The other day I was visiting my cousin and her son was there. I was meeting him after a long time and we had lot to catch up.
Last time I met he was busy with his studies. He was in his inter first year and joined one of the coaching centres that prepare you for engineering exams. I had just a glimpse of him as he rushed in from his classes and gobbled some food and rushed into his room to study. All that effort paid off and he got seat in an engineering college and now he is in his second year. He looked very relaxed. He started regaling me with the stories of his college and his friends. I really enjoyed the day and my cousin was also very much relieved and relaxed.
On the way back I kept thinking of the change that I noticed at my cousin's home. Two years of seriousness and anxiety and now so much ease and fun. It was amazing. But that popped a question in my mind. What happened to all the competitive struggle now? At the tender age of 15-17, the kids are being made to study so hard, watch every mark they gain or lose, compare with their friends, study study study. So what happens to all that? It has to become a part of your life, how can you come from such a hectic lifestyle and be normal? One gets up daily at 5am for a week or ten days out of compulsion, then you automatically wake at that time, irrespective of the need. It is human nature, we are slaves to our habits. So what happened to all those long study hours and all that thinking of one thing for two years, what replaces it?
My thoughts we interrupted by the loud cursing of the auto driver. Some bike guy cut in front of our auto. That brought me out of my reverie. And I started paying more attention to what was going on around me. An enlightenment dawned upon me. All the competition that was drilled into the students didnt go waste, they were displaying their talent right here on the roads of Hyderabad. Look at the driving here. It is like a race going on. All in a hurry to overtake the other, all in a hurry to reach their destination first. Everyone is in a look-out for a short cut, a gap in the traffic to squeeze in, a bit of pavement to climb on, a small gap in divider to take the turn and talking over cell phones. All the while keeping an eye open for the traffic cop, poor guy he blows whistle and rushes to catch the offender only to see him slip by gracefully.
If beating the traffic is introduced as a sport in Olympics, we from Hyderabad will not only take the gold medal but all the first 10 spots will be ours.
Last time I met he was busy with his studies. He was in his inter first year and joined one of the coaching centres that prepare you for engineering exams. I had just a glimpse of him as he rushed in from his classes and gobbled some food and rushed into his room to study. All that effort paid off and he got seat in an engineering college and now he is in his second year. He looked very relaxed. He started regaling me with the stories of his college and his friends. I really enjoyed the day and my cousin was also very much relieved and relaxed.
On the way back I kept thinking of the change that I noticed at my cousin's home. Two years of seriousness and anxiety and now so much ease and fun. It was amazing. But that popped a question in my mind. What happened to all the competitive struggle now? At the tender age of 15-17, the kids are being made to study so hard, watch every mark they gain or lose, compare with their friends, study study study. So what happens to all that? It has to become a part of your life, how can you come from such a hectic lifestyle and be normal? One gets up daily at 5am for a week or ten days out of compulsion, then you automatically wake at that time, irrespective of the need. It is human nature, we are slaves to our habits. So what happened to all those long study hours and all that thinking of one thing for two years, what replaces it?
My thoughts we interrupted by the loud cursing of the auto driver. Some bike guy cut in front of our auto. That brought me out of my reverie. And I started paying more attention to what was going on around me. An enlightenment dawned upon me. All the competition that was drilled into the students didnt go waste, they were displaying their talent right here on the roads of Hyderabad. Look at the driving here. It is like a race going on. All in a hurry to overtake the other, all in a hurry to reach their destination first. Everyone is in a look-out for a short cut, a gap in the traffic to squeeze in, a bit of pavement to climb on, a small gap in divider to take the turn and talking over cell phones. All the while keeping an eye open for the traffic cop, poor guy he blows whistle and rushes to catch the offender only to see him slip by gracefully.
If beating the traffic is introduced as a sport in Olympics, we from Hyderabad will not only take the gold medal but all the first 10 spots will be ours.
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