Anjum Alam for BeyondHeadlines
Every year, India produces lakhs of engineers in various colleges of the country. This number is increasing day by day in terms employed as well as unemployed human resource. A significant number of these engineers work in different fields and do excellent as well. In recent times, calculation and observation reveals some significant facts about those engineers who worked for different companies for many years but they often get tired from their respective jobs and end up with dissatisfaction. They start a new journey in search of new paths which can satisfy them and give them eternal happiness.
At this stage, it seems important to understand what is eternal happiness and joy which a person looks for. Is it something which can be achieved by monetary power? Is it position or certain post which gives the joy or the all the luxury stuffs which a human desires for in his life, gives the lasting happiness? The answer is quite simple; all the above given factors cannot give you lasting happiness because they are temporary. There is someone within you who can guide you, what you really want from your life and what exactly you are looking for your eternal happiness and joy.
Luckily, I have come a across some engineers who started their journey with handsome salaries in reputed companies but ended up with dissatisfaction and discouragement. During study at National Institute of Rural Development, I got an opportunity to interact with chunk of talented young professionals from different backgrounds. Most of them are full of enthusiasm, aspirations and with innovative ideas of change and development. A significant number of them are engineers, who have come with the same intensity and thoughts to bring a lasting change in the society. They are eager to unleash the untouched rural potential for achieving the eternal happiness.
I will tell you the story of an engineer who has also challenged the society as well as his family for a greater cause and joy. Senthil Kumar, an Electrical engineer, started his professional journey at Wipro Technologies and then joined the Infosys Limited with lucrative salary. He worked there for a 3 years. But lucrative salary and corporate culture did not give him eternal happiness. He quit the job from Infosys to follow his dreams by working with the deprived communities. He got admission in National Institute of Rural Development to realize his dreams. Now he, is just about to complete the PGDRDM course and is ready to contribute towards the communities where his efforts are best utilized, appreciated, recognized and become reasons for smiles of many faces.
Senthil is not the only engineer who dares to walk on this difficult path but there are numerous youths having different background who to take up this ambitious mission to change the face of the Indian society, to empower them rural community, to equip them with modern technology and with innovative ideas for betterment of Bharat. Certainly, these professionals are not attracted to this cause due to sympathy and emotions but because of empathy and realization. Most importantly, they have discovered their cause and race in which they want to run for achieving the joy and eternal happiness in the life
We have live examples of many individuals who have adopted a different path against their professions like; last two Magsaysay prize winners from India (Deep Joshi and Harish Hande) both engineers with management degrees worked with economically deprived communities and made remarkable contribution. Unfortunately, most of the time, this is not acknowledged by our families and society.
Coming to end, eternal joy and eternal happiness cannot be achieved through worldly stuffs. It’s something which you have to discover and explore within yourself. Once you recognize the race and purpose of your existence in this world, your journey of life will become easier. You will able to decide anything in the life with efficiency and confidence. Certainly this is the level in the human beings’ life when people get the eternal happiness.
(Anjum Alam graduated from a madrassa as an Alim before joining Jamia Millia Islamia where he completed masters and started working in social sector. He is currently a student at the National Institute of Rural Development.)
