Tiger mothers exchange hymns on parenting

GURGAON: For weeks now Amy Chuas Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, has been making waves all across the world, forcing mothers everywhere to reflect upon and question the way they have been raising their children. Not one to be left out, the citizens of Gurgaon too got together at Quill and Canvas, a bookshop in DLF City Phase IV, last Sunday to read, reflect and debate the message of this seminal book.
The panelists, including moderator Ashish Rajpal, Founder and CEO, I Discovery, discussed various topics inspired by the book, like how to choose the right school for your child, and how parents should encourage their children to seek excellence.
Paroma Roy Chaudhary, a former journalist who now heads Corporate Communications for Google India, stressed on the need to push ones child to perform exceptionally in academics as the most prestigious corporates in the world ultimately hire only from top colleges across the world. We have to prepare them for the real world, which runs on intense competition. Paroma said she supported the kind of extreme parenting Chuas book speaks of.
Not everyone agreed. Priya V K Singh, Director, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, declared that the book stinks.
Everybody these days seem to be talking about the perfect child and in the process we totally ignore average children, who proceed at their own pace. Most children are not gifted and rather than pushing them to achieve something that they dont want parents should let the children make their own choices in life, said Singh.
Rajpal also commented on the citys mixed culture, and the need to expose children to the right mix of India and the west. Most of us live a global lifestyle, as far as food, travel, and childrens schooling are concerned. We have to make sure that kids dont neglect their own culture while maintaining a mental flexibility to adapt to a western lifestyle, he said.