Internet sensation, stand-up comedian and poet Zakir Khan recently opened up about how he had to take a calculated risk when he left his job to become a full-time stand-up comedian. Zakir reportedly was a college dropout who pursued a diploma in Sitar as he hails from a family of legacy musicians, and then he even dropped music to pursue comedy.
In a chat with YouTuber Nikhil Taneja, Zakir shared advice for those struggling to continue working at their job because of the lack of passion, while awaiting their true calling. He said, “I believe in calculated risk a lot. Almost nine months before leaving the job, I knew that I wanted to quit my job and take up comedy full time. Every time you leave your job to pursue your passion, then you’ll have to ask yourself whether you’re leaving the job because you want to pursue your passion or is it because you are not able to do that job. I feel your passion will itself tell you when to leave your job.”
The comedian then shared how he always believed that one has to work for a living, even if they haven’t found their passion yet. He said, “It is a simple thing for men to understand that everyone of us have to work. Every morning you have to leave your house and work. Either you are progressive or not progressive, woke or not, you have to wake up in the morning and go to work, end of story. If you accept this as fact of life, half your life will become easier automatically.”
Zakir Khan hails from a family of legacy musicians. While his father is a music teacher, his grandfather was Sarangi Maestro Ustad Moinuddin Khan. When asked whether his father disapproved of him for not taking up music and pursuing comedy instead, Zakir shared, “He expressed dissatisfaction a lot but he gave me a lot of confidence too and I am grateful for that. I am obliged to him for his support because when I look around I see how many fathers don’t give their sons what my father gave me and that is confidence. He gave me the confidence that I can do it. He let me go and give my passion a try.”
