Just like the whole country and diaspora, I too liked Aamir Khan's "Taare Zameen Par". The story of a dyslexic boy and his parents' indifference towards his trouble was heart-wrenching. The appreciation the movie and the child-actor got was very well deserving. BUT....there was a certain kind of social message which kept me pondering over and over. The same message was subconsciously inserted in "3 idiots" as well.
Both these movies say that nobody should be forced to do something which they don't like and every kid or youth is entitled to pursue his / her career in their areas of interest. It sounded very idealistic and correct to most of the audiences, but I beg to disagree.
In TZP there is another scene where the protagonist slams parents for encouraging their children to stay ahead in competition. Since the child in subject was dyslexic, it was understandable, but what if the general audiences try to implement that advice ?
In my childhood, I always wanted to be a watchman (gatekeeper) as I saw they had a kind of control over who comes or goes out of the gate. After few years, I thought being a bus conductor was the coolest job. But I'm so thankful to film industry that no one made movies like TZP then; had my parents taken that message seriously, I would have been left as a gatekeeper or bus conductor now. (I don't mean any offence to those occupations as there is a kind of dignity and respect in any kind of honest job. Just that my life would have been very different that way ).
Just like Maddy's character in 3 Idiots, I was not interested in engineering. Infact I hated physics and later machine design in mechanical engineering. My parents pushed me towards technical field which I joined reluctantly. But after earning engineering degree, I entered into my favorite field (MBA - marketing) and in a way my technical background paved way to my management PG in one of the premier B schools. It has diversified my knowledge base, confidence and career horizon.
People who get influenced by filmi theories often mock at rat-race students plunge into for competitive exams and rigorous training it needs. But thats inevitable and there is a reason.
Even if 2 lakh students appear for engineering entrance in a state like AP, almost 70% of students end up in some engineering course and will have good career prospects. There is some kind of career waiting for not only brilliant, but also average or below average performers. Now can we say the same for those students who take their hobby as a career ?
If a kid wants to pursue his career in painting, cricket, singing, dancing, acting or any other talents, can he afford to be average or below average to make a living ? Can every talented or passionate cricketer play for Indian team ? Can every talented or good looking struggling actor make it to the tinsel town ? What is the success ratio ? These are some very fundamental questions that need to be answered with some minimum common sense before leaving the destiny of any kid to his / her juvenile decision making prowess.
Career security is as important if not more than passion. Those who are interested to make a living out of their passion too have to make themselves self sufficient by earning a comfortable living and then strive towards their hobbies rather than living in fool's paradise. Or else they will have to see stars all over their brain throughout the life and Taare Zameen par will end up being Taare Dimaag Par !
PS: Those who are born with a silver spoon or those who can live with basic amenities with no inclination towards worldly or material pleasures are exempted from my theory
Both these movies say that nobody should be forced to do something which they don't like and every kid or youth is entitled to pursue his / her career in their areas of interest. It sounded very idealistic and correct to most of the audiences, but I beg to disagree.
In TZP there is another scene where the protagonist slams parents for encouraging their children to stay ahead in competition. Since the child in subject was dyslexic, it was understandable, but what if the general audiences try to implement that advice ?
In my childhood, I always wanted to be a watchman (gatekeeper) as I saw they had a kind of control over who comes or goes out of the gate. After few years, I thought being a bus conductor was the coolest job. But I'm so thankful to film industry that no one made movies like TZP then; had my parents taken that message seriously, I would have been left as a gatekeeper or bus conductor now. (I don't mean any offence to those occupations as there is a kind of dignity and respect in any kind of honest job. Just that my life would have been very different that way ).
Just like Maddy's character in 3 Idiots, I was not interested in engineering. Infact I hated physics and later machine design in mechanical engineering. My parents pushed me towards technical field which I joined reluctantly. But after earning engineering degree, I entered into my favorite field (MBA - marketing) and in a way my technical background paved way to my management PG in one of the premier B schools. It has diversified my knowledge base, confidence and career horizon.
People who get influenced by filmi theories often mock at rat-race students plunge into for competitive exams and rigorous training it needs. But thats inevitable and there is a reason.
Even if 2 lakh students appear for engineering entrance in a state like AP, almost 70% of students end up in some engineering course and will have good career prospects. There is some kind of career waiting for not only brilliant, but also average or below average performers. Now can we say the same for those students who take their hobby as a career ?
If a kid wants to pursue his career in painting, cricket, singing, dancing, acting or any other talents, can he afford to be average or below average to make a living ? Can every talented or passionate cricketer play for Indian team ? Can every talented or good looking struggling actor make it to the tinsel town ? What is the success ratio ? These are some very fundamental questions that need to be answered with some minimum common sense before leaving the destiny of any kid to his / her juvenile decision making prowess.
Career security is as important if not more than passion. Those who are interested to make a living out of their passion too have to make themselves self sufficient by earning a comfortable living and then strive towards their hobbies rather than living in fool's paradise. Or else they will have to see stars all over their brain throughout the life and Taare Zameen par will end up being Taare Dimaag Par !
PS: Those who are born with a silver spoon or those who can live with basic amenities with no inclination towards worldly or material pleasures are exempted from my theory
8 comments:
Like we say, there exceptions for each and everything but then again if the kid's heart is all set on one thing adamant or incapable of everything else?
I don't support pressurizing kids to do anything. That's one extreme. Whereas the other extreme is to leave them to their own decisions based on fantasies and interests.
There is always a middle path eluded by these kind of movies for dramatization, which I don't like.
In both the movies, the parents want their kids into a particular field only because their collegue's son/daughter is into engineering or comparing with the siblings. Thats pure humiliation, I dont see any motivation or inspiring thoughts. Had the parent said may be this is right for you and in future when you choose this subject it will help you this way then yes totally agree that guidance. But none of that happened in those movies. How can a 7 or 8 yr old have the comprehension of what to study and what to understand. It is the age of cartoons, action figures and masthi. Rather the parents expect the usual rat-race!
Exactly, that's the middle path these films don't portray. At 7 or 8, if a kid only wants to watch cartoons but not study and if the parent gives an easy hand, the same kid would blame his parents later.
It's not that kids should be stripped off their childhood, innocence and cartoons, but not at the expense of their future prospects and decisions influencing that. And yeah, as I said, those parents and kids who don't really care about future prospects, career can always be idealistic and follow their hearts.
And I still dont think I can agree to what you are saying. No parents cares to just leave their kid's future prospects to be idealistic. It is just the right way of explaining and right time for the kids to have such comprehension.
If you feel no parents leave their kids' future prospects without planning and then say you don't agree to my post here, you are contradicting yourself.
The post is all about the need to direct kids, not to pressurize kids at young age when they can't comprehend.
I dont want to be arguementative. Your post can lead to other topics too and I was discussing that. I repeat again...It is just the right way of explaining and right time for the kids to have such comprehension. I am not contradicting myself!
The post reflects my views on whether "parents should leave the decision of choosing career to kids or not". That's the only aspect of those movies I'm concentrating on and no two ways about it.
Nowhere did I support pressurizing kids or trying to mold them when they are not ready. That's altogether a different topic which I haven't written about yet.
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