By Sanchari Sur
In the movie Monsoon Wedding, when Naseeruddin Shah asks his wife, “My son is going to become a chef?”, the incredulity in his voice mirrors the dilemma of many South Asian parents whose children decide to follow the untrodden path. Sunil Prakash, co-owner of a high-end salon in downtown Toronto had a similar reaction from his father when he professed his desire to become a hairdresser: “Any idiot can cut hair!”
Not one to back down easily, he had answered, “Well if any idiot can cut hair, then you go cut mum’s hair and we’ll see who’s an idiot!”
Prakash explains how his desire came about but is unable to pinpoint the cause of his attraction. “When I was in university, I became very disinterested in classes and used to cut class to hang out with friends; some of them were hairdressers. I quite enjoyed being in that environment ”. He admits that he fell in love with “watching people being transformed”.
Meera Margaret Singh, an upcoming photographer, also seems to lose herself when trying to pinpoint that moment of rapture at discovering her calling.
“I had this euphoric feeling… I felt like my perception had shifted and that I couldn’t stop once I picked up the camera.” A former student of anthropology, Singh had taken a six week photography class “for fun” that changed her life.
What Prakash and Singh have in common is the opposition they faced from at least one of their parents. Prakash admits, “My parents were supportive, but at that time , they wanted me to go to university and study, study, study”.
