This
Women's day, celebrating the girl child, India's woman of tomorrow
Every night, I ask them tough questions about Math, English and Science.
They in turn fox me by asking tougher questions about life, goodness and kindness.
“Papa
– why do you break the signal? And why then, do you pay the cop?
You
ask us to be content and not change our bicycle.
Why
then every 2 years, do you change your job?
What
exactly do you do in your job?” (ummm….tough one, lemme think…)
“Why
do you spend so much time on Facebook?”
To the
world outside, it’s easier to get away with generic answers like,
The power of social media,
the relevance of your online avatar,
The reach of the digital
medium, the advantages of networking.
To the
kids at home, it’s much difficult to decode this hot-air into a simple answer
about
Why do I spend so much time
on Facebook?
Every
night, I narrate to them feel-good tales about the Sun, Moon, Stars, the Gods and
Angels.
They
in turn ask me feel-real questions about humanity and love.
“Papa,
while you have a holiday every Saturday and Sunday, why does the maid in our home
comes every day?
Why
do you spend so much time in the shower? Why can’t you use a bucket instead?
You
say that Gods are basically our friends, why then we can’t take cameras inside
temples?
Why
can’t we click our snaps with our favourite Gods and post the pictures on
Facebook?”
Every
night, I introduce them to various domestic and wild animals.
They
in turn ask me, “Why then do we cage animals? Why do we eat them?”
Yes,
every night, I try to take them to a wonderful world of fantasy.
They
in turn, bring me back to the real world, and most often unfair world we live
in.
Every
night, I try to make them feel-good. In return, they try to make me Feel.
Every
night, I try to make them Science geniuses, Math Whizkids and English experts.
In short,
every night, I try hard to make them super-human.
They
in turn, simply cut the crap, and try to make me Human.
Every
evening, the leader in me, returns home with a great sense of accomplishment.
Every
night, the small wonders at home, make me realise, how trivial my so-called
achievements have been.
Every
night, is yet another reinforcement of the fact that “Child, truly is the
father of a man”.
Every
night, as I talk to them about the grandiose ways we can change the world;
They
bring me to face with the fact that the real change has to start within.
Every
night, the smart dad in me tries to teach them the ways of life. The Art and
Science of Living.
The
young ones, in many subtle ways, re-introduce to me, the lost art of Loving.
Every
night is yet another starry, dreamy-eyed time of learning and fun for them.
Every
night I teach them. Every night, they educate me.
