SABOTAGED ENGINEERING

I still remember that day when I was singing this song from, "Bunty and Bubbly" -
"chote chote shehron se,
khali bore dupahron se,
hum to jhola utha ke chale...."

I had walked through the streets of my small town, talking to them in a strange language, waving them goodbyes, and telling them that I head for a new journey, a new venture, away from those very old Friends with whom I grew up, in the search of those new pals. There was a little excitement, a little nervousness, a little fear and a little smile, after all I was about to become an Engineer four years hence.

Little I had known what happens in engineering, all I knew was it was not the IITs for me, all i knew that even though a little less than that I am going to be an Engineer.

VBDs, G4s and tutions, my first lessons as an engineer. "That's how we have scored 70 % in our semesters." supposedly the Golden words by my seniors and the tradition, still continues.I was truly at a new place, all by myself, learning to take care of my own things, with people of diverse cultures all clubbed in one hostel, I realised that this world existed beyond the outskirts of my native city. People with different languages and people with amazing communication skills all at just one place and I somehow wondered, from which part of the world they came from !!

Suddenly those smart geeks started to bother me a lot, they had their own ways of living, interacting with girls was never a problem for them, girls who never gave a glimpse to me, spent hours talking to them and here I was all by myself just in little ways trying to imitate these people and still nothing came to my hands.

From somewhere love happened, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, her eyes were like blossoms in the blue waters, her hair like the petals floating over the ripples and the calm on her face was exuberant. So cute, such a lovely voice and that smile...I wish I could never take my eyes off them. I could have done anything and everything for her, all I wished that she be mine and nothing else......!!!

All I dreamt was of me and her walking hand in hand, in the most exotic locations of this beautiful city
All I dreamt was her and me together
And then from somewhere came that stylish cool guy on a bike, with her holding him tight.....
And my hands gasping for her touch...whom only he could feel..whom only he could gasp......

Shattered and broken I decided to be like him, I knew if I had a bike I would have a girl.I started to speak in english, and people laughed, I still tried and my friends stopped talking to me and those cool guys came, talked and walked away laughing. Though I never gave up the pursuit of speaking english, but I decided that I'll speak in english only when it is required, after all my mother tongue is my mother tongue!!!!!

Papers came and went, I learnt what do you mean by backs, I learned how to smoke, I learned how to drink, I watched many silent movies, I spent my time boozing, fagging, dreaming and desiring...!!!

Life has been going on this way since the past few months, unfettered and not bothered, that's what I have become or that's what has been made out of me!!!

Yesterday when I woke up I never knew that my day would turn out to be something like this, A normal lecture going on smoothly when suddenly one of my batch mates walks into the class, holds a girl and tries to kiss her. I was out of my senses for a second, but then immediately regained it and along with others pounced on the guy.

The picture of the whole college changed drastically, the guy has been rusticated from the college and I wonder whats going on with that girl.

What must have been wrong with that guy that he took such a drastic step? Was he more frustrated than I? Or was he a satyromaniac? Or he really loved her and this seemed to be his last option?

So many budding engineers in this small place and thousands of them undergo the same saga every year. What that guy did is an extreme case but there are so many students who have to undergo the same amount of pressures, cultural shocks and personality shocks. They start hating themselves and in the process start degrading themselves, it is a process which continues and eventually a student who walks in with a bag full of dreams, walks away crippled holding a bag full of failures and disgrace to his own self.

Who is to be blamed? Is it the education system or is it those people who have had the advantage of being bought up in environments where they become metrosexuals as soon as they enter their teens?
The blame game may continue, but this is a clear example of a society which is still immature and which still looks behind and conserve their children with the cultural or physical boundaries. It just shows that there is still prevalence of inequality in the lifestyles of people around the same region. Those who even though are intelligent enough to come up to the level of the elite ones are not ready to compete with them at the same levels.

The picture is not clear though, when we talk of growth, it doesn't mean just the economic growth, it actually refers to the ability to accept the changing scenarios of the world around and preparing our youngsters for these scenarios rather then leave them on their own to decipher their own routes, which may lead to destruction at times.
The social systems prevailing in this nation are still laid back, they are not ready to accept what the others have already accepted, they need to break the shackles of their old conservations and allow the youngsters to breathe a different air which they might have to use when they come at a stage of competition .
Its time for us to look into ourselves and evolve from our roots and give shape to our own lives, our own destiny and the destiny of many others who would walk along with us .