Reality Check

“Uncle, naangey drawing book siggilla”

These words and the face that uttered them were haunting me throughout the night. The voice not one of complaining but one of disappointment; the eyes not of jealous that some else got it, but of a dream melting. Kids are kids. And we go all out to ensure that they are not what they are. When does this reversal happen?

I saw Imran trying to forcibly take away a doll from Latha one moment and then playing with the same doll with Latha the other moment, oblivious of the fact that he wanted it for himself not long ago. There was Prakash who wanted to show me his drawings again not because he wanted me to acknowledge him as the greatest artist or to stoke his ego, but to satisfy himself that he is good at something after all. And more than himself, there was another girl who was more happy than Prakash himself on him being a good artist and that he can bring any scenery in the world on to a piece of paper. There was another girl who had realized that her core competency is drawing and is working her best to improve it. Immediately when their leader commanded, they all took their positions in a jiffy. Someone opened a biscuit packet and distributed the biscuits to as many kids as possible even before taking one for him. Some eagerly came forward to perform a dance or sing a song. Some were shy even though they were good in one of them. The rest of the kids, helped them to perform, by providing support in whatever little way they can. They were honest to accept if they do not know something. They did not care that they were showered with gifts by people from the society that did not care about them before. They taught me the virtues of being transactional, forgetting the bad things and remembering the good things, focusing on core competencies, win and let others win and feel happy about others’ winning also; distribute whatever you have for the common good of the group; help those who are reluctant to come to the limelight and most importantly be honest about at the least what you know and what you don’t. They care less for things that we care more and care more for the things that we care less. These kids should be training us on the soft skills.

I think some of our lives follow a sinusoidal curve, where we shed all these virtues, to learn about competition, about beating everyone to the top whatever it takes, that losers are useless and success is a comparative measure specified by a single unit, currency. This has changed our attitude towards life, work and people and resulted in carrying the cross throughout. Some are fortunate enough to understand the futility of carrying it at some point or the other, the point depends on their disposition and goes back to basics, the others live a tangential life.

I am still not able to figure how all those good things fall by the wayside as we grow up. I am only sorry about being one of the role models that I do not want them to grow by. Probably I should know when I traverse downhill on the curve.