First, I know that this is not the appropriate place to write this particular review, but then I could not find any better place to pen my thoughts.
So please bear with this. Now before coming back to the subject, I have a question: Why is that Indian children lack in creativity (I myself do and find most to be lacking the same)? They lack in creativity when you compare them with other children from developed countries.
There are two main reasons behind it. First and foremost is the PARENTS. Yeah you read it right, the parents. When it comes to Indian context, the parents try to be over protective about their children. They influence the decisions of the child or rather make the decisions for him/her. If anyone wants to make a career out of games, sociology and some similar profession, the society will blame him for his/her eccentricities.
One of our relatives reside in US, and he told me this incident. His son was studying in some primary school, once teacher asked what everyone had for breakfast. Every other student replied ’’I prepared toasts using toast maker’’ or ’’I prepared sandwiches’’ etc. But his son replied ’’My mom cooked ... and I ate it’’. Sounds normal in the Indian context, isn’t it? But these are the small, small things which gradually reduces the creativity of the child. Now who is to blame for?
The second main and utmost important reason is Education system prevailed in India. This Education system is prevailing since independence and no one wants to change it. It has very less value in practical life and also the students are not given enough independence to try the things & experiments on their own. The evaluation criteria of a student is marks obtained by him.
If by chance the neighbor’s child gets more marks than yours, it is a cause of shame for you. Parents makes the child to feel so and the child feels dejected. This incessant comparison gradually torns down the creativity and the student is also bothered about just the marks, no matter whether he/she understood it or not. He/she will just learn the answers, dictated by the teacher in the class and write them as it is in the exams (fearing that writing something outside of the notes will make him loose the marks, afterall teacher is the only right person and whatever he/she dictates is the ONLY right answer. Anthing outside of these notes will cause you loose marks. Am I right teachers?). We really lack the practical stuff in the primary education system, though some of the schools are doing really good job at it.
Well to let creative juices flow, India needs a drastic change in the mindset and I hope that the next generation of parents bring it home...