‘What will another child go through?’: Suriya calls out parents over aggressive competition

A recent interview with actor Suriya has sparked a conversation about the impact of aggressive competition on children. In the interview, Suriya urged parents to stop pushing their kids into overly competitive environments, arguing that the education system's fixation on cutoff marks and the tendency for parents to celebrate first-place finishes are damaging a generation of children.

Suriya used an incident involving his own son, Dev, to illustrate his point. When Dev participated in a school sports day race, he chose to pick up a blue water bottle, his favorite color, even though it meant crossing into another lane. Despite not winning the race, Dev demonstrated kindness by selecting a pink bottle for his sister, Diya, highlighting that he had not been coached to prioritize first place over sibling consideration.

Suriya emphasized that children are naturally kinder and self-aware, but it is the adults who teach them to be ruthless. He encouraged parents to celebrate their children's achievements without causing harm to others, stating that while competition is beneficial, it should not become aggressive. Suriya shared this story to demonstrate how children can learn valuable lessons about empathy and valuing others, even in competitive situations, without any specific guidance from their parents.