Children look up to the elders for protection and guidance, and unconsciously or consciously get inspired by them and try to emulate them. It is common to see children putting up posters of sports personalities, actors, and singers on their walls or wardrobe doors. If idolising evokes positive feeling, then it is the most effective tool to transform personality.
Passion: acting
“Idolising someone provides us the right inner spirit to work towards the goal relentlessly,” says Sneha, a student of Std VIII. I am very passionate about acting and actor Priyanka Chopra is my idol.
With the right mix of charisma, acting skills and personality, I draw inspiration from her and has now given me the confidence to attain my goals. “I know I can reach my goal because I have a person right in front of me who has achieved despite hailing from a middleclass background,” she adds.
Sports calling
For Preeti, a student of Std VI, tennis star Sania Mirza is the role model. “There are very few girls who take up tennis as a profession. Right from the beginning she has been my inspiration. “I was recently introduced to tennis, and I intend to pursue this at a professional level,” adds Preeti.
Interactions with adults affect their value systems. A lot of children look for a role model not among celebrities, but teachers, parents and also to an extent their seniors in school. Sunil of Std VIII says that his father, who is a successful banker and also a literary figure in his own right, is his role model. “I would like to take up writing as my career and my father has been living the life I would like to. I also get guidance, which I very much rely on as it comes my dad,” he adds.
Not fake
Bharath, of Std X, says that he has no particular role model. I always try to emulate positive traits from people I interact with. For me a good role model is someone who knows who they are. “I would certainly not look up to people who pretend to be someone they are not and in turn are fake,” he adds.
