The Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) show has now turned into an OCKC- an Over Confident Kid Controversy, sparking discussions on parenting and social media scrutiny of kids.

Everyone and their dog are engaged in heated debates, talking about Ishit Bhatt’s overconfidence, about bad parenting, a terrible upbringing and the awful disciplinary strategies. Not to forget the dash of nostalgia of the nurturing warmth of a joint family system, or highlighting the Six Pocket Syndrome.

Call it impudence or plain childishness, but with this one disastrous episode, while a legendary star host has earned tons of respect for his calm and dignified response, a ten year old child not only lost out on the prize money, but also became a vicious target for the trolls!

To be fair, let us focus not on the ‘most hated kid’ on the net right now, or ‘a most loved host’ but on the show itself. First off, it’s not like anyone can just waltz into the hot seat of the KBC. Before the final selection, there is a detailed questionnaire filled out by the participant, followed by a rigorous background check for some juicy details. Then there are multiple interviews, ensuring the participant fits the show's narrative and entertainment goals.

So to blindly believe that the KBC team did not know about the cocky child’s ‘cheeky attitude’ seems a little hard to digest. In fact, given the fact that this isn’t the first time that an ‘overconfident’ child lost out on the prize money, (remember the ‘Google Kid’ Virat Iyer, a few years ago, who got too confident and lost the ₹1 crore question), it seems like the organizers actually ‘wanted’ a repeat performance.

Secondly, KBC is not a live but a pre-recorded show. It generously allows the production team to edit multiple hours of filming down to ONE single episode. With ample input from the creative team, all the drama, the reactions, the emotions and the ‘Ooh’ and ‘Aah’ moments are often edited, heightened and dramatized.

Even though the core quiz segment is primarily knowledge driven, certain aspects are indeed scripted and tailored for entertainment. To balance authenticity and viewer appeal, this blend of reality and scripting is common in all such shows. In fact, celebrities also receive hints or guidance to avoid embarrassing mistakes.

But what exactly is this spanking new Six Pocket Syndrome that everyone is talking about right now? The term emerged in China during its one-child policy era. With most Indians following suit, it’s a trending term from child psychology that describes excessively dependent kids, who have all their wants fulfilled.

With families shrinking in size, now every child has six adults- Mummy, Daddy, Nana, Nani, Dada and Dadi- Six Helicopter Parents and Grandparents, focusing their emotional and financial resources on one tiny life. It’s like too many cooks spoiling an innocent bubbling broth. With multiple caregivers, the ‘Little Emperor’ usually ends up becoming a spoiled child. With so much entitlement and overindulgence, the child also becomes less empathetic and more arrogant.

But Ishit Bhatt is not the only ‘rude’ kid here. In every household we find all ‘Six Pockets’ emptying their tremendous energy into one little kids’ academic, emotional and extracurricular activities. Their every wish is met, their every mistake excused, thus making them feel special, and thinking they can never be wrong. Once children begin to think they are always right, it internalizes a skewed sense of self confidence, one that is dangerous. .

So the deeper question is, as parents and grandparents are we raising a generation that is overconfident yet under-prepared? I agree, modern parenting is a complex juggling act. Everyone wants their kids to be confident, not submissive; expressive, not meek. But when the pendulum swings far beyond its normal stable arct, it can lead to instability, collision or a reversal of its natural motion.

Our goal should not be to not crush confidence but to contextualize it. Actually, in a way perhaps it’s also good that this ‘fleeting’ affair has offered us a national mirror. Now we can force ourselves to see our mistakes and help us in raising kids who can listen with respect, fail with grace and rise with humility.

That being said, when there are multiple matters to be debated upon like ‘Vote Chori’, Corruption, Illiteracy, Poverty, Sanitation, Pollution, Healthcare and of course Religious, Caste and Creed concerns, what is the burning issue we choose to focus on? The Over Confidence of a Child! We, the Social Media People, gang up to target one of the ‘little people’ who can’t even defend himself.

Most kids are naturally focused on their own thoughts and feelings because it is a part of growing up. As they mature, they gradually learn the beauty of listening to others with patience and respect, according to the environment they are exposed to. It's all a journey of emotional growth, not a flaw. Kids may not even have the strong built in mechanism to help them cope with failure or the end of their ‘moment in the spotlight’. But to highlight this flaw and turn into a spectacle that scars them for life? Well, that speaks a lot.

It speaks a lot. Not about the child but about the TRP ratings of a popular show. It speaks about the rotten ecosystem of an entire army of trolls picking on one overexcited kid. It speaks about the vulture culture of a horrible bunch of bullies called the Trolls!

And these aren’t the cute little mythical creatures from the folklore, but the large and evil monsters that post provocative posts to upset and start fresh arguments. And of course to distract the nation from the real issues that we should actually be speaking of.

Cover Photograph Courtesy Times Now

Nargis Natarajan is a writer and author. The views expressed here are her own.

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