Friday, June 29, 2007

Who is your role model?

Once my class X teacher accused me of being arrogant when I replied I had no role model. The way she interpreted my statement was that ... let me report you what she actually said...

She said,
"Out of so many great people,
so many leaders revolutionaries,
so many successful people
and
from the entire race of humans
which includes your parents
you can't find a single person whom you want to be like?"

as she was chanting above statements the class looked at me as though I was standing there naked. Its obvious that everyone has a role model how can this one not have one. Its mandatory to have one and even if you don't have one you will find one slowly through your friends, teachers, parents and even media the one whom you want to be like, the one who is a sample example for you to follow and the one whose name you will say when someone asks you this question to avoid the kind of looks I was facing. Seriously how can any one not have a role model when the answer of this very question is told the child when he is in nursery for his moral-science exam.
"My god!Have you forgotten the answer Anshul!" the looks from class pierced and inquired, "Come on say Mahatma Gandhi or Einstein or your father" and suggested, "OK say the name of the guy who topped class X last year".


I was standing there like a fool as I said the truth.
No, I dont have any role model.
And Yes I don't find anyone whom I want to replicate.

I am sorry everyone but I could not find anyone till date whom I admire, its not that i don't admire great works, but I cant find anyone as a model for me. Even when I entered into an institute(IIT) where people dream being to, my friends called cream, butter, chhaaas etc etc of the nation found their role models in the seniors they had their fanaticism for. Many of them are role models themselves now for the new entrants to the factory of IIT. And all of them are doing the work exactly what their role model did who did exactly what his role model did who did what his role model did...till you can imagine (And interestingly some deny that they are trying copying the God of their extent of dreams)


Till now I dont have the answer to the question that everyone else answered. Is this some kind of disease? But I don't want to cure it. So this might be an addiction. I am addicted to be me unlike all other normal people who have the ability to praise someone and see good they can use
from the life of their role model. I guess I love being abnormal.

So finally the question is ...Are you addicted or normal?
diagnose yourself truthfully and then comment.
Truthfully please.

8 comments:

Vikash said...

इस मामले मे मैं भी आपके जैसा ही हूँ! किसी भी महान व्यक्तित्व का झेरौक्स बनने से बेहतर मुझे एक 'अब्नौर्मल' इन्सान बनना लगता है। मुझे लगता है की हर इन्सान को अपने व्यक्तित्व को महत्ता देनी चाहिऐ। पृथ्वी अगर गान्धियों या न्युटनों से भर जाये...तो नरक हो जायेगी।

Anshul Singhal said...

yupp ... so many newtons out there:)

Vipin Kumar said...

I think i have answered that questions in one of my blogs ...kya banogey munna...usmein bhi i said ki before coming to IIT everyone had some aim ,or if i put it in your words, "role model" to fullfill or become.

But if you dont have one ...you are utterly confuse. Because as you told, the world and the society expects us to have a role model.

What if you dont have one and what if you dont see yourself as a role model?

Nithya said...

Look at the term "role model". It means you want to model yourself according to the role that person played in society. It is certainly not plain imitation of their mannerisms and lifestyle, nor is it limiting yourself to what they achieved.
When I think of the people I admire I not only think of the "great works" they have accomplished, but also of their genius and their strength of mind and yes, I do want to be more like them. This doesn't mean I want to imitate their every act and gesture. But I do think we all need something to look up to, someone who inspires us. Its like, when you're feeling lowest and want to give up, you think of that person and remember that he must also have had moments like these...

Indeed if I had ever been asked the same question in school, I wouldn't have been able to answer either; because I have so many role models, I couldn't pick one:)

Ravali said...

i guess all this jus depends on wht u finally want to interpret the word "role model" to.....i think maybe its a wrng word u say for sumone whom u look upto...not necessarily copy/imitate
maybe its jus ur neighbour who made a nice gesture to u....not necessarily a gr8 personality....y not jus a beggar on strt....but jus sumone who plays his role in being a person to inspire u to do sumthing tht he has done which makes u feel like u shud b better than him hopefully one day

Ravali said...

maybe its jus u....tht u dnt look upto neone....maybe u never came across neone in whose lines (not exactly those lines though) u'd like to grow up to b

Naash said...

...whatever!!

nice post though.

;)

pragyag said...

i guess i m reading this post again after a loong time....dunno.i never thought about role models...but never even thought much about being abnormal or something like that....yeah but have been doing some introspection lately..and coming across this post reminded me of some of the conversations i had with u in those days at IIT....
yeah...but good...i admire your work...as always have!