A fifth-standard student named Ishit Bhatt from Gandhinagar, Gujarat, appeared in an episode of the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) Season 17 recently, and his conduct during the broadcast triggered widespread online discussion and criticism. The boy’s interaction with the show host Amitabh Bachchan – where he asked the host to not to explain the rules and said he know them already was interpreted by many viewers as “overconfident” or “rude.”
During the episode, Ishit told the host, Amitabh Bachan, “Sir, don’t start explaining the rules – I already know them,” and asked repeatedly for options to be presented quickly, and sometimes answering the questions before options were presented, rather than waiting. This tone and rapid approach, especially from such a young contestant, quickly became a viral discussion point on social media platforms, with many users critiquing the child’s manners, and others drawing attention to his age, environment and the parenting.
Some child psychologists and child-behaviour experts warned that the rapid public scrutiny of a child might carry psychological risks.
MedBound Times connected with Clinical Psychologist, Khushboo Agarwal about the incident. She rightly said, "every child is different." "Every child is learning.
When we, as adults, judge or make fun of them for their mistakes, we take away their chance to learn and grow with confidence."
She wants us to remember that "the truth is, each of us sees situations based on our own values, beliefs, and life experiences and that’s why something that feels “wrong” to one person might feel completely normal to another."
On social media, we’re quick to react; to point fingers, to say what a parent or child should have done. But what we often forget is that every child is unique, every parent is trying their best, and all of us are different in how we see the world.
"So instead of judging, maybe we can pause and ask ourselves; why did this moment bother me so much? Often, it says more about us than about the person we’re reacting to."
In the particular broadcast of KBC, Ishit did not progress beyond the question that carried ₹25,000 after giving a wrong answer, which ended his run as a contestant. Despite this, the broader public reaction remained focused not only on his performance, but on his behaviour, parenting, and what it says about children in high visibility contexts.
After the backlash Ishit Bhatt posted a public apology in his Instagram page, stating that he was nervous and that it was not his intention to be rude. Later another clip started circulating in Internet which showed him requesting for a photograph with Amitabh Bachan ahead of his birthday and now internet has taken a U-turn on its opinion about him.
(Rh/Eth/TL)
