JTD helps beat Recession........

[caption id="attachment_312" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Deccan Herald, 13 March 2009"][/caption]

NO RECESSION

Down, but not out

Madhuri Kalyan

Metrolife catches up with the youth in the City who have not let recession affect their lives

The dark clouds of recession are still looming, and for many employees, the threat of layoffs is still at large. In this seemingly dire situation, we tracked some youngsters who refused to let the environment impact them; rather, they impact the environment by turning it into a positive experience, and were also courageous enough to come on record to speak about their experiences. One of them is Raghavendra Puranam, an IIT graduate. He says being spiritual has helped him cope with the turn of events after getting laid off . “Although I lost my job, it did bring out some positive things too. This crisis has given me that chance to discover how strong, calm and confident I have become due to regular practice of yoga and meditation, and I could smile even while the news was being conveyed to me. This is a result of regular and continuous practice of the techniques that I had learned from a workshop when I was in final year of college in IIT Madras. It did not take me a second to decide what I will do next, I will attend the teachers training programme conducted by the the same team and spread this wonderful knowledge to other youth.” For Yadav B V, a software engineer, it’s a chance to explore his theatre skills, “I recently attended a theatre workshop by ‘Join the Dots’ and that helped me loosen up a lot. I plan to attend more theatre workshops in future, but am also on a lookout for a job simultaneously.” Although, it is not easy to handle suddenly being out of a job, most people can get jobs back as easily, says Sundeep Tangirala, a team lead in a software company, “My team has shrunk down by 15 to 20 per cent after the recession, and those who are laid off are given adequate notice, with almost six month of paychecks, and many I know have got three to four offers before they got out of the company. The job market is always on a hunt for new, talented people.” But for some, their job is not the end of it all, but an opportunity to explore bigger aspirations in life. Says Raghavendra, “It has given me an opportunity to explore two other options which I wouldn’t have if I was in a full time job. First, entrepreneurship in aerospace field and second, focusing on service activities. Looking for a job comes last in my priority list.” Says Sanjay Gulabani, director of a software company, and a facilitator of programmes for youth called YES!, “Recession is like an eraser on a big white-board filled with crap. I guess nature has given us recessions to erase filth and create a better value-based sane world, free of societal illnesses such as corruption and greed for power or money, both caused because of an insecurity and fear due to improper distribution of intelligence and resources.” Click here for the actual page: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar132009/metro20090312123641.asp