Neha Deva, a 21-year-old, is busy studying in the final year of architecture. Like everybody else her age, she is busy charting out a career path, hanging out with friends and boogeying at night clubs. These are not the only high points of her life. An important part of her life and routine is her 'satsangh'. "A 'satsangh' gives me a greater kick today than five to six tequilas," she says.

Neha is not an exception. Bhavini, a 22-year-old school teacher, is an ardent follower of the Sanatan Sanstha. So is Jayshree. At 21, Jayshree is an event manager and is already on the spiritual path.

Young sisters in divinity are everywhere... Mumbai, New Delhi and even smaller metros like Ludhiana. They are reading 'Conversations With God', J Krishnamurthy, getting together for a lecture on the Art of Living or congregating in a group for Buddhist chants.

Like body piercing and nail art, is spirituality the latest fad for the Gen-X today?

Bhavini's newfound sense of calm shows when she does not get provoked or defensive when asked. Instead, her face lights up with a pretty smile and she says, "What I get from my spiritual practice is far beyond a fashion statement or a fad."

Why at such a young age? It's not as if she's hit a mid-life crisis... Neha agrees that in the beginning she too, thought it wasn't cool. She used to believe that 'satsangh' was for the 40-plus aunties who had nothing else to do. "But when I reached a particular point in life when I was so stressed at work... that's when I started meditating and attending 'satsanghs'."

Like her, others in her generation are not willing to get cowed down by pressures of living one's life in the fast lane. Neither are they into certifying themselves as failures if things don't go right. It's almost as if they have replaced a shrink by a spiritual guide. They reach out for tools that teach them to take charge of their lives.

Spirituality is not an end in itself. It's a means to an end. It is seen as a tool to coping better with life. Spirituality now, is the filler for dissonance and a fountainhead of strength. Jayshree took to the Art of Living about a year-and-a-half ago when her mother was suffering from cancer. "My sister and I did not know what was happening. There was anguish and confusion. I did not know whether my mother would get better.

It helped me to accept the reality of my mother's sickness. Over a period of time, there was less anguish and I was able to concentrate on my studies. Though my fears about my mom didn't completely go away, meditation made me a stronger person. It showed me the joys of life even in the saddest moments."

Everyone seems to have found her own medium. Eefa from Pune got into yoga at the age of 23 literally by accident. Crippled by an injury, Eefa was told that she could never run again in her life. Determined that an accident could not get the better of her, Eefa was introduced to yoga by some friends. She initially started practising it to cure herself. After eight months of regular practice, Eefa could not only start walking, she could also slowly run again. Eefa now calls herself a yoga junkie. "I believe fully in the philosophy of yoga, which focuses on right conduct towards yourself and the society. Yoga may have started as an exercise to cure myself but today, it is a form of meditiation as well. Yoga deals with the attitude of a human being. It deals with your self-confidence, with what you eat, how you cleanse your system and also how to deal with stress. It does not mean only asanas and 'pranayams'. It also does not mean that I have given up life altogether. I was a model earlier and I continue to lead a completely Bohemian life, like any other person my age would."

A 28-year-old MBA in Ludhiana, Surbhi Sharma, is a Satya Saibaba devotee. She prays daily and every Tuesday and Thursday, she does a 'havan'. "Baba has helped me get out of my depression," says Surbhi. She has found her path and wants to be guided by faith. To her, to become a better human being is as important as rising on the career graph.

Shweta Kwatra, who became popular as Pallavi in the TV soap 'Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani', believes, "The most important thing that spirituality has taught me is not to get depressed when things don't go the way I want them to. I feel I am a more balanced person today. I chant daily, a mantra that says, 'I take my life into my hands and will cure it'. Every time I have a problem, I am better at solving it. I come out of it looking better, rather than being defeated by it. Our lives are getting more and more complicated. We want to do so many things and we hardly have the time to look at ourselves. Spirituality shows us a mirror within. My chanting guides me to remain positive in life.

