We give so much stress on education that sometimes we forget that there are so many other jobs in the world which are beyond the traditional education. A degree may sure hold you in good stead, but what if some of the students who we forced to study were wired to do something else in their life? What if Virat Kohli’s father told him to become a computer engineer or what if Ranveer Singh’s parents asked him to pursue a career in medicine. Would they have succeeded in the same manner they have today? Would we as a society praise them and make them demi-gods had they done something else with their lives?
We are often bogged down by the society we live in. We like to follow the herd mentality. So when someone says that being an engineer or a doctor should be your ultimate goal, we end up believing that nothing else or no other job can match up to those professions.
This is where Light of Life Trust’s ANANTprogramme in association with The Flowering Tree Inc comes into practise. For a long time now, we have been looking at education as a means to get a job and earn our livelihood. But Light of Life Trust has broken this myth in the community and encouraged even poor students to take up courses which are considered part of extra-curricular, Under the Anant programme, there are students learning music and musical instruments, various types of dances, taking part in plays etc. The programme aims to open the mind of the parents as well to look at vocations beyond a clerical or a manual job. It is to make them understand that applied arts can also be a major game changer for the kids.
With Anant programme, we aren’t just looking at getting kids interested in performing arts, but we are also giving them direction. We are helping them to appear in exams related to music and dance. We make sure to conduct workshops and further expose them to this world.
Last but not the least, a great education is one in which the child learns to observe, predict, understand, think critically and intensively and apply his/her education to solve challenges and contribute to moving society forward. We have plenty of people who often want to add to the problems of a society. Let us build people who also add to its solution. Let us aim at creating happy individuals. Because happy individuals often end up being productive, and productive people make your society a better place to live in.
