Mumbai never ceases to surprise and Nasik never ceases to please me…. Nasik, once a pilgrimage town, is shedding its skin and venturing into the new era. It is lined up to be the next metro of Maharashtra. As promised an eon ago, the Govt. of Maharashtra has finally delivered two sides of the golden triangle by connecting Mumbai-Pune and Mumbai-Nasik with beautiful “Express-Ways”. Not sure of the Pune-Nasik arm of it.
This time around I had a chance to visit Pune, on the very next day of my touchdown at Mumbai airport. Within a week of riding the AC-Coach, Shivneri (Mum-Pune luxury travel of Govt. of Maharashtra) here I am…. in Gangapur, a rustic suburb of Nasik, that is pristine and yet, has hints of urbanization.
Well, the paragraph above has nothing to do with that is yet to unfold but nevertheless it was a passing thought when I started to write.
Mom, dad and I were chilling out with a cup of tea on our porch. The weather was nice and cool with a slightly eastward wind. The radiant ball of fire was looking to hide behind the distant, serene, mountains. With every step downwards, it displayed its vibrancy of colors. I was about to gulp down the picture-perfect-sunset with a sip of tea and mom threw a cannon at me, “Vikram, sooner or later you will have your Ph.D. certificate. I have lost the only one I had… SSC Pass. Will my lack of education pull you down? Rather are you ashamed of my education? ”
I was shell shocked. Not even once had this thought touched my mind… so far. But it was different now. She had asked me a question and I needed an answer. I had to explain my stand if such a situation would ever arise. Within that fraction of second, which sort of lasted for a few minutes, these were the thoughts and opinions I could gather and speak out coherently.
“Mom.. I do not know the context of this question. I do not know why you ask this and neither do I know the right/wrong answer to this question. But there is one thing I know…. You were there to guide me, to support me and to boost my confidence whenever I need it.. Your documented lack of education hasn’t affected me in anyways I can perceive or know of. Infact, it’s kinda weird that an SSC Pass could have the vision of sending her son to a distant land, to fetch a degree that only a fraction of the world population can boast of.
Mom, at this age both of you (addressing to dad), are capable of handling internet with ease. I feel confident of handing over a netbook to you. You can use Word, Excel, Power-Point for official and personal tasks. You can use google and gmail, can read news online, deal with stock market online. You can write short poems, you have excellence in 3 regional languages and are comfortable with English. You can easily mingle with people and handle a crowd on demand. You are capable of comparing at events. You have excellent handwriting and can sketch very well. Prior to your throat operation you could sing and even today you choreograph dances. You are an excellent cook.
Which part of this reflects your lack of education? I really don’t see it. Yeah, you do not have a paper that endorses formal education. But don’t forget, the degree certificate guarantees that person has completed the requirements of program as laid down by an institution or the governing body. Nowhere does it mention the ability of a person to solve real world problems. It is a mere assumption that the person might be able to solve some problems after having achieved a formal degree. It is an ASSUMPTION. Look at yourself. You were without a child for fours and at receiving end of the society. You fought it and saw your child grow and achieve that you dreamt of. You lost your husband but did not give up. You married again to a man of whom I am proud of. He is more of friend than a “Father” to me. Your body wants to give up but there is something in you that want’s to keep going. Now tell me do you still feel the lack of education? I don’t think so. You are a fighter, a problem solver and above all you are my Mom! Rest doesn’t matter.
So stop thinking about it and take a sip. Dad makes good tea. Enjoy it…”
Mom, dad and I glanced at each other for a moment and then were back to staring at the mountains searching for the sun. I could see the moistness in mom n dad's eyes!
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A note on the blog:
I do not intend to offend any "degree holder" out there. But it is indeed worth mentioning to folks who think that they are underachievers because they do not have a degree. If you know of someone like this around you, please let em know that it's not completely true. I hope we can spread this message and see the best inside everyone! cheers
