By Suleman Saadat Khan."Suleman…enough of your pop music, now let me hear some Lata-Rafi collection". And I meekly obeyed my mother’s request. This brief exchange of dialogues reminded me how different our minds can be from our parents due to various reasons, among which generation gap is surely considerable.
Casting my mind back, I still remember what trauma I had to go through exactly two years back when I passed my intermediate exams in commerce. I was ecstatic to see my name in the column of those who had passed exams with A-1 grade but being a swimmer and some international competitions going on I just passed the exam. Everyone around me congratulated me in full spirits because they knew that passing out the exams without even the study as required in commerce is an achievement in itself. After the congratulating part was over, I seriously began to think what professional field I should be choosing. Though I was a commerce student, I still managed to remember how badly I had wanted to be a journalist in future. Reporters, anchors, columnists and gossipy current news stories had always been my favorites. Besides, I was an avid reader and writer of stories and poems since I was very little. So, I broke this piece of news in quite enthusiastic manner... "I want to take admission in Mass Communication dept in KU, I want to be a journalist". Luckily, my friends, including some cousins were there with my parents when I said this. "Are you out of your mind??" a girl-cousin of mine was quick to respond. "Nuts, you should be taking admission in CBM or some other good university , at least not KU…it’s the only place that can do justice to your talent and grades"- another one volunteered and of course. "These days BBA is very much in demand, go into that one"…and it continued…
Finally my parents also spoke up.. "Beta we think it’s best for you to take admission in some good reputable business university. You’ve studied commerce from matriculation till intermediate; do you want to throw all that away just like that??"
Quite reluctantly I started combing the aptitude books for admission in CBM, easily passed the entry test and managed to the BBA session. A month passed, then two and then three, but no teacher succeeded in inculcating the passion of commerce field inside me. It’s not that I hadn’t tried. I took all the classes and lectures and attended seminars, but the sight of badly entwined wires always made me nauseous. We always followed the formula’s , calculations that were predefined and we just have to put the given ones into it and mugging all formula’s that will play an important part in future. We didn’t invent anything on our own. We were never the pioneers. In short, I felt miserable. I always got exceptionally well marks in test by mugging and cheating from my mates, but that didn’t make me feel that I was intellectual in anyway. So finally when I couldn’t take anymore of it, I uttered the following words to my parents with tearful eyes...
"This is not my field, it’s not where my heart is… please let me do journalism"…
I guess my parents were quick to realize that I was not happy. They let me visit KU admin office to get admission details. I got admission and realized how right I was in quitting BBA and joining journalism. I felt like a free bird writing my thoughts and letting the world know them, expressing my views and welcoming the disagreements. Precisely, I was happy to be who I was, not what I was supposed to be.
I know that no guidance in this world can be better than our parents’, but I’m also aware of the fact that world is a colorful place and God has blessed all of us with different capabilities and skills.
So, I, Suleman Saadat Khan can responsibly declare that I refuse to follow the beaten path. I respect my parents’ and peers’ opinions, but I don’t want any innocent life to be ruined in a bid to amuse all the "professional intellectuals" out there
