Sincere Note: This is not another rant about how agitating it is to confront judgemental comments just on the grounds of my academic preferences. Rather, I’m here to have a heartfelt conversation with everyone with an opinion out there. So, shall we?
Dating back to about two years ago when everyone in my batch was busy deciding what stream they should invest their upcoming years, I was just as clueless as the person next to me. We were simply handed over a form with PCM, PCB, Commerce and Humanities written over it as options. I guess I didn’t give it much thought before choosing Humanities and was quite eager to finally be left alone by the Math ghost. Until obviously, I was raided upon with opinions that puzzled me and some days later, I found myself sitting in my first Accounts lecture of grade 11.
I was one among about sixty reluctant faces looking up at the “Types of Taxes” jotted down on the green board. At that moment, an important realization hit me in the gut, not a huge spiritual one or anything like that. It was a realization of how utterly bored I was during that one wretched Accounts class. Everything I previously heard about how my career will be on doom’s way once I chose Humanities, seemed so irrelevant that it didn’t take me an hour to switch streams from Commerce to Humanities. This, right here, I consider one of the best decisions I have ever taken.
Not because one is better than the other, but because one suited me as a person better than the other. A simple fact most people fail to, or rather refuse to acknowledge. We sure are the excluded lot, definitely not the undertalented ones. This, I realised during all those heated intellectual discussions that took place during the history and psychology classes I attended during those two years. From major political and social issues and their possible reforms to individual perspectives on each lesson we took, knowledge poured from everywhere like waterfalls. Humanities, as a discipline, has broadened my thinking capacity and I don’t think it would be an overstatement to say, has given me something to identify myself with. I happened to be blessed with people who supported my decision and did not resort to criticising my choices in any way, something not everyone is fortunate enough to have.
I’ve had the chance to know some of the most well-opinionated, humble people regardless of which stream of study they were pursuing and this only adds to what I believe about one’s academic choices that they are not limited to just some noted names. That they are not limited to a particular relative’s suggestions or a certain pay scale. We can only wonder how amazingly those students belonging to one stream could be doing if only they opted for what they were really passionate about.
I, amongst many people my age, will be beginning with my first year as a Bachelor of Arts student next month. Having been a humanities student for the last two years, I am quite aware of the social challenges we go through and am unapologetic enough to say: Yes, I am an Indian Arts Student and am proud of being one.
I am a proud Indian Arts student and I understand how valuable all the academic streams are and respect each one equally. Growing from the little experiences I’ve had, I got to know that eventually, it so doesn’t matter what anyone has to say. That eventually each one of us realizes they aren’t obligated to follow the herd. And if you are yet to come to that relieving realization, I hope you soon do, I know you soon will 🙂