Against the odds
Whether it’s music classes, art or dance — or maybe even special coaching in Math — most teens at some point of time or the other have had the experience of being forced to take up some extra class by their parents, concerned about their all-around development. We see this with teens in the limelight, who forced to take up something they didn’t want, eventually crash and burn. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the cases of actors Taylor Momsen and Lindsay Lohan, who have both blamed their parents for pushing them into modelling at the tender ages of two and three respectively. Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin is another instance of the same.
But some teens do overcome their frustration at being forced into something they didn’t initially want to take up and ultimately excel in those particular fields. Says Charlene Dunn, a B.A. student, “When I took up my course, my dad insisted that I study Psychology whereas I wanted to study History. I’ve liked History ever since we studied it in school. I ended up taking both the subjects in my first year. Now I find that I have really begun to enjoy Psychology. I intend to become a teacher and I’ve realised that this is the subject that will help me understand the minds of my students.”
For Ritika P., it was enforced Carnatic music lessons since the age of five that were an irritant. “I hated going for my music classes initially, as that was the time when all my favourite television shows were on. I would feel like throwing a tantrum every time it was time to leave…now, 12 years of training later, I have actually started enjoying the music. I find myself humming Carnatic songs at odd moments. The best part is that it has made me proficient at singing other types of music as well, which has made me very popular with my classmates.”
Ritika and Charlene’s examples resonate with that of stars like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. The girls have used their early start in the glamour industry to good use, going from strength to strength in their careers. Says Sohan Thakur, an engineering student, “I gave my intermediate drawing exams and attended classes for the same during my school days. It was my parents’ decision, but also my own inclination. As long as you really have the talent for something, it shouldn’t matter what your reason was for getting into it.”
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