Friday, November 22, 2024

Vaazha - Biopic of a Billion Boys

 

Promotion poster, Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

As a career counselor, I have a bias for movies (and media content in general) about the education system, work, and careers. So, I naturally gravitate for searching such content. I recently watched a Malayalam movie Vaazha, which has an intriguing tagline 'Biopic of a Billion Boys'. Just imagine a movie, boldly proclaiming it represents the life-stories of a billion boys.

The movie opens with an interesting premise when the camera zooms on three newborns and the narrator says, "There are three types of children in this world: 1st type are those who study well and make a life of their liking, 2nd type are those who study well and make a life of their parents liking, and 3rd type is those who don't know why are they studying and their parents also don't know why they are making them study." The narration continues by saying, that the movie Vaazha is a story of this 3rd type of student.

The story begins in the kindergarten days, with an Art teacher teaching the children drawing. The parents (fathers in particular) are disgruntled that the kindergarten is not teaching them Mathematics. A classic example of our cultural beliefs which creates the notorious caste system of subjects from childhood days, Science on top and Arts at the bottom. The movie depicts, that right from childhood, most of them are conditioned to pursue Engineering or Medicine and are discouraged from considering any other career options.

As they move higher grades in school, the children form a group of friends and they spend their time in delinquency (wailing off their time in mischief). With a weak academic foundation, they somehow pass out of school with low grades. The societal herd mentality is shown through two characters in the movie. One of the fathers tells his son, you have only two options Engineering or Medicine. If you opt for a 3rd option, you should leave my house.

Another father is persuading his son to join him in Bahrain to work at a shop because he is a poor student and he shouldn't be wasting his time and money on his studies. However, the boy despite being academically poor, dreams of becoming an Engineer. His father gives in and tells his wife, "Your son wants to be an Engineer, because of peer pressure, all his friends are studying for Engineering entrance exams. In my mind, it’s a classic example of our cultural beliefs where we look down on Vocational courses.

The movie depicts one of the grim realities of our society, all these students in spite of failing in the entrance exams and in spite of being poor academically, take up admissions in very mediocre Engineering Colleges, on the basis of donation (management quota).

The theme of delinquency among the boys continues into the Engineering college phase too. Several other nuances are weaved into the story-telling, girls being more focused towards their studies (we need to ask hard questions to ourselves, in spite of this women's participation in the workforce is dismal), parents pushing their children to fulfil their unfulfilled career aspirations, career beliefs (bias towards only Engineering, Medicine) shaped by society, the unrealistic expectations from the child in spite of their poor academic records and the lacuna in our education systems which does not encourage the students towards self-discovery, self-awareness, instead just make them go through the assembly line of schooling certificates and degrees, without any skill development, goal-orientation, and moulding their forward thinking and career planning.

The inevitable happens, after the end of the stipulated four years of Bachelors of Engineering. These boys are carrying with them failed subjects and they take a couple of more years to finish their papers. During this phase of their lives, they are subjected to humiliation from relatives, and comparison happens with their peers who had passed successfully in all papers, by their final year, they struggle to find a job and are seen spending their free time, in leisure. This crisis period makes the parents (especially the fathers) realise the failures in their parenting. The boys also realise, that had they invested time as students, to think for themselves, and had a goal orientation, by now they might have built a life of their liking.

The parents finally turn around, extend their unconditional support to the boys and also help them, in funding their endeavour for the banana plantation. The movie makes a poignant point that the boys were always good at heart, their friendship and bond were pure and strong. The adults had always judged them and looked down on them, through the prism of bad marks and grades. Had these boys in their growing-up years received this support, understanding and guidance, they could have course-corrected themselves in time.

The movie's climax, shows the boys turning serious and sincere towards their work (farm). However, the uncertainty of their business venture continues, due to heavy rainfall and flooding. There was a subtle message in non-verbal communication. One of the boys is wearing a t-shirt, printed with HOPE. It's on the audience's outlook, they can be hopeful that these boys will one fine day make it big on their own terms. Or the audience can infer that the struggle continues through the rest of their lives.

The movie's primary objective is to entertain, which Vaazha does. But weaved into the entertainment are several questions to reflect upon about our education systems, child development, parenting and sociocultural aspects.

The movie's bold tagline 'Biopic of a Billion Boys', makes it loud and clear, that these inadequacies are baked into our societies, and a billion boys are living this biopic, from childhood to young adulthood. Isn't it high time now, that we look inward, question ourselves and make changes for the sake of our billion boys and girls?

Vaazha means Plantain tree in Malayalam, it is also a take on a popular grim adage in Malayalam that says that instead of spending money on a good-for-nothing kid, it would have been better to plant a plantain tree instead!

There is always Hope for changing this grim adage, if we take the first step, as well-meaning adults in our respective roles as parents, guardians, teachers and career counsellors.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29470244/

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Put Yourself First


The day I really needed to reconnect and co-work

Put yourself first! It's more of a reminder to myself than a write-up for others. I being a considerate person, have often found myself to be a giver in situations, where I need to take care of myself. Having said that, I know there are many like me, who also need this reminder. Remember, the announcement in airplanes? Put the Oxygen Mask on yourself first, before helping others. At the surface level, it sounds selfish, but if we scratch the surface, the deeper meaning is that you can help many if you are healthy.

My current job is a full-time home-based role. Though such work arrangements have their own perks, they also come with their own share of perils. There are days when you find yourself confined at your solitary home office and this feeling of isolation can reach its peak. I do have these periodic episodes, so to take care of my well-being, I have taken up a membership at Wework, a co-working space. Once in a week or once in a fortnight, I book a desk and work from there for the entire day. This allows me, to feel part of an office environment, seeing other working professionals around me, the hustle-bustle of the cafeteria uplifts my mood and gives me enough fuel to last for another week of WFH, before I need my next dose of co-working environment. 

It was one of those days, when I was feeling really low (bored, lonely, not motivated to open my laptop and start my day). To take charge of my day, I booked my desk at Wework and walked down there from home. I went in early, to grappling my favourite desk, which is just next to the big glass windows. I like that desk, because you can look out and see people, cars and bikes, the symphony of city life, the changing daylight patterns from morning to dusk and you also have the indoor working environment around you, working professionals focused at screens and rhythmically typing their keyboards. A perfect vantage seat, to zoom out and zoom in, while working. 

As I went in, and pulled the chair to sit at my favourite spot I found a bag kept on the chair. The person seated next, to me, told "It's kept for his friend". In situations like this, I usually generously give it away. But this was one of those days when I needed to take care of myself the most. So, I asked him, is your friend already in? He said, not he is not the way, so they are keeping this desk for him. I politely, but assertively told him, "Well in that case, let me occupy this desk, as he isn't in yet. You can keep the next desk to your right or opposite of you, for him." He obliged and I took my favourite spot, unpacked my bag and settled down to work. 

After some time, this person walked in and he was having a friendly banter with his friend, "a re tune, mere lika seat kyun nahi rakha? did he (referring to me) come in before you, isle tujhe seat nahi mila?" Overhearing them, I jumped into the conversation with a smile and told him, you have a very good friend. He had blocked this seat for you, but I insisted that I sit here, because it is one of those days, when you are really in a low mood and I needed this seat to revive my mood and energy. They responded in a friendly manner and acknowledged my feelings. The best part of this incident is, we ended up as acquaintances, talking to each other during breaks and lunch hour. 

So next time, you are also in similar situations like me, don't shy away and don't hesitate in Putting Yourself First. We all should strike the balance in giving and receiving, to sustain ourselves.