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Being part of the Indian Society can be a little difficult for students and more difficult if one belongs to an average middle class family. When stakes are high and competition is stiff, most parents expect nothing but good grades and top performance from their children. Unfortunately, the Indian education system is designed in a way that it leaves little scope for a student to have ample leisure time or an opportunity to explore their options and provides maximum stress.
While growing up in this same society I was asked a countless number of times, "What do you want to become?" and "Where do you want to work when you grow up?" I never seemed to come up with a satisfying answer. I always stumbled to find words; not because I did have any convictions or goals but I was bemused over the fact that people who were not certain of what would happen in the coming few days would stressed so much about knowing what I wanted to become twenty years later. This peculiar adult idiosyncrasy was beyond my understanding. This was precisely where I was at a great loss.
By the end of tenth grade, almost everyone around me had some idea of what they were heading towards. The same friends I spent so much of my time, had decided what they wanted to do and study. The doors were closing in on me and time was running out. I had to choose. After weeks of thinking and discussion with my parents, I let my parents choose for me. Yes, a seemingly simple but grave mistake.
My parents enrolled me in a pre-college engineering prep class. I did fine for a few months. But eventually, it became toxic for me. I did not enjoy studying what my parents chose. Hence, I spent the next couple of my crucial high school months wallowing with the guilt of having chosen something I did not like and letting my parents down. I was trapped. Then through the dark clouds of despair came my savior - maybe not as dramatically but yes almost close.
It was the cold and drab winter of my junior year, which to my surprise was complementing the nature of my rather bleak mood patterns at that time. My cousins wanted to watch a movie. So we decided on watching '3 Idiots'. It was then I met Rancho, the film's protagonist. Rancho is definitely a great sobriquet to the ridiculously long name - 'Ranchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad'. But like the simplified version of his name, Rancho's outlook towards life was just as forthright and uncomplicated. His genuine and free-spirited nature appealed to me greatly. Yes, Rancho inspired me.
According to Rancho, if you love something, chances are that you will do the best in it without doubt. Life on screen is definitely all sugar-coated and candy floss especially if it's a corny Bollywood movie. But it was the message that Rancho passed on made it absolutely beautiful. I had wasted months trying to talk myself into doing something I never enjoyed. The guilt of letting my parents down was enormous. The fact that it was my fault for not taking a stance made it worse. Rancho helped me overcome all. A free spirited individual, Rancho was driven by the passion to learn. He loved innovation and invention. His simplistic and novel approach seemed deviant from all conventional norms. Hence, many skeptic people around him called him an 'Idiot'. But the sly comments did not mar him down. He was proud to be an 'Idiot'.
So I realized that all this while I had made my own life so difficult. It was because I was afraid to choose. Doing something I did not enjoy, I came to my senses and moved a step closer to finding something that I had always loved - Biology. Why was it difficult for me to make a simple decision earlier? Well, should I blame the Indian society for this? Or should I put the blame on my parents? Or just the frizzled mixture of hormones that impaired me reasoning? I cannot put the blame on either. Through Rancho's vision I learnt that it is best to choose something in which you can best invest your time and energy, no matter how great or small the returns. I would like to quote him here - "Pursue excellence and success will fall at your feet".
It requires great amount of courage to stand up to your own decisions and convictions. Everything seems easy when you're the part of the crowd as a follower. Because things have already been explored and paths have already been discovered. One does not require extra effort to venture out and find new routes. These are the perks of being a follower. But on the other hand, competition is greater and resources are limited in such areas. It was Rancho who made me aware that it is not stupid to stray away from the herd if that's where my happiness lay. Rancho made me bolder to stand up to my convictions. He helped gain courage to face my parents and tell them that I wished to do something different. He helped me to think freely. He made me realize that I can choose to view my world in two ways - one, as the rest of the world sees it and the other, as I see it.
In retrospect I would add that all of us have a bit of Rancho in us. All of us want to be free and uninhibited. All of us desire to do something we love. Why do we forget that as children we wished to astronomers, paleontologists, painters or writers? As we grew up society made us weigh the pros and cons of every single action we took. We became more rational and tended to choose things that gave us the best returns. Rancho helped me get rid of these stereotyped beliefs.
So all we need is a little push, to bring out the little Rancho in us. I have grown into a more sensible, motivated and confident person since the previous winter. I have realized my mistakes and have tried my best to learn from them. And all credit goes to Rancho for opening my eyes. I wish I could say someone as great as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Teresa influenced me. But I can't. It was Rancho who pulled me out from the bleak void. I now approach life and other things with greater zest and courage. And if this makes me an 'Idiot', I don't mind being called one.
THANKS FOR READING!! =)
Was it anywhere near interesting to read?
