In Conversation with the Founder & Editor of The Young Vision

Swathy Sanjay Sindhu
TYV Ambassador & Columnist
University of Southampton

Hey everyone! This is Swathy here, on behalf of all the TYV Ambassadors. As we celebrate the 5^th anniversary of The Young Vision, we Ambassadors have compiled something that we believe to be very enlightening. And that is, Dr. Namrata’s, our Founder, Editor and inspiration’s words. It was a really difficult task for us to get our humble role model to agree to give us an interview with her for The Young Vision, but at the end of it, as always, she has conceded to our requests and finally, after 5 years of toil, we have managed to showcase a glimpse of her thoughts and experiences! Dear reader, get to know our Founder a little better just like we did, and love her a little more!

When you were younger, what was your dream career? What have you worked as in the past?

I always had a habit of keeping myself updated, whether through newspapers or digital media. I find it important because if you are not aware of industries and industry trends, then you can never succeed in your career making. I also consider myself a social worker who always desired to help each and every person I come across. During my high school years, I helped many women from slum areas to become literate under the National Literacy Mission, India. With an aim of giving back to the society, I dreamt of becoming either a Lawyer or a Psychiatrist but unfortunately couldn’t achieve those goals due to universities’ selective grading and limited seats. Without any regret, I continued moving forward with a hope of finding new ways to discover my path.

To be honest, I have always believed there’s no word called “Impossible”; I have tasted almost all corporate jobs, whether it is marketing, research or IT technical jobs which helped me gaining knowledge and experience. Knowledge and experience gives us wide vision and understanding in a long run.

What gave you the courage to give up your corporate job and launch the successful The Young Vision?

15^th May 2012 – it all started. We have come a long way from our humble beginnings, when The Young Vision Magazine was only an idea–a distant dream–that started about five years before: One day, I saw a teenage boy struggling to express himself during a Parent Teacher Meet, trying hard to hide his emotions through his smile but the pain was so transparent through his eyes. I’m sure he had many issues, a feeling of losing himself in the run of who comes first.

At first, I did not know how to do it; I had to admit to myself that I was ready for my next challenge, perhaps the biggest challenge I had yet taken in my life. I left my job and studied a lot about the education system, teen psychology, leadership, value education and the dreams of teens. Having 18 years of professional experience, I could still relate to the boy’s situation – his anger and gust – with mine being a teenager. In the midst of all those issues, an inner voice was urging me to do something for our next generation and take on a new creative challenge that would not let me rest. I promised myself to “nurture youths’ vision through education, to develop leaders of competence, conscience, compassion, and to cultivate knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world.”

How did you cover the costs of the initial editions of The Young Vision in the first year?

Hmm! Obviously it was through savings. Initially, it was a very difficult task for us because the idea of a ‘free magazine’ was met with raised eyebrows, sarcastic smiles and many such discouraging comments. For a moment, we felt as if we were doing something wrong! But appreciation came as reward for our team – with every special note from students, teachers, parents and corporate there used to be a wave of happiness and we all used to be filled with joy and energy! We started our journey with 17 schools and today we have achieved over 236 schools, over 90 universities and educational institutions, café houses, clinics, electronic store, etc.

Where would you like to see The Young Vision in the coming years?

The Young Vision is not just a magazine! It’s a Movement! It’s really more than a publication. We would like to see The Young Vision as an avenue where the youth can approach us without hesitation for help and guidance. In the coming years, we would like to create an outlet where every young person can gain updated information on important issues such as developing essential soft and technical skills, job market reviews, as well as the latest career options, to obsolete jobs in the corporate world.

My strength exists in my team…I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Hannah Young, Kaushal Pathania, the entire The Young Vision team, and the TYV Ambassadors who believed in me and supported me to create a success beyond my greatest dreams…I owe The Young Vision’s success to you all!