INDImag – Contemporary fiction | Motivational short stories | Social stories | Short story criticism

If a kid comes up to a middle aged, middle class father and declares he wants to be a cricketer, what do you think the father needs to do ? More importantly, what does a typical aam baap do ? Or let’s humor a 16 year old daughter chasing the celluloid dream. Sure, there’s a Pathan, a Dhoni, a Madhuri or even a Rakhi Sawant who did make it and are doing what they love ; not what they are forced by circumstances to opt for less than preferred occupation to elk out a living.

The prevailing dogma in the intelligentsia these days, is of disgust and rage at a typical parent who may stand up to a situation like above and insist their wards make a saner choice. Creative occupation does not guarantee a bad pay, they argue. But how many hoarding painters have become an MF Hussain ?

If India were NOT all that she is and riddled with her issues, they may have a point. A 50 year old house wife in USA can switch from raising pigs to coding in PHP. They have a support system that makes it plausible. You think we can do that back home ?

I would like to be the devil’s advocate here and argue against the elitistic dogma for the common man. They seem to forget that the coin has two sides; They are way too absorbed with the tales of horror, of parents forcing the decisions down their children’s throat, quite a few of which, I’m sure, are true. But what’s the motive ?

I for one am glad my parents gave me some semblance of a direction. You are 16-18 and need to make one of *the major* decisions of your life, and you expect to have the breadth of experience and the sense to make a well qualified decision on your own? I know for a fact that I would have messed up. I’m sure there are many, like me, who are glad their parents challenged them; coaxed them; cajoled them to do better and aim high. I rebelled against my father till I was 21, just to realize he was true on most counts and I was a self absorbed, unfrateful bonehead.

I sure understand and appreciate people who chase their true calling and succeed. In India, its a tall order; not so much in the USA. India, unlike the west, almost never extends a second chance. Bad decisions follow you like a shadow. Infosyses of these days go over your scripts from 10th grade up damn it! If your are from a middle class family, parents are working overtime to put bread on the table, they are pawning their life’s savings or house to put you thru college. So they better be sure they are not supporting an empty pipe dream. Especially, if there are two more in the wings, in high school. We are talking of an aam admi in India, sans 401K, sans 529 plans and one, whose retired life is at the mercy of his child’s well being in the society. So, to paint an Indian parent red with guilt for being practical is not so fair, I think. Sure we can wallow in self-pity and lament at the state of affairs of our country and how it should have been ideally; try taking that idealistic thought to the market and see how many eggs you can buy. People cannot wait till India changes, if it ever does; They cannot put their decisions on the back burner and wait for the mess to abate. Their plans need to be right-now plans, not a panchasheel yojana that does not see the light of the day. In many a cases, there is a pip to the post between a father’s retirement and his child’s graduation and landing a job.

Apparently, many of us have done well, some, in creative arenas too. For each of you creative geniuses who choiced the path you chose and became successful, I’m sure there are 10 others who were determined to pursue a creative path they loved, they did, and are ruing their current state. I can hear very many of these folks lamenting ‘I was stupid, why did my parents not know better ?’ Quite a few of these folks *also* attempt suicides like the 16 year olds pressured by the parents. The only difference is, much later in life, after they are in a financial mess with a family in tow. To say everyone who chases his or her dream will do well or rather be happy is extremely myopic and not always true.

Of course there are situations where creative inkling is nurtured and encouraged and does payoff well financially. In many of those situations, the child is usually well provided for and can afford to take the chance. A rich parent, being born in the west are some instances where following your dream is a lot more sane. But in India, it’s a mirage in thar…

These notions of how India *needs* to provide for it’s teenagers, the luxury of varied choices and creative outflows are great to entertain when you’re round tummy is filled with a square meal; you are in the lap of your warm recliner typing away on your laptop. Try an empty stomach, a middle class family who have gone thru the throes of hardships year after year and strive see the light of the day, when, they too have respect and have made it….

Money can’t buy happiness, but neither can poverty. But poverty can almost always guarantee you misery…

@ Copyrights Athreya

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