I was in khaki shirt and shorts – Navy Blue and Yellow Belt and a similar looking tie, a short “summer” crop of hair well-combed, a small bag slung over my shoulder and a lunch basket - on my way to school. When a neighborhood 'Uncle' asked me the name of my school in the evening, I still remember taking a deep breath before starting - 'St. John’s High School'- a mouthful for me even today. When it all started, I was just a shade less than three years old when my parents felt that my time would be far better spent amongst children of my age rather than a houseful of adults. So one fine day, I trooped off to my first school- Rinku Nursery - with my tiny hand firmly clenching my grand dad's thumb as he strode through the crowded lanes and by-lanes of Bangalore, past the busy Wheelers Road Railway Gate, past the every increasing traffic jams and honking vehicles and through the gates of my first school. I was so excited going past the railway gate every weekday morning, eagerly waiting for a chance to see the trains pass-by.As year went by, I was made to switch my allegiance from Nursery Schooling to Kindergarten at St John’s High School in the summer of 1988; I remember spending most of my days in school in care free frolic. There was a definite thrill in going to school each day, opening a book and turning a fresh leaf that held with it images and experiences of places, times, things and a world I did not know. Teachers in all shapes and sizes filled up our days with charming, cajoling, strictures and detentions too! Till when I was nearing my ICSE board exams, I remember the heaviest part of my school going ensemble was my lunch-box, which my mother would assiduously pack every morning with piping hot food, that would remain a mystery till the mid morning recess.
Life was possibly easy then. We had friends, books, paints, squabbling siblings, playgrounds, alleys, the terrace and the sky. We didn't have Barbie, Lego, a certain Justin Beiber or the Jonas Brothers to contend with as we grew up along with our friends. (We just had our own heart throbs in Knight Rider, Peter Parker, Prince Adam a.k.a He-Man and Jesse of Street Hawk fame). What we also didn't have is the huge pile of books that kids of today have to drag all the way to school regardless of their age, aptitude or the list of subjects on the schedule each and every day of the year. And while I can't say that things continued this way all the way through school, college and University for me, the fact is that I spent the most unforgettable years of my childhood enjoying my childhood both at home and at school.
The youngsters of today are a lot smarter, significantly more aware, and considerably more tech savvy than we were at their ages. The present generation of plenty has provided them with easy access to science, Technology, information, knowledge and learning that we had never dreamed of. What it is also provided them with is a bulging bag of books that is perhaps much better consigned to the weight trainers at the gym than to the overflowing classrooms of today. Today’s smart phones are faster than the fastest home computer that we could afford fifteen year ago as a middle-class family.
As I drive to work every morning, I see school children at the Pontiac District School getting off their school buses, cars or just walk to school. The smiles that I remember, the carefree laughter, the splashing in the pool and the childhood pranks seem to have paled and faded into the background, as has their childhood. They have IPods, smart phones and other fashion gears that define their socio-economic status today. The days once filled with games, friends, cousins, picnics and outings are now filled by tuition classes of every conceivable nature and hue; homework by the sack full; and finishing classes that were far out of their reach.There is an added pressure from parents to perform and excel in academics and extra curricular activities.
Harried mothers and preoccupied fathers hurry back from their chores to attend Parent-Teacher meetings in the hope of ascertaining that single flash of brilliance that will put a alliance between their children and the mass. And teachers, eager to bask in the glory of their accomplishments, focus all their dynamisms and profligate all their praise on the same set of students who, they believe, will bring laurels to their roost. What do we really hope to achieve through this mindless pursuit of success? As Ranchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad says, “Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down.” A generation of androids who have been obligatory to sacrifice their childhoods at the altar of adult triumph. A race of self helping prodigious children who even Darwin would be proud of. Or a breed of mature young adults to whom we can bestow the heritage of the planet. I don't know about you, but I definitely want the last.
