The race starts now

Kabir's playschool - Sishu Vihar -had organized various events this month to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It turns out that Kabir won the first prize in two of the sporting events. One was a running race and the other was a "walking backward race" (no surprises here - I expect him to win any race that requires him to do things backward)!
Kabir getting his prize from Sutapa madam

What struck me most about this was how early competition starts in India. Kabir has already learnt that it is good to come "first" in any race. A few days ago when he told me that he had stood first I did not understand the context and just told him that it was alright to not be first as long as he had enjoyed what he was doing. In hindsight, I wonder how practical this advice is for kids here these days. But I do hope that we can shield him from the pressure that comes with competition for as long as possible.