Three Idiots - A Parent's Eye View

Dear child,

I’m glad you liked Three Idiots. Sure, I did too. Sure, Aamir and Madhavan looked oh-so-cuuu…te…., notwithstanding their baggy under-eyes. Sure, parents are myopic, self-seeking, insensitive ogres, who thrust their aspirations, fears, and problems on their children. Sure, it is idiotic to expect every child to become an engineer. As if becoming one could resolve all issues in life. Of course, it won’t.

But do you really expect parents tell their children, hey it’s ok for you to go ahead and get that banjo, streak your hair pink or whatever, and become the rock star that you think you were born to be? Sorry. Think again.

Not because parents are bigger idiots than Aamir Khan supposed, but because they know that the kind of solutions offered by the movie were pretty idiotic. Child, take it from me, no Brazilian wildlife photographer, nor French fashion designer, or even a Japanese sumo wrestler or Chinese gourmet chef is going to send up tickets for every starry-eyed teenager in middle class India who thinks he has it in him.

No, child, I’m not trying to discourage you. Just telling you like it is. Those things happen only in movies. In reel life, as our smart-alec media would say.

Every child who goes cricket coaching and dreams of a century on debut does not get there. Every player who plays league cricket or Ranji Trophy cannot hope to make a living out of cricket. He needs to get into the national eleven to be able to do so. In real life, baby, just 11 people out of the 1.2 billion Indians can make a living out of cricket at any given time.

When it is time for hard decisions, you need to put away the gloves and pads, pack up the bats and chest guards, and turn to books to see you through examinations and a job. That’s the truth, call it bitter if you wish, but swallow it you must.

Sweetheart, please understand that only in some avocations can a lot of people make enough money to keep their homefires burning and their tummies cheerfully full. In the arts and in the sports, success depends not on an acquired skill or qualification but on an individual’s exceptional talent and the right opportunity. Naturally, the chances of success are fewer. More people can successfully bring home the bacon with a professional qualification, be it a scientist, or an engineer, or a doctor or banker, than by taking to the arts, crafts or sports.

Child, no, I’m not trying to discourage or demotivate you. Nor indeed am I decrying the arts and sports. Just stating cold facts. You can go back to your passion - art and music, dance and sports - once you have secured a ‘career’. And then you can cultivate them with enthusiasm, throw yourself wholeheartedly into them, and derive the pleasure and satisfaction you deserve. But do not mix up the two.

Remember always darling, no parent is dying to see his child become an engineer. But every parent will die to see his child happy and comfortable. If you can convert your passion into a vocation and be as comfortable as you want to be, that would be perfect. But as this seems just too good to be true, too idealistic and romantic, we believe that as a standby you must arm yourself with a skill and a qualification that will help you make both ends meet. Because, sweetheart, mark my words, neither Aamir Khan or Chetan Bhagat will divert a few of those crores they have made through ‘Three Idiots’ to create a fund to support unemployed wildlife photographers, artists and cricketers. They are not such idiots.

With lots of love
Your anxious amma