“I was born in Dharmapuri, raised in Jolarpettai, Vellore, did my college education in Krishnagiri, and now I live in Chennai. Living in all these places showed me how people are the same yet so different. There’s a stark difference in the language, the way they perceive things, their food, etc. But deep down everyone has that warmth of welcoming even a stranger into their house with great love.
I also noticed another similarity in all these places, in fact, something that’s rampant in all of our country. There’s a crazy obsession that parents have towards making their children pursue engineering. If a child doesn’t get into engineering after their 12th standard that person is seen as an outcast. I wasn’t a brainy student or a topper in school and that meant I didn’t score too well in my 12th standard.
Soon after the results, all my relatives and neighbors started questioning which stream of engineering am I going to get into, instead of asking what I wanted to be. And when the results were out they’d declared that I will not get into any engineering college. I took it up as a challenge and vowed to get into one, did my mechanical engineering and came out of the college with a job.
Getting a job in college placement was a huge deal for me because my father is a stay at home parent and my mother is the breadwinner. People often mock this situation and were sure I will end up like my father too. Those taunts traumatized me as a child. While all these people were mocking my father and sympathizing with my mother, none of them were ever there to offer any help!
I believe that every human being we come across has a lesson to teach, so it’s best to listen to what they have to say without judging a book by its cover. I make it a point to strike a conversation with every person I meet. We would all be better people if we do that and respect each other rather than mocking those we think are less fortunate or different from the herd!”
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