Yeaaaah Mommmmm. . . . . . !
Sounds which often reverberate in most of our households. This one was no different.
"Have you started writing assignments yet, Kevin ? " a high-pitched voice thundered the room and the very first sentence of this passage was the answer. With loads of books and notebooks, our protagonist kid sat down to write. Writing was not at all a daunting task, but when a favourite cartoon show is aired on television it sure seemed to be.
A lazy look on a clock that was obscured by the pile of books, showed the clock struck four. 'Its time for the Swat kats show', exclaimed his mind-voice but the current situation refrained him from witnessing one of his favourite toon shows. For a moment, there was quick recap of the events that ended up to this despicable situation. A jolly care-free household had suddenly turned into a home filled with augustan parenthood.
The place which was filled with lot of fun after school, non-stop cartoons, video-gaming has suddenly turned hostile and it was filled with strange silence. "Can't I watch cartoons ? ", a mild voice surfaced amidst the pile of books for which a long silence was the answer. Something has gone wrong clearly but knowing the reason behind it was a herculean task. The kid started pondering, ' It was a great day at school, I did not do any mischief that would invite parents' attention, My tiffin-box is always empty, yesterday was Parents-Teacher's meet and it usually doesn't matter, what else? '. Most of the kids are scared to death when it comes to PT meet, but our little Kevin was not bad at his grades and had always maintained above-average scores.Clueless about the sudden overturn of events, the kid could not concentrate on what he was writing, partly because he did not know why it was happening, partly because the cartoon show is about to end and the 'Dexter's Laboratory' was about to start at thirty-minutes past four. But the most important of all questions was the length of this punitive action, "How long is it gonna be this way?"
A few minutes later, a friend who passes by shouts on his way back home, "Dude, come to the ground by six !" for which there is an instant reply from the kitchen, "He will not come to play today". The friend pauses and asks "What happen aunty, is he sick ? He was normal at school". "No, he's got to study", the voice was pretty authoritative this time. Holding the new 'CONTRA' videogame casette in hand, a gift for scoring below tenth rank for the very first time, the other kid couldn't hide his smirk off his face sensing the irony for the kid who has scored the second rank.
GROUNDED !
'No scores below ninety. Are you freakin' kiddin' me? I hold in my hand, a progress report that wouldn't even remotely invite punishment. I don't want any special recognition for it but withholding my freedom is totally unfair'. These were the dialogues that was running in his mind as he mentally prepared himself to confront his mother but was waiting for the agitation to start. It was ten minutes to five and somehow if the kid manages to start the conversation and succeeds in convincing his mom, he could atleast get to watch the 'Pokemon' show. He took a stroll towards the kitchen. But. . . . .the next scene was totally different.
The kid's dad entered the home , two hours earlier than the usual time. Uh-Oh! Two on One - Outnumbered ! No conversations or timely-replies are planned, so picking up a fight would not be a wise decision, thought the kid. But before finishing the thought process, he was already in the kitchen. He looked at his mom, who slightly raised her eyebrows, implicitly questioning his presence. He, on the other hand, took a glass of water and silently sipped it .Both knew the reason, but both pretended as if they didn't - that's the best part! "Is he writing his homework?" was the question to mom from dad. Looking at the son who is drinking the water, the mom raised her eyebrows twice, a silent way of redirecting the question back to the kid.
The very first sentence of the passage was the answer ------- but this time in a slightly lower tone.
In typical Indian households, it's always the mom. From expressing anger to showering love and affection, from feeding the food while starting kids to school to searching their socks in the closet. It's always the MOM. If dad wants to convey anything, it will be only through mom. Not because they didn't want to, but they have succumbed to the stereotype that the society holds, to maintain their sense of authority.
The time slots for the television was simple. Fun-filled cartoon shows from four until six. Ever-crying serials from seven to ten (the prime time serials). Everyone hits the bed at the strike of ten. That's one fundamental rule which is not to be broken. Dad usually gets a peek of news or sports only during the ad-breaks during week days or in the weekends. But today, dad is little happy. Two hours of un-interrupted cricket. The kid could hear the running commentary and his dad, an ardent cricket fan, cheering the team during the boundaries. In India, cricket is a religion. There is a strong possibility that at least one in every family is a die-hard fan of cricket. After some thirty-five minutes of cricket, the television was switched off. The kid who had almost lost his hope of playing that day or getting to know the reason behind the grounding, slightly felt elated. The kid had walked away silently without protest for the new change of rules and it has finally paid off. The kid realized that his parents would have felt some sense of guilt and was expecting them to come near him and explain the reason. Two minutes went by and nothing happened. He pulled the curtain that seperated the rooms and gave a peek as to what was happening in the hall. "Damn !"
Powercut ! That was the last reason that the kid could eve think of. Now that his hopes hit the ground already, he silently retreated back to his room. The parents however noted the unusual silence of the kid, and they went inside his bedroom, partly because they wanted to advice and partly because there was no other work to do since there was no power !
"Kevin ? ", mom called out.
The very first line of the passage again. . . but in a very subtle tone.
