To be or not to be........

As I entered the high school, I came upon the first crossroad in my life.  What career option should I pursue?  Should I become a doctor or an engineer?   May be, it would be better if I chose none of these and opted for becoming a scientist.  But, each of these professions are highly taxing on the brain and involves hard work – not my cup of tea!  Perhaps, the best option would be to do my graduation in arts and then appear for the civil services examination.  What would be my fate if I do not pass the examination?    I recalled the vision of Uncle Harish spending the better part of his life hunting for a decent job, after graduating in arts.  I would not like to be in his shoes either.  What are the other options left for me?  I scratched my head  in the hope of solving this vexatious problem.

Ah!  What about a career in the army?  I have to qualify in the entrance examination for admission in the National Defence Academy,  after passing the high school certificate examination,  followed by a stringent test for physical fitness.   It was not a very difficult task for me,  given that I was a good athlete in my school and was a member of the hockey, football and cricket teams.  I used to watch with envy,  the cadets of the Academy strolling on the main market road on Sundays.  They were smartly dressed in their blue blazers, grey trousers and striped neckties, hand-in-hand with their girl-friends.  What an impressive pair they looked!  I often visualized myself in their place and wondered if I could also become the object of feminine attraction some day!

I imagined myself residing in one of those imposing Victorian bungalows in the cantonment, after I become a commissioned officer;  a contingent of orderlies and servants attending on me and obeying every command without the slightest show of reluctance.  The mornings would be spent on physical training and the evenings  in the officer’s club, drinking, dancing with the beautiful ladies and playing cards.  Life would be all bliss!  At that moment a disturbing thought invaded my mind.  What if I am posted in one of those dangerous, mountainous and secluded border areas, which are snow-clad most of the year?  I will be far away from my family and face death from an enemy bullet, every moment.  I will also have to obey every command of my commanding officer, like my orderlies and lead a very regimented existence.  There is no way I am going to sacrifice my freedom for all the pleasures of life!

My thoughts went back to the career of a doctor.  It is considered a noble profession and commands great respect in society.  But, for this career,  I had to take  up health science as an optional subject in the high school.  Our teacher for this subject was an eccentric old man who believed in making the students learn by rote.  He would ask questions, based on whatever he taught the previous day.  Any student who failed to give the right answers would have his ears tweaked and he had to stay back after school hours and write the entire lesson thrice.  I considered these conditions too restrictive for my free spirits.  Besides, the thought of my ears being enlarged to the size of an elephant’s ears, in due course of time, bothered me.  The only option left was to take mathematics.  The concerned teacher was a jolly person who liked to enlighten the students with an occasional humorous anecdote.  The mood in his class was always upbeat.

After passing the junior college, I had the option of going for a career in engineering, or continue with science and mathematics.  If I chose the latter,  then I did not have to change the college.  I had developed a close affinity with the college environment, the old building, the staff and everything associated with the college.  The Principal was a very affable person in his fifties.  He knew every student by name and always enquired about their studies and well-being whenever they wished him.  I had great faith in the wisdom of uncle Harish and decided to consult him.  He was now a political upstart and waiting to be nominated by his party for an important position in the party hierarchy.  I posed this problem to him.

“I suggest you become a politician, which encompasses everything you want to be,” he said confidently.    

After seeing the unconvincing expression on my face he clarified, “You see, a politician is very good in fooling the people.  He does not believe in the outdated saying, ‘you can fool some people for some time, but not all people for all times’.   He tells untruths skillfully, without flinching his eyelid and convinces the people that he is telling the truth.  A scientist also does the same.  He tells the people about global warming and the approaching dangers of  all life forms.  He hides the fact that the earth has gone through all these warm and cold epochs in the past, when there was no pollution effects by greenhouse gases!  He also does not disclose that all the planets in the solar system have exhibited increase in temperatures, even when they are not inhabited by the naughty humans.  Fortunately, he does not have to contest an election, so it will never be known whether the people are convinced or not."

I saw logic in his argument, but I was still not convinced about pursuing politics as a career option.  I have seen politicians meet their waterloo in an election and are compelled to lead a very Spartan existence thereafter.  I thought an engineer could lead a decent existence after retirement.  I sought clarification on this point from uncle Harish.

Uncle Harish was quick to retort, “ An engineer, even if he is heading his department, has to work under a Minister, who is a politician.  He cannot execute any major plans, unless it is approved by the Minister.  It is always better to occupy the chair of the Minister, even if it is for a day, and dictate terms rather than be on the receiving end, as an engineer.”

I saw immense logic in this argument too, but I still could not reconcile myself with the idea of a politician becoming a villain in the eyes of his party and the people,  after losing in the election.  In the end,  I felt the profession of a scientist to be the most secure and providing a reasonable pay-packet.  It gives the opportunity to recycle the same research material and present it in different symposia all  over the world.  After my retirement, I could sit peacefully in my armchair and indulge in a retrospection of these visits.