As the Higher secondary exams get underway in TN, I got a little nostalgic.
From the time, I finished my SSLC
(around 2 decades back), I lost interest in the ever competing world of
education in India.
I still used to remember how my
parents encouraged me to play cricket and see movie before the public exams. It
helped me a great deal that I got a decent score in all the subjects without
complaining about pressure or health much.
Now, all fingers in the hand don’t
look the same. I have a friend, whose mother always used to crib that he only
gets 90% whereas she is expecting him to scale to the 99 mark. I used to giggle
along with my maternal grandmother about that over ambitious minded mother.
Don’t take anything away from my friend. He is a studious fellow.
The point
here is, the unnecessary pressure faced by the kid. Capacity and capability
need to be differentiated in kids. My friend can get 90% easily – that’s his
capacity.. whereas he is capable to reach 99 (by capable I mean, putting even
more effort) – that means he/she will sacrifice his complete relaxation time
plus sleeping time and eating time.
In India, there is caste based
reservation = I agree. That doesn’t necessarily mean we have to put pressure on
the kids to come out with flying colors. I was gifted to have a good parents
and grand-parents who almost had a devil may care attitude when it comes to
getting mark range of 90-99. I still ended up second best in that with around
84% marks. I didn’t run the race run by all my other friends. I ended up in a
brand new engineering college whereas all my other friends ended up in Top
Universities.
When it comes to career, then I said
to myself – from now on, I decide where I want to be in the next 5 years and
once I completed my engineering, I got placed even before all my studious
friends.
Education and career need not always
go hand in hand. Parents and immediate relatives should play a huge role in
shaping the child’s attitude which decides its destiny rather than the useless
first mark which is nothing to be proud of.
As I type this, today, I always say
with pride to everyone including my in laws, that I have enjoyed my life to the
fullest during my childhood which is a rarity for most of the kids due to the
breakneck competition.
I can play cricket with more agility at this age than my cousin who is 14 years younger to me.
Macaulay education system doesn’t necessarily
mean that all Indians are ultra-talented. I am still only seeing book worms
around me in most of the cases.
The bottom line of this post is to
convey best wishes to the 12th standard students and remember ‘it is
just another exam of your life’ and this won’t definitely decide your life.
Remember, People like me don’t just
live to exist - WE ARE VERY MUCH ALIVE
AND KICKING, bringing end less energy to our work place.
Jai Hind!!
