By Raavi Aggarwal
Having sailed halfway into the twenty-first century, one would expect to see greater diversity in economic occupations than what is observed today. India has witnessed a virtual transformation of its occupational structure over the last two centuries, particularly due to the advent of technology and modernization techniques. From Agriculture dominating in the 18th-19th centuries, a significant amount of emphasis (30% of the total workforce employed) is now placed on the service sector. However, why are the most commonly observed professions limited to the Engineering sciences, Businesses and Politics? Why is there a paucity of professional dancers, musicians and athletes?
If one were to ponder upon famous Indian runners, perhaps the most common names would be of P.T. Usha, or Milkha Singh (now popularized by the movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag). But India paints a dismal picture, having produced only 2 well-known ‘Track and Field’ athletes since the time of Norman Pritchard, who bagged the Silver medals in the Athletics tournament at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Analogously, while India rejoices at having won 4 bronze and 2 silver medals at the 2012 Olympics, Chinese athletes resume training the very next day after the competition ends, even after winning 38 gold medals and numerous silver and bronze medals!
A major hindrance to our excelling at fields that are not mainstream such as Dance, Music, Art and Sports can be attributed to the dearth of employment opportunities in the country. Fierce competition for a handful of well-paying jobs acts as a deterrent to our pursuing our dream jobs. Apart from famous sportsmen such as Unmukt Chand, who have had major breakthroughs in their fields, there exists a plethora of struggling athletes and artists who juggle between their passion and academics in order to secure themselves a future. While significant funds have been allocated to upgrading of sports infrastructure and enhancement of sporting activities in the Union Budget 2014-15, it still proves insufficient to truly develop the Sports arena as a potential occupation for the common man.
Not only is there a scarcity of jobs but also failure of recognition of athletes who have represented India at an international platform and made the country proud. Sita Sahu, a 16-year old girl, who despite having won bronze medals at the Special Olympics held in Athens in 2011, has not been able to make it big in the Athletics arena. Instead, she makes her living by selling Paani Puri on the streets. This case that has recently circulated the newspapers brings to light the apathy of the Indian government in treating its representatives and its ultimate champions.
On a more cheerful note, with an overhaul being brought about in the Indian government, who knows what positive changes we will witness in the upcoming months. Even though the present scenario is far from glamorous, hard work and perseverance will take us to great heights in whichever field we wish to excel. While a corporate job holds the promise of a reasonably comfortable life, had we ventured out a bit and been given the opportunity, we may have found our true passion to lie in music, dance or even the culinary arts!
