‘Discipline and punish’ is the attitude entrenched in our schools and society, towards children who are least equipped to take it on. Farzana Nigar from Ranchi ‘Little Stars on Earth’ writes feelingly about the state of our schools, and why Aamir Khan’s ‘Taare Zameen Par’ was such a laudable intervention.  

• In ‘A little like Ishaan’ , Gowri Ishwaran articulates why every parent should watch ‘Taare Zameen Par’. Our increasingly consumerist, unkind society makes us less sensitive to the needs and wants of our very own. The film highlights how this insensitivity affects the relationship between parents and children, and between students and teachers. Not a day passes without us hearing about the severe punishment meted out to children at schools, about the ways in which students are ‘made to realise their mistakes’ and the humiliation and physical abuse they are subjected to. The bigger question that needs immediate attention is: what is modern education all about? Is it too tiresome for teachers and the authorities to even try and understand the psyche of a child? It is that dreaded word ‘discipline’ that ensures that children don’t grow. And again, it is ‘discipline’ that ‘fixes’ them... Somewhere down the line, the film also questions the relevance of education. In a very subtle yet profound manner it contrasts the present-day education system with value education. Cinema is the one medium that can bring about a change in our values and slowly power a social revolution. Aamir Khan has done just that. The film should be screened in all educational institutions.

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