Dare to dream!

Just came back from watching latest Manju Warrier movie- "Udaharanam Sujatha". As someone who  lived in Thiruvanandapuram, the beginning of the movie evoked such nostalgic feelings in me, I was almost in tears. The opening song sequence and the scenery were so touching. With a little drag in the first half, movie picked up speed and was highly engaging in the second half. As the movie progressed, actors vanished and only the characters remained on the screen.

“There are people who won’t take you seriously. They might scorn at you and discourage you. Ignore them all. There are only few who can understand your dream and stand by you. Stay close to them and hold them dear to your heart. They will cherish your dream and help you achieve it”  is the sort of advice Sujatha gives her daughter, who up until that time, was a stubborn teenager who went about her life without much care about anything in her world. She was fed, clothed and sheltered.  The fact that her father died four years ago, that her widowed mother is working around the clock to make ends meet didn’t matter to her. She is happy in her world, enjoying the life without any plan for the next day, let alone the future.

What can a parent do to motivate a capable child? How can they bring a direction to their children’s life? How capable is a parent to dream for his or her child? These are all questions Sujatha grapples with herself.  Luckily for her, she had a guide who would help her navigate through this, the person whom she works as a domestic help. She also gets impressed by a young lady who makes a difference in people's life. Fate brings her face to face with this young professional and makes her think of her daughter's future.  The day she took the ride in collector mam’s car, looking out through the window; she saw the city in an entirely new perspective and her dream for her daughter took shape. She was the kind of mother who would go to any length to materialize what she wished for. This movie can inspire the young and old alike.

The kind of social mobility that is possible if people can seize the opportunity that is available to them in our country is often not spoken loud. K.R Narayan and APJ Kalam are only a few such examples of people who had humble beginnings yet didn’t let their environment define their path. Perhaps, before teaching them mathematics and science, schools need to instill in children a sense of confidence and trust that they too can claim their future, that the birth doesn’t define their destiny, that the education system will level the playing field for them. Think about how many Athira Krishnan’s would have lost their battle much before they started if they didn’t have a mother who persevered in helping her daughter dream.

Having someone who believes in the child is perhaps the greatest gift that child can have. As for the lonely mother, being able to look up to someone for guidance is a true blessing. We can see many people willing to help if we seek it. As a community, we have a responsibility to help young parents bring up their children by giving them various training to deal with the pressures of parenting, providing a place where young children can spend time after school productively, and instilling in them a sense of responsibility. The schools can provide platform for people who are accomplished to give back to community by mentoring  such young children. We can put these young children's talent for the betterment of the community. I hope movies like this give out the best ideas to people around, instead of this being a story of one isolated incident where someone become successful and put down a section of our society.