What do you all think of Bangalore? Or Bengaluru, as they call it now.
Being born and raised in this fascinating city, I cannot begin to tell you how amazing the feeling of breathing in the magic of these streets is. Bangalore is my home, my love, and my blissful joy. The weather, the food, and the people are just something that will fill your aura with contentment. I’d want to live and die in this city! Isn’t that what everyone says about this place? Well, not really, let me tell you about a girl who thinks otherwise.
Kushi’s Story
Meet Kushi, a five-feet tall, smart and beautiful girl from the southern part of the city. The story begins when she was just 17-years-old. What an age to be alive! That spontaneous age, when you feel complete, in an incomplete rhythm. The sudden outburst of hormones kicks you right in the gut and tells you to burn another cigarette while breathing in the sight of desperately handsome young senior men from college.
Isn’t it the time to be alive and live dangerously? Isn’t it the perfect time to make a new friend every hour? To party and to dance? To shout and to scream? To love and to break hearts? To booze and to collapse into a painful headache? To study and to make a career? Study ah? Career? Er… What? Oh yeah, that’s Kushi’s parents speaking inside my head.
“My parents will never let me chase my dreams… Dude! They don’t even let me read a novel during the exams!” I remember her telling me this. Sadly, I didn’t know how to comfort her. I felt helpless and disdained, but I didn’t know how to react. I bought her ice cream and dropped her back home that evening. What else could I have done? Her parents were keen on making her an engineer. Besides, I thought she’d make an amazing one too. She is so extremely smart and has the right amount of sanity to ace all the exams that would come her way. Isn’t that all she needs to become an engineer?
“What are you talking about?” Kushi shouts at me, “I have no passion for this crapload of nonsense!”
“Passion? What is all that? Your first day of engineering starts tomorrow. Become an engineer and settle down in an MNC company. Two years later, you can get married.“
“Oh, for God’s sake!” she shouts again. What is up with her? Is it that time of the month already? Girls! You’ll never understand them. I don’t even want to comprehend her madness anymore, I have more important things to do. I need to double-check the code for an error-free version before I send it to my team lead (TL). I also need to make a presentation on the latest product that we are working on for tomorrow’s meeting. I’m going pull an all-nighter. Hey! The company at least pays me well, so it works though I mundanely enjoy the work. The money is good, so why not?
“Uh, because I want to be happy…”
“Ok stop now, go enjoy your first day of college.”
“I’ll try!”
And did she try or what? She did so severely, so madly and so awesomely! Kudos to her brave soul and her longing for perfection! Distinction every semester? Man! Is she insanely normal or what? Topped every single exam she ever wrote, and guess what? She attended every single party her friends organised as well. She bunked most of her classes and still managed to cope up in each and every damn semester!
Maybe that is what we call dedication! She never stopped herself from learning new things even if she hated the concepts. She wanted to give her one hundred percent, no matter what field she let her toes dance in. She wanted to be the best in everything her life took her in. She believed in nothing but perfection. ‘Go all in or go home,’ was her motto.
A Surprising Change In Plans
Four years later, she was finally breathing in some freedom. She had happily secured a job in one of India’s Fortune five hundred companies and her grades were skipping with ecstasy. What a bright girl! She had secured herself a future that would support her till her last. I was so extremely proud of her! I hugged her and gave my blessings to her. But her reaction was rather odd; she wasn’t pleased at all. In fact, she didn’t even smile at me.
“It’s all beautiful on the outside, but this isn’t what I want…”
Oh, yeah! The overambitious friend of mine would never be happy in a position that would ask her to do the unsatisfactory work while churning her peace inside out.
“What are your plans then?”
“I already have executed my plan!” She beamed at me and continued, “So I gave an interview at this very promising company… And when it comes to paying, they are paying twice as much!”
“Wow! Did you get into core?” I asked proudly. Imagine getting placed in alluring companies like Bosch, LG, Samsung or even BHEL for that matter!
“Core? I wish… But it has nothing to do with engineering.”
“What do you mean?” I asked taking a sip from my teacup.
“Okay, the company has a lot of planes…”
“Wow, Boeing? Airbus? Damn! Tell me…”
“Honey, calm down… I’m just gonna be an air hostess.”
I spilt the tea all over my shirt before saying, “Air hostess? Just air hostess? What on Earth?”
“Well, it’s not Bosch…”
I could see that I had let her down. What a stupid thing to do! But, seriously? Air hostess? That is so cool! Working amidst the clouds, visiting new and fancy places, five-star hotel accommodation, different sectors every day, excitement at every corner and let’s not forget the new load of experience that she’ll be gaining.
“Honey, you’ll be living your dream. Half of us don’t even have the guts to speak about our passion with our parents and look at you, starting to live one!”
“It feels nice when you put it that way…” She smiled happily.
“Well, think about it Kushi, you’re an inspiration… A total motivation for anyone trying to live their dream.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that… I just really wanted to be an air hostess, I did it. Nothing great… You’re exaggerating.”
“You’re kidding, right? It’s not every day that people come up to me casually and say that they will be living their dream life!”
She giggled and I hugged her again.
“But, I guess, I’ll never have to come back home and still work as you do!”
“I’m jealous! Haha, anyway…. What about your parents?”
“They have made peace with it. They initially didn’t understand and honestly, they were angry. But now, they can see how much this means to me and they are supportive. They seem proud of me for chasing my dream! But, is it really such a big deal?”
What Did I Learn From Kushi?
Kushi, what a modest little girl you are! Such an inspiration to me and to million others who stepped away from their dreams just because parents said no, just because the society thought it was a disgrace. What this country would have seen if we had just received a little more love, support, and freedom. That evening, I promised her that I’d make her story a tale for others to read and relish.
But that is not all I have learnt from this charming friend of mine. Let me list it down for you.
Let’s never be selfish. It is, of course, our life and we choose how to live. But let’s never ignore what our parents need. Kushi managed to be a brilliant engineer and an affectionate flight attendant. She despised those four years of engineering, but she ensured that she still aced it. It meant something to her parents.
Society is going to say a lot of harsh things, even when you’re on the right track. So, why listen? Let’s just slay, shall we? Kushi is very proud of herself for accomplishing her dreams. Honestly, a lot of people told her that being a cabin crew member wasn’t her cup of tea. She never took those words to her heart. Instead, she kept her vision clear and chased her dreams.
Kushi, to this date, has a great backup; thanks to her parents for ensuring that she got a degree
She always told me to put in everything you have in everything you decide to do. A bright kid with a beautiful flying career. Never do anything with half your heart.
Last but not least, never ever ever belittle a job or a person. Kushi is one of the smartest kids I know and guess what? Being an air hostess was her personal choice! So before, we judge a career the next time, let’s think twice.
I hope we all learnt something we’ll be carrying around for ages now. Let’s never walk away from our dreams. Agreed?