I was
brought up in an atmosphere where I didn’t have the scope of learning the
significance of the word, “Achievement”. Middle class Bengali homes of
Government officers or teaching professionals of pre-Globalisation period
simply believed in improvement. Kids were expected to take up reading or
painting or singing or dancing as a serious task and parents used to be happy to
see kids doing something attentively - running behind excellence was not even
dreamt of. The idea of private engineering college did not develop in this region. Good students having an interest for engineering or medical studies had
to opt for IIT or couple of Government engineering or medical colleges through rigorous exam process – and any good
professor or teacher or theatre actor in the locality used to draw more respect
than that an engineer did. Hence children in every family were not pressurized
to become an engineer, “the achiever”.
I came to
know of the concepts of “Achievement” and “Achiever” much later. And the moment
I introduced to these, I was amazed! Everyone in a civilized society has to run
behind some or other achievement in order to become an achiever. Taking up a
profession of a mere teacher or engineer or singer is not enough – one has to
be an achiever. So a teacher has to prove his capability by the size of
three-storied house – otherwise how would society know that the person is a
good teacher? An engineer has to inevitably land up in the Dreamland of America
– can anyone prove own skill anywhere else in the world? A musician should be
able to sale the music in a particular amount to prove his ability – what else but
the count of purchasers prove the distinction of a musician? Yes everyone needs
to be distinct and everyone has to be noticeable – the world is no place for non-celebrities!
I met men
and women in the workshops of the enterprises who are all celebrities – achievers
from different domains – all striving to become the best achiever of the world.
Symbol of achievement? – A service-person’s job serving the richer countries of
the world, preferably a long term onsite stay, an apartment in a prestigious high-rise
in a high-tech city and presence in social media. Yes, social media – the revolutionary
concept of post-globalised world brings the scope of becoming a celebrity to
everyone – even a Singapore banker who spent thirty years of life in manoeuvring Share market strategies and never exposed to an idea called ‘literature’ finds
the scope of becoming a “Bestseller author” with the help of social media. How
easy is it to prove that everyone can be ‘achiever’ and everything is ‘achievable’!
Why not you and me become achievers too?
And I
started pitying the distant relative who rejected a job-offer from United
States of America in 1960s even after standing first in a reputed engineering
college here - he was not ready to accept the kind foreigner’s offer of a
labourer’s job there! I started pitying the Shakespeare-expert neighbour who
opted for a teacher’s job in a nearby school to be able to stay with her ailing
parents. I was amazed at the dance of democracy everywhere – which means everyone
can become a king or queen! Only thing one has to find out is the arena where
one wants to become an achiever – of course it needs the mindset of a gladiator
- one needs the killer-instinct to crush anything that comes on the way of
becoming an achiever!
And how easy
the life became with the help of media, of which social media is a part – one need
not practice anything for years. Not even the gladiator-like wrestling skill is
needed to look like a wrestler – only make sure that you make some sensitive
comments before media – enough to ensure your becoming an ‘achiever’ earning a
fortune!. Photoshop gives us the power to look beautiful, claim to be an
expeditionist, or prove our skill as an illustrator. Sound mixing software can
make even a donkey sound like a Gandharva – your out of tune human voice is not
an issue at all. Upload your photos on social media dressing up like a dancer –
you are a dancer! Want to impress people being good cook? Take a selfie in a
well-decorated kitchen and post that on social media along with a recipe having
ingredients like all kinds of spices from all over the world – you are a Chef! ERP
software gives us the power to control and standardise. Now it’s time to
standardise and control achievements and achievers to make everyone a
celebrity.
You still
didn’t find how to become an ‘achiever’ and in which field? Try to survive in
the terrorism–torn world a little more days and then find a social media
channel to reveal your secret of survival before the world – eating only baked beans
and sprout\ no alcohol but only Arabica coffee \ practicing Yoga – there are numerous
options. If you are a women, you may announce ‘avoiding men in life’ is your
secret of survival – men who sell guns or practice gunfight – you are going to
become a celebrity achiever in the last lap of your life!
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