In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, current Kerala Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh has revealed that his son never went to college because he had next to no interest in studies.
The former Director General of Police (DGP) said this while stressing that there was little point in parents forcing their children to do well in studies. He said such unnecessary pressure from families is a major reason for student suicides.
The video clip is from an interview with a Malayalam television channel in which the senior police officer shared his own son's story to underline the fact that children can scale great heights if they are allowed to follow their passion.
"My son had little interest in studies. His marks were always around 58 or 60%. He never scored more than that. One day I confronted him and asked him for an explanation. He told me he can do this much only. I never bothered him again," Rishiraj said.
"He got only 62% marks in Class XII. I asked him what's next. He told me that he wishes to do a Diploma in animation. I let him do what he wanted to and applied for an education loan," he remembered.
The senior IPS officer said he still has no idea what exactly his son's job is.
"After studies, he joined a small studio in Mumbai, but he was soon hired by a bigger firm. Then he went to Bangalore and gave entrance exams to Steven Spielberg's studio. He not only cracked the test but was sent to London by the academy as they were very impressed," Rishiraj recounted.
The story doesn't end there.
"In London, he studied by himself without anyone pressuring him and wrote tests given by a Chinese firm. Now he is an artist with a big animation studio there," the veteran IPS officer said.
The former Kerala DGP said his son might have run away or committed suicide if he was forced to be an IPS officer.
Rishiraj also added that his father, who was also a policeman, never tried to influence him when it came to his career.
"They (kids) all will become something according to their taste and skills. If you don't pressure them, at least your children will always be with you," he said.