What did you want to become when you grew up? A doctor, an engineer, a fighter pilot, army officer, teacher, social worker, farmer, dancer, actor, secret service operator, detective, forensic scientist, astronaut, prime minister of India, tourist guide? What?
I wanted to become a doctor, because that is what I heard everyone talk about and then I did have a fascination of knowing how our body works and the general biology in nature. Obviously at that time I did not know that a general fascination with biology does not necessarily mean that you are cut out to be a doctor. I also did not know at that time the amount of continuous studies and hard work needed to be a doctor on paper and further studies and hard work needed to be a doctor people would like to go to (despite the fact that doctor to patient ratio in India is quite poor). Coming back to the point, I wanted to be a doctor for many years at a stretch and every time the friendly neighbor aunty would ask me my prompt reply used to be “Doctor”. As I grew and knew more about the world, met more people, made new friends, I realized I wanted to be a doctor no more, at least not every time the question was asked. Now I wanted to be an engineer, because, well that needed logic, and was considered the new cool thing and yes, most boys wanted to be one and I wanted to beat boys in all that they wanted to do. So engineer it was, and then I realized I could really become a good one as I was always logical had a natural curiosity to know things and could pick up complicated theories and understand them. However, I could not still understand why we had to sit with a pen and paper and practice mathematics. I found it most interesting to read the solutions to tricky questions and see the mystery unfold. And read I used to, making it difficult to complete all mathematics questions one time. I did manage to get much more than passing marks in mathematics and would often solve problems for friends, but never was the top shining student in the class. That is when I realized maybe engineer is not such a good idea. Doctor always remained as something that I would not mind to be. But as I grew, I read and what I read influenced my decisions to be different things when I grew up. I wanted to be a rebel after good doses of history chapters on various revolutions that brought about changes in governments in different countries. I wanted to be a leader after couple of chapters on Indian independence struggle in 7th and 8th classes. I wanted to be a detective, a secret service agent, a forensic expert, after I was introduced to a taste of fiction early in my school life.... and then everything changed. I could not hold on to one vocation for more than a fortnight or three weeks depending upon the time I needed to finish one book. I wanted to be an actor one week, a painter in another, a farmer the week after. In anything I chose, I would dream of making a difference, as an actor, I would take the standards of acting so high with attention to detail (that even Amir Khan would be put to shame if he knew). As a painter I would be the best and yet want to remain unknown to the world, happy and content only in my art and nothing else. As a farmer, I was the one to introduce the latest equipment and technology to give the best yields and be the top contributor for green revolution.
I was a prisoner, a criminal, a con, a politician (well the two are the same... at the time I did not know that), an army officer, a pilot, a scientist, an astronaut, an alien, a reincarnation, a mutant, an architect, a poet (all I can say is I did not know that u had to be born one...). Yes, with time the distinction between reality and stupidity was blurring fast, and I knew that one thing I will always be was ‘a day dreamer’..... And always be happy, no matter what my circumstances are. Because, I knew that I could be anything. I also knew that I will do anything that I did become to the best of my abilities because that was the only consistent thing in everything I wanted to become. But nothing prepared me for what I had to finally take up. I became an analyst. I was nothing like the things I wanted to be when I was growing up. It was exciting, but did not provide me an opportunity to save the neighborhood from enemy attacks, ate up all my time for daydreaming (leaving me with no new ideas on what I could be). The good thing about being an analyst was I could see any data presented to me in hundred different ways. I could be creative at times. I had to fight to meet tight deadlines. I had to come up with solutions to tricky questions. I had to work under resource crunch. I had to keep some things confidential (not really secret service style). I had to read and learn new things.... I was everything I wanted to be, of course in a much mellowed down way... but I was everything I wanted to be.... I still am an analyst and am afraid will never cease to be one even after I stop working. So what did you become?
I wanted to become a doctor, because that is what I heard everyone talk about and then I did have a fascination of knowing how our body works and the general biology in nature. Obviously at that time I did not know that a general fascination with biology does not necessarily mean that you are cut out to be a doctor. I also did not know at that time the amount of continuous studies and hard work needed to be a doctor on paper and further studies and hard work needed to be a doctor people would like to go to (despite the fact that doctor to patient ratio in India is quite poor). Coming back to the point, I wanted to be a doctor for many years at a stretch and every time the friendly neighbor aunty would ask me my prompt reply used to be “Doctor”. As I grew and knew more about the world, met more people, made new friends, I realized I wanted to be a doctor no more, at least not every time the question was asked. Now I wanted to be an engineer, because, well that needed logic, and was considered the new cool thing and yes, most boys wanted to be one and I wanted to beat boys in all that they wanted to do. So engineer it was, and then I realized I could really become a good one as I was always logical had a natural curiosity to know things and could pick up complicated theories and understand them. However, I could not still understand why we had to sit with a pen and paper and practice mathematics. I found it most interesting to read the solutions to tricky questions and see the mystery unfold. And read I used to, making it difficult to complete all mathematics questions one time. I did manage to get much more than passing marks in mathematics and would often solve problems for friends, but never was the top shining student in the class. That is when I realized maybe engineer is not such a good idea. Doctor always remained as something that I would not mind to be. But as I grew, I read and what I read influenced my decisions to be different things when I grew up. I wanted to be a rebel after good doses of history chapters on various revolutions that brought about changes in governments in different countries. I wanted to be a leader after couple of chapters on Indian independence struggle in 7th and 8th classes. I wanted to be a detective, a secret service agent, a forensic expert, after I was introduced to a taste of fiction early in my school life.... and then everything changed. I could not hold on to one vocation for more than a fortnight or three weeks depending upon the time I needed to finish one book. I wanted to be an actor one week, a painter in another, a farmer the week after. In anything I chose, I would dream of making a difference, as an actor, I would take the standards of acting so high with attention to detail (that even Amir Khan would be put to shame if he knew). As a painter I would be the best and yet want to remain unknown to the world, happy and content only in my art and nothing else. As a farmer, I was the one to introduce the latest equipment and technology to give the best yields and be the top contributor for green revolution.
I was a prisoner, a criminal, a con, a politician (well the two are the same... at the time I did not know that), an army officer, a pilot, a scientist, an astronaut, an alien, a reincarnation, a mutant, an architect, a poet (all I can say is I did not know that u had to be born one...). Yes, with time the distinction between reality and stupidity was blurring fast, and I knew that one thing I will always be was ‘a day dreamer’..... And always be happy, no matter what my circumstances are. Because, I knew that I could be anything. I also knew that I will do anything that I did become to the best of my abilities because that was the only consistent thing in everything I wanted to become. But nothing prepared me for what I had to finally take up. I became an analyst. I was nothing like the things I wanted to be when I was growing up. It was exciting, but did not provide me an opportunity to save the neighborhood from enemy attacks, ate up all my time for daydreaming (leaving me with no new ideas on what I could be). The good thing about being an analyst was I could see any data presented to me in hundred different ways. I could be creative at times. I had to fight to meet tight deadlines. I had to come up with solutions to tricky questions. I had to work under resource crunch. I had to keep some things confidential (not really secret service style). I had to read and learn new things.... I was everything I wanted to be, of course in a much mellowed down way... but I was everything I wanted to be.... I still am an analyst and am afraid will never cease to be one even after I stop working. So what did you become?
