ONE day in February 2024, I was on a flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru. Sat next to me was a young girl of 14. Sitting across the aisle and travelling with her was her older brother, all of 19. The two were on their way to see their grandmother. Ria is just into her early teens and Rishabh (names changed with permission) is just about in the last of his teenage years.
The bubbly Ria settled into her seat and immediately started chatting me up with a signature comment of a frequent flyer, "I hate aisle seats." "So, you fly a lot?" I asked, and thus began our conversation. We spoke a lot, but there is one big thing that caught my attention. At some point, I asked her a question we 'oldies' love to ask the 'youngies' (forgive the ageism, please): "What's your ambition, Ria?" Pop came the reply without a pause, "I want to be a fashion blogger." Midway through the flight, I requested Ria if she could switch seats with Rishabh. She obliged. "What's your ambition, Rishabh?" was popped at him, too.
Without a thought, Rishabh said he wanted to be a radio jockey and that he was already checking out how to go about it.
This planted a thought in my head-to check out from the larger India, quite apart from the hallowed space of air-travellers, what the ambition of the new young are. I started research across urban and rural spaces. We talk of 475 urban agglomerations in India today and a whopping 6,43,700 villages; my research covered a nano percentage of these. But it is nevertheless telling.
New India and the new Indian are divided in ambition. While urban folk by and large are now experimenting with ambition that is less solid in its intent than ever before, rural Indians have embraced the ambitions that exclusively belonged to the Gen Y and Gen Z folks of urban India.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Bland mix of several underwhelming ideas
Beyond the world of genres and subgenres, lies stories which are powerful enough to become popular tropes of their own. A group of kids going on adventures, and solving mysteries, is one such trope. We have seen iterations of this in popular media like The Famous Five, The Goonies, and Stranger Things. While trying to follow a popular story structure is nothing to be frowned upon, Prime Video's Snakes and Ladders goes above and beyond to remove even the inherent joys of the stories it aims to emulate.
FAIR ACTION IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR
THE tragic suicide of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu in Kannur district, allegedly following a public rebuke by district panchayat president PP Divya, has kicked up a huge storm in Kerala.
MASTERCLASS BEYOND METHOD ACTING
A blank screen in a cinema theatre transforms every day, portraying tales of heart-wrenching star-crossed lovers, a goosebump-inducing haunted house, or comedy that leaves one aching all over. Many have written endlessly about the power and magic of cinema, and rightfully so. A movie-going experience is incomparable. In Tamil Nadu, theatres are never empty, single screens thrum with whistles, howls and kuthu moves, and the first-day-first-show tickets are coveted. And neighbourhoods in Vadapalani and Kodambakkam are landmarks, still carry dreams of aspiring actors.
All pointing upwards: Pradhan on growth of women's game
IT has been two years since former India cricketer Snehal Pradhan took over as Manager Women's Cricket at the International Cricket Council.
Comedy and the craft behind it
“I am in my thirties now,” Abhijit Ganguly says, pausing to let the laughter ripple through the room. “And everything changes. Even the way you smell. I used to smell like Axe or Old Spice, but now? Badminton — forehand, backhand.” Lines from his performances encapsulate his humour — sharp, self-deprecating, and relatable.
Sai Sudharsan's double ton puts TN in command
TAMIL Nadu opener B Sai Sudharsan's magnificent maiden first-class double century (202 batting) put his team in command against Delhi on the first day of the Ranji Trophy played at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Friday.
Tamil Nadu U19 women crowned T20 champions
TAMIL NADU women beat Uttar Pradesh to win their first-ever U19 T20 title in Lahli on Friday. Opting to field first in a low-scoring thriller, TN bowled out UP for 67 in 19.2 overs with Janlin Chandra taking four wickets for 11 runs. TN got across the line in the penultimate over with four wickets in hand.
Resurrection on Day three
Rohit, Kohli and Sarfaraz hit fifties to keep the hosts in the game against New Zealand
Rachin special in Garden City once again
INDIA had a small window of opportunity in the morning session. To their credit, they had a chance to squeeze through that window after a really good hour's work where they had broken the spine of the visitors' batting unit.
Special code for Vistara flights
AIR India has decided to keep the legacy of Vistara alive even as the joint venture (with Singapore International Airline) carrier will be operating its last flight on November 11.
