The Prodigal Son
It was during the sleepy afternoons of late eighties when Doordarshan had started the afternoon transmissions for the first time in India as far as weekdays are concerned. In my neighbourhood, these programs were famous as Kanta and Shanta, derived from the names of the hosts.
Needless to say, it was a big hit amongst the bored housewives, and provided a good option to daily siesta. My school used to finish 2'o clock in the afternoon, so I also use to catch some of those stuff.
There was one particular serial which caught the fancy of all and sundry was Kya Banoge Munna. The title song was catchy -
Kya Banoge, Kya Banogey Munna?
Mummy Kehti Bano Doctor, Papa Kehtey Afsar,
Engineer Ban Jao Bhaiyya, Behna Kehti Aksar!
As the song suggests, it was a serial based on a family which was desperately seeking a prodigy out of their only son, putting him on enormous pressure. His homeworks, and grades were excessively monitored. He was constantly pushed for more. And there was a clash of interests between the parents regarding child's future career.
The results were catastrophic on the child. I felt sorry for 'Munna' as I was also of his age, but luckily never faced any such problems. Since it was a serial, where usually all ends well, so later sense drove home in the minds of the family, and they went back to saner levels.
But real life doesn't give a second chance. Take the case of Chennai doctor couple. To achieve the blind fame for which nobody cares two hoots about, they actually ended up committing a crime, and endangered someone's life.
The more shocking was the lethargy with which Chennai Police acted to arrest the couple allowing them to bask in their misplaced glory. The 'prodigy' is on the run. At the time when he was about to shape his career, the sheer lunacy of the parents has destroyed the same. They didn't realize surgery cannot be taught in Masti Ki Paathshala.
Had this doctor couple been a bit more patient, there were 'legal' ways of making their son a surgeon, albeit, not the youngest one in the world. This procedure is followed all over India, and Pune is amongst the shining stars.
Often, doctor as a profession runs in the family. This is no coincidence. Leaving out the deserving few who actually become doctors by merit, many doctor parents pay hefty sums to (almost) all paid seats colleges like DY Patil, Bharti Vidya Peeth etc. These sum start above 20 lakhs to actually reach as high as 50 lakhs. These colleges are pathetic as far as medical facilities are concerned.
After obtaining the "degree", they have their father's nursing home or clinic to start their career and 'practice'. In a few years, they are safely enconsed in the seat. That's the way this profession usually into the family. I have seen live instances in my family, and even otherwise.
Of course, there are honourable exceptions line Sanguine, who has a charted different career altogether, despite the fact that both of her parents are doctors.
Its not that only doctors do that. Laloo 's eldest daughter Misa (named after Maintainence of Internal Security Act during emergency) is a certified doctor. Typical Laloo style, she passed honours by blatantly flouting all norms.
She failed in Class X, CBSE board. Then Laloo got her shifted to Bihar board, and she 'passed' with distinction. Same story followed in Class XII. Then she 'cleared' the entrance for Ranchi Medical College to which she often travelled via helicopter from Patna. Soon Laloo got her 'transferred' to Patna Medical College. She finally passed the course with 'flying honours'.
I still remember one of her teacher's remarks published in TOI after she graduated as MBBS-"Now that Mr Chief Minister's desire to see his child as Doctor is fulfilled, my request would be to spare a thought for the patients, and refrain her from practicing."
Other prodigy which comes to my mind is Tathagat Avatar Tulsi who was the youngest matriculate till Sushma replaced him. He was claimed to be a Physics genius by his father, but turned out to be just a mugger by Department of Science and Technology, India. Please Read this ridiculous account by his father who claims he "programmed his child". Later I read, Tathagat was a wife beater too.
Thank God for not giving me ambitious parents.
Needless to say, it was a big hit amongst the bored housewives, and provided a good option to daily siesta. My school used to finish 2'o clock in the afternoon, so I also use to catch some of those stuff.
There was one particular serial which caught the fancy of all and sundry was Kya Banoge Munna. The title song was catchy -
Kya Banoge, Kya Banogey Munna?
Mummy Kehti Bano Doctor, Papa Kehtey Afsar,
Engineer Ban Jao Bhaiyya, Behna Kehti Aksar!
As the song suggests, it was a serial based on a family which was desperately seeking a prodigy out of their only son, putting him on enormous pressure. His homeworks, and grades were excessively monitored. He was constantly pushed for more. And there was a clash of interests between the parents regarding child's future career.
The results were catastrophic on the child. I felt sorry for 'Munna' as I was also of his age, but luckily never faced any such problems. Since it was a serial, where usually all ends well, so later sense drove home in the minds of the family, and they went back to saner levels.
But real life doesn't give a second chance. Take the case of Chennai doctor couple. To achieve the blind fame for which nobody cares two hoots about, they actually ended up committing a crime, and endangered someone's life.
The more shocking was the lethargy with which Chennai Police acted to arrest the couple allowing them to bask in their misplaced glory. The 'prodigy' is on the run. At the time when he was about to shape his career, the sheer lunacy of the parents has destroyed the same. They didn't realize surgery cannot be taught in Masti Ki Paathshala.
Had this doctor couple been a bit more patient, there were 'legal' ways of making their son a surgeon, albeit, not the youngest one in the world. This procedure is followed all over India, and Pune is amongst the shining stars.
Often, doctor as a profession runs in the family. This is no coincidence. Leaving out the deserving few who actually become doctors by merit, many doctor parents pay hefty sums to (almost) all paid seats colleges like DY Patil, Bharti Vidya Peeth etc. These sum start above 20 lakhs to actually reach as high as 50 lakhs. These colleges are pathetic as far as medical facilities are concerned.
After obtaining the "degree", they have their father's nursing home or clinic to start their career and 'practice'. In a few years, they are safely enconsed in the seat. That's the way this profession usually into the family. I have seen live instances in my family, and even otherwise.
Of course, there are honourable exceptions line Sanguine, who has a charted different career altogether, despite the fact that both of her parents are doctors.
Its not that only doctors do that. Laloo 's eldest daughter Misa (named after Maintainence of Internal Security Act during emergency) is a certified doctor. Typical Laloo style, she passed honours by blatantly flouting all norms.
She failed in Class X, CBSE board. Then Laloo got her shifted to Bihar board, and she 'passed' with distinction. Same story followed in Class XII. Then she 'cleared' the entrance for Ranchi Medical College to which she often travelled via helicopter from Patna. Soon Laloo got her 'transferred' to Patna Medical College. She finally passed the course with 'flying honours'.
I still remember one of her teacher's remarks published in TOI after she graduated as MBBS-"Now that Mr Chief Minister's desire to see his child as Doctor is fulfilled, my request would be to spare a thought for the patients, and refrain her from practicing."
Other prodigy which comes to my mind is Tathagat Avatar Tulsi who was the youngest matriculate till Sushma replaced him. He was claimed to be a Physics genius by his father, but turned out to be just a mugger by Department of Science and Technology, India. Please Read this ridiculous account by his father who claims he "programmed his child". Later I read, Tathagat was a wife beater too.
Thank God for not giving me ambitious parents.
Labels: Thoughts
posted by Unknown at 9:58 AM
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