Long time ago, somewhere between 1986 and 1990, Doordarshan Marathi showed a serial called “Gotya”. In the days of two channels and cable TV just being borned, “Gotya” played on Saturday night. I would watch it in its initial days but then somewhere along the way, I stopped.
Gotya was the story about a young boy who is orphaned and made to work in a hotel. He is adopted by a customer in that hotel. Initially hated by the customer’s wife, he slowly finds a place in everyone’s heart by his innocence and goodness. Free from all vices and bad behavior, he was the Marathi Superman. He was the “perfect” child every parent wanted. He was the personification of good behavior and virtue and I hated him.
He was everything I wasn’t. He was always in his good behavior, he was good in studies and he was good in sports and he was good in everything he did. Just like I said, he was a Superman. In fact he was hated by every child on my floor. Parents would watch “Gotya” and then we would be told how we are not learning from him. How we do not understand our responsibilities and never take efforts to be better.
We were competing with a fictional characters. My parents wanted me to be like or better than Gotya and I hated him for that. Although it sounds way too bad like the way I wrote, it was not that bad. I was not compared to Gotya everyday but yes there were competition and they were real. There were boys and girls who did much better than me academically and in extra curricular activities.
I was an average students who was not good in sports. Getting 1st class was my only objective for which I had to really struggle so a fictional character like Gotya was easily my enemy number 1.
I completed my 10th with the highest percentage in my life. No where I could achieve that success again. The credit for my success goes to my Tuition teacher who motivated me to excel. My 10th standard result was the changing point of my life.
The next year, our neighbor’s daughter was doing her 10th. She and one more girl would stay awake in the balcony and study all night. I on the other hand would study in the kitchen. My mother would tell me to take her example and see how hard she was studying. I hated that girl too that year.
So when she got a percent less than me in her tenth, I danced with joy almost to the embarrassment of my mother. It was a good thing that the neighbors didn’t notice. Today I don’t hate my neighbor next door. I don’t think I hated her then too but I wouldn’t remember my emotions then. I guess that it was the anger that my efforts were considered smaller to her.
I have grown up since then and what my parents think does not matter to me as much as it mattered to me then. Somehow it has helped me face criticism in a better way or maybe I have only learned to build a shield around me against criticism
However after many years, another Marathi serial “Sa Re ga Ma Pa – Little Champs” brought the old emotion back. The reality based game show has small children between 8-12 singing the most difficult song. My mother commented that the parents of the small children were indeed fortunate to have such talented children like them.
Pity! We were not like those children.
I know my parents never meant to be discouraging but wanted to learn good from other’s behavior. But in some way it became a competition between them and us, a competition we never won and I wanted to win. I am being selfish here and not considering the efforts, emotions and sweat they put to bring to a position we are today.
I am thinking about many children whose parents would be in awe of the little champs. I don’t hate the little champs but I don’t watch the show either. Must be jealousy or maybe just not interested. These children are really talented as they render a difficult song after song.
Its a competitive world where a point in a percentage becomes the question of life itself. I am not a parent but how do parents motivate their children to enjoy and be competitive at the same time? Are we making them competitive or adding a rat in the rat-race? I guess its my perspective and it may change if I have my own children. After all no parent would wish evil for their children?
The same argument was put forward in “Taare Zameen Par” that every child is special.
I guess its making a mountain of a molehill and the competitive nature of Humans have made humans superior than any other species on the planet and its true, some children will always remain special than others but every child will be special for their parents.
Hi Punds,
Back after many days ..
I too find it pretty odd. .all this competition.. I find it stupid to have kids sing (little champs) or dance (boogie – woogie). .as the prize amount increases everyone bases their wishes on the kids.. its too stupid to do such things..
When I was small, my mom put me up for some fancy dress competition.. I did properly in rehearsals and not on stage.. well that’s me..stage fright 😉
-Ashu