Many people I have met often have this misconception that if a student still in school is also a published writer, they most definitely are not good at studying, and by studying, specifically what schools teach. This may indirectly mean studying what’s not taught in schools doesn’t fall in the ‘study-worthy’ column unofficially exclusive to the teachings of schools. The statement mentioned above is not only judgemental towards the student and his abilities that the commenter knows very less about, but also is downright wrong, in my opinion. Let me explain.
Since most students in schools do not specialize in something specific, those who are willing to write are no exception. Writers in school may not be bad at studying, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are geniuses either. So these writers mostly choose fiction, because writing non-fiction about a specific topic demands a lot of knowledge and understanding towards the topic (of course, people like Tanmay Bhatiya who are extremely dedicated towards their subjects do not fall in the ‘mostly’ category). Requiring a lot of knowledge and understanding towards the topic doesn’t essentially mean that writing Non-Fiction is more difficult. In fact, producing any original, readable piece of writing is a challenging task, and when readable, I mean something the reader won’t want to take his eyes off. For example, I can say a sentence in two ways:
The night was dark and cold.
All could be felt but nothing could be seen for the blanket of darkness was thicker than my blazer which was unable to resist the shivering cold that accompanied the night.
To me, the second sentence is more pleasing, and I think it will be to most people (even to the ones whose scope of Literature is no wider than their school textbooks). The procedure to craft that sentence didn’t just snap into my mind. I knew the different possibilities of expressing the same thought because I have read many books, and I have experienced the different exposures and perspectives by different writers who did the same. Reading more books is always a better long term investment of time than memorising what’s in a textbook.
Doesn’t matter what I read. It can be Lord of the Rings, and it can be Six Easy Pieces. Reading the latter I understand Physics better and what happens around me, and reading the former I understand morality better and what happens within me. Either way, I am understanding more, I devoted my time and my attention to accumulation of knowledge from books and by definition, studying is the devotion of one’s time and attention towards the attainment of knowledge mainly through books, and this definition of studying, my dearest reader, is what my school’s literature textbook gives!
By no means am I saying that students not interested in reading and writing are not good students (the ‘good’ labelled students have mastered the tricky art of climbing the highs of the education system), but that those who are aren’t bad or mediocre at studies. Those parents, guardians and teachers who are demoting their children and students from reading more and writing (what they think and feel, not the Q and As from their textbooks) more by saying Padhai pe dhyan do! (Focus on your studies!), you are only helping them to not attain greater knowledge.
