Down but back again

I was having  pretty much a great week,I got decent grades in competitive exams , my mom was happy that my admission was secure and my dad was trying his best to look happy. I was partying with friends to celebrate the fact that those horrible things in life called examinations were finally over.My paternal grandmother  was having a knee replacement surgery in Hyderabad , both my parents had to go there in order to look after her & my maternal grandmother wanted a holiday with her cousins in Australia ,look at these old people,I write the exams and they get the holiday. 
So that leaves me.If you are sympathizing that I didn't  get a holiday ,don’t. 
Ladies and gentlemen I was going to have the entire house for myself . I could call all my friends and party,well at-least that’s what I thought I would do, until that fateful night

I had this crazy idea to go to a nearby ice-cream parlor at 11 pm in the night. That wasn't necessarily crazy part . I wanted to drive there in the car like a cool guy,Now that was a crazy idea considering that I had no license and that I had been attending driving school only for a week now .I did think it was crazy idea even then,what if I made a mistake and something went wrong. That’s when I saw this Albert Einstein quote that was on my wall “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. “.
I smiled. I went through the streets like a thief ,afraid that the police would get me, but how could they? I give infiltration a new meaning . It would take the Indian police another 10 years to catch me! I reached the parlor , I got out and locked my door using the door lock. The car was quite old and the key lock was not completely functional so we always locked the door from inside. I smiled as I walked, thinking of what to have and was caught in a mental debate between french fries and sandwich.Sandwich is 60 rupees fries is 50 rupees. After a lot of consideration I declared fries the winner.

I checked my pockets on a whim just to see if I had the money.House keys? –check, wallet?-check ,discount coupon? check. Car keys? Where were the car keys?oh mother of god.! I knew where the car keys were, they were in the car, but with the door locked!

No need to panic I told myself desperately. Of course I needed to panic,think about the mess I was in. For the next one hour I tried opening the car door in as many ways there were.People passing by looked at me like I were a mad person trying to steal someone’s car.

One of them actually remarked "Look at that kid trying to steal the car when he doesn't have a license to even drive”. I turned at the lady.and gave her a cold stare. I sat on the platform & started to think.

This is how my thought process would go-“ OK what if I break the door,use my pocket money I have and get it fixed tomorrow, no Amma will find out & then they will kill me, I will be scolded and banned from every outing I would have wanted. No I cannot risk that . This vacation is too precious. I still have four more movies that I wanted to watch in addition to that 2 more ice cream coupons…cant let go of all, that….,Idiot,focus on the problem in hand” that’s when I remembered  another quote  Albert Einstein " Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction.”

I reached one important conclusion that minute –‘I needed to go home,leaving the car like this? "Who could possibly steal the car…" I thought "I am the owner and I couldn't open it…how would a thief with average  brains do it? Well if I stayed I could perhaps find out how to steal a locked car" I went home and thought very carefully and I couldn't think of anything…"tic toc tic toc…the clock went on and on….oh god couldn't they have a digital clock? It was 5 am in the morning & my parents were coming back that evening …and they wanted to go out as well……  great!" I thought carefully and  ran out on all ideas

Finally I called my mom at 8 in the morning "hey amma just wanted to ask u about  some problem my friend has”…I explained my situation in a third person’s view and believe me she did'nt guess that it was actually me who was in trouble. "Has your friend tried using the duplicate ?" Wait a second ,why did I not think of that? I thanked my mom and ended the call

Problem solved I just needed a duplicate….but wait ,where is the duplicate?I did not have the answer to that question…but I felt I was in a better position than I was before …I thought carefully. I couldn't search the entire house and sort it back within the given time.

I made a call and they were at my service ,friends to the rescue…they laughed their fullest when they heard my story but they helped me.

Within 3 hours I had the duplicate, I guess my parents weren't that good in hide and seek …
they hid the key in a pretty obvious location,in a key bunch…..maybe not…because they didn't anticipate me to do the crazy thing I did . I got the car back

And I treated my friends to ice cream .There is a incredible feeling you get when you solve a math problem . Today I was experiencing that for solving one of the toughest situations I had been

That evening my parents were back, we went to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate my grandmothers recovery from that surgery.As my dad parked the car and was closing the door he commented “Stupid door ,we need to lock it from the inside” and I smiled “yeah, I know” 

Wonder how sometimes we feel totally hopeless about our life's , but when we carefully think about it. We realize its not totally hopeless .There is always a solution to every problem ..all we need is the immense desire to find it… after all Albert Einstein did  once say “ Admist ever problem lies opportunity”

