By Shailaja Kumar
From sleek leather bags we've seen a shift to jholas. From funky pumps we've seen those feet slip into kolhapuris. From leadership schools we're seeing a jump towards spirituality. Is it just another way of looking cool or is it a practice here to stay? We have seen the young drifting towards seemingly western ways of living but a growing number of youngsters are coming back to their own roots. Sailaja Kumar, an Isha volunteer, mentions that young people are involved in spiritual and meditation programmes more because of stress revival than spiritual revival. But the biggest reason to turn to spirituality is that the younger generation is getting tired of material things very early. She adds that many young students are attracted to these programmes because of the volunteering involved. “They want to give others the experience that they are having,” she adds. True, when Macbooks, fancy cameras and iPads are available to the young, enlightenment is the only thing left to achieve! Anupama Ralegaonkar, a student, says, “I came into this spiritual exercise as a way to achieve an alternative perspective on life. Peer pressure and competition messed me up in the head; this has given me a new lease on my life.” Anupama is a 22-year-old on her way to becoming a chartered accountant. Ramnarayan, 25, says that all he wanted to do was to make his own decisions in life and that being spiritually alive is only helping him. The Art of Living sessions he has been attending brought him clarity and sense, he says.
Deepa Prem, marketing professional, says, “I was a party person but I always felt that there was something missing and that there was much more to life than just eating, sleeping, studying, partying, job, marriage. The way I experience life has changed, now I am full of love, joy, peace and completely at ease with everything.”
Satyapal G., a member of Vipassana, said that many youngsters participate in the meditation programmes. “It's primarily because of the simplicity of our technique, which focuses on washing out the suffering from one's life and helps in coping with difficulties,” he adds. Akshita Sahgal, a 21-year-old interior designer, got into a spiritual programme to cope with her frustration and suffering. “My mother left me for over five years and I had trouble coping with it. I could never confront her about it. But connecting with my spiritual side has really helped channelise that frustration into doing something good and it helped me open up to my emotions.” Indu K.B.'s tryst with spirituality isn't new—she hails from a spiritually active family—but her experience of spirituality is different. She says, “From being completely pampered by my family, when I moved to another town, I was left completely alone. It was a lonely time for me. While I wasn't depressed, I just felt like I had too many things to deal with. That's when I really began to take spirituality seriously.” The younger generation also sees this as a positive way of getting over a bad break-up. Vineetha K., a 22-year-old, confesses that after her break-up with her boyfriend, she couldn't focus and found that spiritual awakening brought a much needed discipline back to her life. Whether it is a passing trend or a lasting change, the current generation is opening up to the concepts of spirituality and self-help.
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