“You are a genius. I must say your parents are lucky to have a child like you. I am sure you will make your parents very proud one day. God created you for a greater purpose. Your sense about music is divine.I almost forgot that I am listening to a 8-year-old child. May god bless you. You are selected for our Mumbai round.” One Judge said during a music competition. Entire nation was shocked to see such a talent. In every nook and corner of the country there were talks about this one child. Million people clicked the like button of this YouTube video. Facebook, twitter, Orkut, newspaper, almost everywhere you will see the video or photos of this kid’s audition.
Parents of that kid became the most gifted parent. Everybody recognized them, His father was respected even by the company president and her mother was invited to many functions to give speech on how to raise your kids so that they become genius.
This show continued for 3 months and the genius had gradually started his journey towards becoming a normal participant in that show. There were many occasions he was criticized for not singing well on the show. His parents did not fail to criticize the criticism by the judges. This musical journey preëmpted when this kid failed to get the desired votes. Everybody consoled, “Coming to this level out of 1.2 billion people is not a easy stuff. You were best 5 among 1.2 billion people. So, you must feel good about yourself and work hard so that you become successful.”.
This 8 year old could not take this at all. He could understand and believe only two things, First, what the judges said to him in the audition and second, his mother’s loose talk with one of his friends mother that there is a conspiracy. She said that, this channel wanted to gain popularity by showing sympathy to that physically challenged boy and people vote for the contestants from their region not by quality of the singer. These two beliefs best suited him and he embossed these in his cute little brain.
Pressure to study hard so that he remains topper in school and the bitterness of the failure made this kid from a genius to extra-ordinary to ordinary kid. He gradually lost interest in learning the root of the music and focused on popularity of the, songs and the singer in him. He was given couple of opportunities to sing in some Hindi and then regional movies. As every year these kind of geniuses come to the market so it became tough to compete any further. So he remained as a boy who sings only in his school and later college function. He forgot the music that his grand father used to teach him just before going to the TV show and forgot what he said on TV show when his grand father died while he was performing on stage. His promise to take Indian Classical Music to another level as per his grand fathers dream which attracted many more thousands of votes remained unfulfilled. But he still remembered very well that he is a genius, as the judge had said during his audition and a genius today is genius forever. So he still is a genius and if anybody disputed this then that person is partial as the other region people were. He developed on these memories too. He was initially very regional, where he never trusted anybody from another region of the country and then he developed negativity towards other religions as they too voted for the kid of their religion and the he became anti national when he realized nobody in this country gives him respect because they do not recognize a genius. Time came when he was proven unsuccessful in all fronts and finally had to live an below ordinary life with a big pride and enormous amount of hatred. He failed to get the job in last campus interview that was conducted in his college and could not accept this humiliation. He committed suicide. The same newspapers who printed big pictures about him, printed one small 30 word column saying ‘Child prodigy committed suicide.”.
If you investigate whose fault was there in the suicide, then you may blame none if you look at the suicide as an independent incidence. But if you truly investigate then you will find the fault was when he was taken by his parents to the audition.
If a kid is genius then there should be efforts to make sure he remains genius or become super genius by nurturing his talents, getting right education and developing a never-ending quest to learn. A genius kid needs super genius parents. And the quality of super genius parent is to make sure that the genius never feels that he is genius, Protect him from excess or undeserved fame and appreciations that can distract him.
But unfortunately those parents believe, when you are getting fame and appreciation free of cost then why worry. You raise the scale that measures how much a kid deserves so that you can accept anything
This is not only about a kid and a singing competition. We adults have many kids within us. Like, I found that I have a kid who can write. So I let him write blogs. He started writing just for fun. Then a day came when he started wrote something that hit the cord of dozen of people. He got exposed to so many at once and he started believing that he is good. Then as the popularity increased he started believing that he is a genius. His focus became of the facts that can make him more popular than the factors that can make him a better writer. He disapproved every criticism thinking they are biased or ignorant. Fortunately I being the parents of that kid, realized this kids negative growth and stopped him from believing that he is not anything better than mere ordinary. Trust me it works. He is focusing more on content than popularity. Let me see how many days I can stay as good parent to myself.
Namaste!!!
– Stray Dog
Life as Sakti 
May this reach to all parents who are attention hungry. I was thinking to write this today morning but then did not write as I thought, it will hurt many egos.
“Guj. Govt. has started one ambitious project. Children’s university where everything about children is being taught to Teachers/Primary health workers/anganwadi workers & needless to say parents. I am thinking to write proposal to them for adding one more course – ‘Diploma course for becoming motherly-fatherly Nanny’ This diploma is need of the hr as most high wage earning(actually low dollar earning) parents don’t have time to raise children and children are headache for them and they find solace in recruiting Nanny and transferring all headache to Nanny and held her responsible for anything bad. Just like they do at their work. So situation is already worsen and parents are adults whom you can hardly change. They will never change. So ? Train nanny. I know it is not perfect solution. Nanny can not substitute parents. But then…how long this land would deserve poor breed?”
Some of these parents never achieve anything in their life except earning bread-butter so they send their children to 20 different classes – music, tennis, squash(!), swimming, painting, singing, dancing and what not! They do this so that they can earn attention. Poor and sick parents.
Same parents race for giving education to their children as early as possible ( In many cases, I have observed that parents send children to school from the age of 1.5 years!! They do this because they want to again transfer headache for sometime! Sick! Yes! I have seen such examples in ample numbers! In family, in friend, in colleagues and in general! I curse God for making such stupid emotionless parents.)
First 7 years for any new born are ultimate struggle. They have to learn new things as early as possible as this is the peak time when they have most accelerated speed of physical growth. They really don’t need any formal education in this period. Their mother and grand parents are best teachers during this period. Out of 7 years, first 2 years should be completely language free! I have examples where parents did not bother about education until child asked them to send him/her school! And believe those friends of mine are genius in all aspects!!
Small children(<2 years) should not be taught language first (forget about dance! While today's parents start song on mobile and force their toddlers to dance!). First they should be allowed time to crystallize their vision, to crystallize their experiencing. For example, there is an elephant, and you say to the child, ”The elephant is the biggest animal.” You think you are not saying anything nonsensical, you think it is absolutely reasonable and the child has to be told about the fact; but no facts need to be told. It has to be experienced.
The moment you say, ”The elephant is the biggest animal,” you are bringing something which is not part of the elephant. Why do you say the animal is the biggest animal? Comparison has entered, which is not part of the fact. An elephant is simply an elephant, neither big nor small. Of course, if you put it by the side of a horse, it is big, or by the side of an ant it is very big; but you are bringing the ant in the moment you say the elephant is the biggest animal. You are bringing something which is not part of the fact. You are falsifying the fact; comparison has come in. Just let the child see. Don’t say anything. Let him feel. When you take the child to the garden, don’t say the trees are green. Let the child feel, let the child absorb. Simple thing, ”The grass is green” – don’t say it. This is my observation, that many times when the grass is not green you go on seeing it as green – and there are a thousand and one shades of green. Don’t say that the trees are green, because then the child will see just green – any tree and he will see green. Green is not one color; there are a thousand and one shades of green.
Let the child feel, let the child absorb the uniqueness of each tree, in fact of each leaf. Let him soak, let him become like a sponge who soaks reality, the facticity of it, the existential. And once he is well grounded and his experience is well-rooted, then tell him the words; then they will not disturb him. Then they will not destroy his vision, clarity. Then he will be able to use language without being distracted by it.
Sorry for this relatively lengthy comment. I wanted to pour out this anyhow. I found this as best place as this is the safest place 🙂
I am very sorry for using words like 'stupid' for parents but I can't help. I had to use harsh words for strong realization in reader who would read this comment.
This doesn’t mean I am against early childhood education or it is not required in first 7 years at all. My point is, let it be natural, intuitive and from within. Don’t force children. More than teachers, child required parents in early childhood and parents are best teachers.
There will be another argument that child needs to learn to live in society and hence he has to go school for group of same age kids….well yes, this is required but then can’t it happen on playground? At river bank? In garden? Twice/thrice in a week?
Your comment has uncovered many aspects of parenting. I very much believe the method of teaching you suggested here. It has to be by experience and questions.
I too was a great believer of not sending kids till they grow up to 5 years old. I went to school at the age of 5 and I had covered the study materials of class two by then. That was not by force but by interest. My mother taught me at home in her free time at home. I never felt I was forced to study. So, I know how much I enjoyed my days then. But the advantage was that there were many like me who were to play with me.So I never got bored.
If it has to be done in individual level then it will be tough. Today a child does not get admission in good (so called) school unless admitted during nursery. No parent would dare to take the risk as an individual. This has to be done on a larger scale.
I believe your comment must be shared with the world of parents. This is the need of the hour. Atleast if one parent changes their style we will get one extra genius.
These parents are called educated fool