Instant coffee, instant karma, instant success. That's the story of this generation. Quick fixes. No toil, sweat or tears. Just dotcom booms, young entrepreneurs and blue-eyed boys and girls. There's nothing wrong with dreams. Or even with them coming true. But whatever happened to hard work and patience? Whatever happened to practice and dedication? I was watching Channel [V]'s Popstars show. The one where hundreds of girls auditioned with the dream of being launched overnight as a sensational singing group. Five girls were to be chosen, an ominous task for the judges who comprised a singer, a model, a fashion stylist and a music composer. It was pretty obvious who the talented ones were and equally obvious who had the 'look'. Quite unintentionally, the show was a comedy of errors and howlers. And I could have wagered anyone that I'd got three of the five down pat. But that apart, it's the whole idea of instant success that bothers me. Brought to you by the wave of a magic wand. Swish and lo! You've got five superstars. The last time we saw such cocksure confidence was during the dotcom boom. Anyone with even an iota of a thought process dreamed of making his or her millions. An entire generation of ideas was tabled into a company one day and a JV with a VC the next! Nothing ventured, nothing gained -- that's what they all said until someone fell off his haunches and hit reality. Unfulfilled promises were followed by empty offices and emptier bank accounts. Now we are constantly reading about young Turks... you know, the sons and daughters of Big Shot daddies. One day they own a restaurant, the next they are fashion designers and the third, well, that's when they realise they have to pay the bills. Just like the rest of us. I've nothing against people making it anywhere. If one of the talented girls from the Popstar hunt goes on to become the biggest ever singer in India, that would be fine by me. It's just the notion of having it all NOW that bothers me. Just like instant coffee -- two spoonfuls, add a little sugar, water, milk and voila, there's your fix. But hey, hold on! What about smelling the beans? Take your time. Grind the coffee. Wait for it to seep through the percolator... and then sip. Takes a little longer, sure, but the wait is worth it. My friend tells me we were like that too, plus the fact that no one in our city can afford to "take the time to smell the coffee beans". As teenagers, we too, were impatient, impudent and overconfident. Maybe we were, but nobody promised us a Top Ten single or a rose garden built on Silicon dreams. We were taught to study hard, work hard. Then the rest would follow. That's why I'm not surprised the boom went bust. That's why I won't be surprised if the singers amount to zilch or if today's page-three entrepreneurs go crying back to daddy with burnt fingers. As for me, I'm still sipping my morning cup. And as they say, the rest will follow. Shernaz Vasunia is in no hurry for success. Or coffee, for that matter. Tell us what you think of this diary Be part of an exciting venture!   Write a Diary!
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