Back in 10th grade, for a month or two, every Friday, we had an hour-long workshop organized by 

 publication in my school. In one of the workshops, the facilitator handed us a newspaper clipping of a report which said that a laboratory in 

 has produced an interesting hybrid of mangoes. It was a very scientific 50-75 words report and we were asked to experiment with it. I transformed that technical report into a story from the mango’s point of view. The facilitator loved my piece, took pictures of it, and made the rest of the students clap for me.

Fast forward to 2020, I assume the facilitator has long forgotten about me or my essay. However, for a person whose only focus was to get the best marks in every subject, that was a breath of fresh air. That was the first time I realized that I could do something else, something that was not just about studying or cramming extensively. My dear 

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them

“. I believe, there’s another kind as well, the one that could be great but remains oblivious of it.

 is deeply flawed. It focuses too much on the perfect marks and solid competition rather than the students’ talents and skills. We have seen multiple movies on this issue, have read various articles on it but we still fail to do anything about the problem. Yes, there are schools that give equal attention to co-curricular activities however, not everybody can pay for those schools. Hence, a system has formed that benefits one particular section of society by nurturing their creative sensibilities. On the other hand, there is another group that has little to no access to these opportunities.

 occurs when people living in the same society do not have access to the same opportunities. It prevents people from making the best use of their skills. Now, can this concept apply to our schools? I say, why not? I went to a school where the drawing and the sports period only functioned as a break. We had sports competitions, elections, annual day celebrations where some students would give speeches, some would dance and some would sing. However, these programs were only contained to a day. Students would start practicing a week before the program. Sometimes, they had to leave a class or two for practice at the request of which, the teachers would reprimand them and tell them that they are wasting their time. For most of the teachers, extracurricular did not mean a thing. It was just EXTRA for them. We had clubs only for the sake of it. I remember being thrilled when the idea of forming clubs was introduced in my school. The excitement soon turned to disappointment when I realized that those clubs were nothing but an excuse for classroom fun.

It was only after the workshop incident where the facilitator liked my piece that I realized that I could be creative, that I had the potential. I could write. From there on, I started writing and I was happy that I found a retreat for myself. I was happy to include writing in my long hours of studying. It has been six years since that incident and three years since I graduated from school. I have finally accepted that it is not necessary for me to get better marks than everybody else. Still, every time before my exams, I get extremely anxious and study day and night. You see, no matter how much you fight it, this education system, honed and strengthened over the years, has been drilled inside the students. I spent twelve years in an environment where scoring above ninety was awarded more than anything else. Now, even though I disapprove of this system, I still get deeply anxious because of it.

When I joined college in 2017, my class was full of an insane amount of talented individuals. This was a completely different environment than what I had in school. Some of the students could write really well, some could sing and some could act. Once somebody asked me what my talent was and I replied, “

“. In that one classroom, I met writers who could move you with their words. In front of them, I forgot that I could write. I looked up to them, I wanted to be them. I found myself compensating for 12 years of lost opportunities. I feel that no matter what I do and where I go in the future, I will always carry my hardbound insecurity of not-being-good-enough, stapled inside me.

I am sharing this because I know there are a lot of students out there who were absolute stars in their school only to realize just how much they have missed out on once they stepped out of their cocoon. Why don’t we make it a point to celebrate art, creativity and talent every year just like we celebrate our CBSE toppers? Why don’t we encourage our students to experiment outside of academics? It is imperative that we come up with a system that focuses on the extra-curricular as much as the normal curriculum of school. A child has unlimited potential and the way our schools are functioning, these potentials are being suppressed so much so that he/she ends up wishing to be more than just “studious”.

Yes, some are born great but some can BECOME great with the right amount of support and exposure. We need to provide our students with a system that allows them to thrive outside of academics and nurtures their inherent skills. The world outside of our four walls of school appreciates talent as much as academics and we need to prepare our students for that world.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.

The Education That Wasn’t

All of us, to whatever religion we may belong, are equally the children of India with equal rights, privileges and obligations. We cannot encourage communalism or narrow-mindedness, for no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action…

 said. His audience found assurance in his words, in his charm and in his promise of unity. Then for many years, we had slogans promising brotherhood, love and communal harmony. “

” one said. Then many others joined in. 

