‘NOCTURNE’ by Kripa Parikh

Thesis Abstract:

My thesis is a take on the confusions- internal and external- that has become definitive of the youth, we now refer to as ‘the millennials’. Their sense of displacement and the pressure to be themselves in the eyes of society, renders them as misfits. They are perpetually trying to find themselves and their place in the world. As stand-alones, they secretly long for a sense of belonging glimpse of sameness that allows them to recognize and be recognized.

We are born into a fast paced generation where uncertainty is part of life. In these tumultuous times, our affections are quick to change, everything is replaceable and tomorrow is the antidote for an agonizing today. Humanity has come to a point where people have learnt to look over all the grief and find solace in materialistic things. This is really a grief looming like a dark cloud over all the crime, death, terrorism and xenophobia we’ve become accustomed to. So how does one cope with all of this? Going back to the old days where instead of trying to stand out, everyone is just trying to be themselves in secret and survive? Or by forming a wall between one’s self and the outside world? This confused, unpredictable, and unsafe reality seems to be held hostage by dark, morbid feelings of depression and dread, where millennials find themselves just wanting to escape. They crave privacy, but don’t really want to be alone anymore. They are forever trying to find comfort in things that make them happy; a happiness that is intrinsic, not extrinsic. So, they layer their emotions to create their own space. Somber but bright. Disconnected but plugged in.

Credit- Kripa Parikh