To be or not to be in the comfort zone

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Sunday, September 8, 2013

Ravia Gupta

Everyone has that special something for their hometown. It's just that right now they want something more and don't want their wings to be clipped. We try and find out why youngsters don't mind a nice short stay in Jammu, but completely rule out settling down here. Is it merely a job compulsion or something else?

Been there, done all that and now back to square one to initiate change! Sounds heroic indeed, but who will bell the cat, who will bugle the change and lack of job opportunities, lack of institutes for higher education, lack of good private hospitals, the lifestyle, the comfort and the list goes on……A teenager growing up in a small town, for sure, wants to get away from it all one day, to a big city, or abroad, anywhere but the boring old small town and its conservative culture, at least once to feel alive and experience life on his/her own terms.

Reasons to migrate

For some, there are too many reasons for migration of these sorts and job opportunities seem to be eating up the major chunk of the pie. Besides, there is still a decent chunk of youngsters, who come back to their hometown in search of government jobs and a more relaxed lifestyle, where they don't have to slog for hours and are closer to their family. But then staying with the family, holding the baton of family customs, rituals and be able to concentrate on work is quite a nightmare for others!

“I do feel like packing my bags and coming home at times, but unfortunately I don't have many job options in Jammu. In my case since I am doing MD in surgery, so I would want to learn more and don't know about the future. So, I feel it's better for me to be here,” says Neha, who is studying at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.

“These days it's an in thing to party in discothèques and in a place like Jammu there are no good party places when compared to Delhi, Mumbai or even Chandigarh for that matter, which is just nine hours away from here. Chandigarh, despite a small city still has a lot to offer,” says Dhyuti, a student at Rayat and Bahra Institute of Engineering and biotechnology near Chandigarh.

And for others it's much beyond job compulsion, it's the freedom, lifestyle and, above all, the company and the society that matters the most. There are those who feel that they don't know what to talk to people after a point here, as they now belong to a different 'open culture'.

“I feel that even after so many years, Jammu might have a McDonald’s today and a lot of money, but the society hasn't changed much. The thing that I miss the most here is having a good company and a meaningful conversation. Also, being a girl, an insecurity of being treated equally with men in small towns is always there,” says a leading corporate lawyer, presently working in Bombay.

For many people who have stayed in Jammu for long and have moved out, they feel that this place is so cut off from the rest of the world, as if it lives in a cocoon. But the beauty of the place is that it's a warm and secure place,unlike the metros and it’s always nice to come back for a few days.

“Personally, I love coming back home. It gives a much-needed break. Though college life is quite awesome, but there is a continuous pressure to excel. And no matter how much I like staying here, living in a town like Samba near Jammu for over a month is not beneficial, as there are no hobby classes out here which can make my short stay productive.”

People gradually start loving their freedom and independence and find it annoying when someone interferes. Away from the family, you are independent, which also means seeking 'no permissions'. A few of my friends often complain about their families meddling in every other matter. Some get so attuned to this that they start considering responsibilities as a burden and don't wish to look back, feels Parth Gupta, an engineering student at IIT Roorkee.

Lack of job opportunities

The biggest hassle why people don't prefer to come back is lack of good job opportunities. Otherwise, it's one of the best places one can think of. There is no pollution and life is so calm and peaceful here. It does not have any infrastructure to either provide youngsters with good jobs or generate their own. There are hardly any industries and the ones that are there don't pay well.I am about to finish my PhD and would love tocome back to my native place. But I can't see any other job except for some sarkari naukri in a college or a university and that too isn't so easy to get due to limited seats. Is it really necessary to go far and wide. Life could have been so much easier if only one could find exciting and inspiring things within their hometown too. Hopefully, the authorities will bring that change sooner than later!

 

 

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