You might scroll down your Instagram/ Facebook homepage and smile in awe, looking at drool worthy posts of your friends leading the ‘good life’. We all know someone who’s going great guns at whatever they are pursuing. Be it a 110k + following or picturesque snaps from a paid vacay with their family some people seem to be living it up. Yet, there is a story of strife many had to overcome as life wasn’t always hunky dory for all these achievers out there. Bengaluru Chronicle gets chatty with youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds who’re making a mark in their own little way...
Sweethin Hartman, a city artiste and an IGT (India’s Got Talent) Season 7 finalist, who began his stint as a musician from rock bottom, shares, “Somewhere in between 2007-2008, my dad suffered multiple disk slips that was a huge blow to us. Since mum found it hard to single handedly raise us, I decided to work a little extra and began distributing newspapers in our neighbourhood.
Aside of that, I would also play at weddings as a part time/ backdrop band guy. It wasn’t a great idea, and certainly was very exhausting for a 14-year-old school child. Music came to me as a channel to generate income in times of dire need. It also gave me a first hand experience of how important it is to get tough. And forming such a mindset is a necessity in an industry like ours, which has unpredictably, instability and euphoric highs and terrible lows.” Sweethin, who’s quite a popular name in the Bengaluru and Mangaluru’s music scene adds, “ A lot of people have been saying ‘You’re so lucky, you got a chance to go on a TV show’ or ‘You’re making it Big in Bengaluru’, ‘You’re a celeb now’, ‘You’re living the life bro! I so wish I could trade lives with you’ and the like. And all these are solely based on what they see on Instagram and Facebook. What they don’t realise is, that all this has not come easy. I had to struggle for 10 long years to get where I am right now. I have faced failure, humiliation, rejection, family issues, financial problems but I didn’t quit. I kept doing what I do best time and again, and again, and again, until I got better at it. And soon people started noticing me, and my capabilities as a performing artist. I grabbed whatever came my way. It wasn’t the money I was after. It was the opportunity to perform my music. It was the high you get from watching people move to your tunes. I do have a day job. And I also moonlight as a performing artiste. Over the years, I’ve mastered the art of time-management, and striking a balance. My advice to those trying to make it big, remember Nothing comes easy. So stop mulling over how an acquaintance is ‘killing it at his/her job’ or has over 50 k followers they earned it.”
Sindhu, who now works with a leading audit firm in the city
While music was the answer to one, it was getting enrolled into Christel House, a non-profit organisation that made all the difference to Sindhu Kumari, a 23-year-old who currently works for a leading audit firm in the city. “Equip yourself and you are never poor anymore,” she begins. “Initially, we lost all our property, and were downtrodden... but somehow my parents managed to feed and educate us. Dad was a driver and mum, a homemaker, and we were four siblings. Today when I look around, most of my counterparts are individuals from well off families. Initial struggles or the minor hiccups are worth it. If you see the number of celeb suicides and chronic cases of depression, it’s because a lot of us haven’t tuned ourselves to cope with strife and struggle. Money is never a necessity but education is. Try procuring educational and life skills, and you’re sorted for life.” Thinking along similar lines, Venugopal, a 23 year old system’s engineer with TCS, was also schooled in an NGO. He says, “Only compare yourself to the person in front of the mirror. Whether you want to climb the corporate ladder or become a social media star, have faith in yourself and keep up with the changing times. Be grateful and be updated.”
