Chase YOUR Dreams...

I have been reading books for a long time…

May not be regularly or voraciously…

Yet, I have been keen to read as much as possible,

Side kicking my laziness and all that…

Initially it used be fictions by well-known authors…

I made it a point that the authors of the books I read should be internationally acclaimed.

Then, I started following the nationally acclaimed authors

Thanks to our very own Chetan Bhagat!!!

I read his “Five Point Someone”…

And I was among so many who fell in love with it in the very first go…

What was so intimidating about it??

Well…

It carried flavors of India…

It depicted the mentality of a normal Indian – Oh! Hindustani rather…

I could smell Indian-ness in each of its words,

The confusions… the dilemma…

And I was able to stay empathetic with the characters…

I realized that there was at least a scene or dialog to which I could relate to.

Thus started my foray to read Indian authors’ books…

I made sure that I read each book of theirs,

To support the Indian authors!!!

To evaluate if I could come out and write something the way they succeeded writing…

To understand the lifestyle of people of my own Country;

Yet belonging to different States and cultural backgrounds…

I was thrilled to read “The Zoya Factor” of Anuja Chauhan…

It was a book which talked about the craziness and passion that the Indians uniformly share – Cricket!!!

I have never enjoyed any book that much!!!

Not even a Robin Cook…

Or a Sydney Sheldon…

Or Jeffrey Archer…

Even Danielle Steel or J K Rowling for the matter…

None of them could help me empathize with the characters.

I understood the protagonist – Zoya – totally.

It was real fun!!

We may eat a pizza or a burger…

Chinese or American food…

But,

Our own Dal and Chawal…

Or the Bhel Puris and Samosas..

Jalebi and Roti…

Will tickle our taste buds in such a way that you could feel the real you…

Untouched by foreign cultures…

And free from pretending!!!

Ok…

All such factors accelerated my burning desire to follow Indian Authors.

Firstly, Chetan Bhagat’s “Five Point Someone” – Alok, Ryan and Hari were studying for engineering at IIT (Delhi)

I read “Two Fates” by Judy Balan – Rishab, the lead, was an Engineer from IIT (Delhi)

Then, Harsh Snehanshu’s “Oops! I fell in love” and “Ouch! That Hearts” – Kanav, the lead is an engineer from IIT (Delhi)

The protagonist in Ravinder Singh’s “I too had a love Story” and “Can Love Happen Twice” is also an engineer.

Chetan Bhagat’s latest – “Revolution 2020” and even “Two States” – also talks about the IITians…

All the above books have been National Best-Sellers…

And, did you see a pattern??

The protagonists are always an engineer with an IIT tag.

Sometimes, it may be a Non-IITian, but, an engineer obviously…

Else, it would be a Doctor…

Or the next-big-thing IIM!!!!

The books are only depicting the mentality of the macro society.

Every parent wants their child to be either a Doctor or an Engineer.

And the engineering should be done at IIT.

At least in a REC for heaven’s sake!

Some analytical parents want their child to become an IAS Officer.

And then, most importantly, regardless of your professional or academic degree for that matter, both the parents and now-a-fully-grown-up-matured-child, wants do an MBA from IIM!!!!

GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

Isn’t journalism a profession?

Teachers… Business…. Fashion technology… Interior Designing…

And yes, Lawyers…

I think these are also professions!!!

And, our very own Chartered Accountant!!

Cost Accountants…

Company Secretaries…

(Well… I reserved it to the last. I wanted to introduce it like the movie heroes will be introduced. Come on, I can’t help it!!! I can’t stay unbiased)

You know what?

Chartered Accountancy is ranked amongst the toughest exams in the World.

They represent a niche segment of our society.

So…

Why none of the authors (Even parents for that matter) are ready to give a short to such professions?

Why not a Chartered Accountant?

Why not a Lawyer?

Why should it be only engineering from IIT with an MBA from IIM?

I agree they crack a JEE…

Well…

Others crack their respective exams too…

And,

Chartered Accountants (Another biased picture) crack a JEE-kind-of-exam three times…

They are hogged by uncertainties…

Society harasses them with infinite questions, mostly out of ignorance than out of real concern…

And they slog for three years where as the Engineers party at college for four years!!!

(Come on… The World, after reading so many books, knows by now that they study only the day before of their exams!!!)

Come on everybody…

Think beyond Engineering and medicines…

There is do much more than that…

And most importantly, don’t think that you are the only brainy lots…

There are lots and lots out there too…

And,

I hope that somebody… Somebody… would write a book with the non-engineer as the protagonist.

I also hope that parents think beyond engineering and medicines…

I further hope that the Chartered Accountants’ syllabus would let them have more fun… Free them (At least a little bit) from mere number crunching…

So that they can come out and tell stories of their life too!!!

Disclaimer:

No offense to other professions. This post is an outcome of my frustration caused due to people’s ignorance of my cherished profession. I wish that people break their chains of fear and chase their dreams rather than following what three-fourth of fellow folks are chasing ☺