KUMAR ANSHUMAN

Terrific @ thirty - By Kumar Anshuman Sun Feb 10 11:18:13 GMT 2013 In 1982, when THE WEEK began publication, India was taking baby steps on the path to economic progress. Two 'revolutions', Green and White, had helped it become self-sufficient in agriculture and milk production. Nationalisation of banks had made capital accessible to the common man. The Licence Raj, however, had a firm grip on lives. Only a privileged few had telephone connections; others had to wait for years to get one. MPs had quotas for gas connection, and people chased them for that. When it came to buying a motorcycle or a car, options were limited. To get a Bajaj scooter, you had to wait for years after booking. Speed Post was four years away; letters were the preferred and the fastest way for friends and relatives to keep in touch. The nineties ushered in economic liberalisation. Thanks to the relatively stable political climate, industry began to grow at a pace never before seen. The decade laid a strong economic foundation on which the technology-driven growth of the 2000s was built. Now, India has nearly as many cellphone connections as its population. Indians no longer depend on post offices to reach out to their loved ones, and they have a wide array of vehicles to choose from. THE WEEK and its readers have been witness to these myriad changes. Meet a few of the famous people who were born in 1982, and were part of India's big transformation in the past three decades. Sumukhi Mendiratta Banking on beauty After working with Bank of America for six years, Sumukhi Mendiratta started MOJO in September. Make-up, beauty products and hairdos had intrigued her since childhood. MOJO's first unisex salon is open in Delhi, and Sumukhi plans to go pan India in 2013. “Being 30 gives me this great sense of accomplishment as I had dreamt and planned of a lot of stuff in my life by the time I am 30,” said Sumukhi. “I am really grateful to God that I have been able to achieve most it and I look forward to the next 30 now.” She does not feel that turning 30 has made a difference as far as her maturity and responsibilities are concerned. “Both these attributes to one's personality are acquired, I feel, over the years. For me, I have learnt to be accountable for all my actions,” said Sumukhi. But she is quite surprised how the world around her has changed. “One marker I have for that is that the most sought after job in 2012 did not even exist in 2004,” she said. Karanvir Bohra Star position The television actor, who turned 30 in August, is planning to strengthen his presence in the industry. “Thirty is when actors start consolidating their position,” says Karanvir Bohra. “There is a certain maturity and responsibility that comes with age.” He made his debut in 1990, as the younger version of Sanjay Dutt's character in Teja. He made his name with Just Mohabbat, a television serial for the youth, in 2000. The success of the serial made people sit up and take notice. Producer Ekta Kapoor cast him in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which turned out to be a huge hit. Karanvir has not looked back since. He met his wife, Teejay, when he was 23. “I instantly felt that she was the one for me,” he says. “Marriage completely changed me. It taught me a lot about love, compassion and responsibility.” Does he regret getting older? “No, I am not a footloose kind of guy,” says Karanvir. “I love being in charge of my life.” He admits that he misses his college days. “I miss the innocence that all of us had when we were teenagers. You don't see it in children anymore,” he says. Yamini Reddy Living, step by steps This has been a special year for the renowned classical dancer. Yamini Reddy, daughter of legendary Kuchipudy dancers Raja and Radha Reddy, became a mother in April. “I am a different person altogether,” she says. “Turning 30 is a milestone in everyone’s life and I have been able to do good work. I have vigour and want to do more in my 30s than what I did in 20s.” Yamini describes the years since age 3, when she gave her first solo performance in Delhi to a standing ovation, as “a steep learning curve”. “[At 30,] you no longer do childish things which you used to do in 20s,” she says. “Maturity takes over the impulsiveness.” She is planning to focus on choreography. “I was doing it, but it wasn’t much,” she says. “I am doing well with my dance school [in Hyderabad]. Teaching makes you learn a lot of things. I am glad people appreciate me as a teacher.” Yamini has been able to balance work and personal life, thanks to her supportive husband. “My work makes me what I am,” she says. “I keep telling myself that my children should look at me as an example. It's up to my son to choose what he does, but I should always be the role model.” Priyanka Chopra Crowned crooner She won the Miss World title when she was 18. Today, at 30, Priyanka Chopra is a name fans root for and rivals envy. Her turning 30 also marked her foray into singing, with the launch of her album, In My City.  Her performance in the album has won her three nominations to the World Music Awards 2013 in Los Angeles for best debut, best song and best video. Some of the other nominees in these categories are Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Madonna. Two of her films, Agneepath and Barfi!, crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in 2012. Barfi! also received an Oscar nomination. She won the national award for the best actress in 2009 for portraying a model’s life in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. What more can a 30-year-old ask for? The coming year is also very exciting for Priyanka. