Evolution, Education and Empowerment- Part One

The above three E’s are an integral part of a student and a working professional’s life, like me for instance. One can evolve and advance in one’s career and life, if we are equipped with education and empowerment to pursue what we want. Tomorrow, Sept 08, 08 as we celebrate World Literacy Day, I want to ponder and introspect as to how much I have made out of the education I received so far.

CIA Worldfact book estimated in 2007 that overall World literacy rate stands at 82%, while India touches 61.0%. Mighty relieved that India’s score is at least average; it could have increased by a minimum 5 to 7%, by now. It is not uncommon to mistake literacy from education. How is literacy different from education? What makes us literate? What makes us educated? Literacy is the ability of an individual to read and write; it empowers an individual with knowledge and thereby makes one competent. Education empowers us to develop mental, aesthetic and moral faculties. However this can be possible only if education makes us think, question, aware, conscious and sensitize us.

How often have we developed cold feet about studying, when in School? L.K.G, U.K.G plus another 10 years looked like an eternity and would shudder at the prospect of another 7 years of education. Since we get things on a platter, we barely value education. There was an Abraham Lincoln, who was not lucky as most of us are and studied under street lights; A Brooker.T.Washington (coal miner) who literally gave his sweat and blood for education. In the course of this road that we traverse for 15 to 17 years of our life, I realized the value of education when I stepped into my XI class at St Francis. This is a turning point in everyone’s life when one is at the crossroads of umpteen options thrown at us: Maths, Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Economic, History, Literature, Commerce etc. Things are put into perspective when you take your pick; if you savour and devour your subjects nothing like it and if that empowers and equips you to excel in your career, what better can you ask for? I know the value of education and learning. Hence I had been persistent and adamant to pursue PG.

While studying in Rosary Covent High School, I had an intense ambition to become an IAS Officer, as a tiny tot, adolescent and teenager. Man proposes and God disposes! What I thought? And what I eventually became today? What started as working on a lark, as a part-timer actually became a grave career option. I became more inclined towards writing and honed my skills at various workshops I attended at College. Scales have been in my favour and 50% of my work that I do now is writing, writing and writing. I’m happy and content to have arrived where I always wanted to be.