-nation anymore. It was a nation of many religions-a secular one. 

 as their home and vice versa. The sense of being the other, the 

However, this sense, this frightening feeling took full control of the 

 mind, after the 2014 general elections. Since then, the ostracisation of 

 society has only been increasing. I am not saying that before 2014, 

 were living a normal life. I just had never experienced the complications so intimately. I hadn’t seen my friends and family bothered and worried about their very identity. I had simply not seen so much hate among the masses. Any time, anywhere, any extremist 

 all over the world bear the brunt of it. 

 are constantly trying to make up for something they did not even do. No matter how much they contribute socially and economically to the society, they are still scrutinized because of their religion, their name and now, their outfit as well.

 across the country. The protests against the discriminatory 

 had had enough and were finally speaking up against many years of repression and xenophobia. Instead of using bullets and 

 were using poetry and the tricolour. When the cases of 

 were all united once again. Social media was filled with posts commending the 

 for uniting the country all over again. 

 were finally fighting with the majority against the virus. They were on one team. They were united. That did not last for long.

, held its annual conference in the month of March. This conference was attended by many 

 from all over the world. On March 13, the 

 was not yet facing a health emergency and when the nation-wide lockdown was announced, the conference was long over. Some attendees had left for their countries/states but some stayed back and couldn’t go after the lockdown was announced. These attendees had come from different countries, unknowingly carried the virus with them and infected many others. When six attendees of the congregation died in 

, that’s when the authorities took notice of the 

. However, a population of around 201 million 

 cannot and should not be blamed for it. Just like every person in the world right now, they too are frightened and anxious about their future and to top all of that, they have to survive this hate-mongering once again.

I would like to bring to your notice what all has happened since the 

 fiasco. According to the data shared with 

 have appeared 300,000 times and that’s just on 

. The hashtag is trending on other social media applications as well. There are other hashtags too like 

 attire licking utensils, coughing and sneezing to spread 

. Most of these videos were filmed long ago, not in 

, a fact checking organisation has debunked most of these. 

, one of the leading newspapers, published a cartoon showing 

 with a gun in the hand, terrorizing the world. This virus was in a 

 isn’t the only one. Media houses are one of the leading causes behind the increasing hate amongst the 

 was all over the news and one could smell the 

 from their television screens. One day my mother said to me that she gets very emotional after watching the news, she feels like she is accused of something, as if she has committed a crime. It was disheartening to hear my mother say something like that. I could only nod and wonder how many others were feeling the same way. To these sold media houses, I just want to ask if they even realize what they are doing. They are committing a crime against humanity, against their own conscience. Their hate mongering has led to lynchings and deaths of many across the country.

, was returning home from a religious gathering. He was attacked, beaten till he bled from his ears and nose and then taken to a temple where he was told to renounce 

. His attackers were quite sure that he was on a mission to spread 

 leaders are giving hate speeches against the 

 members, with no consequence. This is not all, there’s more: 

 was allegedly attacked for taking videos of a procession that took to the streets to carry out the Prime Minister’s instructions. A mosque in 

 was shot at and the men arrested for it told the police they had fired to “

 are being barred from entering neighborhoods. Nobody is buying vegetables or groceries from 

 vendors. Some vendors are carrying their 

 for identification and shopkeepers are refusing to cater to 

 is segregating patients on the basis of religion and shifting them to separate wards.

 individual does something phenomenal, it is considered an individual act but when a 

 individual or a group (in this case) does something wrong, the whole 

 community is considered responsible for it. The 

 isn’t solely responsible for this recklessness. The 

 delayed response to the pandemic also contributed equally to this. Why were the foreigners coming for the congregation from 

 not screened at the airport? My friend took a flight to 

 on 21st March and reported that there was no checking at the 

, everybody was being screened. When would our government start taking responsibility for their lack of action? When would the people remove the blindfold from their eyes and start holding the 

-led government responsible for their carelessness?

 have to light at their balconies to be accepted? Should they stand longer, clap more, whistle and dance on the streets? As I conclude this, with a heavy heart, I ask, 

Articles by Ramsha Khan

The Education That Wasn’t

What would it take for a Muslim to become Indian?

The Education That Wasn’t

What would it take for a Muslim to become Indian?