INTERACTING WITH AAMIR KHAN

                                                      INTERACTING WITH AAMIR KHAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting Aamir Khan is a dream coming true for any body and I’m no exception to it. An intense actor, a sensitive human being and a humanitarian in true spirit, Aamir is very close not only to my heart but he has earned the respect of millions of his educated fans. His films have strong social messages that strike a sensitive chord and provoke the audience to think.

His ‘3 idiots’ was not just a huge commercial success but an eye opener to know the true worth of knowledge that education is not about scoring high marks and earning money but it is all about following one’s passion. It did astoundingly well not only in India but in China and Hong Kong  too, after the movie was dubbed into Mandarin. The film there is locally known as san ‘Geshagua’ – literally means three idiots. I beamed with great pride when I heard Chinese singing ‘All eez well....” when I mentioned to them that I was an Indian, when I visited China in May 2012!

Aamir’s ‘Lagaan’ transformed the cinema theatre into a cricket stadium! The audience were literally so involved and spellbound!

Especially Taare Zameen par was an eye opener for many of the parents of children with special needs. Such parents find it difficult to accept the short comings of their children and stay in the phase of denial, blaming the school, the education system and their own children for non performance and problematic behaviour. Often teachers brand these children and lose their patience easily while handling them.

As a high school principal when I referred such children to our school counsellors in the past, there were instances when parents felt offended and fought with me. I would let their steam off and then explain to them about dyslexia, the difficulties faced by dyslexic children and the ways to channelize their talents and increase self worth of such children. It was literally a well planned session I used to conduct for the parents to convince them to let me do what I think is best for my students, was not an easy job!

After this movie “ Taare Zameen par” the whole perspective of teachers as well as parents changed. Whenever teachers or parents noticed disruptive behaviour patterns or learning difficulties like dyscalculia or dysgraphia among children, they came to me seeking advice and references to tackle their problems! This was the movie magic! Today parents willingly are accepting their children as they are and are proud of them, this is my experience with our parents as a head of the school.

He is no doubt a successful and sensitive actor, who has several awards to his credit, but a very conscious citizen of his country, like his great grand uncle, Abul Kalam Azad, the Indian freedom fighter and philosopher.

I was one among the 30 people selected to view the special screening of his episode of Satyamevjayate, on Thursday 3^rd April 2014. The episode screened for us was, “Don’t ever waste your garbage” which featured the ill effects of garbage on the health of humans as well as the environment and focused on various ways of converting the trash into useful commodity. It was such a well researched project, well presented and inspiring. I was quite impressed. My busy schedule does not really permit me to watch a lot of television but good programs like this are always a pleasure to watch. Ofcourse we teach and learn about these issues in schools and colleges but Aamir’s focus is on reaching millions of rural masses, creating awareness, making them think, teaching them to discriminate between good and bad and above all helping them to realize their social responsibility.

Throughout the interaction he was calm, listened carefully and spoke so intelligently, absolutely no hang ups or air, it was as though I was all talking to my  own family member, that is the connectivity I shared with him.

I am a great fan of Aamir Khan, well I may write a thesis on him some day and I’m sure my research will help society and individuals alike. I wish Aamir all the very best in all his future endeavours for the society, for the country and for the world.

Love you Aamir, God Bless You.

Dr Arundhati Hoskeri