‘Put your mind and heart into what you want to pursue’

The two years of lockdown due to COVID-19 affected almost everyone – some more than others. Probably the most affected were the students – whether they were in school or college-goers. A lot of students in different parts of India felt that learning via online methodology was not something that they had signed up for and gave up attending their classes. One such student was Agastya Douglas Volz, an alumnus of Apeejay Stya University-School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC)

To begin with, Agastya was keen to study in a medium where he would get to do a lot of practical work and be out in the field. Sitting in one place and learning was not on his agenda. When the lockdown happened due to COVID-19, he was stuck.

“But it was my mentor and dean who helped me to get back on track,” Agastya says in an impromptu interview who wants to make a career as a voice-over artist.

Did you always want to be a voice-over artist?

I didn’t even know that I would be good at it until somebody pointed it out when I was in my third year. To begin with, I wanted to be an actor and I would spend time mimicking my favourite scenes from the movies for my family. They would dare me to mimic something and I would take them up on it. I would send these in video format to family members and they would tell me that I had a great mimicking voice. That is when it all clicked.

What are some of the areas where a person can work as a voice-over artist?

To work in India, the voice-over artist has to be bi-lingual. For example, if you want to work in Punjab, you must know Punjabi and English; in West Bengal, it has to be Bengali and English, and so forth. Unfortunately, the only language I know is English. Though I understand Hindi, I can’t speak the language. My parents have not had a conversation in Hindi more than five times in my living memory.

Working here is proving to be tough for me. I plan to gain some work experience, pursue my master’s here and finally go to the US and work as a voice-over artist since I am an American citizen.

You are doing an internship with an NGO. Tell us about it.

It is a paid internship for two months at Wishes and Blessings; they have an office in Panchsheel Park. I recently completed a week there and I spent this time as a photographer. The next phase would be spent doing content work. I would be given a set of photographs and I would have to caption them in 100 words.

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To work in India, the voice-over artist has to be bi-lingual. For example, if you want to work in Punjab, you must know Punjabi and English; in West Bengal, it has to be Bengali and English, and so forth. Unfortunately, the only language I know is English. So, I plan to shift to the US after my master’s

–Agastya Douglas Volz, an alumnus of Apeejay Stya University-School of Journalism and Mass Communication

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How were your days at Apeejay Stya University?

The COVID-19 lockdown affected a lot of us including me. It affected me to a point where I felt that attending classes was not worth the effort. I decided to make my way without completing the programme. My mother was not happy but I was not thinking straight and couldn’t trust my brain to make the right decision for me. The only bright side was my friends with whom I spent time talking either over the phone or playing video games.

What role did the faculty play?

I would say that they played a huge role. There were in fact, two notable faculty. One is Professor Sanjay Ahirwal the dean of SJMC and my mentor Ms Sabina Farhat. My mentor helped me more than the dean. She would call me up regularly and ask why I was not attending the online classes. She was my mentor and I was supposed to be honest with her. But I was in a different zone and didn’t know how to respond to her. Finally, Professor Ahirwal called my parents and I got back to the classes.

Do you think you are better placed now that you have completed your programme?

Definitely. Back then, I didn’t have enough experience. I probably am better placed today. Thankfully, all my friends were a pillar of support for me. Although they too went through the same thing that I did, they had a better grasp of what I was feeling. I was struggling but they were looking after me; that felt nice.

What advice would you give to present Apeejayites who want to become voice-over artists?

I would say what my grandfather used to tell me when I was young. He told me that no matter what your passion is, follow your heart and mind. If you can’t put faith in both – your heart and mind into what you want to pursue – it is better to switch to another line of work.