"My relationships with people have improved. I no longer carry a baggage of grudges against people. I want to rise above my shortcomings. I wouldn't say I have overcome them completely but definitely I am not such an angry person now as I used to be. It has definitely given me a good handle to life which is positive and looks more at my own self than before."

Spirituality may have been the answer to many, but to some, the clouds of confusion still remain as their questions about life remain unanswered. Shakti, a 23-year-old post graduate in social work in Mumbai, says, "Though I am aware of all the possibilities of spirituality such as meditation, mantras or yoga... I am not involved with any God. I have tried almost all of them. I am inclined to the Buddhist philosophy. My quest of, 'who am I, what am I doing' actually started when I was 18 years old. From that time on, I have read a lot, from J Krishnamurthy to Buddhist philosophy. But nothing spiritual happened. I have seen sadness around in my life and in that of everyone around me. To date, I have not got a single answer to that."

Dr Nirmala Rao, a Mumbai psychiatrist, says, "Today, the complexities of life have increased. There is more stress and competitiveness. In this environment, spirituality keeps you rooted.

"The downside of getting into some of the current popular spiritual movements is that youngsters can get carried away in the movement itself. This is not desirable, as one could lose touch with reality. It could lead to escapism and become a false crutch in life. The bottom line is that one should not lose perspective of what is being sought."

The Power of Prayer

Over the past 10 years, there have been almost 1,500 research studies into the effects of religious involvement or spirituality (prayer or meditation), conducted by a group of researchers affiliated with the Harvard, Duke and Yale Universities, studying religious service attendance much in the same way as diet and drugs are studied. These studies have found that people who practise a faith have less heart disease, lower blood pressure, fewer strokes, less depression, faster recovery from illness, and may even live longer.

"Clinically at least, from what we can see from mortality studies - women benefit from religion more than men," agrees David Larson, MD, President of the National Institute for Healthcare Research in Rockville, Maryland. "The survival rate for women of faith with life-threatening illnesses is higher than that of their male counterparts."

How Praying In Groups Helps

• When you sit in a group of people to pray and chant, you realise that you are not the only one who has problems.

• Sharing emotions in a group of people, though strangers, is one way to dissipate depression.

• People realise that many others have shared similar grief and give emotional support to each other in times of distress.

• Like the Buddhist chanting groups now spreading almost all over the country, young women are determined to come together to chant that they take charge of their lives and will change the course of their lives through positive ways.

• Each one comes on their own, stays and prays out of her own volition.

• Emotional support is solicited from the group.

'Meditating Helps You Become Comfortable With Who You Are, Whether You Are In A Satsangh' Or A Nightclub'

Young girls and women have more questioning minds today. They are exposed to a whole lot more information through the media. They have far more opportunities and they also become aware of life at a much earlier stage.

"In a group of 55 to 60 students, I usually find that women in the age group of 21 to 31 make up about half the lot. They are much more intelligent, forthright and open than the 40 to 50-year-olds.

"In the generations gone by, the parents or the family made choices and decisions for the young woman. But today, she wants to take life in her own hands. She doesn't want anyone to dictate to her. To her, it's very fulfilling to make her own choices. But this creates an odd sense of insecurity and dilemma. On the one hand, you want to make your own choices. And on the other, there is also a bit of pressure, because you take responsibility for your own life. You want to make the best choices in a given situation.

"All this prompts the mind to question more what it did not earlier. When you start questioning, 'Who am I, what am I doing here, what is this life all about?' you are on the road to exploring spirituality. It is after all, about getting a better understanding of yourself, about getting in sync with yourself, and self-growth.

"Meditating teaches you how to live life more skillfully, enjoying it to the maximum: To be true to life, find yourself, be comfortable with who you are. Most schools of thought have the same philosophy. They bring more focus to life. Mediation and yoga have helped people to find clarity in their thoughts, build self-esteem, become proactive and confident. They help you become comfortable with who you are, whether you are in a 'satsangh' or at a night club."- Rhea Pillai, Proponent of The Art of Living.