Over the years, there seems to be a paradigm shift in career paths that young people opt for. Gone are those days when everyone obsessed about being an alumni of that reputed educational institution and getting selected for that ideal blue collar job. The youth of the day are venturing into startups and in most other cases to non-governmental organisations. Many young minds have become fearless and have chosen to follow their heart and not be driven by the money and the ever existent rat race of life.
The reasons are many. Some said that the decision to work for an NGO was merely an experiment or just giving back to the society in whatever ways they could. Some others felt that NGOs gave them the opportunity to work at the ground-level. Others felt that such forums allowed them explore other areas like education and human rights, thereby, enabling them to make the right choice of career.
Moreover, many of them do not seem to be hesitant of having to learn everything afresh and attune themselves to a new work environment.
Then again,there are a few, who leave the corporate life to not only to add meaning to their own lives, but also to lives of other sections of the society.
Meet Sunayana Kumar. A native of Ottapalam, this young lady has spent her childhood across several states in India. “I was born in Chennai. My family moved to Manipal by the time I finished my fifth grade. I went to Pune to study Law after my high school. I worked as a lawyer for for 3 months in Mumbai, before I decided to be part of the Youth for India fellowship programme at a village in Gujarat,” explained Sunanya Kumar. When asked if her family had approved of her decision to do things differently, she said, “My parents have been extremely supportive and have always encouraged me to do what I wanted to pursue.”
Sunayana is a graduate from the Symbiosis Law School in Pune. After working at a law firm in Mumbai for three months, she had an inner calling to specialise in human rights and thus decided to take a leap that many wouldn't dare. She decided to join the fellowships progamme and do her part in making a difference to the lives of a self-help group (SHG) in southern Gujarat.
Now, Sunayana helps a group of tribal women revive a chain of eight restaurants in a village in Gujarat. Nahari, the restaurant chain serves authentic tribal food. She helped these women to renovate the restaurant and also help them start bank accounts. “The fellowship programme allows us to pursue any project of our choice. Once the idea is approved, we can proceed with our plans and will also be given some guidance throughout the project,” Sunayana explains.
So what compelled Sunayana, a lawyer by profession to enter the arena of social work? “There are people who enjoy working in a corporate environment and are good at their job. I, on the other hand, wanted to do something different and was keen on areas such as human rights. This fellowship has given me a huge sense of satisfaction,” said Sunayana.
When asked as to why youngsters such as herself often stir away from the world of corporates so as to be part of social organisations, she said that corporate jobs are often routine tasks. “Options such as these give one an opportunity explore creative spaces. Moreover, you do gain a great deal of satisfaction,” she answered.
All in all, this young lady seems to be content with the simplicity of her surroundings and hopes that more people join the programme in order to carry forth the projects that she and her friends have been working on. “The life in a village is very simple and my friends and I who have been raised in cities now consider this place home,” Sunayana said.