Growth Vs Results 


Every year, when the results of different examinations come, a disturbing question haunts me. Is it that in the process of becoming “toppers”, have we lost something truly valuable for leading a meaningful life? Or is it that over-ambitious parents reducing their children into some sort of “investment”, and coaching centers selling them as fancy “brands” have heavily pampered them, and made it almost impossible for them to realize that there is something more in life than what this market-driven age regards as measurable “success”? And who could prevent these television anchors from projecting these youngsters as some sort of “gurus” advising their contemporaries on how to be “focused” and “successful”?

Don't you think a student ought to have a sense of wonder in her/his eyes? It is only this wonder that can expand their horizon, activate their curiosity, and inspire them to enter the domain of science and poetry, history and geography, or music and philosophy. However, the irony is the prevalent practice of education characterized by regimented schools and utilitarian coaching centers kills these qualities quite early in the life of a student. How can there be "wonder" if right from nursery classes the children of the aspiring class are instructed to internalize that everything has already been decided for them — say, “A” means America, “I” is IIT, and “M” is MBA? Or, for that matter, how can they be encouraged to ask new questions relating to culture, ethics, and modes of living, if they are continually pressurized to believe in the narrative of one-dimensional existence, to live is to be hyper-competitive,  to live is to defeat others, and go ahead, and to live is to worship money? It is said that the pattern of education we have normalized does not allow a flower to bloom, instead, it is only about “strategic learning” and “success formula”. No wonder, in a society that worships the visibility of “success”, these heavily pampered “toppers” often lose a sense of humility, the ability to realize that everybody, including those who have “failed”, has a story to tell.

Recently, While watching a television interview with a topper, Apart from following the school routine, he goes to seven private tutors, he spends almost 10 to 12 hours every day for his study, and he does not have many friends because he does not “waste” his time. The system has killed his childhood, his wonderful adolescent days, and his joy and wonder. In his mental landscape, no tree whispers, no river that tells a story, and there is no sunrise, no sunset. Is it that our “toppers” are becoming like robotic performers measuring the “utility” of every fragment of a second for solving a physics numerical, or enhancing the speed of ticking “correct” answers in the OMR sheet? Will, there be a day when a topper enchants us through his/her dreams like "Satyajit Ray fascinates me, I too wish to become a filmmaker”; or “Medha Patkar and Sunderlal Bahuguna inspire me, and I want to work for sustainable development and ecological balance”; or “Professor C V Raman and Professor S N Bose are my role models, and I want to become a scientist.” No, it has not yet happened. Instead, almost like a parrot, a “topper”, it seems, would repeat the tales of the same standardized ambition: “I want to become a doctor or an engineer". This standardization frightens me. It is unfortunate to see them without rebelliousness & without alternative imagination.

What kind of society have we created? For us, religion is nothing but loud and demonstrative ritualism, a sort of identity marker; patriotism is a violent gesture towards the invented “enemies” of the nation; mainstream politics is devoid of the slightest trace of ethics, and gross inequality is normalized. As creative dissenters are sent to jail, everything is turned into its opposite: Vice into virtue, ugliness into beauty, or narcissism into humility, and finally the Ed Tech companies with their magical “success manuals” hypnotize the middle class; and the assembly line of the “toppers” reveals the hollowness of this life-killing race.