Aaj ke bacche, I tell you!!

This one is about my 7-year-old cousin. And he is special, ‘coz he is a genius!
I was meeting him after a long time. He showed me the movements he uses in karate. He is a blue belt I believe. He is a silver medallist in some karate competition for kids at all Mumbai level.
But that he is a genius, I was soon to get to know. He is a whiz at math. His brainpower is incredible! He knows the whole calendar for the next 100 years. Just give him any date and he can tell you on which day of the week it falls. And he is always right (we checked!)
And what's more, he can calculate faster than the calculator. Only additions and subtractions for now, but with amazing speed and accuracy. He always comes first at any math test/quiz (including the Olympiads) even beating 10-11 year olds.
He is also an expert at computers (for his age) and I believe he can even design PowerPoint presentations (for what, I don’t know!).
Whew!! I was dumbstruck at all his amazing talents when I was introduced to one more of them. The kid knows so many bhajans, kirtans and shlokas, he can teach a pujari a thing or two!
All this made me wonder. The world today is very competitive. My cousin leaves home for school at 9 am and return only by 9 – 9:30 pm. Karate class, computer class, math class (to polish his talent),………he seems to have no time for games, or kiddie talk. Is 7-8 the age by when you know the pressures of competition, of standing first always and getting 100 in math? I don’t know.
Maybe it is. And maybe, this is how he will get the edge over others when he writes board exams (8 years later) or entrance exams (even later!).
But today, we are in a world where a three year old has to pass an exam to get admission to LKG. In the race to future success, isn’t the child really losing his present, to live the life of a kid, careless and free?