Ali was sitting on a bench in his school’s ground when his mathematics teacher came up to him and said, “Ali beta, what is happening to your grades? You got a B? Your brother always got an ‘A or A+’ but it seems that you are letting all the expectations of your teachers and parents go down.” The teacher didn’t wait for his answer and walked away.

Ali felt a sudden rush of anger and sadness. He recalled the recent memory of his parents saying, “A career in arts? Why can’t you opt for a reputable profession like medicine, or engineering like your brother?”

Dejected, while sitting there he thought, ‘Why am I expected to get an A or A+ in every subject? Why am I being compared to my brother when I am good in all the subjects and best in arts? Even though my brother is in a very well-reputed university, I can also get into any good arts college if I work hard, being brothers does not mean we share the same intelligence, everyone is intelligent in their own way. Why aren’t my math and science teachers seeing that I am working hard in math and science, too, but don’t get A or A+. Does it mean I am a loser?’

Ali’s train of thoughts don’t seem to stop, he was in anguish, as he was now always compared to his brother’s grades and his education as the perfect footsteps for him to follow.

Meanwhile, Ali’s friend and his favourite art teacher Mr Ahmed were walking past him. They noticed Ali’s tense facial expression so Mr Ahmed, who had always believed in Ali’s potential, sat beside him and without asking gave him a short but meaningful advice.

He told Ali, “I don’t know what you are going through neither I will ask you. You can share if you want but before you do, let me tell you one thing, always believe in yourself, remember grades and scores do make a difference, but your personality should not be overshadowed by them. Work hard and believe that you will achieve your dreams.

“And yes, I believe in your potential, don’t suppress your talent, no matter what the world says. Our society has this big misconception where kids are judged by the limited knowledge of a few topics in specific subjects and getting an A+ makes them a perfect person. This is wrong. Absolutely wrong, and needs to be stopped now. You must make a difference, by your personality, by your creativity. Do not let these grades let you down. Be who you are, do not let your marks in math or science influence your beautiful strokes of colour in arts,” after saying this he got up and left silently.

Time passed. It’s been eight years since Mr Ahmed gave Ali an advice that changed his life forever. Ali was now one of the most renowned artists of the country. He proved to all those people wrong who believed that only grades and subjects like science and maths can lead to a successful career.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 9th, 2019