On the Loose: Marks, matter

Quite possibly Kejriwal’s academic prowess contributed to his success, winning over the youth in the Capital. Everyone is aware of the cut-throat competition to make it to an institution like IIT. Sound reasoning goes that those who do, deserve to be taken seriously.

It is only recently that in India, politicians’ educational qualifications (or lack of) have started coming under scrutiny and influencing public opinion. Otherwise, politics and journalism were the only careers where fancy degrees have not been prerequisites to getting elected, or finding jobs. An older generation of successful politicians such as the late K Kamraj, or Rabri Devi and J Jayalalithaa, have never tried to hide that they didn’t go to college.

It hasn’t diminished their stature one bit. At its core, politics is about representing the needs of the people. It’s debatable how much a degree in business administration matters if you’re trying to provide water and electricity to a remote hamlet in Ladakh. While education can never be a waste, tenacity and experience at the ground level count for as much if not more in politics.

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The mania for top marks and high scores (and coming first) is legendary across India. It begins early, in primary school and doesn’t end till you’re eligible for marriage when parents proudly advertise their children’s stellar results in matrimonial ads like a status symbol. Even though the truth is, marks matter. If only in the sense for those of us who have been lucky enough to go to school, scores are an indication of how hard we are willing to work for something.

It is a little comforting to know that the PM, too, like any industrious student today, has done his time cramming. Besides, brilliant students call the shots today, in reality and in popular culture. Whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg or Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory or Q from Skyfall. In India, being good in studies will never go out of fashion. Now, even the politicians are feeling the pressure.