Education, profession and passion

Right from our childhood we’ve heard and went through this first word of the title. The great Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar said शिक्षण हे वाघीणचे दूध आहे.(Education is like a tigresses’ milk). He meant that it instills a sense of self-righteousness and empowers us to stand on our own. This is the profound belief behind education, more so. The Indian education system starts with a balwadi or Shishu gat sophistically called the kindergarten. The end of all this is decided by hope, ability and economy of oneself.

The erstwhile pioneers in education right from Mahatma Jotiba Phule and Dhondo Keshav Karve started the schools and universities as centers of learning. The revered female educationists like Savitribai Phule and Ramabai Ranade too will not remain behind the curtains of history, strived for female literacy. Those father figures still instill hope and faith in education. They are the sources of inspiration for us to get ourselves educated and know why. Lokmanya Tilak was ‘for’ education in English. He only insisted for a course that would be for Indians by Indians and not by the British.

In today's date, there is paradigm shift in education and the subsequent choices we make. The education we pursue need not necessarily be between the four walls of an entity called a school or college. Nor it should be in rigid specified stages like ladder steps. (Precisely those stages are called the so called ‘academia’.) It should be like building blocks, the blocks we choose to construct and build what we want to. Also, if we have sufficient time to think of getting to know what we like to do, we should take it. Sometimes, it happens that we stumble upon wrong decisions in life, it happens.

Getting into a profession of healthy worth is what education is for. Sometimes, it forms the B-plan for many who have other passion to pursue. Yes, you heard it right. The passion and education that we seek need not be similar or related. Over the period of our mental growth, our choices develop and we try to knurl them based on our own likes. He who has passion and profession alike, they say is the luckiest one! But that is not the case amongst most of ‘em.

The coup sometimes and ire that we face is tremendous and it does affect our present and not future. The reason being that, getting to know what we like to do is very important when it comes to growing by virtue of passion and not by time and choice.  I believe in people who lead normal lives and no hedge-fund managers and software magnates. One thing is for sure we are not bound to read or inspire through their illustrious struggles. The struggle should be worth what we love to do and not merely taken for granted.

Circumstances make us do what we haven’t decided to. These stand-up comedians inspire me more than any other bombastic inspirations. For, their struggle is only meant to make others laugh and it is well-defined and hard. One of them-named Abish Mathews,(yes that dwarf guy !!) says, “One for the kitchen and one for the soul”, meaning thereby that profession earns you well so that we can fuel our passion. There’s another one called ‘the Zakir Khan’( fond of this lad!), says, “We should have one some passion in our life. If our profession falters us, the former comes to our rescue!”

Having said that, it is good to have a goal in our life. Keep it to yourself, and work on it every single day. Don’t brag about what you love. For what you don’t you have the right! But, at the end of the day what matters is what you done for what you love. You don’t have a zeal for something you’re struggling, it culminates into crass. Sit tight, think and act for what we like. Because now is the time that we don’t make a mockery of ourselves. Kal kisne dekha hai bhai…!!