The pandemic has wreaked havoc in the lives of several youngsters. Many have had to drop out of college and look for work to support a dwindling family income.The motivated ones used this time to reshape their career and rebuild their dreams.

Take Animesh Mitra, the son of a used book-seller in Baruipur, 50km south of Calcutta. The lockdown crushed their 30-year-old business as people simply stopped buying books. Animesh, 24, had to quit his graduation course at Surendranath College, Calcutta, and find a job. He came to know of Anudip Foundation, a non-profit organisation that offers skills training and jobs to underprivileged youth, through an acquaintance. He joined Anudip’s Digital Inclusion of Young Aspirants (DIYA) programme, a three-month course in basic IT and computers, digital literacy, critical thinking and hardcore workplace communication. By September, he had a job in an information management company. The newly-minted data management associate earns Rs 9,000 per month and aspires to become a senior associate. “With my new skills, I am planning to digitise my father’s bookstore for an e-commerce platform,” says Animesh.
Upendra Kumar Pandit, 23, is the son of a farmer living near Ranchi in Jharkhand. His father couldn’t sell his harvest of paddy and corn when markets were abruptly shut down and transport banned in late March. The family survived on relief packages distributed by local charitable organisations and the government.

Upendra, studying in a college in Ranchi, was desperately looking for a job when a friend recommended he take admission in Anudip’s English communication and digital education training. After his training, Upendra was placed at a Mumbai-based firm in finance and accounting services as a relationship manager. “My job is to solve queries and communicate with e-commerce customers over the phone,” says Upendra, whose salary is Rs 16,000 per month. This has helped his family fight starvation as well as buy seeds and fertiliser for the next crop.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Georginia Marbaphylla Warlarpih, who lived near Shillong in Meghalaya, ran a small kirana shop in the local bazaar with her mother. She had been helping her mother ever since she lost her father at eight. After the lockdown, she had to shut shop and look for an alternative livelihood. She took advanced courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning at Anudip’s Shillong centre. Soon after, she qualified for an interview at iMerit Technology Services in Calcutta. Today, she is an ITI executive earning Rs 9,500 a month.

Sabita, daughter of an ASHA (accredited social health activist) worker in Bhadrak, Odisha, enrolled in Anudip’s Impact programme, which trained her in data mining, image connotation and artificial intelligence. Today, she is an ITes executive at iMerit, earning Rs 7,500 a month and working on data mining projects for international clients.

The pandemic-induced lockdown has decimated thousands of jobs across the world. But its despairing nudge has actually led to these resilient youth having found the way to a bright future — the silver lining in dark times.