My results for the myriad entrance exams I wrote are out. Pune and Hyderabad universities and my hopes for studying there are not possible anymore. And NIT, Trichy has accepted me. As for Anna University, I've been called for Counselling. And there's a 90% chance that I'll make it through.
Now that the announcements are out of the way, I'd like to rant a little. Nope! It's not about me not getting through the universities I want...I've closed that chapter a looong time ago. Thoughts like that aren't worth my time now.
So, what would I like to rant about, you ask me? Well... this particular rant is about nosy ex-neighbours who can't stand it when something good happens to someone else who's not a member of their family.
Now, this lady has been our neighbour for a very long time and her son and I grew up together like brethren... well.. that's what I thought. There emerged a shade of grey in the colourfully happy relationship my family shared with theirs when my tenth results came out. I got slightly higher marks than her son and that was all that she needed to poke her finger at every little thing I did with sarcastic comments like "Oh, you'll do this right... you got higher marks than my son afterall!" I mean comeon! The way she talks... its almost like her son's either channeling Einstein's spirit or he's the reincarnation of Feynmann!
And he got higher marks than me in XII, and then whenever she asked me about my future plans, she would smile in a very sick way that did little to hide the glee she held inside her heart. And then I got a job after college. And she was so happy for me! (yeah right!) And when I decided to ditch the job and continue studying, she's getting all edgy again.
Now all this bullshit doesn't bother me even in the most minuscule of proportions. But today, when Mom informed that 'lady' of the results (out of courtesy ofcourse, since we're still playing this f***ing charade of being close and friendly), and she gives back this off-handish answer as though she's the friggin' Dean of the University that even the dumbest of the lot get into Anna University or so her 'Oh-I'm-so-pure-I-make-God-look-like-a-sinner' son told her. And then she goes about saying she meant that I was too smart to be left out. Like I need HER authentication!
And I still don't give a damn what this lady and her 'perfect' son think. But Mom got all upset on me and blamed me for not doing well... Yep! It was all my fault that some sicko mom-sonny pair is bullshitting her. I tried telling her 'Don't give a rat's fart what they think', but apparently she does and turned this whole thing around to make me look like a child of whom she seemed a little ashamed of.
Well... when a person who's not good at being sarcastic acts like he or she is... the result is pretty funny to observe. And if that lady thinks her son is holy enough to be beatified, I have news for her! He's not perfect and his flaws are just as real as his strengths. I should make myself clear that I don't see him as a friend. I know I do. But since he deems talking to me less worthy of his time, I don't give a shit anymore. But that does not give him or his friggin' family the right to mouth off whatever they like.
Glad I got that out of my system! :D
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Showing posts with label marks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marks. Show all posts
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Indian Paradox - part I
Today, Mom and I visited our neighbour with some jack fruit. And the results of the XII grade are out. And her daughter hadn't done exactly well....It kinda sets me thinking... what does doing well in XII mean anyway? Does it mean getting a 90 plus in all subjects? Does that make a person a success story? And are all those students who score below 80% heading for failure in life? It just doesn't make sense... And I blurted it out to my Mom. That was all that was need for a good natured discussion between us.
According to Mom, the parents fear for their ward failing in life. And that is the only reason they're obsessed with their children's marks. Hmmm...I sense a trait of selfishness in that statement and I told her that. And being the good sport she was, she readily accepted. I've been given a fairly free reign in doing what I want. But unfortunately, that is not the case in many homes in India. There's all this talk about parents wanting what's good for the child and supporting their disappointments and downfalls. All this looks and sounds good and reassuring when the child performs well. But one misstep... one bad grade and all hell breaks loose. My mom was livid when my XII grade results came out. having secured 87% only, I did not qualify for admission in Pilani. And seeing me graduate from Pilani was her dream... one that I had been unable to realize (Okay! I feel a little bit of guilt here!). And I think it was a good thing I wasn't in town when my results came out, thanks to an accommodating aunt with whom I'd decided to spend the vacation! Mom sounded like an avenging Goth princess when she told me, through grit teeth that she wanted to kill me when she came to know of my marks and that the reason I still drew breath was because I hadn't been in the house.
