November 3, 2004

Faces of the future
Thursday October 28 2004 19:14 IST

Express team

George Bernard Shaw once said, ‘Youth is wasted on the young’, but even he would now have to think up another line. India has the largest population of young people in the world. The West is getting geriatric and its population is not growing fast but is ageing. China has its own problems because of its one child norm.

But here in India 30 percent of the population is under the age of 15, and they are entering the work force, giving shape to their creativity, breaking conventional moulds and are fast becoming the envy of the world. And the under 30s, and those bordering it, are no longer waiting to be appreciated only when their hair turns grey. They are the future, be it art, cinema or business, the faces are unveiling themselves. Here are some of the well known and not-so-well-known

Artistic advantage

For Bangalore boy KK Raghava, who prints vivid canvases with his hands, the future is here and now, “At 16, having fulfilled my promise to my parents that I would finish my basic high school education, I decided that the formal education system was not suited to my temperament or style of learning. I quickly, and gratefully, opted out.”

Now 24, Raghava’s works fly off the international gallery walls faster than they are mounted. Coming up is an auction conducted by Christies and curated by the Indo American Arts Council. Having quit formal education, there was tremendous pressure on him to be able to sustain himself, “I realised early on in my career, that in order to make completely independent decisions, one had to be financially independent. At 16, I could say I was financially independent,” says Raghava. People often ask him why the hurry? “I would ask why not? I am a very impulsive person. If I want to do something, and if it is possible, then I should do it now. If I am not yet equipped or skilled to make it happen, then I acquire those skills now.’’

Wild lens

With a Master’s degree in wildlife Biology (from the Wildlife Institute of India) Saravanakumar from Chennai did the unthinkable and jumped careers, becoming a photographer rather than a scientist like his classmates. His viewfinder seeks out the textures created by the play of light and shadow in the jungles and each frame springs a new surprise. “I hadn’t touched a decent camera till I was 23. But when things happened they were on a roll. After my first trip into the jungle I decided that this was where I had to be.” An unusual career option it maybe but one that he loves. “There was never another option because my heart was very much in photography. I guess this was the biggest advantage. When your work is your passion, it ceases to be work anymore. It becomes your hobby, entertainment, relaxation, everything.” A career like wildlife photography, enabled him to traverse unknown terrains and sight some extraordinary animals, “even the toughest assignment doubles up as a vacation.” For 32-year-old Saravanakumar, each assignment only gets tougher than the previous one.”

Shuttle swan

Eight-time women's National badminton champion, with a world ranking of No 23; French Open winner and Commonwealth Games silver medallist; winner of four Asian Satellite Tournament titles — Bangalore’s Aparna Popat believes in taking one thing at a time. “This is not something I had dreamt of or aimed for. Things just happened and I took things as they came,” she says. Popat is quiet happy with the way things are going right now, though she agrees that her life is a lot more relaxed than what it was two years ago. “One needs to move with the times. You can’t compare two generations and judge their growth. But one should know where to draw the line,” says Popat.

Rhythm raja

Vidhu Prathap, one of the most-in-demand playback singers among youngsters, is hailed as the one that threatens to break the Yesudas-Jayachandran stranglehold on the airwaves in Malayalam. Romantic numbers sung by him have made him a campus hero. Thiruvananthapuram-born Vidhu came to playback singing through the song ‘Enthu Sukhamani Nilavu’ in Nammal — He bagged the Lux-Asianet award that year. Vidhu now has plenty of films and music albums at hand and has worked with a variety of music directors. Devarajan Master, the veteran composer, hailed Vidhu as one of the five new promising singers of the future. Vidhu recently rendered a solo for master composer Ilayaraja’s ‘Symphony’. “I was one of the few singers from Kerala who was invited by Ilayaraja,” says an elated Vidhu.

Magic mudras

When Odissi dancer Protima Gauri Bedi set up Nrityagram near Bangalore, she had hoped it would have, “idealistic, hardworking, talented and dedicated young dancers.’' Surupa Sen, (35) and Bijayini Satpathy (31), are Odissi exponents living up to those words. With their exquisite mudras, facial expressions, a passion for their art, and a desire to chart its further growth, the two have won national and international acclaim. Sen’s sensuous dance and dynamic choreography are well known. Sen took over from Protima, and is now Artistic Director of The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble while Satpathy is director of the Odissi Gurukul. Through their work, the two are extending the vocabulary of Odissi, and helping preserve the form in the process.

