Minding their business

Anissha Halstead, aged 22, is one such youngster who makes and sells chocolates. Says Anissha, quot;It was initially a hobby, I loved baking, and learnt making chocolates from my mother8217;s aunt, living in Mumbai.quot; Anissha shifted to Pune from Mumbai last November. She explains, quot;I was working there as a secretary, but life in the metropolis was very hectic for my taste.quot; It was in Pune that she decided to transform her hobby into a commercial venture. She adds, quot;The business is good during Christmas, Valentine8217;s Day and other such occasions, but in other times there is a slack.quot; She is optimistic about her clientele, quot;Initially I was catering only to friends, relatives, but now I receive orders from confectionery shops in small amounts and sometimes even from hotels wanting decorative chocolates as gift items.quot; Her delicious chocolates come in an assortment of flavours. Says Anissha, quot;My speciality is soft-centred ones in raspberry, strawberry and other flavours.quot;

Uma Dongre, aged 25, is another such youngster holding multimedia workshops. She had been working as a copy-writer in an advertisement agency for the last four years, but now is a freelance copy-writer. She explains, quot;Because of the recession, the business in our firm was slack, as a result our incomes were fluctuating. So I decided to leave the job and become a freelance copywriter.quot; Uma recently held two multimedia workshops covering two and three dimension graphics, web-page designing, animation, musical instrument digital interface. She as an entire computer system at home and hence conducts her workshops from home. Like Uma, there are many youngsters who are teaching computers to children in their locality. Apart from earning their pocket money, they find the experience rewarding. It gives them a sense of satisfaction in teaching and also helps in building their confidence.

Twenty-one-year-old Yasmin Khan, has started her own small business. She makes stuff toys and then sells them. Yasmin says, quot;I usually sell teddy bears, but soon I will be supplying stuffed monkeys and dogs too.quot; Yasmin occasionally supplies her stuffed teddy bears to gift shops. She adds candidly that her first customers were friends and relatives, who fuelled her enthusiasm too.

Sunaina Kakkar, aged 24, leads a busy life working in a city based firm, and yet whenever she gets time, she supplies t-shirts and other garments designed and painted by her. Sunaina says enthusiastically,quot; I have a small clientele. First it was my relatives, now I receive orders from their friends and acquaintances too. I regularly supply fabric painted, embroidered or beaded works to Bangalore, where I seem to have a fixed clientele. quot;Sunaina regrets that she does not get enough time to devote to her creativity, but adds that within a few years she plans to increase her supply to a large scale. She adds, quot;I plan to open a retail outlet one day.quot;

We all have certain interests and talents, but unfortunately due to circumstantial problems or lack of confidence, we tend to suppress our natural inclinations. Only a few courageous ones are able to overcome such hurdles, which is all the reason why one must salute their courage and drive. We congratulate these youngsters and many others like them, and hope that other young people will be inspired to do the same.