You know why you clicked on this story, don't you? If you are not sure, then let's just say that perhaps something about this article's headline resonated with you. Or maybe you came here to confirm your notions on the subject or even to critique it.

All the same, for a major percentage of you reading this, the most pressing reason would have been the four words written in quotes in the headline - which is something every other Indian guy has grown up listening to, a number of times, from a number of people.

© Vinod Chopra Films

Frankly, no one's to blame for this passion that plagues most of the middle-class households in the country, regardless of where you are located. This statement is a loose translation for middle-class aspirations, to climb up the social ladder based on the “pride, respect and financial independence” this career offers/ed and promises/ed.

However, when we look around at our engineer friends and acquaintances, or even the job market for that matter, each of them paint a very different picture. Yet, our elders somehow always manage to overlook these realities or rather manage to “look at the brighter side of things”, as they say.

© Vinod Chopra Films

But we are not here to discuss the pros and cons of this career choice, rather we are here to set a premise as to why our society needs to move beyond its obsession with scientific intelligence and instead, give equal encouragement to a healthy philosophical and literary bend of mind amongst the youth.

While there's no denying the fact that scientists and engineers may be one of the major building blocks of the society, it also needs to be acknowledged that civilisations would cease to exist if creative fields are to be disregarded and the expressions curbed.

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So, when we say that parents should take a break from “humara beta toh engineer banega”, what we are also trying to say is that, it's time they stopped saying things like, “arts toh below average students lete hain”, “actor banke nautanki karoge?”, “baker matlab halwai banna chahte ho?”, yada yada.  

What this implies is that anybody who is more inclined towards science will somehow be more successful in life, while any other alternative choice of career cannot be trusted to stand the test of time and help build a life of comfort and abundance.

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Yes, times are changing. Yes, we have come a long way and yes, it is true that lots of parents have now become more accepting of alternative career choices, but the majority of them are still not convinced.

So while they continue to overlook the perpetual need and the growth prospects of the creative fields, let's consider taking a look at the facts that might convince the likes of them.

It is no news that the creative fields expand people's horizon. They allow us to look beyond the obvious, dig deeper and not go by the face value of things. People in these fields like to question everything and build strong instincts by expanding their knowledge.

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Moreover, every society needs people who can think clearly, accommodate multiple perspectives and rise above the differences to reach a consensus that suits them all.

Creative fields encourage critical thinking and equip people to unearth the layers of meaning hidden behind an obvious looking artefact and prove their point too. Not just that, people in such fields are also more welcoming of other cultures and beliefs, because they wish to know more and take all the positive aspects of different cultures to share with the world. 

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A lot of poignant pieces of literature, cinema, paintings, culinary explorations and the likes have constantly opened gates for interactions and exchange of ideas across borders and even continents, stepping over language barriers and cultural differences. These are other forms of discoveries which help the society to grow and evolve into a wholesome and compassionate entity.

So, perhaps it wouldn't be wrong to say it's high time the break was announced, and we witnessed more transformations like Viru Sahastrabudhhe's character underwent in '3 Idiots'.

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This would not only save hundreds of lives burdened by societal (at times parental too) expectations and from eventually crumbling under it, but also prevent the ruthless murder of thousands of dreams, something that is so prevalent in many households in the name of job security and future prospects.