My Life

Just wrote this article for Mom's school magazine:

Hello! My name is Ravi. I am 8 years old and I study in class 3. I love dancing. When I grow up, I want to become a dancer. I have won the best dancer award twice in my school’s Annual Day function. Yesterday only I requested my father for his permission to join regular dance classes near our home. He told me joining regular classes this year won’t be a good idea as it would affect my studies. He thought it was important for me to retain my First position in class which could entitle me to get scholarship next year. Although he suggested that I join the dance classes during vacation time. I thought next year if I get scholarship, may be father would let me join the classes.

I am in class 6. Studies are getting tougher. There are unit tests, mid-term exams, and end term exams to attend which doesn’t leave me with much time to watch TV, play cricket with my friends, participate in extra-curricular activities or pursue my hobby which is dancing. I have not been able to join dance classes yet as father wants me to maintain topper’s position in school. He got quite upset last year when I came second in my class. I hope to get good marks this year. I want to make my father proud.

I have entered my teens and life seems to be changing a bit. Apart from dealing with the difficult course of class 9 and special classes for next year’s Board exam, managing parents’ expectations is also becoming a tough task. I want more freedom and space, which they are not able to understand. Father wants me to join the coaching classes for IIT entrance examination which I don’t really want to do. He says my future would be secure if I become an engineer and I would have many job options. Although I am a bright student till date, I have never really loved studying. I did it only to make my parents happy. Dancing is my passion and I really want to take it forward but I haven’t got any professional guidance in this field. So I am not sure if I can really make my career in dancing.
Today I got a well paying job in an MNC. Passing out from IIT, Delhi did help me in getting a good job relatively easily as always indicated by my father. No doubt, getting into IIT and sailing through the 4-year ordeal was no child’s play. I don’t know if I would be able to apply my knowledge of engineering subjects at job. All that matters is my parents are the happiest souls on earth now. Even I am happy for them but when I am with myself, I often wonder how my life would have been as a dancer. May be I would have earned less and may be I would have had to struggle lot more to get into the limelight. Would it have been worth it? I don’t know and I would never know now. May be I would have been happier and more content. Who knows…

Comments

Shambhavi said…
like your thoughts... but maybe a bit more on the restlessness of the boy cud have been captured.. (in my opinion)
1:51 AM
lazydeeps said…
Even I wanted to elaborate more on the feelings of the guy. However, I was limited by space restrictions of one page in the magazine.
5:17 AM
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