Mumbai: If Sachin Tendulkar had his brother Ajit Tendulkar, then Leander Paes had his father Vece Paes. If Virat Kohli had his parents, then Vishwanathan Anand had his mother. Today is Children’s Day, and we are talking about Indian sporting greats who were also child prodigies and who owe it to their families for the undying support and encouragement that helped them blossom.
Catch them young and give them the platform. And the journey begins from home. Ask chess genius Aditya Mittal (10) who is already a force to reckon with in the world of chess. Felicitated recently by President Pranab Mukherjee along with another child prodigy Dev Shah, Aditya can’t hide his excitement. “It felt great to meet Vishwanathan Anand and visit the Parliament. I am carefree and I don’t boast in school. I remain down to earth,” says Aditya.
And like the greats, mentioned in the beginning, Aditya has his family to thank for giving him the freedom to pursue his career in chess. Despite being dissuaded by the society, Aditya’s parents Kusum and Nitish didn’t give up. Life took a different turn when Aditya played with Anand at the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), Neemrana, Rajashthan when the former was only five. A life-time experience and Aditya was glued to the game. And credit also goes to his brother Vinayak (14), a chess wizard himself but the might of pen prompted him to opt for writing with his first book Crossroads already in the stands.
Kusum doesn’t forget to elicit the right balance struck by Aditya between studies and chess. “Name and fame don’t get to his head. He is good with studies and even if he has to skip school frequently, he ends up scoring 36/40 in tests.” The Number One rank in the National Science Olympiad (NSO) in his second grade, justifies Kusum’s statement.
“A child should dream big and chase his dreams. Aim for the moon, if you fail you will hit a star because sky is the limit. The child must enjoy what he does. We don’t put that extra burden on him. Every child has special skills and that need to be harnessed,” is Kusum’s message on the Children’s Day.
If we look around, there are instances when pushy parents have affected a child’s psychology. In fact, a Chicago Tribune report highlights how parents are putting extra pressure on their children to get scholarships in colleges. The newspaper quotes Jason Sacks, executive director at Positive Coaching Alliance, a non-profit organisation in Chicago, “Parents are putting in all this money and time and they think that if they put it all in, they’ll see a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a college scholarship.” In fact, the article is headlined: Coaching experts to pushy parents: Back off.
But the stories of Tendulkar, Paes, Kohli and others who have brought laurels to the country are different. Never has anybody complained against his family for over burdening him. Enjoy the game has been the mantra, and Aditya is no exception.
It’s the role of the parents and family that matter a lot and on this auspicious occasion, it’s time to salute those parents and brothers and sisters who have played the ideal mentors to the likes of Tendulkar, Paes, Anand and Kohli and the new stars on the horizon Aditya and Dev. Happy Children’s Day!