Soul and Substance is an effort to understand the many joyful and hard phases of a life lived with utmost hope and dignity. As we delve deeper into the lives of those impacted through affirmative actions undertaken by many of our individual and corporate partners, we hope that the insights provided here find a way into the hearts and minds of our readers.
Let’s unearth the soul and substance of one of our livelihood programme, STeP hero, Aman Shukla (19-year-old) trained at STeP’s centre located at Sangam Vihar, Delhi supported by Smile Foundation.
Q. So Aman, tell us about yourself. Who are there in your family? How did you find your way into this training centre?
I have a small family of 4 members. My papa, my maa, didi and me. Papa works as a BSES Supervisor with a monthly salary of 12,000 INR. Maa takes care of us and the whole family and Didi is pursuing a B.Ed. degree with a clear resolution of turning into a government-school teacher someday.
I am pursuing B.Com. (Honours) degree from the University of Delhi-School of Open Learning and since I wanted to help Papa with the family expenses, I got myself enrolled in the Retail Management Training course at the Sangam Vihar centre of STeP after one of my friends told me about it. Now I am placed with Whirlpool as a Sales Representative earning 14,000 INR every month.
Q. How did your training help with your current job? What has your experience been like till now in your job?
I think more than anything, what one needs to do well at a job is having the confidence in self to learn and absorb different things. The training was tailor-made in such a manner that the learners fully understood promoting and selling products and services while increasing customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. But our trainers also focused on the importance of soft skills and being able to confidently and composedly answer our customers’ queries.
My work environment is very friendly and supportive. My on-the-job training has taught me a great deal of knowledge about refrigerators and air conditioners. Since the washing machine and microwave’s workings are a little more complex, I am still in the learning process about those types of equipment. Sometimes, I feel like I am not learning fast enough but my manager looks happy about my speed and retention abilities, so I guess I am doing well in my work.
Q. That’s great Aman. It seems like you are working smart and hard at your job. You are making more money than your father now, has that changed the family dynamics?
Whatever I am is because of my papa. He is honestly the most inspirational person in my life. He never forced me to do anything and he has also taught me how less money doesn’t always mean less happiness. In all our years, even with limited money, he has brought us all the joy in the world.
So I might be making more money than him now but that will never change what he and I share emotionally. He is my biggest cheerleader and it won’t change even when I start earning 40,000 INR tomorrow.
Q. How about your ‘me’ time? What do you do on your free days?
I work 6 days a week so I don’t have a lot of time for myself but on Sundays, I make it a point to hear the songs of rapper Emiway Bantai. His songs are so relatable and inspire me to do better in life. When I enter into the world of rap songs, my mind automatically feels relaxed and it fills me up with energy and passion.
Q. Yes, music is really one of the best ways to export the self into another world. So do you see yourself in this job for a long time?
For a few years, yes! My ultimate goal is to serve the nation by being a part of the BSF (Border Security Force) Army and I have already appeared in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) GD Examination once but failed it by a few points. But I am going to clear the examination with flying colors the next time around, take my word on this!
Many of my family members are in the army. Their lives and their stories inspire me to serve the nation and its people. After all, nothing is more courageous than saving innocent lives.
Q. That is indeed a beautiful dream. Any piece of advise that you would like to share with your peers?
It’s essential to collect knowledge from every area of your life and apply it practically. Since I am young, I try to be curious and eager to learn as many things as possible. So, my suggestion is to be hungry for knowledge.
Also, always believe in something bigger than human lives. Have faith in yourself and let the magic happen to you.
The soul and substance of Aman lie in his passion to serve the nation and love his family without many conditions. We wish him well and hope that his dream to become a part of the defense services comes true someday soon.
A Strong Step Towards Freedom
The future of India lies in its youth. With our working age demographic increasing every year, it is imperative that the youth are trained and upskilled for them to become a part of the Indian workforce and contribute to the growth of the country.
Smile Foundation’s livelihood programme, STeP (Smile Twin e-Learning Programme) understanding the modern needs of the Indian youth is upskilling the youth of underserved communities in six-course modules, namely– Retail Management, Healthcare (General Duty Assistance), Core Employability, Digital Marketing, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). The programme has trained 75000 youth with 47000 of them placed with 400 employment partners.
