Koramangala is an upscale locality in Bengaluru with a mix of commercial and residential spaces. Because of the way it has developed, there are a lot of offices and companies in the area: Flipkart and Wipro and banks crisscross the roads with housing societies. And to fuel their growth, there is a huge influx of white collar immigrants. Early mornings on a weekday will see a huge crowd of twenty-somethings milling around a small snacks shop in Koramangala that sells yummy poha served fresh off the kadahi. I dont have the numbers, but my rough estimate is that the guy sells at least ten to fifteen plates every few minutes, going by my experience there. He also sells parathe at night, tasty mithhai and namkeen, and snacks for the afternoon. Back in Delhi, I know of a few eating joints that have done remarkably well for themselves: these eating joints have moved up their fame index as well as serving space in a matter of a few years. It requires a tremendous amount of skill and talent to make tasty food day in and day out, and I admire these people for it: I cannot cook to save my life. However, I wonder if a graduate or post-graduate or PhD would be able to do this: I would feel very hesitant to get my hands dirty in a halwai ki dukaan, or as a mechanic, or an electrician, though all these are in themselves highly skilled professions. Is it a pattern in our education system that makes us look down at skilled tradework as somehow inherently less than a more cerebral job? We can take a quick survey and ask who seems more intelligent: a doctor or a chef? A CA or an electrician? A lawyer or a classical singer? A writer or a painter? I will venture that we are likely to perceive those who work with numbers and words as more intelligent than those who do not. And in my opinion, this perception itself shapes what we are willing to do as a working professional, and the depth and width of the skillset needed to be successful in that profession (without getting into a debate about success). These smaller matters of perception, of course, then aggregate to drive a larger trend in the nation: because of inherent biases, we do not spot the right opportunities as they present themselves, and then we bemoan the fact that there is no entrepreneurship culture in the country. Well of course there will not be! Not all start ups or businesses need to be run on apps or on a website! What do you guys think?
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 07:54:47 +0000
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