My Aim in Life:
Everybody has one ambition or the other. “An aspiration or ambition,” says R. L. Stevenson, “is a joy forever, a possession as splendid or grand as a landed estate, a fortune which we cannot exhaust”. Different people have different ambitions and want to choose different professions. One wants to be a famous scientist, another likes to be a first-class explorer. One who loves books and has an aptitude for research, becomes a scholar, while another who has the keen power of judgement, a sharp eye and a steady hand takes to medicine.
One’s ambition or choice of profession is determined mainly by one’s taste, temperament, resources and environment. A man of active habits, good physique and martial spirit would like to lead a soldier’s life. A man with studious habits, ready wit and debating capacity would wish to become a lawyer. One who is desirous of amassing wealth would think of starting some independent business, while another with the thoughtful and dreamy nature and imaginative bent of mind would like to be a poet. One who wants to lead a sedentary, stay-at-home life, the clerical line would prove suitable, while to another who wants to boss over others an executive job promises great happiness.
As for myself, I am not at all interested in any one of the above professions. I dislike a soldier’s life because he has to work hard and live ever under the shadow of death. I do not want to be a lawyer because he has to tell lies to earn his living. A lawyer has to be a liar to defend his clients. I hate the medical profession because a doctor has to earn his living out of the illness of others. In fact, his dullest months of practice are those when people are bright and healthy. A clerical job has no attraction for me, nor has an executive post any fascination. I would be living in a fool’s paradise if I ever attempted to be a poet, for I am devoid of all imagination or fancy. A peasant’s life is poor, dull and unattractive. A politician is a polite rogue because he poses to be what he is not. No, no, I don’t want to be anyone of those, because I don’t want to be a square peg in a round hole.
My ambition is to become an actor. Acting is the profession that I want to adopt. And I have special reasons for my choice. First of all, I am temperamentally suited for the job. I have an aptitude for singing and dancing. I have attended Uday Shanker’s school of dancing for a year.
As an actor, I can do a lot of good to mankind. I shall see that most of the defects of the Indian films are removed. The scenes showing kisses and embraces, half-naked dances and filthy songs will be cancelled. The films will be reformed and purified.
With my natural acting, I will make the Indian films look real and life-like and not unreal and artificial as at present. Technically speaking, foreign films are superior to ours because they are more natural and life-like.
What is more, I shall earn a decent living. But my main aim would not be to earn money and hoard wealth as some of the famous actors and actresses are doing. With the money that I hope to earn, I will help the poor and the needy. A charitable hospital and a school will be opened for orphans, widows and other helpless sections of society.
Again, I will have ample money to realize my life dream of being a globetrotter. I will travel far and wide all over the globe. Foreign travel, it is needless to mention, will enrich my mind, will increase my general knowledge, will broaden my outlook and widen my sympathies.
Last but not least advantage of becoming an actor would be that I would earn a name and fame. I have made up my choice of profession. No doubt I shall have to work hard to be able to join the profession. I shall have to put in a lot of struggle against heavy odds. But I hope to stick to it, come what may.
