http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120070221094648&Title=Bangalore&Topic=0&

Rs 1-crore pay not music to IIM-B graduate's ears
Thursday February 22 2007 00:00 IST
BANGALORE: If you were to think a Rs 1 crore job offer from a US investment bank is too irresistible to turn down, 25-year old IIM-B graduate Manasi Prasad has done just that to pursue her career in music.

She is keen to take up a job in Bangalore so that she can straddle between her job and interests in Carnatic classical music and Bharatanatyam.

It was in November last that Goldman Sachs got back to her with a job offer after she did a summer internship programme in New York. She turned it down and is now waiting for summer placements, scheduled for next month, so that she can explore opportunities in Bangalore.

Currently under vocalist R K Padmanabha's tutelage, Manasi's short term plan is to balance between a corporate career and music. Her long term goal is to start an institution in classical music in Bangalore. “I want the institution to be like IIM-B and it should restore Carnatic music to its roots,” she says.

When asked why she then did an IIM degree, Manasi says it adds a brand value to her music career. “After getting a BE degree in IT from BMS College, it took me one year to decide to get into IIM-B. I would be able to achieve a lot more than the other graduates from IIM-B as I will combine my analytical skills that I earned from IIM with my creative skills and build something unique,” she says.

IIM-B has been a wonderful experience for Manasi, yet, she went through her bit of struggle trying to balance between academics and music. “I was never ready to sacrifice music. That meant, sacrificing sleep and social life, which was a test on my will-power. When all the students were seen with their books, I was busy with my tampura,” Manasi adds.

According to her, there are several students who want to pursue a career in music, but since it is not a mainstream career in India, it stops at being a passion. “I want to change this mindset.''

Mother Tara Prasad is her first guru at the age of four. Since then she has had 20 years of training. She is already a recipient of many recognitions for her talent in music, and comes across as a person confident of making it big in the firmament of music.

Already, she has 10 music albums - Meera Madhuri being a recent one - to her credit. She has performed all over the country and abroad including in Singapore, USA and Europe.

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Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....

"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"

What is one crore rupees in canadian or US dollars??

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Impressive that she had the strength to turn down that kind of money.

MR: Approximately 230,000 US.

I hope 10 years from now she does not regret her dicision if the school project fails to amterialize due to Beauraucracy and other things in India. Or if the school does open up how many parents are going to put there children in a career of music.

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You know you are a desi when ........ You spew forth the virtues of India, but don't want to live there...............You've never had a tanning salon membership

For those who can see there s life beyond money !!

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Fido.

At least she is following her heart for music and staying in Blore. That need to be appreciated when there are thousands who want to get out of India.

DIO

Quote:

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Originally posted by alexm

Impressive that she had the strength to turn down that kind of money.

MR: Approximately 230,000 US.

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