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When Innocence Is Mistaken for Arrogance

by Rashmi Kaushik
(Noida, India)

There are moments on television that make us smile and there are moments that reveal who we have become as a society. A few days ago, a young boy, barely ten years old, appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati. A Class 5 student, with wide eyes and an infectious smile, he was clearly living every child’s dream, sitting across from Amitabh Bachchan himself.

He was excited, he talked fast, he laughed freely. His words tumbled over each other, not because he wanted to show off, but because he couldn’t contain his joy. But within hours of the episode airing, the same internet that should have celebrated his innocence turned cruel. Trolls labelled him “arrogant,” “overconfident,” even “annoying.” Memes were made, comments poured in, and the simple joy of a child became the internet’s new punching bag.

It’s heartbreaking and saying that we, as adults, couldn’t recognise innocence when we saw it.

That boy wasn’t arrogant. He was alive. He was everything a child should be curious, expressive, brimming with energy, unafraid to speak his mind. But somewhere along the way, we seem to have decided that children must behave like little adults, quiet, composed, restrained to win our approval. If they speak too much, they are “overconfident.” If they are shy, they are “boring.” What a tragic double standard we have built around childhood.

Social media, once meant to connect people, has turned into a theatre of mockery. We scroll, we judge, we comment, forgetting that behind every clip is a living, breathing person. In this case, a small boy who went to school the next morning, probably unaware at first that thousands of strangers were dissecting his mannerisms online. Do we ever stop to think what such ridicule does to a young, impressionable mind?

We have become a generation that preaches kindness but practices cruelty. We talk about mental health, yet we crush confidence at its roots. We celebrate “child prodigies” and “young achievers” but only if they perform within our comfort zone. The moment a child dares to be himself loud, funny, unfiltered we call him names.

Watching that episode again, one could see the sheer warmth in Amitabh Bachchan’s eyes. The way he smiled patiently, encouraged the boy, matched his energy that is what grace looks like. That is what an adult should do: guide gently, not humiliate. Perhaps we could all learn something from that exchange about empathy, about patience, about how to handle youthful enthusiasm.

The truth is, the boy didn’t deserve trolling, we did. We deserved to be called out for our intolerance, our pettiness, our inability to let a child simply be. What kind of society mocks its children for being expressive? When did excitement become arrogance, and innocence become entertainment for ridicule?

Maybe we’ve all grown too cynical to appreciate unfiltered joy. We’ve forgotten what it feels like to be that child ... sitting in front of a legend, heart racing, words spilling out faster than thoughts, overwhelmed by wonder.

So, the next time we see a child speak a little too loudly or laugh a little too much, let’s remember the boy from KBC. Let’s remember that behind that energy is a heart that still believes the world is kind. And let’s make sure it stays that way.

Because if we cannot protect a child’s innocence, if we cannot let joy exist without judgment, then the problem isn’t with the child. It’s with us.