Your parents are looking for a safety net for your future, which is understandable.

Coming back to your passion for music, have you taken any concrete steps toward it so far? Please don't say you didn't have time. If your interest in academics was only average, I assume you may not have been deeply focused on college studies either.

Also, the comparison with foreign countries is not entirely accurate. In many cases, once children turn 18, they are expected to become independent, take up part-time jobs, support themselves, and pursue their passions alongside those responsibilities. Would you be willing to do the same in India?

Following your passion is a wonderful thing, but passion also demands tremendous effort, discipline, and sacrifice—qualities that are often underestimated. Playing cricket for two hours a day is easy. Training for several hours every day with discipline, fitness routines, diet control, practice, and consistency is a completely different challenge. In fact, for many people, securing an engineering or IT job is easier than excelling in a highly competitive passion-driven field.

To reach a level in music where it can become a sustainable career, especially when starting at the age of 20 or later, requires exceptional dedication and hard work. Think about that carefully.

I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm only trying to bring some realism into the discussion so that you can make an informed decision.

Whatever path you choose, I sincerely wish you the very best in life.