E-Paper
Turning 18 with HT: ‘Encourage creativity, independent thinking’
For a better tomorrow: Ishan Sood, a Class 12 commerce student of The Gurukul, Panchkula, believes we can evolve into a mature nation with empowerment, empathy and a never-say-die attitude.
This commerce believes that for a better tomorrow, our country needs to mature with empowerment, empathy and a never-say-die attitude.
Ishaan Sood
Born: March 15, 2000
Badge of honour: Captain of the Entrepreneur Club, The Guruku, Panchkula
What turning 18 means to me
A degree of recognition comes with turning 18. I’ll be eligible for a voter identity card and a driving licence. I’ll be a greater part of society.
What I want to be and why
I’ve opted for commerce and look forward to pursuing an integrated course in law with the focus on economics. It will help me write a book that answers the ubiquitous apathy in society.
My idea of India
We can be a nation much more than we are. We don’t encourage creativity and independent thinking so we haveendedup becoming a country of followers. Raising robots is a bigger industry here than making robots. Otherwise, why should we be a nation where the richest 1% corner 73% of wealth generation? What is the social justification?
What makes me happy
A good read. I read more non-fiction.English novelist George Orwell is my favourite. In his books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, he captures the social injustice in the last century. They are relevant even today.
What makes me angry
Apart from bad drivers on the road, the fact that no one cares; the apathy for the poor.
Fear and fantasy
I fear getting distracted from my aim (of writing a book). I don’t want to get stuck in a place my entire life. As for a fantasy, it’s to write a book that is an answer to society’s apathetical outlook.
Am I happy where I am?
Yes, I’m content with the journey so far. My father, Sanjeev Sood, owns a travel agency in Panchkula and my mother, Bindu Sood, is a homemaker. I’m fortunate to have had a comfortable upbringing.
What money means to me
Money is nothing more than a magic trick. While economics answers how it works, I believe money is more of a promise traded than reality.
What makes me proud of India
The tenacity of Indians; they just don’t give up, however, tough the going may be.
What I can’t live without
It’s the one small change that happens every day. Each day is different.
What social media means to me
Social media is a good way to connect but it’s given a need for everyone to share everything all the time. It’s become awasteful pursuit. Its use can be morally unjustified, too. Servers are infinitely deep and we keep pouring in information that smart algorithms analyse and use to someone’s advantage. It’s like Big Brother is watching you.
Change I’d like to see in the tricity
I’d like to see a lively Panchkulaat 2am instead of deserted streets. We need night life in the tricity.
What religion means to me
In a psychological sense, religion is just a coping mechanism. It’s the translation of society’s mass consciousness. I find it absurd to see people queuing up for hours to catch a glimpse of a rock. It lacks rationality. It gives most people hope and happiness but it’s sad to see them fighting over it.
My role model and why
Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, who founded psychoanalysis, is my role model. I admire him for his confidence and brutal honesty.
Change I want to see in India
We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. So India’s tomorrow should be better than its today. I hope to see my country mature socially and economically as my generation gears up to lead the change.
