I AM proud to be an Arts student.

“I am an Arts student, and proud of it.”

In India, the Arts subjects aren’t treated as they are abroad. Now, that’s a fact known to all. Sometimes, it even makes sense, what with Bangalore being the IT capital, Silicon city, amongst other things, Mumbai, Chennai and Google knows how many other places only adding to the “glory” of our land.

Yes. We train engineers, software, mechanical, architectural, aeronautical. You name it. We have splendid doctors. At a point in time, not more than a decade ago, being a doctor was the “in” thing. Now, it’s engineers. Begin in 8^th- 9^th grade. Train your children. Send them to coaching classes, BASE, and ACE and what not. Tell them they HAVE to be in IIT- Bombay. Or IIT-Delhi, IIT- Kanpur. Brainwash them, and make them BELIEVE that there is NOTHING else out there that is worth their time, or worth your money.

I’m not even kidding. Not even close to over exaggerating. This IS how India works. In this land where corruption is rampant, and law and order is the last thing on any family’s mind. In a land where being part of the Army, the Navy or the Air Force is looked down upon because women get raped and men are dogs. In this land, this land we call our “Dharti”, our home, our mother. In this land, there is no place for a psychologist, or a political science teacher. There is no place for a major in Literature, or in Fine Arts.

There is no place, for anyone who wishes to be anything but an engineer, or a doctor.

We ask ourselves why our children don’t do well.

Your children, who dared to take a stand and say “I want arts, nto science. Not commerce!” ask themselves why they’re not given as much preponderance as the Science girl who topped her class or just a subject. Or, the commerce student who maxed her paper.

To us arts students, someone who tops a Political Science paper, is brilliant.

Someone who tops an Economics paper, is genius.

Someone who aces history, is applauded.

Why? I’ll tell you why. We work just as hard, if not harder. Laugh, if you do not believe me. But before you do, I ask you to do one thing.

Take out the prescribed ISc text book.

Then, look up an ISc question paper.

Solve it.

And get a lecturer to grade you. Not just any lecturer, someone brilliant. Maybe your mentor. Even better, someone who has not the slightest clue who you are.

For us, the answers aren’t in our text books. They are in the world around us.

For us, it is being AWARE, and ACHING for more knowledge that matters more. Is that why we are undermined? Because we don’t stick our noses in our books, day in and day out, and prefer to watch the news instead?

Or is it because you’re afraid? Afraid that we are far too honest, far too cynical? Don’t we have reason to be?

We don’t want to ace, we want to be recognized. We want to be told “You’ve done a brilliant job” by someone other than our teachers, who treasure us. Who we treasure.

You can mug up formulas, I know it’s difficult. But it is not impossible. I am NOT undermining the Science stream, I’m just saying. . We’re just as good as you are. We work just as hard, and we’re just as accomplished. Sometimes, we’re smarter.

Lawyers don’t take their jobs seriously because no one cares what they do.

We know the Heads of Governments, Heads of States, because we feel it is important, not because syllabus says so.

It’s like mugging a formula. Except, it isn’t. Why?

For the simple fact that formulas don’t change.

(A+B)²is going to remain a² + b² + 2ab.

 Governments, on the other hand, do. They evolve. They HAVE to be IN tune with the present generation and all of its needs.

Else, the government fails. It is voted out of power. It goes to hell.

We have theories, disproved or proved, like those of Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, to name a few, just like the laws of Physics. These are the very foundations of the laws of a political system!

Don’t you see it? To go back in the times of Aristotle, to formulate theories based on “Polis” (Greek city- states, as they were known), around 335- 323 BC? That, my dear friends, is sheer brilliance, and nothing more.

Aristotle cannot be forgotten for his many contributions like the “essence of things”, or “form”. Or, even his five elements- Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Aether. Of Motion, Casuality, Optics. Of chance and spontaneity. His contributions to metaphysics, to biology and medicine.

No. He will not be forgotten. Not by students of Science, and definitely not by the students of Arts. He was a great man. Irrespective of his controversial theories. But life’s not like that anymore.

It’s about prizes, accolades. Awards, recommendations. It’s about being mentioned by a great man, about being quoted after death.

Well, that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m going to work behind the scenes, and I’ll be work till I drop. While I’m at it, I will hold my chin up, and I will smile, while I remind myself that,

“I AM proud to be an arts student. . .

Because I’m going to make my mark, and show this world. . We’re more than they’ve made us out to be.”