One of a kind

Aravind had just got his board exam results .He made it! His parents were elated that their son had performed well. Aravind expected the rest of his holidays to be just fun. That evening his father calls him for a small chat. Aravind is surprised to find his entire family there. His dad asks him “So what have you thought about your future?". Aravind  is just a 10^th pass out, little does he know about what he wants to do. “I think engineering is a good option“ the uncle chips in. “although if he wants to take medicine is also fine” comments his aunt. “I have even given him an option of pursuing commerce, provided he is willing to try for C.A or law “ comments his dad. The entire family nods on the wide variety of choices they have provided this young 15 year old. They  call themselves generous for giving him so many choices and comment how that did not happen back in their time. What does he like to study? A big question for a 15 year old. Do we actually like what we study? Yes we do score an 90% in the subject…But do we actually like it? We have no answer for that question. We study because that is our subject and it is important to score marks in examinations .And why is that? Because our parents are experts in creating hell like simulations during holidays if we don’t.

Fast forward ten years later

The kid does become an mechanical engineering graduate from one of the so many universities in the country. And he is now placed in Infosys. What is a mechanical engineer doing in an IT job? No answer. So why did he study mechanical engineering in the first place? Because his amazing family told him that it was the best choice. So what does his family tell when he is in the IT job? Suddenly they disappear .The 24 year old has to now decide on what to do  with himself. This is the story of many engineers that dwell in our country. They don’t realize what they want in the appropriate age and by the time they realize that its too late. Family  does give advice when one is in an excellent position …But when you are stuck in that job you don’t want to be in , they just aren't there to get you out of that mess. Parents will blame all of it on failures in the past(which would be as old as not clearing an entrance exam)and the rest of the family including the so knowledgeable aunt and uncle will either shift their focus to the next generation(whose life is more interesting because the just passed out of school,and there is a lot more to advice ) or will end up consoling the poor parents . And who will console this 24 year old , the guy who actually lost everything in this whole melodrama? Nobody! .So whose fault is it that the boy lost out on his career. Family? No.They forced him to a limited career options because they knew that the scope to get a job in any other field in this country is low. The boy? No.he was just following instructions.

So whose fault is it?

It’s the education system in our country. Starting from preschool to collage everything in this country is faulty. The first thing parents teach their children is not to lie. The second they teach is “if that uncle calls tell I am not there”. It is simple. Indian education system does not give the slightest idea to a student on what he wants . They teach a lot of things. But never what they mean …only what is required, and often what is required is what comes in the exam.

Let me explain

A teacher in the Indian classroom first explains the theory completely. They give statements like “learning is important. Focus on the concept and nothing else”. And the next statement they give will be “take down important questions for exam”. In addition to this parents will make sure that the kid studies these questions with extra care. When the kid actually gets the question ‘so how is this used in daily life’ the teacher would reply “don’t ask silly questions and distract the class” and the parents would say “shut up and study”.

So at the end of formal education, the state of a student’s brain is as follows -

Creativity –destroyed,

 Application-destroyed,

 And memory-completely functional and exam ready.

Why is that most of the inventing takes place abroad? Why is that Indian students prefer to give an GRE to  a GATE? Because there is no research and development? No its because India does not encourage creativity. They prefer grades to genuine creativity and ability to apply. Why is that IIT’s are not the best in the world? Because of infrastructure? No! Because they are institutions that are formed on the above principle.

How does one get into IIT?Does one have to be intelligent, creative and possess enormous application skills? Its not that complicated, quiet simple actually, lock yourself with books and have the least interest in life. And yes one more thing, there will be a whole lot of coaching centers giving you material. Solve it .Sit with books for 18 hours a day for two years of your life. And at the end of it your reward is that your parents will be temporarily happy with you or rather as long as your grades in IIT don’t drop.

In this entire mess, a pathetic excuse of an education system ,does natural talent, creativity or application have a place? Nope.

Why is our country not that good at sports(with cricket as an exception)?Is it because we  have no talent? No it’s because those prodigies are now perusing engineering or medicine or commerce. Why don’t we have as many Nobel laureates as other countries ? Because we have no brains? No because we refuse to use them .We are happy as long as we get into a good collage followed by good job with good salary.

This is the harsh reality of our education system. So is there no hope for students in india?Not quiet

Friends, if you know what you want pursue it at all costs. And if you don’t ,explore all fields thereby discover yourself.

