Many a time I wonder whether I am at the right place spending a hell lot of time to
pursue a difficult course in engineering. But I don't get a answer. But I was adamant
to find the answer. As it is always said to find what wrong happened one needs to
look down to the things underlying. I did the same thing.
I went into flashback just like in movies when they go from Technicolor to black and
white (mine was still colored, don't know how) to find answers to my only question.
But to my surprise I don't remember taking any decision for my life. All the schools I
went to and what all I did was never my choice. Schools I understand, one may not be
in that shoes where he can decide which school to join as this decision is taken by
parents considering all the factors such as location, distance, fees, rapport, peer
promotion etc. But I feel so strange when a strong number of schools in here offer the
same science, commerce and arts somewhere as field of specialty.
What if one is
interested in unconventional sports like karate, cycling, skateboarding, surfing etc.,
has a flair for foreign languages, painting, architecture, law, tourism industry, a critic
of food, journalist, news reader, bartender, teacher, adventure sports like rafting, rippling, trekking, sky flying and such. I know many like them and love to show their
talent in such. But they still hesitate to take them as career options.
Why?
We have been brought up in a society where a person is judged on his or her mental
capacity. How fast one can multiply, divide, add and subtract becomes the criteria to
categorize children as young as 6-7 years into intelligent, average and dumb beings. I
don't understand who gave them the right to categorize these young minds in such
categories, but the answer pops to be the society itself. A brief peep into Indian
history may enlighten us to some extent.
India has always been a country for the people, where Indian kings and rulers always
thought for the interest of the people over theirs until they got the hint and
provocation to become the ruler of the entire nation. That is overestimating one's
power to reform. Due to this unending desire to capture the entire nation for thirst of
power and money finally resulted in India being slaves to British. But this slavery
taught India to join hands and become one and live for each other's benefit. This is
how we got independence. What after independence?
What to do, India was left in a dilapidated state with a acute shortage of engineers,
medical people, financial advisers and thinkers to make this golden bird a real one. To
realize this dream government set up pioneering institutes such as IIT's, NIT's ,
AIIMS,IIM's industries such as ONGC, HMT, BHEL, SAIL etc. to meet the
requirements of a nation which was yet to stand on it's feet. One would not believe
that in yester years joining a college were not based on the tag it carried but on the
basis of affordability, distance and requirements of the family. But as time progressed
these education temples became the best the country has.
Now what has this done to the society. Today people making it to the prestigious
college are considered pool of knowledge and pillars of success. The lure to be
recognized as the best in the race is a reason strong enough to keep them working for
the toughest exam in India even if it calls for 16 hours of non-stop mugging, tuitions,
extra tuitions. But as we all know these temples are made only for few amongst us.
What to Do?
Does it mean that we are not intelligent enough to be a part of such institute or was
there any flaw in their preparation. But call it the nature of Indians undeterred spirit or
hard working nature, which compels them to stage another war against the premier
colleges. This time to get admission is secondary; it is to prove something to self,
which a person doesn't understand himself. Still if one doesn't make it to the top
notch after grueling preparations they settle for grade B institutes in the same category
of specialization. The question is why this sacrifice?
The answer to this question is simple enough. In a society like that of India a child is
brought up with the idea that he would some day become a successful engineer,
doctor, architect, pilot, army man etc. which is largely because he sees people around
himself playing these roles. And on top of it, the conventional education system that
seems to cater science, commerce and arts as the only career options the young
brigade from the very start. The student never has a fall back option, never realizing
what he will do if he fails in his pursuit. He is unable to think beyond the boundaries
created by this outdated, non-frivolous nature of education, which do not provide any
out of the box view of the world. To students the world is all about science and
discoveries, space odyssey, technical systems, medicine, politics in which they don't
want to enter, Bombay stock exchange and money to buy all other pleasures.
