dailyO
Politics

Not a topper? Why you shouldn't lose heart

Advertisement
Pia Kahol
Pia KaholMay 29, 2015 | 20:10

Not a topper? Why you shouldn't lose heart

So now the academic circus begins. From today, until the placement day of IITians we shall hear of percentages, cut-offs, and the big pay packages these toppers would get. We will see pictures of the topper kid being fed laddu flanked by his or her proud parents. But I am here to tell you, take heart. All that glitters is not gold.

Advertisement

First of all, the numbers that will flash in the headlines are a myth. They are not a real reflection of learning, intelligence or success. And buck up when you hear of that million dollar package of the IITian. Those numbers too are highly inflated. The real numbers along with the disheartening condition of being an immigrant or slave to a multinational is the reality check newspapers will never publish on their front pages.

Admittedly, that does make the task of convincing your parents even more difficult. But the sad truth is they have been brainwashed by these numbers. They don't need further reinforcing which you are bound to do if you make this blind choice: You will find yourself talking in numbers to them all your life from 3,000 miles away and never be able to tell them that you miss them. I wish they knew better but they don't. It is upto you to choose what is right for you. Furthermore, your parents don't need to lose their children to numbers. Instead, what they need is healing and, of course, the joy of grandchildren.

So if not numbers, then what? If not parents' ephemeral happiness, then what? The answer is you. Focus on you. Who are you? Why are you here? The books and the facts and the theories came from people who first asked those questions for themselves. They developed a broader vision of life before narrowing down on a specific problem. They discovered their love of learning before they began their search for truth. Heck, they even had to explore the basic question of what is truth before searching for it.

Advertisement

Above all, that rote learning certainly won't come to your rescue if you encounter the evil in this world. And there is plenty of that. Life is bound to hand your little traumas (or big ones) no matter how good or bad you are, how nice or naughty. Those traumas will need to be explained. And they may not be just your traumas; they may be your children's, your parents', your spouse's, your country's, your world's. Eventually, life will catch up with you and make you crave your connection to the earth, to the living, and ultimately to those human beings whose ideas have sustained humanity so far: why did they say what they said, and what does that mean to you. How does it fit in the bigger picture called human condition?

Few people, I assure you, know more about human condition than you already do. You have already had a taste of minor frustrations that beset life. You know how it feels to be advised by people who treat you as a non-entity. You have been a nobody who everybody is quick to judge and dismiss. You have watched from the sidelines the gloating of the topper. You have stared at the red ink on your paper and wondered why you don't feel as bad as you should. You have spent countless hours finding things to do more useful and entertaining than the textbooks. You have felt a visceral fear of failing before the result sheet was put up and the elation of not failing afterwards. You may have spent several silent hours sprawled on your couch wondering about the meaning of life. Who is better equipped to handle the pressures of life than you the non-topper?

Advertisement

I am not advocating not working hard or not studying. I am certainly not advocating laziness. All I am saying is textbook knowledge can only go so far. Instead ask why your parents believe what they believe in. Try and understand the world they come from. Ask what your religion teaches you and why you pray. Ask what passion is. Ask what it is not. Ask what is it that you need to live a good life. Don't go by the numbers people give you. Decide your own. Ask to what lengths you are willing to go to live the life you want for yourself. And then do it. If you are not in those top colleges, thank your lord. Now you are free to learn. Your résumé is not your ticket. You have to prove yourself. You have to work so hard that people are forced to stand up and take notice. Above all, you have to continuously evolve and become better. You can never rest on your past laurels; least of all of them is the name of the college on your degree.

I know you will get what you want: success or failure. You have option for both. You are a free human being now. The humanity will evolve from those new ideas you will bring to the table. It will learn more about itself from the stories you will tell. You are the future of the world's largest democracy. You will become politicians, artists, innovators, entrepreneurs, social workers, lawyers, chefs or you may even invent new careers.

Hopefully, many of you will become parents who will teach their children not to chase the numbers, others will become educators who will give a flexible and fun learning environment to the next generation, and at least a few of you will become journalists who will write the human stories of passion and put it on the front page instead of those ghastly numbers.

Last updated: May 21, 2016 | 19:49
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy