I still remember it was 1st March 2003. Arch rivals India and Pakistan were all set to clash in the 2003 WC and I was busy studying physics for my final board exams as the exam was on 3rd March. As a cricket fan, it was getting difficult for me to concentrate as the match pressure was getting on my nerves. My father, knowing it, insisted that I should follow the match. Reluctant at first, somehow I gave up on physics and enjoyed the match. India won the match with Sachin's heroic 97 runs and I managed to get 75% marks in physics. Most of my classmates got more than 90% in physics and still had regrets but for me, it was more than expected. I still wonder whether studying physics helped me. Yes, I know about Ohm’s law and Biot-Savart law but no one made physics interesting for me. Atleast the way I wanted it to. May be if I had studied some other subject, things would have been slightly different.
Recently,
one of the parents I know sent their only son to study Engineering far away due
to delusion of a "secure" life that the above-mentioned career
promises, in common parlance, that the life of the kid is “set” and also may be
to maintain their prestige with other relatives, whatever that means, the cost
being the abstract dreams and ambitions. He had to compromise on his creative
& artistic abilities that would have given him some fame atleast and more
than an underpaid job.
In our
country, there has always been an endless debate of Science vs. Arts and
Science students are looked upon with respect as compared to Arts. It is a common belief that Science gives
better employability to students. However, I have mixed views on the same. With
both my maternal and paternal grandfather being Chemistry Professor and Civil
Engineer respectively, and my father a Forensic Expert, taking science as a
subject was always on the cards for me but studying science didn't come
naturally to me. It was good to know about human anatomy and the environment
but studying periodic table including chemical reactions and deriving formulae
in physics made me feel as if I am flying an aircraft without a license.
Humanities
or Arts is like a ‘chachera bhai’ of Science. Very few students voluntarily opt
of Humanities as a stream after Class 12. Most of them are discouraged by their
parents and their peers. Out of the remaining who still opt for Humanities or
Arts as a stream after Class 12, do so because of they have not been able to
manage a seat in either the Science or Arts stream.
I feel both
Science and art are as interconnected as heart and brain, as male and female,
etc. Sometimes, science results to art (technological advancements in today's
cinema) or art results to science (tales about human flight led to airplanes
and jets). A rhythmical poetry or song is just an organized maths equation.
Learning literature, history, music, films and other languages thus are
necessary to understand the basic beneficial, utilitarian and apparent form of
science.
I studied
films and film-making at master's level, and all the while I did my best to integrate
scientific knowledge into my artistic practice, since it seemed to me to be a
useful tool to enlighten my path. I got drawn into it through my fascination
with the aesthetic experience. Also, making and writing films helped me to
study history and politics at a deeper level. I studied forensics because I was
interested in human behavior. I feel Psychology and Sociology are still
considered quite under-rated subjects in Indian context.
But finally,
the arts and humanities is getting its due importance as most of the students
are not shying away in selecting humanities and social science subjects after
class X because of the interesting career opportunities they have to offer. Not
only this, it leads to a strong understanding of the social undercurrent and
the environment as well as art and culture making for a well-rounded and
cultivated personality.
Now-a-days,
there are so many students, especially young girls, pursuing political science,
history and economics, who go on to do well in areas like civil services and
international relations. Science is chosen mostly for engineering and medicine
and there is an engineering college in every nook and corner.
I still
feel, learning about history, geography, political science, economics,
literature, philosophy and anthropology fills that vacuum inside a student that
otherwise is left unattended.
Yet to be
seen how many more opt for Medical & Engineering… or will the winds change their direction soon ??
