GLORIFICATION of candidates who qualify Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations or acquire a PhD is a common trend on social media. People often shower praise on successful candidates, hailing them as pillars of pride.

True, passing CSS examinations or earning a doctorate is an achievement and deserves due praise. But instead of treating it as a personal feat, people on social media take and promote it as some kind of national achievement, which it is not. I am not against extending good wishes to the achievers, but the way they craft such posts is more than a mere announcement of having done something good. It has a touch of vainglory, instead.

Our youth must discern between what is glorifiable and what is not. Undue glorification is actually harmful for the individuals themselves as it deprives them of a sense of perspective.

Syed Karim Bux Shah
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2021