Now I understand there is a slight amount of disappointment for the parents when their ward doesn't quite get the grades they dream of. But they should also remember that the child feels the same disappointment. There's this element of "What'll the world say?" involved in this problem and as a student, for once I wish parents didn't give a damn about the society. Because let's face it... society is a bitch(excuse the language). Society is one group of self-centered hypocrites who practice what they preach against! And in the microscopic level, don't individuals make up society? And for once, you parents who feel you know your child better.... a wake up call for you! There one person who knows your child and his/her capabilities better than you. And that person is... your child! I don't say "don't ever take part in shaping your child's future."! You have every right to do that. But it would be really helpful if you remembered that your child has just the same amount of right... they have a greated amount of right. It's their life afterall!
It's when I hear stories of such brutal control freaks and their poor offsprings that I wish India had a family system like that in the West. Yeah yeah! They have little moral values. But let's face the other equally truthful aspect... they respect their children more than we ever do. They treat their teenagers more like adults while we still seem to trap ourselves into believing they're children. For once, let them own up to their mistakes. We don't want to be told we made a mistake. We're not that stupid not to realize if we did. But the least the 'folks' can do is be supportive.
*sigh* As I think such thoughts in my head, my neighbour rants on about how they're trying to put their daughter into an Engineering course (You'll understand the logic behind this if you know how the Indian society works) while her daughter wants to take up Fashion Designing. And frankly, after having seen some of her sketches, I think she'll be way more comfortable designing a dress than she'll ever be designing some complex machinery! But then again... my thoughts hardly matter in their perspective. All I'd like to say is, I pity that girl... hope she gets through this ordeal in one piece!
According to Mom, the parents fear for their ward failing in life. And that is the only reason they're obsessed with their children's marks. Hmmm...I sense a trait of selfishness in that statement and I told her that. And being the good sport she was, she readily accepted. I've been given a fairly free reign in doing what I want. But unfortunately, that is not the case in many homes in India. There's all this talk about parents wanting what's good for the child and supporting their disappointments and downfalls. All this looks and sounds good and reassuring when the child performs well. But one misstep... one bad grade and all hell breaks loose. My mom was livid when my XII grade results came out. having secured 87% only, I did not qualify for admission in Pilani. And seeing me graduate from Pilani was her dream... one that I had been unable to realize (Okay! I feel a little bit of guilt here!). And I think it was a good thing I wasn't in town when my results came out, thanks to an accommodating aunt with whom I'd decided to spend the vacation! Mom sounded like an avenging Goth princess when she told me, through grit teeth that she wanted to kill me when she came to know of my marks and that the reason I still drew breath was because I hadn't been in the house.
Now I understand there is a slight amount of disappointment for the parents when their ward doesn't quite get the grades they dream of. But they should also remember that the child feels the same disappointment. There's this element of "What'll the world say?" involved in this problem and as a student, for once I wish parents didn't give a damn about the society. Because let's face it... society is a bitch(excuse the language). Society is one group of self-centered hypocrites who practice what they preach against! And in the microscopic level, don't individuals make up society? And for once, you parents who feel you know your child better.... a wake up call for you! There one person who knows your child and his/her capabilities better than you. And that person is... your child! I don't say "don't ever take part in shaping your child's future."! You have every right to do that. But it would be really helpful if you remembered that your child has just the same amount of right... they have a greated amount of right. It's their life afterall!
It's when I hear stories of such brutal control freaks and their poor offsprings that I wish India had a family system like that in the West. Yeah yeah! They have little moral values. But let's face the other equally truthful aspect... they respect their children more than we ever do. They treat their teenagers more like adults while we still seem to trap ourselves into believing they're children. For once, let them own up to their mistakes. We don't want to be told we made a mistake. We're not that stupid not to realize if we did. But the least the 'folks' can do is be supportive.
*sigh* As I think such thoughts in my head, my neighbour rants on about how they're trying to put their daughter into an Engineering course (You'll understand the logic behind this if you know how the Indian society works) while her daughter wants to take up Fashion Designing. And frankly, after having seen some of her sketches, I think she'll be way more comfortable designing a dress than she'll ever be designing some complex machinery! But then again... my thoughts hardly matter in their perspective. All I'd like to say is, I pity that girl... hope she gets through this ordeal in one piece!
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