Coming of Age !!!

Well......Well......Well......All is well !!!!
Come to think of it and it sounds just too predictable and cliche at the same time: "Dear child, study first, later on if you have time then go to play."
This was the most sought after lingo for all moms around town, until recently.
As the famous saying goes in Hindi, "Padhoge likhoge banoge Nawab, Kheloge Kudoge banoge kharab...!!" Not anymore....I guess....!!!!

Over the last decade we have had a whole lot of opportunities for a child who wants to pursue any sport of his choice as a career; be it Cricket (most wanted these days), Tennis, Soccer, or indoor sports like Chess, Carrom, etc; and thankfully not at the cost of his/her studies...!!!
These two crucial facets of life are always compared in our scenario and have always been at loggerheads with each other in any average child's life. But why ???? I dare ask. Are we fair in this comparison. How can any parent/guardian justify a safe/secure career option for his child by brainwashing his raw instinct and aspirations, putting studies first and everything else later ???

Before you start thinking too much....Let me specify here....Education is very important for any person to grow....But is formal education enough to guarantee a job that someone probably does not want to do ??? But is forced to do at the behest of a "secure" career option. Is this the only essence of life, that we are looking at for our children ??? What if someone is good at painting and wants to take it up as a career, will he/she be happy working as an accountant ??? Not even at gunpoint, if it were ME !!! Lolz.....!!!

Example: A new born baby boy at 5.15 am, and around 5.16 am his father proudly says..."My son will become an engineer, graduate from IIT and work in US !!! (Aka: 3 Idiots)" Well.....pity that the baby cannot respond to this...!!! If he could, then his most natural response according to me should be: Dad, can someone of you please put on my nappies as I have another 3-4 years to start my schooling and another 10-12 years to start my college ????

I mean come on guys (parents)......Relaxxxx......Allow your child to grow himself.....give him all the options in this world and leave it to him to choose one of them....!!! Please do not enforce your experience on him.....He will soon have his own experience in life......let him have it......You will not pay him monthly remuneration if he fulfills "your" dream. He will only be successful if he fulfills his own dream.....So, let him come to that stage and dream of it atleast....!!!!
Whoooooffff......Need some fresh air....!!!!

Its a relief that with the passage of time we have more and more money coming in all kinds of sport. At the end of the day, "Its all about money, honey!!!" Parents will only allow their children to take a sport which has all the money in the world...!!!
Welll, taking an example of the most popular sport which every average child follows in India: You guessed it right......CRICKET...!!!

With sponsors, business houses, ad revenues all coming in, we can boast of the fact that it is now a full fledged career option. (Wellll atleast to run the show for 10-15 years if someone gets in......post which he will have everything in abundance and a chance to use his hard earned moolah in an effective way to run his life beyond that point....!!!)
And with all premier leagues coming in every youngster now has a chance to prove his mettle.
"Just as the proof of the pudding is in its TASTE.......The essence of LIFE is in the JOURNEY and not the DESTINATION.....!!!"
Thank god Sachin's mom did not force him to study further.....!!! Lolz.

Life is not too complicated...................and too short to make it complicated.
Live it simple, keep it simple, stick to the basics, and you will get what you deserve !!!
Any profession that you take will have challenges/milestones. So might as well take up something that you are passionate about so that you can live up to those expectations !!!
The ultimate satisfaction that you can get today is realizing where you wanna go....your path to success !!! This won't come if you get better grades all through your school/college life; this would come to you if you sit down, take a deep breath and analyze......out of all the options.....which one you wanna take.....!!!

And remember all parents: Don't ever bother about peer pressure, social pressure or any other pressure on your child......If you leave him/her free, he/she will rise out of everything and give it back to you......!!!!
Today's youth have indeed come of age.....They have what it takes to challenge themselves.....their aspirations.....they are well equipped and can cope with pressure much better then what their parents would ever imagine......!!!
And I have realized it is so very important to ask questions, to be a rebel, to "think out of the box" as they say in management circles.....!!! It only helps an individual to evolve....!!!!

With this I wanna sign off this post.......Till the next post........Stay cool, stay healthy, and keep it simple........to make your LIFE JINGALALA......!!!!

adios,
Sameer Karna