Depending on what you want ,family may discourage you .But. listen to no one but your heart. Live life to your fullest. Live it with no regrets. Write your own destiny and be one of a kind…

  

Down and dusted but not out

“Life is not a bed of roses, there is no shortcut to success, school until now has been like vacation, its time for some serious work” seriously, vacation?That is the worst metaphor one could use to describe exams ,homework ,assignments ,and teachers. But that was my parents to me in 9^th grade    Welcome to my world.

I did my schooling in PSBB school,Chennai and currently pursuing my B-tech in Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology.Wondering how I got there?, let me explain

When it came to academics I was an good student maintaining constant at 80%,I managed to clear IIT coaching entrance test in 8th ,and that’s when the entire equation changed …subjects  became harder…coaching and schooling ..handling both of them was like maintaining two girlfriends at the same time…. The result was that I scored poorly. “life is not a bed of roses …there is no shortcut to success…its time you sat and studied…”.i remember my dad saying

In the summer  I  devised a strategy and decided I needed tutions to help me out .Then came the exam that creates fear in the hearts of many students-the boards. I cleared it with a score of 92 percent. Fame came along with the nice markes. Relatives who would originally not care who I was, were now seeking advice on how do perform well. I had my share of fun in telling them how hard it is to study and how easily I had done it However I also realized my dad was right..things were getting serious.it was no longer a vacation

But I thought life was going to be easy now that I have done well in the exams. Little did I know that the 10^th exam was only the trailer of what lay ahead…

I wrote coaching entrances  and cleared them too. I knew that handling coaching and school would be tough but life gave me no choice .The only way to get into a proper college in this system was to either have an astronomically high board exam score ,or clear entrance exams. There was a third choice called management quota by which I could get a decent collage. But it would mean that my parents would have to pay exorbitant amounts as donation ,so I joined a coaching class and started preparing . My 11^th std went decently well. I was doing well even in the coaching class. And then came 12^{th std.} I don’t know Greek or Latin .But I do know this , that those two languages would sound pretty similar to how physics and chemistry sounded to me back then .My scores were terrible…I barely passed the subjects…I stooped coaching class and decided to save my skin in the board exam first. I had failed the quarterly and half yearly . I couldn't understand any of the concepts. Then to my rescue came  brilliant teachers. They taught me my subjects from scratch . Math it was hard to find a teachers so I had to handle the subject myself….by pre-boards I had raised myself to 60 percent in all 3 subjects & then came the board exams. I did well in physics and chemistry and showed the world how not to do a math paper . Board exams got over,many people advised my parents to pay management quota in some collage or the other. My parents were worried . I felt ashamed that I put them in such a fix. Imagine if the entire crowed other than the top 20% in the school go and buy a seat in some college or the other and the parents of these students also advising other parents to do the same and your own parents are rather desperate and scared for taking the risk . I knew physics and chemistry would be in 80s and also knew that math would be in 50s . So there wasn't much I could hope from the boards .The situation was not exactly in my favor . I had lost almost everything .Then came my wild card -entrance exams

I worked hard & I was determined to clear at least one entrance exam.

Exam after exam ,my rank got better and my confidence gained in spirit, I failed 3 entrances but managed to clear two , SRM and Manipal were now within my reach

I was offered civil in main Manipal which Is located in Karnataka but I wanted ECE which was offered only in Sikkim and Jaipur branches. I chose the course and not the college and thus got myself admitted in Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology. Several people asked me why I chose Sikkim and honestly even I don’t know, but I can tell you this ,that I don’t regret it. I lost on quite a lot in my 12^th but I  learnt many a lesson that will guide me through life . I am now an engineering student from the branch of electronics and communication from Sikkim Manipal Institute Of Technology 

Last December I remember my dad saying “Collage must be hard ,but I am glad to see you maintaining your grades” and I replied ”not at all ,its more like a vacation”

It true life is a bed of roses ,don’t let anyone tell you differently, but it is up to us to pick the thorns out

Mistakes are made by everybody, but the secret to success lies in the retrospection that follows .

I did not succeed in half the entrances that I wrote,but all the same I did not loose faith in what I was capable of.

Most people end up depressed after they realize that they did not clear any entrance exams that their parents wanted them to.They end up so depressed that they begin to doubt their own abilities & with the existing mentality of many families in India most of them conclude that they are fit for nothing

A person does not become an idiot for not clearing JEE or AIEEE. But a person does become an idiot when he loses faith in himself,when he doubts his own abilities.

Believe in yourself,believe in what you can achieve when you put your mind to work.Because the opinion of others on your life does mot matter,but your opinion does. Because you may be down and dusted but not out,not until you give up