Traditional tunes

T M Krishna, 28, is one of the youngest stars in Tamil Nadu to rapidly climb the ladder to success and stardom in Carnatic Music. Having had his initial training under Seetarama Sarma, he has been consciously perfecting his art, learning from such veterans as Semmangudi R Srinivasa Iyer and Chengleput Ranganathan. A stickler for tradition, Krishna is known for his forthright and clear approach to Carnatic music. With an attractive voice and a youthful style, Krishna draws full crowds for his performances in India and abroad. Senior accompanists agree to perform with him because of the purity of his style. He is committed to his music and does not stray from his chosen path.

The wordsmith

He looks as good as he writes. Born in Mumbai in 1977, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi was educated in India, England and America. He holds an MA in international journalism and an MS in mass communications. He had worked as a chef, kennel boy and storyteller. His first novel, The Last Song of Dusk, was awarded the Betty Trask Award 2004, one of UK’s most prestigious prizes for debut novels (previous winners include Meera Syal and Hari Kunzru). At 26 he has been hailed as ‘the next big thing’ after Salman Rushdie and Vikram Seth. His easygoing attitude and keen social (and sartorial) talents have made him a media darling.

Industrial strength

These are the baby tycoons on the move. Some are inheritors, and others innovators. But they are all their own people and are making a mark in the tough corporate world. People like Alok Kejriwal of conteststowin.com and Neeraj Roy of Hungama (both in their 30’s) have successfully reinvented the dot com business. Young Shauna Chauhan runs Parle Biscuits, her father taking the back seat.

Meet Thermax boss Meher Pudumjee. She has inherited her mother’s soft good looks and steely resolve. Inheriting the mantle from the line of Thermax founder and grandfather AS Bhathena, father Rohinton Aga and mother Anu Aga, Meher has a formidable image to live up to. At 37, she has chosen a non-executive role and will look at strategy and business development and deployment, keeping in touch with customers and employees and playing a role in building the leadership team within the company. A postgraduate in chemical engineering from the Imperial College of Science & Technology, London, Meher joined Thermax as a trainee engineer in August 1990 and since then, has been closely involved at various levels and functions at the company. Her succession was one of the most talked about in recent times.

In his current position as President, Pharmaceuticals and Executive Director at Ranbaxy, Malvinder Mohan Singh is responsible for the entire global operations of the billion-dollar company, spanning 40 countries. Before he became President, he had led the India Region operations as Regional Director soon after his successful tenure as Director, Global Licensing and Business Development. Malvinder joined Ranbaxy in 1994 as a Management Trainee and has worked his way to the top which came earlier than anticipated because of his father Parwinder Singh’s untimely death.

Glittering gal

Chennai girl Smita Sarah Fenn is a diamond’s best friend. An international award from De Beers slipped easily into her creative hands that translated diamonds into a choker-necklace. The quiet yet confident 23-year-old is modest about the milestone and prefers to let her work do the talking. The 342 gm choker, christened The Great Journey, comprises several 5-cent baguettes cut diamonds. The diamonds, a whopping 61.55 carats, are set in numerous delicate bars of 18k white gold, linked together to create an entire ensemble. Fluid brilliance best described the Rs 17 lakh necklace. “The conception of the necklace took four-five days and its fabrication took one and a half months,” she recalls.

Natty netas

Parliament has never had such energy throbbing in its corridors. Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Rahul Gandhi, Navin Jindal and Jyotiraditya Scindia infuse youth and verve into a calling once seen as a retirement option. Indian politics will never be the same again. ‘If politics is dirty, the only way to change it is to get into it,’ is the mantra followed by these parliamentarians. At 27, Milind Deora, the Congress’ MP from Mumbai South, took on BJP heavyweight Jayawantiben Mehta and won. These young Turks are at home both at city soirees as they are in the heat and dust of their constituencies. The boys in designer khadi, with their international degrees and expertise in finance, management and such, hope to translate rhetoric into policy implementation.

Lone ranger

On December 16, 2000, three protesters were killed in Orissa’s Rayagada District when police resorted to firing when a clash occurred between them and supporters of bauxite mining in the district. In Rayagada — the home to the primitive Paroja-Kondha tribe and also the reservoir of two billion tonnes of bauxite — local residents have been protesting against extensive mining in the region. Environmentalists contend that mining would eventually dry up the around 700 streams and chew up already depleted forests — the lifeline of the district’s 85 percent tribal population. Enter Bhagwan Majhi. By mobilising local people to assert their rights and successfully thwarting the plans of mining companies, Majhi has become the leader of a decade-long movement. “In these villages natural resources and their equitable distribution form the core of governance,’’ says Bhagwan Majhi, the 28-year-old leader of Kucheipadar village in Rayagada. After declaring self-rule in 1998, the village has put in place its development plan.

Kucheipadar has evolved a community labour participation programme for cultivation in private lands to get rid of labour shortage. ‘‘Innovations are natural when people decide for themselves,’’ he says.

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