Lessons from Kota Factory
TVF’s Kota Factory has a LOT to take inspiration from, even if you never went to Kota. Here is what I learnt from watching and re-watching this series in the lockdown!
Minor Spoilers : Season 1
If you haven’t watched it yet, you can watch it on YouTube or TVFPlay app or website.
Lesson one : There is cut-throat competition in this world
Vaibhav Pandey, a teenager from the quaint town of Itarsi dares to move to Kota, and through him we see the harsh, naked reality of the city. Coaching centers spending heavy on advertising, buying rankers to display in their pamphlets, luring parents, assigning mediocre teachers to lower batches (they aren’t going to make it anyway, why waste resources?) and what not.
Vaibhav makes it to one of the less prestigious institutes, and discovers that before actually competing in IIT-JEE, he must compete for the right batch in the right coaching institute. Outside of Kota, in the real world, we are all competing for resources.
Lesson two : Everyone is struggling, you are not the only one
Young, naive Vaibhav struggles to sleep, eat, take a dump, manage the tantrums of his landlady. All of this affects his efforts to reach his goal, he cannot study. Jeetu sir- sorry, Jeetu bhaiya, who is a mentor to every student, explains how all students face difficulties living away from home in such an unforgiving environment. Jeetu bhaiya makes his point in a no-nonsense way, telling Vaibhav (and the audience) the reality and forcing him to accept what he cannot change. Vaibhav adjusts to the circumstances, and keeps going till it becomes a habit.
Lesson three : Choose your battles
Vaibhav keeps failing to understand inorganic chemistry which has less concepts and more exceptions. He starts questioning his intelligence when his scores go low, but when he sees students of lower batches perform better, he figures that the fault must be lying with the faculty.
To his frustration, he keeps failing even after a better teacher gets assigned. And then he goes on a rant against the subject. Jeetu bhaiya laughs and explains how the subject does not matter in the long run and has little to no effect on JEE score. So as an exception to the rule, this subject can be neglected.
Vaibhav realises that not every problem must be dealt with persistence, some problems should be let go of!
Lesson four : It is good take a break
Breaks are important, recharging is important – you cannot pour from an empty jug! Jeetu explicitly tells his students NOT to study for a few days and slow down. The characters recharge in their own ways. Vaibhav focuses less on studies and more on tutoring (and impressing) his crush. Uday saves his dwindling relationship. Meena hangs out with his new crush.
The episode itself focuses less on the competitiveness and hustle and more on having fun.
Lesson five : It is important to keep moving on, for your own growth
Vaibhav, now well-adjusted and enjoying is hustle, accidentally ends up securing a position in a better coaching institute.
A part of him does not want to leave behind his mentor, his friends and his crush. However, he realises he must do what is better for him and with a heavy heart, moves on.
Once in his new environment, he finds himself reassuring a newbie, and we see the contrast between the seedling at the beginning of the show and the new, improved Vaibhav. This is further emphasised by the switch from monochrome to color, this is change, this is growth!
Conclusion :
Kota Factory season 1 does not completely dive into the core of competitive exam preparation, but it uses the setting of Kota to tell a story about life – the ultimate challenge we all face.
Which is your favorite moment in Kota Factory? Tell us in the comments!
