I can walk and chew gum – I am a happy multitasker!!

I am a 21-year-old electronics and communication engineer aspiring to be a musician! Many of you might think why did I choose engineering if I wanted to be a musician. Let me tell you, when I was in school, I was interested in both science and music. I was confused! I felt that a career in music may not be a wise or a viable career option!  Or maybe it would be! Honestly, I was not even sure if music could be a career option. Since I wanted to play safe, I took up engineering and continued to sing. I wanted to pursue both my passions with equal zest.  The four years in the engineering college provided me with a platform to sing and the live audiences in the college fest boosted my morale to perform better.

There are numerous times when students complain that they are not able to pursue their passion with academics. I don’t agree with them as I sincerely believe that- “If you are   passionate about something, you will definitely find time for it.” I would like to rewind and remember my senior secondary days in Akshara.  We were a bunch of 13 Science students, and we created our own band in the school and would perform in every school show. The non-teaching class would mean jamming together to create music.  The school somehow taught us to balance the academics and co-curricular activities perfectly.

We have examples in front of us of many singers and actors like Cindy Crawford, Teri Hatcher, Ashton Kutcher, Sushant Singh Rajput, Shankar Mahadevan, who took up engineering degrees and later got into the world of entertainment. The simple mantra they might have followed was – “To continue with your passion along with academics may not be easy but it is surely worth a try!’’

My advice to all of you is that passions can be kept alive along with academics only if

 1 Stay focused on your goal
2 Learn to manage co-curricular and academics
3 Find peers with similar interests
4 Find platforms to showcase your talents

God knows what life has in store for me! But one thing is for sure whether I am a professional engineer with passion for singing or a professional singer with a love for engineering, I will be happy and successful in both the roles because- I can walk and chew gum – I am a happy multitasker!!

Rohit Nagar
Engineer Singer
Aksharite, Batch 2015