Being part of the Indian Society can be a little difficult for students and more difficult if one belongs to an average middle class family. When stakes are high and competition is stiff, most parents expect nothing but good grades and top performance from their children. Unfortunately, the Indian education system is designed in a way that it leaves little scope for a student to have ample leisure time or an opportunity to explore their options and provides maximum stress.
While growing up in this same society I was asked a countless number of times, "What do you want to become?" and "Where do you want to work when you grow up?" I never seemed to come up with a satisfying answer. I always stumbled to find words; not because I did have any convictions or goals but I was bemused over the fact that people who were not certain of what would happen in the coming few days would stressed so much about knowing what I wanted to become twenty years later. This peculiar adult idiosyncrasy was beyond my understanding. This was precisely where I was at a great loss.
By the end of tenth grade, almost everyone around me had some idea of what they were heading towards. The same friends I spent so much of my time, had decided what they wanted to do and study. The doors were closing in on me and time was running out. I had to choose. After weeks of thinking and discussion with my parents, I let my parents choose for me. Yes, a seemingly simple but grave mistake.
My parents enrolled me in a pre-college engineering prep class. I did fine for a few months. But eventually, it became toxic for me. I did not enjoy studying what my parents chose. Hence, I spent the next couple of my crucial high school months wallowing with the guilt of having chosen something I did not like and letting my parents down. I was trapped. Then through the dark clouds of despair came my savior - maybe not as dramatically but yes almost close.
It was the cold and drab winter of my junior year, which to my surprise was complementing the nature of my rather bleak mood patterns at that time. My cousins wanted to watch a movie. So we decided on watching '3 Idiots'. It was then I met Rancho, the film's protagonist. Rancho is definitely a great sobriquet to the ridiculously long name - 'Ranchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad'. But like the simplified version of his name, Rancho's outlook towards life was just as forthright and uncomplicated. His genuine and free-spirited nature appealed to me greatly. Yes, Rancho inspired me.
According to Rancho, if you love something, chances are that you will do the best in it without doubt. Life on screen is definitely all sugar-coated and candy floss especially if it's a corny Bollywood movie. But it was the message that Rancho passed on made it absolutely beautiful. I had wasted months trying to talk myself into doing something I never enjoyed. The guilt of letting my parents down was enormous. The fact that it was my fault for not taking a stance made it worse. Rancho helped me overcome all. A free spirited individual, Rancho was driven by the passion to learn. He loved innovation and invention. His simplistic and novel approach seemed deviant from all conventional norms. Hence, many skeptic people around him called him an 'Idiot'. But the sly comments did not mar him down. He was proud to be an 'Idiot'.
So I realized that all this while I had made my own life so difficult. It was because I was afraid to choose. Doing something I did not enjoy, I came to my senses and moved a step closer to finding something that I had always loved - Biology. Why was it difficult for me to make a simple decision earlier? Well, should I blame the Indian society for this? Or should I put the blame on my parents? Or just the frizzled mixture of hormones that impaired me reasoning? I cannot put the blame on either. Through Rancho's vision I learnt that it is best to choose something in which you can best invest your time and energy, no matter how great or small the returns. I would like to quote him here - "Pursue excellence and success will fall at your feet".
It requires great amount of courage to stand up to your own decisions and convictions. Everything seems easy when you're the part of the crowd as a follower. Because things have already been explored and paths have already been discovered. One does not require extra effort to venture out and find new routes. These are the perks of being a follower. But on the other hand, competition is greater and resources are limited in such areas. It was Rancho who made me aware that it is not stupid to stray away from the herd if that's where my happiness lay. Rancho made me bolder to stand up to my convictions. He helped gain courage to face my parents and tell them that I wished to do something different. He helped me to think freely. He made me realize that I can choose to view my world in two ways - one, as the rest of the world sees it and the other, as I see it.
In retrospect I would add that all of us have a bit of Rancho in us. All of us want to be free and uninhibited. All of us desire to do something we love. Why do we forget that as children we wished to astronomers, paleontologists, painters or writers? As we grew up society made us weigh the pros and cons of every single action we took. We became more rational and tended to choose things that gave us the best returns. Rancho helped me get rid of these stereotyped beliefs.
So all we need is a little push, to bring out the little Rancho in us. I have grown into a more sensible, motivated and confident person since the previous winter. I have realized my mistakes and have tried my best to learn from them. And all credit goes to Rancho for opening my eyes. I wish I could say someone as great as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Teresa influenced me. But I can't. It was Rancho who pulled me out from the bleak void. I now approach life and other things with greater zest and courage. And if this makes me an 'Idiot', I don't mind being called one.
THANKS FOR READING!! =)
Was it anywhere near interesting to read?
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