Advice from Shehshahi Ashram

Shenshahi ashram and ‘Hathi Bhai’s chai shop’ is my usual haunt when I need thinking space. I’ve written many a song or an article just sitting there sipping endless cups of tea. There’s something about his tea that activates one’s grey cells. I think it has to do with the extra energy one gets because of the extra sugar he puts in each cup. I strongly recommend that you specify “no sugar” to him; if you do not want his ‘sherbet’.

Before I moved to Dehradun last year, I did HR management. A lot of it in industries that hired and developed young people…just out of college kinds. I can’t say exactly, but over 16-17 years I may have met, interviewed and hired thousands of people…young people. I hence; naturally, start to judge people on their success ability as soon as I come across them. Just second nature; I guess.

Sitting at Shenshahi ashram gives one an opportunity to closely observe the current lot in DehraDun. They seem to be as regular there as me. I just can’t seem to fathom what they are doing, but they are there. They also seem to be there mostly on working college days.

Well, if all these kids were from DAV or another such college, I may understand that they don’t really need to go to college, but if you claim to be doing engineering or management at a place where your parents paid 5 lacks for the course…that definitely makes me think. You see; and please don’t get me wrong, but most of these courses require more work than a college would put into you. That means that a half decent engineering or management college will first put you through the 8 hours of structured classes, and then you should be putting another 8 of your own. This may (may I said) give you enough understanding over the duration of the course to be able to find a decent placement later.

And let me define “decent”, in decent placement; as used in my previous sentence. If you get a job after doing an MBA, which you could have got without doing it…, it is both a waste of your time and the family’s money. If you intend to sell insurance or join a call center after becoming an engineer, why ask Dad to take a loan.

Conversations with some of these kids are an eye opener. “I’ve paid the fee…The college will get me placed…whatever happens” seems to be the general view. Well let me help with some honest opinions.

One. None of the private colleges really cares about your life more than you, and please understand that education in its present form is a business. Once the fee is paid and the lectures delivered, maybe a few concerned teachers and staff would sympathize with your situation, but nobody is going to cry if you do not make it.

Two. The world out there (read corporate), is smart enough to understand who to choose and they have ways to do that. If you have spent time at Shenshahi getting drunk in the day confusing it for a study of ‘outdoor tourism’ …well, somebody will know.

Three. You can’t change your college, teachers, the curriculum, the world out there, me writing this article and sounding preachy. What you can definitely do; is to take a close look at yourself and decide how much would you pay yourself after the 3-4 years and some lacks spent. I’d say very little.

Here’s what I suggest to anybody who’s ready to listen.

Get a reality check.

If you are at the top of the class and have a few offers in hand…wow, let’s do ‘cheers’ to that and pour me some more. If however there is a chance that the ‘placement season’ at college may not be all that ‘sunny’ for you…Dude, get a life. The life that you deserve as a young person.

And maybe in a few years when you visit Shensahi again, you and I can have ‘Hathi Bhai’s special sweet chai’, and you can pay the bill. I promise, you’ll be able to afford that and much more.

Vineet Panchhi owns and runs Audio Wagon, his lifelong passion and now a music company. He blogs at Unplanned Journeys , and can be reached at: vineet.panchhi@audiowagon.com