Prarthna Singh and Snigdha Poonam Get to know India’s next generation

“I love dancing and movement. Anything from aerobics, to street music or hip-hop. My favorite rappers are Nas, Eminem, 50 Cent, Cardi B and Drake. I mostly do B-boying, some Bollywood and a little bit of Bhangra. I trained for a year in dance then dropped out to pursue law because my parents – both lawyers – told me to ‘get a degree.’ The thing is, I’m not interested in studies. I can paint, I can play guitar, harmonium, tabla, dholak. I’m working on my portfolio, spending time shooting videos [of myself] performing. This is because I’d like to pursue a career in performing arts after I’m finished with law. Sadly, Jaipur doesn’t have much of a scene for that, which is why I’m kind of stuck here.

Ideally, I’d have a job that allowed me to wake up in the morning and teach yoga or dance – anything to do with movement! For me, money isn’t the be-all and end-all. I just don’t want a life spent in an office.”

“I am from a village called Raythalia. My father is a truck driver, and my mother is a housewife.

In India it’s very difficult for a poor person to enter the world of politics, but it’s something I had always wanted to do. I’ve been running in elections since I was in the 11th grade, and have been following the ideology of ABVP [the world’s largest student organization] since I was a child. After entering the University of Rajasthan I joined its campus outfit and now I’m campaigning for the post of president of the university’s students’ union.

My role models are Mahatma Gandhi and Narendra Modi. The prime minister has given India a new image fitting with the 21st century. In global politics, I admire Barack Obama. Like Modi, he came from an ordinary family. He fought against racial prejudice in American politics.”

“I am one of eight sisters. My father, who used to drive an auto rickshaw, died when I was very young, so I had no option but to drop out of school and start helping at home while my mother found work as a cook in order to support us all. It was tough for the family initially. My mother used to have to go to the nearest aanganwadi [a type of rural care center] and bring us food. A year ago, I found a job at a gas station.

At first I was scared about the new job because, up until then, I had spent most of my life at home. I’ve pretty much got the hang of it now. I have to provide all kinds of help. It begins with saying namaste to every customer who drives in. Between my mother and me, we’re able to earn 10,000 rupees ($134) a month. I am happy with the job.”

“I’m really into baking. I’ve been cooking brownies since I was 12. I grew up watching Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson on TV. In 2020, I was a finalist on season six of MasterChef India. For the first round, held in Jaipur, we all had to make something at home and bring it. I took my Key lime pie.

I was one of the three who made it to the next round in Mumbai, but my father wouldn’t let me go. The thing is, he is a traveler himself. On business, he travels six months across Europe, but still his mentality is, ‘I won’t send my girl to Mumbai unsupervised.’”

Three years ago I started my home baking business, Bakolicious. Our first commission was from my uncle. Now it’s a full-time job. I make between 400 ($5) and 600 rupees ($8) from selling a cake. I also sell pizza and lasagne. I think they are great, and people say my brownies are to die for. I’ve also created my own dish, a recipe I like to call Nutella bombs.”

“I’m from a village near Jaipur. My family has been involved in farming for generations, but it’s no longer a viable option for people my age, because the groundwater in the region has dried up, and everyone must survive on the 60,000 rupees ($804) they make from growing one crop a year during the monsoon season.

In Jaipur, I’m a student at the university, where I study economics. In 2007, 13 years ago, I got married. I was 9 or 10 years old. Despite being prohibited by law, child marriage is very common in the villages here. In these marriages, the wife doesn’t move to her marital home until she is grown up. I haven’t brought my wife home yet. Before I do that I want to be able to stand on my own feet. I don’t want to dissolve the marriage like many men do these days. I don’t want to fall in love with another person. She is waiting for me, and I am giving myself one year.”

“I see myself as very different from most people. I feel like I have to give my 100% to everything I take on. I’m into theater, and when I’m acting, no matter what the context, I get into the character. I feel it. The part I have most enjoyed playing onstage is Tom Sawyer (from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer). I’m passionate about anything that I am doing with all my heart, be that horse-riding, jewelry design or playing the guitar. If I have to have a desire to do it, then it doesn’t matter if it’s 3am and I am still at it.

You have one human life, and one human life is a rare thing to have, so why not try to really feel something for what you are doing?”

“I’m from a middle-income family and I’m currently pursuing my degree in dental science. One day I want to open my own hospital.

I’m very curious about politics. I always want to know why something is happening and what can be done to change it. I’ve been protesting against the CAA

 along with my sisters and many others for weeks now. Every day we gather at 6pm outside Jaipur’s Albert Hall. We shout slogans, read protest poems and sing songs. I’ve also traveled to Delhi with my father to join the women’s protest against the new citizenship law in Shaheen Bagh. This issue has been dragging on for so long that at times I feel I’ve become a full-time protester, when I kind of want to go back to being a student.

I’m also a member of a nationwide student group called the Girls’ Islamic Organisation, in which we try to counter Islamophobia by giving lectures in schools.”

“I’m a statistics student, and I’m currently preparing to take the entrance exam for the Indian Statistical Service.

I want to leave this place. I want to see the world. I don’t want to end up like my sister and my other female relatives. My sister is an assistant in a city court. It’s a pretty big deal to assist the judges, and she knows so many important people at work, but her opinions have no value in her house. I want to maintain my self-respect. I’ve concluded that becoming a public officer is the only thing that can help me achieve that.

In our family, the education and income level of the women doesn’t matter. You could be a school teacher and be treated as no more than a housewife. Literally, no one values your achievements. In fact, the men in my family like to joke that even if I become an officer, I won’t be taken seriously. I can’t wait to prove them wrong.”

“My father died a few years ago, and our family was going through a financial crisis, so I began working when I was 18. Now I am a professional chef. Before I started my job I had only cooked at home, which I used to enjoy. I would make normal stuff: chow mein, pakodas, that sort of thing. I was professionally trained at a Jaipur restaurant called 28 Kothi for six months. There, I learned how to make recipes like mulligatawny stew or quinoa biryani. I was also trained in continental cooking: pasta, falafel, mezze, anti mezze. I also really enjoy making soba noodles.

Recently, I decided it would be a good idea for me to have a backup plan. I heard about a vacancy for a life insurance agent and applied right away, which means I can work as an LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) agent now, going door-to-door to sell the policies. I do this in the evenings after I’ve finished my restaurant shift.

Ultimately, I want to be the head chef at a restaurant. I’m giving myself 10 years to get there.”

“I come from a poor family. My father had a heart operation, so he doesn’t work anymore. He used to be a driver for a jeweller. Regardless of our financial condition, my parents have always pushed me to pursue my passion for wrestling.

My favourite technique is ‘dhobi lagana.’ You sit on your haunches, grab your opponent by their shoulders and haul them over your back until they go upside down. If their shoulders hit the mat behind you, you get four points.

I wrestle with both boys and girls. The boys used to treat girls as inferior, but not any more. Now, girls are racing ahead in Indian wrestling. In the future, I’d like to either get a police job through the wrestling quota or become a coach. If I become a coach, I’d really like to train kids from poor families and campaign for more girls to join the sport.”