Talent Vs Competition

An attempt to delve deeper into the popular culture of competitions.

Competitions get a fair deal if they are healthy. Whereas a sky-high competitive attitude among'st friends is filthy, on the other hand, a craving to explore our own skills is a ‘talent v/s hindrance’ game with our very self.

Each one of us holds a different perspective towards competitions. I am candid on mine for sure. A young little school girl competing her class mate can be a motivating factor for her immature brains but it is a human war in real sense. I vouch the same for talent hunt competitions in colleges and worldwide. Global acceptance to such competitions is not my concern. The only criteria I look upon is �" the most talented genes fighting like emperors in the battle ground with an intention of overshadowing others.

Dissecting it somewhat deeper, don’t you all think these competitions are roots for superfluous complexes among'st skilled species???

Holding a competition with our external obstacles and winning over them is heroic, but, one species in competition with the other is a ‘cat and mouse’ game. Talent hunts certainly act on positive level to some extent as they give an abundant opportunity to the most enthusiastic artists of our nation. They have been given a platform through these reality shows to prove themselves and their abilities, but the craving to win over other participants is heading towards the wrong direction.

Divulging skills and making them succumb to the notions of victory, competition, superiority and resulting into agony and hatred is all what I take these talent hunts as.

Few days back, just at the nick of DANCE INDIA DANCE auditions in AHMEDABAD , I caught this classy dancer doing her ‘last minute’ revision steps.

How wonderful she looked in that pretty pink attire!!!

The dazzle on her face reflected her confidence and more than her own self, to my surprise, she was excited about her best pal who was yet another participant of the same auditions. I can still not forget the hug they shared with each other before touching the dance floor. It was only when one of them got selected and the pretty pink blush of this confident dancer turned pallid.

Alas! She wasn't selected and her friend grabbed the crown. It was a scenario of just ten minutes and their lives changed. The same evils �" hatred, inferiority and envy took over this girl and their warm hug turned cold. This is the impact which talent hunts generally leave.

This might not be the case with everyone but the majority of mass suffers from it and undergoes the depths of enmity and depression. 

One very fine example is our recent Bollywood movie “Student of the year” which has hit each spot at the right place. The best school buddies became vengeful and forgot their capabilities in the run of capturing ‘student of the year’ trophy.

To put it in simple words, an artist should have a competition with him or herself. the competition to embark their own niche, the competition to enhance their own art and last, but not the least, the competition to win all the obstacles that hinder their way to reach heights.

Many voices would be raised on me as I conclude it and pen it down. For them, I just have one thing to say, “Exceptions are always there”.  There are young minds who have a very sportive thought about it. They are taking these competitions as ‘fair, healthy and positive’. Or should I say they are trying to?? As they have no other options or maybe it is the lack of courage which doesn't allow them to raise a finger when they sometimes hear a bias verdict from the judges. Any step which propagates hundreds of doubts and contradictions can never be fruitful. But as it is a superficial world, these talent hunt competitions are saluted and those who are fortunate enough prove their benchmark. Some genuinely deserve it and here is a huge applause for them whereas some really unfortunate ones lag behind even after possessing the best in them.

I was more than appalled when i found out the tricks being strategized to score the highest TRP’s among'st the entertainment channels which very much include these talent hunts as well. A depressed youth trying to please his widow mother by being her ‘dream son’ on the screen is taken into higher degrees of nostalgia by reciting his sad and personal story to the crowd is one such intrigue. Hitting the most sensitive nerve of the participants to gain more publicity is the most convenient way to incline the viewers.

How can these competitions be a boon then? They open a door for few ‘new -born’ artists but also leave the rest so many of them in the shades of darkness   with discouragement and complexities in hand. Due to this constant tug of war, daily newspapers are occupying lot of columns covering suicidal acts and dumping our young generation into fits of stress.

Before I end this article, I need to ask one question nagging in my mind since long....

 “Is our nation ready to sacrifice plenty of talented stars who face defeat in such hunts and go to their shells of disappointment in lieu to a few of those who conquer and march ahead ??” If the answer is NO, then I guess I have hit my point to your most apt veins.