Dilemma of a 3 pointer

What I intend to talk about in this post might throw some of you out of your comfortable cushions so I would like to begin this post with a disclaimer.


“All characters in this post are neither fictional nor based on anyone’s figment of imagination. The author intends to harm nobody’s feelings, only intends to bring out a few relevant points to the notice of all and sundry. Any resemblance to the characters and plot in this post is an event that has taken place somewhere in the past and is not co-incidental.”

When our generation was younger, our parents faced tremendous societal pressure in terms of what their kids were going to do in their lives. If your son did not get through IIT entrance, the entire clan was looked down upon. If your daughter was not a medical student, she had wasted her life. Despite such a hostile environment, some lesser mortals like yours truly dared to dream different, carve out a different career path for themselves, not just because they were rebellious and against any set pattern in and around them but probably also because they were aware of their abilities and inabilities, their limitations and most significantly, their aspirations. Sometimes, even I cannot help but rue the destiny of millions of those who faced the brunt of such pressure day in, day out without so much of a whimper.

Nonetheless, treading the path destiny had in store for them, each one of us has reached to my favorite stage in the world, my college. God! Do I love my college or not, for where else will you find a more realistic, yet absolutely theatrical atmosphere than this, where else will you come across actors as veteran and as versatile as here and for where else will you face plots thicker than that of Sherlock Holmes’ novels and spicier than all the soap operas you might have watched in your lifetime. The stage is a connoisseur’s delight.

I have already cribbed about the CGPA system, and even when I am not at the receiving end, I cannot help noticing its flaws and the excruciating treatment it metes out to some of my fellow-men. If success were proportional to the amount of hard work you put in, earth would be heaven and people would be saints. Sadly, that is not the case and so many poor souls bear the brunt who are arguably much, more hard-working but just a tad unluckier. My heart goes out to them.

However, I do find the reactions of people quite amusing. Undoubtedly, if you do not get accolades for your efforts, you are bound to be disheartened but to limit your horizon to marks alone is probably the biggest injustice you can do to yourself. Marks in CGPA system are like Justin Timberlake’s famous song- ‘what goes around comes right back’. I know a score of people who are more talented than any I have ever come across and yet they do not get their due in terms of grades but people always hold such men in high regards. Even without getting philosophical, one can easily deduce that to be admired among your fellow-men is surely a coveted feeling if not enviable.

The education system is out there to ruin you. It will turn you into a poacher if you are not careful. Getting good grades is very important but is it worth losing your peace, your friends and your sleep over? A 2.9 is hardly that different from a 3.1 GPA. In the end, you might be a tad better off in terms of marks but you will lose out on a lot of good things in life, a bargain I do not consider worth even giving a thought to.

It is very important to have fun in your life, to go out with friends, to do things like getting drunk before a term paper and to watch out movies back to back before your exams. This is our time, if not now then when? Be sincere in life, not serious. You only get one life and what a waste it would be, if not lived fully!