1. Choices, Dreams And Destiny:
Where Has The Space For
Creativity Gone?
By Lata Jha

2. Just a choice of 2
• “To beta, aap engineering kar rahe ho? Nahi? To medical?”
• It’s pretty bizarre that random people (who, I may add, have
no other way to while away time) at social gatherings or any
public place, for that matter, ask me questions like these that
have the ability to ruin my day and bring out the nastiest,
angriest and arguably the most anguished in me.
• No, I’m not studying engineering.
• Not because I didn’t have the marks, but because I never
wanted to.
• I also think that people from colleges apart from the IITs of
the world can make something of life.

3. A one way dream?
• While in many respects, we may have come a long way from
the proverbial Indian way of life that for instance, favoured
boys over girls but I’m saddened by how bound we still are to
certain stereotypes.
• Children in many cities like mine and yours are brought up,
knowing each day of their lives that they can dream only one
dream.
• Creativity and experimentation are out of bounds.
• Get an engineering degree, take the UPSC exam, live your
life only this one way.

4. Being different
• I don’t have a problem with engineering and medical
students.
• A lot of my friends are studying those very subjects.
• But I do have a problem with the fact that even today, those
are the only institutes and fields of study that the majority
take seriously.
• Does somebody who qualifies for a National Law University
not deserve as much praise as an IITian?
• Just because he’s chosen to look at cases rather than cars and
chemicals?

5. So many questions
• Does the nation only need engineers and doctors?
• What about providing good media schools to generate
quality press?
• In fact, how about taking journalism as a course a little more
seriously?
• How about according more respect to History, Political
Science and Sociology students who top your UPSC exams?
• Or who go on to become learned teachers at your own
universities?

6. What about the question then of
creativity and individuality?
• I agree it’s about a certain mindset that we’ve lived with since
time immemorial that particular jobs give you security and
stability.
• Aren’t we producing mere clones this way?
• If every child is supposed to take up Science and become an
engineer, irrespective of whether he wants to or if he has the
aptitude for it, what differentiates one from another?
• Or someone truly brilliant from someone who’s been pushed
into it?
• Didn’t you yourself read stories of being brave and holding
one’s own to your children?
• What happened then when he said he wanted to take up
Commerce after the 10th?

7. Just the equality
• I’ve seen friends weep through two years of miserable +2,
when Science didn’t turn out to be their cup of tea.
• Only to take up social science in college.
• What rationale is this? As anguished and cynical as it may
sound, only engineers and doctors cannot make a country.
• You need the actors, the fashion designers, the lawyers, the
accountants, the soldiers and the journalists.
• So while I’m not saying these professions do not deserve
respect, my point is we should learn to value and respect
other jobs just as much.

8. Parents listen please
• I don’t think I’ve made a better decision than my choice of
study in my twenty years.
• And I was fortunate to have parents who completely
understood what I was meant for.
• Which is why, this article that you may find overtly whiny is
more for the parents of the world.
• Under the reams of star filled eyes and a vision for the future.
• I know what it is like when people look down upon and don’t
take seriously your field of study.
• But you live with the faith that you have your parents and
yourself to fall back on.

9. • And you know, if what I say still doesn’t make much sense, go
by the lesson that otherwise grossly over rated film about the
three friends taught us, about following your heart, running
after excellence, not success.
• And success will come following the trail.

10. • Read more on Youth Ki Awaaz