I have a 10-year-old niece and every time she doesn’t feel like studying, her parents lure her into studying by talking to her, by activating her imagination. She’s been told that she’ll be able to buy an expensive car, she can have as many branded bags or clothes and all that she wants to ‘have’ in her life if only she studies. Kids are really smart these days with so much access to technology, thanks to COVID-19 their interaction with the online world has only increased. I did feel when I was her age, I wasn’t even aware of what brands are or the value it carries in people’s life. While on one hand, there is nothing wrong with it. Children have the most creative minds and parents, teachers can always activate this creative energy towards a beautiful dream. Each family or household has the right to decide a bar for themselves on how much money is sufficient for them.

It’s the readiness with which she agreed to sit for studying got me thinking the entire day. What if tomorrow she works very hard and despite that, she still isn’t able to live this dream. Won’t she find herself in a vulnerable place because her barometer for success will depend on what she has rather than who she is? I feel that the onus is on us as adults how we shape these nimble minds. Parents, teachers, guardians have so much ability to influence these young minds and hence it is important to become more conscious of this space. Do we want our kids to study only to have branded things in life? Is education only about possessing materialistic things or does it have a larger than life purpose? Shouldn’t we study to also ‘be’, to be a better human being, to be a responsible citizen of this country, to be more aware of the surroundings that we live in, to be more conscious of our choices (eg: being more environmentally sensitive, choosing a steel water bottle instead of the plastic one, supporting local artisans, etc). 

I feel there is a dire need to change the narrative, these little minds will grow up to be the decision-makers of the country. If we only keep sowing these ideas of consumerism in these little minds, how can we build a more inclusive, equitable, egalitarian, and just society that the founders of the Constitution hoped for? Eric Fromm, a famous psychoanalyst talks about how modern societies have become so materialistic that it often forgets to talk about inner liberation and how we can break the chains of greed. With increasing cases of suicide, depression, anxiety, and to top it all, the ever-increasing unemployment rate in the country due to COVID - 19, we are craving all the more to be heard, to be able to speak up, to live in a non-judgemental society, to be accepted as we are and to accept others as they are. All of these events only indicate the need for much deeper, meaningful conversations in society, in schools, and in families.

Personally, for me, studying means to really absorb the new content, to learn, to unlearn, to apply, to question my own beliefs, hold spaces within my friend circle to understand their beliefs, and to finally have my own opinion. One of my mentors used to say that ‘Form follows Function’ and I firmly believe in this principle originally coined by ‘Louis Sullivan’. It just means to set an intention without worrying about the resources in hand. Everything will be taken care of if our intention is clear. What matters most is that whatever we do or intend to do is aligned with our purpose.

Before it gets too late, we must question ourselves and others around us. Question not to fight with each other but to become more aware, to help one another become more grounded in Universal Values. As Dr.Kalam used to say ‘Real education enhances the dignity of a human being and increases his or her self-respect’. Being crystal clear on our ‘Why’, ‘Why do we want to study in the first place’ will go a long way in keeping us, parents, children motivated, and to thrive and succeed in life.