How do you envision a modern Kanya as?
Do we call a woman modern if she follows the
modern dress code, works relentlessly in office, imitates man yet knows the
difference between foundation and concealer or do we have a different
definition for a modern Kanya?
Well we will discuss it later but I hope this
question runs in your mind.
I left a lucrative career and stayed jobless for a
year started taking training, online courses, applying for scholarships and
started my masters. That very hustle helped me to crack a scholarship in
university of Washington which falls under top 20 universities of the world and
that very hustle brought me to Nepal Television.
For the BBS students out here, working a 9-4 job in a bank or financial institution is always easy because you have a set of do's and don’ts to follow but starting your own work needs guts.
For the BA students out here, jobs will only come
after you if you are skilled enough for the employers to have no option except hiring
you. But at other times you have to hunt for the job yourself. Take that
internship that you had been thinking since long and prove yourself. It might
not pay you for the first few months but will definitely help you in the long run. It’s always
better to screw others money than your own.
Nepal television was also a result of risk. NTV has
molded me in such a manner which wouldn’t have been possible if it would be somewhere else.
Meeting people and enlarging my horizon of
knowledge during reporting, understanding the gap between the government and
the grass root level while preparing news, staying updated on international changes
and getting a lovely audience to speak to, none of these would have been possible
if not Nepal television.
Media has evolved a lot. The fascination for
radios to magazines to televisions has now eventually shifted to digital media.
Every profession is ever changing and you should work on yourself in such a
manner that you become ready for the ever changing demands.
Every profession is tough but you should make sure
it is worth it.
All that I have to say is don’t drape your mind
with limitations if you want to be a modern Kanya for draping a Saari doesn’t
make you old but draping your mind with limitation that you can't study a
subject or you can't conquer your fear will definitely make you old.
Working relentlessly and juggling household chores simultaneously and realizing that you never loved yourself in the end of your life doesn’t
make you a modern Kanya but understanding the delicate balance between your
mental and physical health and then working for economic fulfillment does.
Not knowing the difference between foundation and
concealer doesn’t make you less of a modern Kanya but starving yourself to
death and trying to impress the world will definitely make you an unmodern
kanya (well if that word exists)
Imitating a man will not make you a modern Kanya
for we are not here to compete but complete.
If it’s a farewell for you I hope your hard work
takes a shape, if it’s a beginning I hope you become intentional of how you
spend your time but again not pressurize your mind with the cut throat competition.
I am sure we have better economists than Elinor Ostrom
in this audience, I am confident that we have better anthropologists than Mary
Doughlas in this very group of people, I am sure that we have better
journalists than Oprah Winfrey and Martha Gellhorn. I am sure that we have Meg
Whitman among us all we need to believe in our self and unleash the potential
within us.
Thank you one and all.
