0 "I want to be a mechanic" my son said to me.

On a fine weekend, I asked leisurely to my seven years old son, Ayachi, what he wanted to be in his life. He said, “I wanted to become an engineer!”

There was nothing special in it, I assumed, someone from the extended family must have taught him to recite this. In fact, from my unconscious mind I have been listening this from him since long. He was deliberate to everyone in mentioning that he is working hard on his studies for the same. This does not deserve a special attention and a place in this blog, I thought, this moment is ought to come in everyone’s childhood when seniors teach them what profession he/she should chose. Children’s opinion, their blossoming ambition, embryonic creativity and their transient wit having genuine potential never gets any encouragement. We always impose our thoughts and our aspiration to our kids. 

However, I never got chance to speak on this topic to my son. Since I was prepared, I asked him again, “why do you want to be an engineer? Do you know who the engineers are?”.

He was well equipped from his side. Contrary to my expectation that he would name a Mr. or Mrs someone who had taught him to do so, he said, “Yes I know who the engineers are!”

So many thoughts provoked my mind. Engineers are no longer a person who builds highways, bridges and dams to feel proud about that. I challenged him to throw some more light on this. He was quick in replying:

“I wanted to become an engineer, because an engineer can repair a car if it is not working”. He thought for a while and said again, “Engineers are great people who can repair anything having a technical snag”.

I knew my son is crazy after cars. I knew, other than the scale, he doesn’t see any difference between a real car and a miniature one. Once he requested me to take a turn while I was driving at top speed to experience the adventure of an accident. Actually once he overheard me talking with my wife that a car topples down while taking a turn at high speed, therefore I must slow down my car. For him, a real car’s accident is equally enjoyable as an accident of miniature cars. I am responsible for his craziness to some extent. I have been crazy for cars ever since I started working for General Motors. I have been explaining the different features of car to my wife whenever she happened to travel with me. My son also learnt the same and become equally fanatic about the car. At this age of seven years he knows about all mid segment vehicles. 

Therefore he dreamed that one fine day he will learn how to repair a car. It is an engineer who can repair a car. He nurtured this ambition and evolves a passion around it. Thus to be an engineer became his ultimate goal of life. 

I was listening to him curiously. I wanted him to know the real fact about an engineer. I said, “You know! It is not an engineer who repairs the car, rather it is a mechanic who does it”.

“OK, then, I want to be a mechanic”, he said confidently. 

It was not a surprise for me.  I remembered how I wanted to become a Railway Guard. I was wondering in my early childhood how a train of thousands ton starts or stops running merely on his hint of allusion. I did not want to impose my aspiration on him at this early stage. I want him to develop his own interest and hence evolve his ambition. 

Since then he started reciting to everyone that he is working hard on his studies to become a mechanic. However it is blissfully humorous to see reciting it everytime.