“I always wanted a visiting card that says ‘Senior Engineer’ ,” he’d tell me. “There’s a certain sense of respect attached to it,” he’d say while getting ready to go to office.

I’d listen quietly as he told me about this ambition of his every morning while getting ready for work. 

“You must take Science, okay? It has better job opportunities, better pay and it sounds more respectable.”

I’d nod silently. And watch him leave for his job at the bank.

Yes, he wanted to study Science. But he never could.

That is probably why he projected that unfulfilled ambition onto me. Could I blame him for putting that baggage of his dreams on me?

Not really. 

The era I grew up in, it was common for children to become an extension of their parents’ unrequited goals.

I was no exception.

Which is why, for the next 10 years, I slogged. I slogged to fulfill that singular ambition of my father.

I slogged to live his dreams.  

Till the time came for me to make the ultimate choice. All those years of coaching and tuition classes culminated into making just one decision.

Science or Arts.

It wasn’t just the stream. It was the sum total of my parents’ expectations. 

Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for me, I opted for Arts.

Because, all those years of coaching and tuition classes didn’t bring me closer to Science. It made me realise that I was made for Arts, because it was what I was good in. 

Yes, I could’ve become an engineer or a doctor. But trust me, I’d have sucked at my job.

And I had a really hard time explaining that to my parents.

Yes, my parents were heartbroken. The fact that I’d failed so miserably on the parameter of what they considered a respectable stream of education, left them even more dejected. 

Moreover, there was a sense of betrayal attached to my decision.

But looking back, I’m glad. I’m glad that I disobeyed them.

Arts brought me closer to literature. It brought me closer to writing. It helped me evolve my personality. My own personality, not something I was expected to be.

The formulas and chemical permutations that Science offered made me feel claustrophobic. No offence to any Science lovers out there, but it just made me feel mechanical. 

In more ways than one, it restricted my mind.

Arts, on the other hand, appealed to my aesthetics. I felt at ease with it. Unlike Science, Arts didn’t feel like a deviation.

For once in my academic life, I felt accepted. For once, I looked forward to going to school.

Yes, I felt horrible for disappointing my parents. But I think I’d have been a bigger disappointment to them had I taken up Science and then performed poorly in it.

And since I loved my stream so much, I ended up scoring well in my class 12th board exams. Owing to which, I got admission into Delhi University. Which further helped me do a Masters in the course of my choice.

Could that have been possible had I taken up Science? 

I highly doubt it.

My parents see me doing well today and guess what, they’re prouder of my decision than I am. 

They’re proud of the fact that I disobeyed them. 

It took me 5 years to get that validation from them, but in the end, the wait was worth it.

If you have a passion, follow it. If you believe in your choice, have the courage to disobey a little. Have the courage to bend the rules. Don’t be afraid of taking the road less taken. 

Be who you want to be and soon enough, the world will make peace with it.