"Do you know why we are doing this ? ", Dad this time.
"No", said the kid.
"Do you want to know why?", Mom continued.
When you actually ask this question to any kid particularly after a long silence , there is a 99 percent chance that the kid breaks down because it would have waited long to get to know of it.
"No" , came a swift reply from the kid. Both were able to realize that the kid is struggling to control his tears.
"Okay" , they both left the room. Uh-Oh. With these parents, you don't get the usual scenes. And for the next fifteen minutes nothing happened.
The kid gave a peek again from the curtains hoping that they would start again. Dad called the kid outside, gave a small rub on his head and said in a cool tone. " Son, yesterday in the parents-teachers meet, you got a very good feedback from your teachers "
"Oh. So that's the reason you are grounding me, great! ", kid exclaimed.
Smiling, he said, "No dear! They said you perform well but you are a bit lazy". Now the kid had a vague recap of the events that happened two days before.
Teacher: "You've got good grades kid. You study regularly, right. This is how you must also learn, children", she pointed out to the class making the kid as an example.
Kid: "Nope. I just study the day before the exams". Kids generally feel proud to score more with minimum effort and this kid was no different.
Teacher (pointing to the first-ranking kid) : "How do you study ?"
First-rank kid : "I study atleast an hour everyday. " This was exactly the response, the teacher was waiting for.
Teacher: " You also must learn everyday to score the first-rank" . She felt a bit relieved having nullified the snub which she got minutes back.
'She could have left it just the way it was. She went on an extra-mile to give me a 'SMART BUT LAZY' tag', the kid thought.
"Your teacher as well as we feel that you could do a lot better if you study regularly" said Dad.
It has always been you-give-what-I-want, I'll-give-what-you-want approach in the family and now things have changed. "But Dad,remember that in third grade you said that I can play as much as I want if I score above eighties or nineties. I have been keeping it till date", the kid unable to control his tears.
"Look at your best buddy from school. He gets first rank most of the time. That's somewhat a streak", Dad said.
" What about me? I get second rank for the past six years. Now that's a perfect streak", the kid started sobbing.
We cannot blame the parents here. It is the society that corrupts them. Kids are perceived as their accomplishments, they are ready to spend whatever they want, they would always get them happy but not without returns. A kid who secures first rank and/or excels in swimming, karate, singing, music, yoga are all kids with high potential. The parents are subjected to peer pressure and they want the best out of the kids. We cannot perceive this with the thought that parents expect something in return from their kids. No absolutely not ! Parents are always selfless, sacrificing, they put their kids before them. Agreed. But the society, implicitly puts them in a race amongst themselves as to who can get their kids whatever their kids want and who can get the best out of their kids. Poor little kids, they fall prey to their parents' ambitions.
"Look Son, I'm saying this for the benefit of your career. I want to get the best out of you", said the Dad.
"Didn't your father expect the same from you?" , the kid had a witty reply.
"You know the fastest man on earth is Usain Bolt, can you name the second fastest man on earth? The society always forgets the second", the Dad had a witty reply too. Hard to believe but true. I bet no one knows the answer. The guy who runs behind Usain Bolt is seldom noticed. He's just milliseconds shy of Usain Bolt's record but nevertheless he is a world class runner. The kid jolted for a second.
" I don't understand what you mean by society, Dad. All I can see is my friends and their parents. Does it matter to you if I finish second?" he asked. The society is an abstract term. It is made up of individual elements who are all honest, plain and broad-minded when taken individually, but their collective thought turns out totally contradictory.
"No" said Dad. "Then, in that case, to a friend of mine there exists a section of society which doesn't mind ending up first or second, right?"
"In a way, yes!" said dad. "So, even in my case, there may exist which we may not know", the kid turned out smarter.
Both Dad and son had a hard-to-digest truth. His dad fondled his hair, sat beside him but Kevin silently retreated back to his room.
"What are you doing, Kevin?" asked Mom.
"I AM GOING TO WRITE", the kid replied.
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Eight weeks later. The progress report day. The kid entered the room happily, swaying all around the hall and sat in front of his Dad with folded legs one over the other. Dad understood the reason behind this expression and stood there smiling. The kid opened his bag and took out his progress report in style and handed it over to his mom. Before they could realize, the kid took the bat and happily went out to play.
Dad to mom, " Now I sense I must be really proud of him. Which rank did he secure this time?"
Mom, "Second ! " . Dad then was smiling and he said, " This kid never learns! I'm going to pen this down."
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Five years later, school final exams. The matriculation tenth-standard exams were conducted for 1100.
Dad was mature enough not to expect too much from his son. He simply asked on the result day, " Is it a three digit total or a four-digit total?".
"Four Digits", replied the proud son. Securing a four digit total was a bit difficult those days and we can be sure enough that a four digit total would mostly land up at least finishing school first.
Slightly elated, the dad asked "Is it. Wow. Great man. Are you the first in your school?"
"Second" replied the young man with a smirk on his face. "This kid never learns" exclaimed a proud Dad.
