Asem Mohiuddin
The life is a challenging and adventurous but full of opportunities. This is what I was assigned to speak at a gathering in Drugmulla Kupwara in north Kashmir last week.
A motivational lecture was organized by Orion Edutech-a Kolkatta based company which runs multiple skill development centres to train youth for employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir.
The majority of those youth are either school dropouts due to lack of interest or faced financial crunch back home to discontinue their regular studies.
The pan India scheme is in vogue in Jammu and Kashmir as well where hundreds and thousands of youth are trained and later employed in the private sector.
The mixed group of over sixty students both male and female who are being trained in different trades set the stage electrifying. The response was beyond expectations to my lecture.
Majority of students had questions how they can motivate themselves for the tougher situations and how great is world to accommodate them. They see bigger goals through the narrow hole of prism. Invariably, I am a person who follow my heart to act and speak.
So for this guest appearance I had not consulted any book or any biography. Personally, I believe every success story is scripted out of its own challenges. When I dreamt of becoming a journalist and later a media entrepreneur I had different challenges to face.
In my interaction which lasted over for three hours I was rained with questions from basic guidance to toughest times in surviving as the successful man.
But beneath all these challenges lies the most amazing dreams that every aspiring youth sees in his or her life. A young burka clad girl who sees a dream of becoming chartered account or a promising boy in rough looks aspiring to land in bollywood is all they talk about.
Prior to this lecture I had privilege of interacting with youth at many places in Kashmir and Jammu region at similar forums. During all those times I see the youth having amazing stories to tell to the world.
They have dreams to realize but what they all lack the guidance and opportunities.
I gave my best but left unfinished. I realized that we shall extremely improve our social services to reach out to those untouched areas where the talent is yet to be explored.
While these PLA’s shall get more open to initiate debates, discussions and guest lectures at these centres, those NGO’s and social groups working to train the human resources in country must shun their comfort of life to reach virgin areas to support these youths.
The PLA’s have the compulsion of following the criteria and guidelines set by the Government of India, however, within those guidelines they can open a window to make youth more penetrative in the society beyond their vicinity and make them outspoken.
While these youth get a great training assistance at these centres, following the successful culmination of their training, there shall be mechanism to follow up and support their endeavours. Mere few months of training is not enough to put them in the testing waters of brutal world.
On the other side those NGO’s who keep touting much about their social services while staying in the comfort zones of cities and towns have to shun their comfort and stay in those pockets where they are need most.
There contribution in those areas is the greatest ever they can do to our society.
