For some days now, the admission process for children is going on in my city. Parents have been really busy meeting the demands of prestigious schools. Gradually, the results have started trickling. Some are getting the admission, some are not. Those who are not getting are moving on to the other best available options. And those who are getting the admission are getting congratulations on being selected…actually to be crystal clear it is parents who are getting congratulated on their efforts being redeemed because how much a 4-5 years old child can understand about the honor having been attached to be admitted in a prestigious school of the city.
Normally,
being admitted into the best school of the city, very easily translates into a
scintillating future for the kid. Parents assume that the life of the kid is
settled. Now he/she is all certain to become an engineer, doctor, IAS or IPS.
Going by this calculation, when the 200 odd students would pass their 12th
they would automatically be absorbed by the best of the professions of India
and the world.
Parents
seldom think that studying is also a part of life and life is full of hiccups. The
children need the support of their parents most when they find obstructions in
their learning process. Mind you, every child is made of different composition
of attributes. Some might like maths, some might fear and abhor it. Some might love
poetry and painting classes, some might find embracing them difficult.
One more
pattern that breathes down the neck of children is that you have to be like
your parents. It is as tantamount to blasphemy, if a doctor’s ward has artistic
leanings or an engineer’s child is prone to subjects like history instead of
maths, physics, chemisty.
Some days
ago there was a piece news, from the capital city of my state, that a ward of doctor parents committed suicide. The reason was that he had flunked his 12th
exams. Now we can easily imagine the role of a society (that is full of doctors
and engineers and their children excelling) that makes it entirely impossible
for a teen to fail an exam and lead a life of respect. Humiliation is the round
the clock meal that is served through eyes and tongues of the so called prim and
proper society. The society of the so called brilliant brains will make every
breath of the flunked teen difficult to pass through his/her nostrils. And the immature,
innocent, and raw brain finds it egregious that his own uncle and aunties (who
were very affectionate till yesterday) lacerate his/her self -respect with their
vitriolic comments.
And the high
profile parents are also not very lenient in behaving with the failed kid. Even
if they don’t speak with their tongue, their eyes tell it all. And the tender
mind finds it tough to handle the sudden change in behavior of society towards
him/her. And the new found alienation and stress create havoc in tender brain
and only termination of life seems an option to termination of grief.
If the
parents who receive congratulations at the time of primary level admission,
show courage and provide emotional cushion to their children when they fail an examination,
it would be far more meaningful and a worthy contribution to the efforts of
their children to struggle against the challenges of life and society altogether.
There was another
piece of news from the capital of the country some days ago that a mother
strangulated her toddler daughter and then ended her life as well.
The reason
behind this gruesome act was that the daughter was mentally challenged and
again the society didn’t leave any stone unturned to tell that the daughter was
a failed effort of god’s creation and therefore didn’t deserve a normal respect
from prim and proper society. The Mother ,who had brought her to the world,
when realized that the world would not be so courteous to accept her daughter,
decided to send her back to the god’s abode from where she had brought her and
then followed her to the place herself, slapping the morality of the society left,
right and center.
So, why
bother about the society that is still imperfect? Live your life freely and
give the society a lesson in how a life should be lived even if it is marred
with obstacles and hindrances?
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Very important issues and recent shocking news highlighted by you ๐ Neeraj. Parents should not decide future of their children. They can guide and help them to achieve their goals. But I have met few parents who are motivating their children to excel in sports, music and literature.
ReplyDeleteThe more parents care for their wards instead of their society,the better it would be for the children to carve out their own piece of sky.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sachin for visiting the post and commenting.
I know of cases where a child returns from his home town to the coaching center only to commit suicide there.You can guess why.
ReplyDeleteYes...I know what you are talking about Indu.
ReplyDeleteEducation should not be so burdensome. While some countries in Europe have taken steps in this direction, Indian society is yet to wake up.
ReplyDeleteYour post brings out some of the stark realities of our society.
Thanks sir for stopping by and commenting.
Deleteits true that we are very much influenced by society. Does not matter you want it or not. me and husband made our own example for certain things but we only know the struggle. Somehow I feel now helpless. having admission in big schools is a status symbol now which is seen in parents when they speak about it so proudly. Its crazy but a fact in India.
ReplyDeleteYes Bhawana, I know that some crusades have to be fought alone against society. Anyways,thanks for stopping by and commenting.
ReplyDelete