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is making a biopic on M.C. Mary Kom, the Olympic medallist, and Priyanka is playing the boxer in the movie. Photo by Reuters Yusuf Pathan Ready to return The firebrand batsman says he feels more energetic and stronger at 30. “People say that, as you grow older, fitness suffers,” says Yusuf Pathan. “I don’t feel that's true. In fact, I am feeling healthier and stronger.” He has become more mature, though. “Well, you can’t do those childish mistakes and have fun,” he says with a smile. Pathan thanks God for the blessings in his life. “I have come a long way.... We didn’t have house. We used to stay in a mosque. Now we have our own house. And by God's grace, I have seen half of the world.” What keeps him going is the love of his fans. “Whether I do well or bad on the ground, they make me feel special,” says Pathan, who is recuperating from a finger injury at National Cricket Academy, Bangalore. “I have a lot to do. I know the country and my home team, Baroda, needs me.” Abhinav Bindra Shoot and tweet “Bye-bye, IOA. Hope to see you soon, hope to see you clean,” tweeted India’s lone Olympic gold medallist, after the Indian Olympic Association was suspended from the International Olympic Committee. In 2008, the shooter made India proud when he gunned for gold in Beijing in 2008; the country's first Olympic gold in an individual event. He had received the Arjuna Award at 17, and, at 18, was the youngest recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest sporting honour. The Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, came to him immediately after he won the Beijing gold. His 30th year has not been great for Bindra so far. In the London Olympics, he could not qualify for the finals as he came 16th in the 10m air rifle event. “This was not my day. I started slowly and there was a lot of pressure. It was a very highly competitive field, my performance went up and down,” Bindra had said immediately after the loss. The days he shoots on Twitter, he shoots straight. In October, when former IOA boss Suresh Kalmadi was nominated to the parliamentary committee for external affairs, Bindra tweeted: “Interesting that Suresh Kalmadi has been nominated to the parliamentary committee for external affairs. It must be soooo foreign to him.” Bharat Chhetri Sticking to hope He is not in the Indian hockey team for the Asian Champions Trophy (which started on December 20). But goalkeeper and former captain Bharat Chhetri believes that he has achieved a lot in the last 30 years. After all, leading the national side in the Olympics is a great honour, and Chhetri did that in London. “Right from my childhood, I worked very hard to reach where I am today,” said Chhetri. “I was so busy with my career that I could not enjoy things like driving a new bike or car. At 30 now, I will live that part of life I really missed.” The man from Darjeeling, who now flies, could barely buy a train ticket when he went to Patna for coaching in hockey in his younger days. Chhetri remembers how he was eager to go home for Durga Puja. His coach told him, “Either you go for the festival or work hard here so that you can make every day of your future festive.” Young Chhetri stayed back. 2012 has been a mixed bag for Chhetri, with India making a last place finish in London and his being dropped from the team and captaincy. But, he got married this year and is happy with the way life is shaping up. Settled in Bangalore, where he works for Canara Bank, Chhetri said: “Hockey will continue, but I am exploring life  beyond hockey.” Meiyang Chang The voice within Singer, anchor and actor Meiyang Chang said he did not realise that he had turned 30. “Honestly, my friends made me realise that I had turned 30. For me, life is beginning at 30 and I feel like I'm 20,” said Chang, who became an overnight heartthrob with his performance in Indian Idol. His father was a dentist and Chang, too, graduated in dentistry. He says his studies kept him away from all the fun, and, today, at 30, he feels ready for fun! “I realised that life can’t be just about this [dentistry]. There has to be fun,” he said. He started with public speaking, and found that he was good at it. On his sister's insistence, he auditioned for Indian Idol, and discovered the singer in himself. Chang worked for two films, Canvas and Badmaash Company; the first was not released. He is also a sought after host on television. Currently working on a song in a Punjabi film and a TV show for next year, he said he was in a relationship when he was 26, but is single now. Mithali Raj Willowy lass Captain of the national women's cricket team, she turned 30 on December 3. The girl who started playing cricket at 16 has achieved much in the last 14 years. “I think it is just like a roller-coaster ride for me,” said Mithali Raj. “But it was full of action. As a person I have changed a lot in the last 30 years.” According to her she was too involved with her cricketing career in her 20s. “Now I have matured—as a person and as a player,” she said. Mithali has inspired many young women to play cricket. She first came into the limelight with her 214-run knock against England in Taunton in 2001. She held the women's record for the highest individual Test score, which was later broken by a Pakistani. “Right from my childhood, I was very keen on sports” said Mithali. “I played cricket just for fun, without thinking seriously about the game.” In July, Mithali regained the ICC's top ODI woman batsman ranking, after losing it in 2010. She looks forward to the Women's World Cup in January 2013 and hopes to bring the trophy home this time. Ranbir Kapoor Off like Rocket True, he does not look 30. But he is 30 and has the maturity to boot. Ranbir Kapoor, the youngest member of the Kapoor clan, is doing what is expected of him. He got his name from his grandfather, who was actually Ranbir Raj Kapoor. He started his career with Saawariya and has essayed a wide selection of roles with ease. His salesman sardar in Rocket Singh, inspired many an entrepreneur, and the carefree guy in Wake Up Sid moved the urban youth. The grim, handsome politician in Rajneeti was an instant hit, and in Rockstar he accurately depicted the apathy of a star. His silent role in Barfi! received critical acclaim and the movie was India’s official nomination to the Oscars. He has won several awards including the Filmfare best actor award for his performance in Rockstar. Dabangg-fame Abhinav Kashyap is directing him in Besharam, which will be released in October 2013. And he will also be seen in Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani and Bombay Velvet. Despite his star value being in crores of rupees, he still takes 01,500 a week as pocket money from his mother.