that came with the sought-after-job was not easy.
"Most of my family and friends thought I was plain crazy, but those who were really close to me and knew I was planning to write, were supportive," says Basu. Jacob Alexander, who did his B. Tech in Computer Science, could not resist the lure of writing and publishing. "Though my family was supportive, the pressure was always there.
They still try to convince me to return to a conventional job," says 25-year-old Jacob, an editorial executive with a publishing house.
If a "perfect" job at a young age once meant a passport to blissful existence, it is now about discovering where your talent lies.
For Vasudevan, it would have been "a fair and stable climb." But media is the happening field in India; there are risks involved and the play is going to be exciting.
It is not enough to pursue your passion, but also ensure it pays. "Right now, I'm doing work I really love and getting paid for it," says Basu.
For Kabra, with the Fountainhead Pre-School completing its first year, things are looking up. "The drawback about an enterprise is that it takes a year and a half to yield results. It is the prospect of immediate financial gain that has to be forgone," says Kabra.
Of course, there are no regrets. "I've never had a single occasion to regret not doing my MBA. Sure, I would have earned more money, but money isn't all that important," says Basu. For him, it is the "creative satisfaction, the opportunity to meet great people, control over my own time and the joy of seeing my own book."
Kabra believes it is about giving Generation Next better education. "I have studied in several schools and was not happy with what I got. Towards the end, the curiosity element in me was zero," he says. His school aims to make learning a joyful experience for the child.
"Moments of doubt, not at all," says Kabra. But pangs are, of course, there when he sees his classmates taking home hefty pay packs, for he knows he was equally talented to do that.
The emphasis seems to be able to think out of the box. "Here in Class X, it's decided what you should do and it is about plodding to reach there," says Vasudevan.
The road not taken
But post-1990s, there has been a change, "As the economy matures and diverse jobs are available, people will gradually begin to realise that the jobs we grow up thinking are good are rather boring. And for the first time, in this country, you have a chance to do whatever you want and make money doing it as well," says Basu.
As Jacob puts it, "It is about not taking the beaten path, but picking up what you are comfortable with." Though their professional degrees are always a security, going back is "an option locked away," says Vasudevan. "I have already made a choice and I am sticking on," says Jacob.
In a nutshell, Vasudevan says, "A convert is more religious than the priest."
Hindu Metro Plus
April 3,2006
Barely into his 20s, Samit Basu dared to take a decision that was considered madness. He dropped out of IIM-A to write a book. Now at 26, he has two fantasy novels to his credit — The Simoqin Prophecies and The Manticore's Secret — and the concluding part of the trilogy is on the way.
Basu is not alone to have walked away from a premier institute, a prestigious degree, a job to die for and big money. More and more IT and management professionals are bidding adieu to a cushy life to realise their calling. Software programmes and marketing strategies have given way to fiction, pre-schools and reporting.
"IT jobs are challenging and I believe it's a good career path. But I was not putting my talent to full use," says 26-year-old Vasudevan Rangarajan, who quit his job with JP Morgan Chase to join the media.
Twenty-six-year-old Vardan Kabra knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur right from his days at IIT-Mumbai. So, after his MBA from IIM-A, he spurned a P&G offer to set up the Fountainhead Education Foundation in Surat.
"I always knew I wanted to do something on my own. I may not have had the business skill to do that after my engineering. So, a management degree was a logical choice," he adds.
But they all agree that saying no to all that came with the sought-after-job was not easy.
"Most of my family and friends thought I was plain crazy, but those who were really close to me and knew I was planning to write, were supportive," says Basu. Jacob Alexander, who did his B. Tech in Computer Science, could not resist the lure of writing and publishing. "Though my family was supportive, the pressure was always there.
They still try to convince me to return to a conventional job," says 25-year-old Jacob, an editorial executive with a publishing house.
If a "perfect" job at a young age once meant a passport to blissful existence, it is now about discovering where your talent lies.
For Vasudevan, it would have been "a fair and stable climb." But media is the happening field in India; there are risks involved and the play is going to be exciting.
It is not enough to pursue your passion, but also ensure it pays. "Right now, I'm doing work I really love and getting paid for it," says Basu.
For Kabra, with the Fountainhead Pre-School completing its first year, things are looking up. "The drawback about an enterprise is that it takes a year and a half to yield results. It is the prospect of immediate financial gain that has to be forgone," says Kabra.
Of course, there are no regrets. "I've never had a single occasion to regret not doing my MBA. Sure, I would have earned more money, but money isn't all that important," says Basu. For him, it is the "creative satisfaction, the opportunity to meet great people, control over my own time and the joy of seeing my own book."
Kabra believes it is about giving Generation Next better education. "I have studied in several schools and was not happy with what I got. Towards the end, the curiosity element in me was zero," he says. His school aims to make learning a joyful experience for the child.
"Moments of doubt, not at all," says Kabra. But pangs are, of course, there when he sees his classmates taking home hefty pay packs, for he knows he was equally talented to do that.
The emphasis seems to be able to think out of the box. "Here in Class X, it's decided what you should do and it is about plodding to reach there," says Vasudevan.
The road not taken
But post-1990s, there has been a change, "As the economy matures and diverse jobs are available, people will gradually begin to realise that the jobs we grow up thinking are good are rather boring. And for the first time, in this country, you have a chance to do whatever you want and make money doing it as well," says Basu.
As Jacob puts it, "It is about not taking the beaten path, but picking up what you are comfortable with." Though their professional degrees are always a security, going back is "an option locked away," says Vasudevan. "I have already made a choice and I am sticking on," says Jacob.
In a nutshell, Vasudevan says, "A convert is more religious than the priest."
posted by Arun Ranganath | 10:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home