Tobegin with, I never shy away from telling my age. In fact, I would even scream it out loud – what is there to be shy about? I have managed to live 22 years of my life, more or less on my terms, have managed to not make a complete and utter mess of it, and have managed to pretty much be in a place where there is certainly craving for more, but at the same time there is a satisfaction of being in a happy place, a safe place.
Everyone has their own bête noire; mine was being so far away from home that coming back became difficult. I exhibit the typical Cancerian trait of wanting to be close to home, to be close to my comfort zone. And it was with great trepidation that I ventured forth into the life of a working woman at a place far away from home, too far in fact. It’s now been more than a year since I embarked on this great adventure and looking back I can proudly say – ‘it wasn’t bad fellas!’
I am not ashamed in admitting that I am impatient; the impatience for which the youth of today is blamed. The same rush to reach somewhere so soon that time seems like blur and the only thing visible is the ultimate goal positioned oh-so-slightly out of reach, the reward dangling tantalizingly in front of us, if only we could go through the haze. Yes, I admire and respect patience, the wait and the belief that things will happen in their own time and that our main focus should be on doing what we want to.
My point is; what if we don’t know what we want to do? What if the mist, the haze does not let us see clearly what we yearn for? Isn’t it natural for us to be eager (some call it being restive) to race ahead and see what is in store, what fruit our labour bore?
Yes, we are the 20-somethings, we go out for dinners, we wait for the sale season, we drink and make merry but we are the ones fiercely discussing and defending our ideals over those glasses of sherry, we are the ones that go out for dinner with friends but most of us lose our appetite on seeing the general apathy around, we are the ones that make promises of meeting after five years, not to show off our wealth, but to meet and do something worthwhile for everything that we felt strongly about.
Yes, we are the 20-somethings that encounter skepticism at every step. What do we know of struggle? Of the battle for survival that millions face daily in our country; the relief when the day is over because they made it through? Well, we might not. But we have seen, if not faced; we understand the anguish, even if we have no magical solution; we want to help, even if we don’t have the power to do so, yet. But the skepticism, it will never leave. It bothered me, the naysayers, the constant negativity and disbelief.
I wondered, what does it mean to be a 20 something fashion college graduate, working in the fashion business and being idealistic in a country that is strictly orthodox and progressive in equal measure? Well, I am trying to find out…
Ruchika Tripathi
Ruchika Tripathi
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