The True-Calling Bell

Four IITians, who got through from IIT Kanpur in flying colours, had no hesitation in straightaway rejecting job offers from corporate giants that were worth all Rs one crore for starters. It may have shocked the family and the student community but these four were driven by a sense of elated purposefulness that stemmed from an inner calling.

The story does not end there. Two of them decided to pursue their academic studies further while the remaining two opted to settle for a career opening paycheck of Rs 50 lakh per annum from relatively smaller companies. Their defence was ‘oh, yes, we are getting slots in the profiles we desired.’

By a strange coincide, even though it appears like it makes for a bad economic sense, a fat paycheck did not quite make the cut.

On a closer study, one finds that there are scores of such hard-to-believe stories in the country. For instance, In March last year, Venkat R, a graduate from IIM Ahmadabad, left a high paying job to start Focaloid, that endeavoured to help photographers connect with clients. In 2006, E Sarathbabu, also form the same institute, decided to sweep aside plump offers in return for an idea that was close to his heart right through his growing up years- selling idlis. This trend of swapping rewarding jobs for true aspirations can be seen even outside the elitist campuses of IITs and IIMs.

The names Kannan Gill and Biswa Kalyan Rath are well known to Indians who are hooked on to Youtube (there is no dearth of them). These two software engineers from Bangalore who found their true calling in writing and reviewing old unsightly Indian films made short and snappy videos called ‘Pretentious Movie Reviews’ that went viral on Youtube.

The duo now has a fulltime career in stand-up comedy. Gursimran Khamba, a journalism student from the prestigious Delhi College of Arts and Commerce whipped up “All India Bakchod” with Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya, to pioneer comedy podcast shows in India. Tune in to ‘Royal Turds’ again on Youtube to sample their talent and you will go into peels of laughter. Today, the group charges tickets as high as Rs 2000 per head for their shows.

So what is it that keeps these youngsters from responding to their heart even though the prophets of doom may a give a skeptical scowl when told about the rejection of such mindboggling offers. The phenomenon may be new in the Indian context, but the trend is gradually gaining ground. Many youngsters do not mind going off-the-beaten track. At a time when the country’s pre-dominant populace is young and raring to go, the majority still roots for established professions like engineering, medicine, management and the perennial favourite Civil Services.

It is not surprising that many youngsters either follow in the footsteps of their elders or toe the line of their academically successful predecessors with little or no introspection into their own talents. Moreover, there is little help from parents and colleges, who only veer them towards lucrative professions. Only when the glitz reduces to unsatisfactory perks coming with uninspiring jobs, do people slouch on couches nodding helplessly at blaring advertisements, ‘Caught in the wrong job? Break free!’

Though some students defy the norms and take to alternative professions that jell with their own creative instincts, the tribe is hardly visible nearer home. Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh fervently advocate staple courses of engineering.

Carol Upadhaya, Professor at National Institute of Advanced Sciences, in her paper ‘Engineering Mobility?’ addressed the academic and career passions of the students from the two States and came out with startling revelations, which indicated that there was an overall fancy for anything that revolved around the streams in engineering and IT.

Andhra Pradesh is home to several private engineering colleges. But the symbolic values attached to these degrees go far back in time. The fancy for the brain-drain syndrome that promises money bags and elevated that family status gets reflected in terms of dowry (for the boys), which thrives despite constitutional bans.

In the circumstances, ambition-driven youngsters ought to reprioritize their future calling and come out of the shackles that may lead to frustration despite the salary structure. The extent to which this belief has trickled down the social layers can be seen by how even the curriculum of primary education has been changed to suit the needs of aspiring engineers.

There is not only an immediate need to revamp our secondary and graduate education system, students need to be taught and encouraged to chase their interests and passions and take up a career that is nearest to this. It is only when one discovers his true talents and interests can he find his true calling.

By:Mythili Sankara